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September 6th, 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.
Oddly, a witness came forward with information that a
friend of his had urinated in Stukel's car on the night of
Tammy's murder. Stukel would be seen the next day cleaning
out his vehicle. All his doors would be open, including his
trunk. *
Did this have anything to do with Tammy's death...or is this
all just mere coincidence? Why when asked about all of this
did Stukel keep changing his story?
AGAIN, SHE MIRACULOUSLY APPEARS
According to the defense timeline, Tammy would make
another miraculous postmortem appearance not long after
leaving Eric Stukel’s house.
According to defense witness Jennifer Jones, Tammy would
arrive at the Pump N Stuff gas station on 2nd and Walnut
between 12:30 and 1:00 a.m. on her way from Eric Stukel’s to
her aunt’s home, as quoted from the Press and Dakotan:
According to Jones, Tammy arrived at the Pump N Stuff “between 12:30-1
a.m. She got a soda and walked around to where the pies were and asked
if we had any chocolate pies. I said no and she grumbled a little bit. We had
a cigarette together at the door and talked about my younger brother. She
had seen him at the Lazy D at a Labor Day event.”
According to Jones, Haas was dressed in a blue denim shirt, white shirt,
khaki pants and penny loafers. She was carrying a black purse and her
hair was down. This closely matches the clothing Tammy was wearing
when her body was found.
“We conversed about five minutes,” Jones said. “She left the store and I
watched her walk out past the gas pumps. I never saw her again.” *
On the surface, this would seem compelling evidence,
especially if you ignore the 12:35 a.m. or earlier time of
death, and especially if you ignore the claim Sarah Stukel
makes about seeing Tammy in the hallway of her parent’s
home at around 1:00 a.m.
In other words, could Tammy be in two places at once…
...after she was already dead?
There are other explanations for this testimony, however,
that do not break the laws of biology and the space-time
continuum.
On one hand, Ms. Jones could have been mistaken in her
testimony, recalling events from the night before. Eric Stukel
had said that Thursday night was a repeat of Wednesday
night, and I believe part of his coping mechanism has been to
recreate that reality, blocking out the true events of that
homecoming eve, replacing them with a repeat of the previous
night. For her part, Ms. Jones could easily have confused one
night with the other as well. In fact, the Jones testimony has
been confused in news records, with Jones saying that
Tammy arrived between 12:30 and 1:00 a.m. on the 17th of
September—in other words, Wednesday, not Thursday night.
In any case, without video surveillance tapes or receipts, this
eyewitness testimony becomes difficult to corroborate.
On the other hand, Ms. Jones could have been given
information about what Tammy was wearing on Thursday
night by Eric Stukel or one of his friends.
There were questionable familial associations there.
Also, Tammy and Eric Stukel did buy alcohol from the Pump
N Stuff earlier that night.
Considering that the Pump N Stuff could have been held
partially liable for Tammy’s death for their illegal sales of
alcohol to minors—could it be proven that she died because of
illegal activities at the Stephenson party—there would be
motivation to see Tammy walk off into the night, alert and
sober, only to vanish.
Can I prove criminal conspiracy here?
What struck odd during Jones’ testimony was the specificity
with which she described Tammy’s dress.
There are those who have photographic recall of such things,
but Tammy wasn’t wearing anything out of the ordinary that
night (and though it was quite a ways out of the way between
Stukel’s and her aunt’s) there was really nothing out of the
ordinary about Tammy stopping into a gas station for a late-
night treat.
Could Jones have recalled Tammy’s clothing head to toe?
Perhaps.
Could somebody else have told her what Tammy was wearing
that night? We must be very careful of making erroneous
connections here. There was motivation to see Tammy walk
off into the night from the Pump N Stuff. There was a
connection between Jones and some of those accused of
covering up Tammy’s murder, but this does not prove
wrongdoing. In fact, alone it proves nothing; therefore, we
must turn to the clear-cut science of digestion.
Food digests in the stomach within two to five hours of a
meal. Alcohol can retard this effect, but the longest food
would remain identifiable in the stomach is six hours. The
contents of Tammy’s stomach were recognizable.
Based upon this and the time of her last known meal, Tammy
had to have been dead at 12:35 a.m. and more than likely
before midnight, before Eric Stukel said she left his house to
walk to her aunt’s, before Jones claims she saw her at the
Pump N Stuff.
There is no indication that Tammy had spaghetti later that
night, and if she lived until Friday and perchance had another
meal of spaghetti, where did she get that meal and how did
she go about completely unseen by friends and family?
Based upon all the evidence available, based upon cash
register receipts, based upon Stukel’s own testimony, by 6:35
p.m. Tammy had eaten her last meal and had left Pizza Hut.
