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September 4th, 2009
To review:
Tammy was last seen by reliable, multiple witnesses at about
11:15 p.m. on Sept. 17th 1992, at the Stephenson farm in
northwest Nebraska.
At about this time, Tammy was getting ready to go back to
Yankton with Eric Stukel, who claims he took her home.
Nearly a week later, her body would be found within a ravine
1 1/2 miles by road from this farmhouse.
Over the course of the evening of September 17th, about 80
people were in attendance at this party -- all potential suspects,
all subject to questioning by law enforcement.
Though Stukel claims he took Tammy back to Yankton with
him, which was eight miles away, and also claims he was with
her until as late as 12:30 to 1:00 a.m., forensic evidence
revealed that her time of death was no later than 12:35 a.m. --
and more likely much closer to 11:30 p.m. and midnight. If
Stukel claims he was the only one with Tammy at these times,
then he is the only person with opportunity to commit the
crime of her homicide.
Pathologist who studied the wounds on Tammy's body
determined that she didn't die accidentally, but was
deliberately killed at the hands of another.
Out of all the suspects who could have potentially killed
Tammy, only one would confess to this crime while Tammy was
still missing (courtroom testimony of this confession will be
revealed in later posts) and only one would fail a polygraph
administered by law enforcement (the results of which will
also be later revealed.)
With these facts in hand, law enforcement quickly impounded
Eric Stukel's automobile. There they found physical evidence
indicating that Tammy's body had been placed in Stukel's trunk.
Here they found body fluids on the steering wheel, dashboard,
and front seat. Two sources of urine would also be found on
Tammy's body, one matching Eric Stukel's blood and secretor
type on the back of her underwear.
In the end, the physical evidence would indicate that Tammy
was assaulted and killed, that she was placed in Eric Stukel
trunk, that she was dragged and dumped into a ravine.
A PRACTICAL JOKE GONE WRONG?
At Eric Stukel’s trial in September of 1996, witness-for-the-
prosecution Tyler Mahoney testified that his friend Jamie
Horacek had urinated in the open window of the passenger’s
side of Eric Stukel’s car around 11:35 p.m, just as he, Horacek,
and a few others were leaving the Stephenson party.
According to Mahoney, he and his friends had parked a few
cars away from Stukel’s on the gravel road running north of
the Stephenson farmhouse. Stukel had parked his car facing
the wrong direction and left the passenger-side window down.
Evidently, Horacek wasn’t one of Stukel’s biggest fans and saw
an opportunity to cause Stukel a bit of grief.
This was why Tyler Mahoney remembered seeing Eric Stukel at
a Yankton car wash the next day, Homecoming afternoon,
Friday, September 18th, 1992. Mahoney could only assume Eric
Stukel was washing his seats and dashboard of Horacek’s
urine. (Stukel’s presence at the car wash was also validated by
his own testimony in the courtroom on Oct 3, 1996.)
Some have argued that perhaps Mahoney and Horacek and their
friends had something to do with Tammy’s death, but this
doesn’t make much sense in light of Stukel's claims.
Stukel claims he took Tammy home and mentions nothing
about urine in his car, even when confronted with this fact a
year later.
Though body fluids were detected in the crevices of Stukel's
steering wheel and dashboard and in the seats, Stukel denies
any of this ever happening -- according to what he told law
enforcement, his windows were up and his car was locked.
Further, he denies he was at the car wash to clean his car of
body fluids or anything else, and says he was only there to get
ready for a date he had with Tammy on homecoming night.
(Interestingly, Stukel would tell a friend a few days after his
car was impounded that he wasn’t worried about what law
enforcement would find in his car because he “cleared it out
real good.”)
But back to this practical joke...this peeing through the
window.
Urinating in Stukel’s car just doesn’t seem like a story
somebody would make up to law enforcement, as it’s a bit
embarrassing and, on its face, would seem to have no relevancy
to Tammy’s death. This seems to be an honest confession about
the events of that night, with seemingly no bearing on what
might have happened to Tammy.
Yet law enforcement took particular interest when body fluids
were found on the seat, dashboard, and steering wheel of
Stukel’s car...
What's the point of all this?
For the time being...that'll just have to wait.
m.c. merrill
TOMORROW -- TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY
To review:
Tammy was last seen by reliable, multiple witnesses at about
11:15 p.m. on Sept. 17th 1992, at the Stephenson farm in
northwest Nebraska.
At about this time, Tammy was getting ready to go back to
Yankton with Eric Stukel, who claims he took her home.
Nearly a week later, her body would be found within a ravine
1 1/2 miles by road from this farmhouse.
Over the course of the evening of September 17th, about 80
people were in attendance at this party -- all potential suspects,
all subject to questioning by law enforcement.
Though Stukel claims he took Tammy back to Yankton with
him, which was eight miles away, and also claims he was with
her until as late as 12:30 to 1:00 a.m., forensic evidence
revealed that her time of death was no later than 12:35 a.m. --
and more likely much closer to 11:30 p.m. and midnight. If
Stukel claims he was the only one with Tammy at these times,
then he is the only person with opportunity to commit the
crime of her homicide.
Pathologist who studied the wounds on Tammy's body
determined that she didn't die accidentally, but was
deliberately killed at the hands of another.
Out of all the suspects who could have potentially killed
Tammy, only one would confess to this crime while Tammy was
still missing (courtroom testimony of this confession will be
revealed in later posts) and only one would fail a polygraph
administered by law enforcement (the results of which will
also be later revealed.)
With these facts in hand, law enforcement quickly impounded
Eric Stukel's automobile. There they found physical evidence
indicating that Tammy's body had been placed in Stukel's trunk.
Here they found body fluids on the steering wheel, dashboard,
and front seat. Two sources of urine would also be found on
Tammy's body, one matching Eric Stukel's blood and secretor
type on the back of her underwear.
In the end, the physical evidence would indicate that Tammy
was assaulted and killed, that she was placed in Eric Stukel
trunk, that she was dragged and dumped into a ravine.
A PRACTICAL JOKE GONE WRONG?
At Eric Stukel’s trial in September of 1996, witness-for-the-
prosecution Tyler Mahoney testified that his friend Jamie
Horacek had urinated in the open window of the passenger’s
side of Eric Stukel’s car around 11:35 p.m, just as he, Horacek,
and a few others were leaving the Stephenson party.
According to Mahoney, he and his friends had parked a few
cars away from Stukel’s on the gravel road running north of
the Stephenson farmhouse. Stukel had parked his car facing
the wrong direction and left the passenger-side window down.
Evidently, Horacek wasn’t one of Stukel’s biggest fans and saw
an opportunity to cause Stukel a bit of grief.
This was why Tyler Mahoney remembered seeing Eric Stukel at
a Yankton car wash the next day, Homecoming afternoon,
Friday, September 18th, 1992. Mahoney could only assume Eric
Stukel was washing his seats and dashboard of Horacek’s
urine. (Stukel’s presence at the car wash was also validated by
his own testimony in the courtroom on Oct 3, 1996.)
Some have argued that perhaps Mahoney and Horacek and their
friends had something to do with Tammy’s death, but this
doesn’t make much sense in light of Stukel's claims.
Stukel claims he took Tammy home and mentions nothing
about urine in his car, even when confronted with this fact a
year later.
Though body fluids were detected in the crevices of Stukel's
steering wheel and dashboard and in the seats, Stukel denies
any of this ever happening -- according to what he told law
enforcement, his windows were up and his car was locked.
Further, he denies he was at the car wash to clean his car of
body fluids or anything else, and says he was only there to get
ready for a date he had with Tammy on homecoming night.
(Interestingly, Stukel would tell a friend a few days after his
car was impounded that he wasn’t worried about what law
enforcement would find in his car because he “cleared it out
real good.”)
But back to this practical joke...this peeing through the
window.
Urinating in Stukel’s car just doesn’t seem like a story
somebody would make up to law enforcement, as it’s a bit
embarrassing and, on its face, would seem to have no relevancy
to Tammy’s death. This seems to be an honest confession about
the events of that night, with seemingly no bearing on what
might have happened to Tammy.
Yet law enforcement took particular interest when body fluids
were found on the seat, dashboard, and steering wheel of
Stukel’s car...
What's the point of all this?
For the time being...that'll just have to wait.
m.c. merrill
TOMORROW -- TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY
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