That meal was still in her stomach when she died. Beyond a
reasonable doubt, Tammy had to have been dead by 12:35 a.m.
This is solid, clear-cut science.
If Eric Stukel says Tammy left his house after 12:30 a.m. or
later, he has to be either mistaken or lying.
If Sarah Stukel says she saw Tammy coming out of the
bathroom sometime around 1:00 a.m., she has to be either
mistaken or lying.
If Jones said she saw Tammy between 12:30 and 1:00 a.m.,
she, too, is either mistaken or lying.
Jones was the most compelling witness the defense produced.
Were I to get up on the stand and give the same testimony
Jones gave, I might have been just as nervous, but I doubt I
would have been trembling so violently, and I doubt I would
have sounded so rehearsed.
But did the jury believe her?
What might have thrown the jury off was the official time of
death as reported on the autopsy. When the autopsies were
performed early in the investigation, neither the medical
examiner in South Dakota, nor the medical examiner in Iowa
knew when Tammy ate her last meal.
The medical examiners simply had to make a guess based upon
the supposed Jennifer Jones sighting.
Assuming Jones’s testimony was accurate and honest, they
put the death at 2:00 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 18th, 1992.
Investigators, however, were later able to close that window
to before 12:35 a.m., putting so much defense-witness
testimony into doubt.
One other eyewitness would be used in Eric Stukel’s defense.
Val Hoepner, a photographer for the Yankton Press and
Dakotan, believed she saw Tammy during the homecoming day
parade the day after the Stephenson party.
She said Tammy was across the street from her on the parade
route, standing in profile.
She called out to Tammy, according to her testimony, but
Tammy did not hear her call, turned, and moved off into the
crowd.
On the surface, this testimony seems to indicate that Tammy
might have made it through the night, perhaps had eaten
another meal of spaghetti, and then died some other time over
the course of the weekend.
The problem with this sighting was that no other person at
the parade ever reported seeing Tammy.
Two years earlier, Tammy had been a member of the
homecoming royalty. She was popular and very hard to miss.
Further, Hoepner got Tammy’s hair color wrong. Tammy had
recently darkened her hair a few shades browner than
normal. Hoepner reported her hair as light brown.
If this person Hoepner saw was Tammy, she would have had
to have gone all night Thursday and all Friday without
anybody else seeing her. She would have had to have made it
to and through the parade without one other person seeing
her along the way.
Then she would have had to have been abducted and killed
(without anybody else seeing her anywhere, without one
trace of evidence left behind.)
Then she would have had to have been transported and
dumped into the ravine on County 121, within spitting
distance of the Stephenson farmhouse (which seems like an
incredible coincidence considering her last legitimate sighting
had been homecoming eve at the Stephenson farm with Eric
Stukel.)
And she would have had to have eaten more spaghetti…
Again, Hoepner called out to this person she thought was
Tammy by name, but this person never responded.
Most likely this was a simple case of mistaken identity.
IN THE END, CLEAR-CUT SCIENCE TRUMPS ALL DEFENSE
WITNESSES WHO CLAIMED TO SEE TAMMY AFTER 12:35 A.M.
ON SEPTEMBER 18TH, 1992.
TIME AND AGAIN, THE TRAIL ENDS WITH ERIC STUKEL.
m.c. merrill
* SOURCE: Rothanzl, Lorna. “Stukel’s Sister Back Up Alibi at Trial.’
Yankton Press and Dakotan. Oct. 5th, 1996.
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.
Oddly, a witness came forward with information that a
friend of his had urinated in Stukel's car on the night of
Tammy's murder. Stukel would be seen the next day cleaning
out his vehicle. All his doors would be open, including his
trunk. *
Did this have anything to do with Tammy's death...or is this
all just mere coincidence? Why when asked about all of this
did Stukel keep changing his story?
AGAIN, SHE MIRACULOUSLY APPEARS
According to the defense timeline, Tammy would make
another miraculous postmortem appearance not long after
leaving Eric Stukel’s house.
According to defense witness Jennifer Jones, Tammy would
arrive at the Pump N Stuff gas station on 2nd and Walnut
between 12:30 and 1:00 a.m. on her way from Eric Stukel’s to
her aunt’s home, as quoted from the Press and Dakotan:
According to Jones, Tammy arrived at the Pump N Stuff “between 12:30-1
a.m. She got a soda and walked around to where the pies were and asked
if we had any chocolate pies. I said no and she grumbled a little bit. We had
a cigarette together at the door and talked about my younger brother. She
had seen him at the Lazy D at a Labor Day event.”
According to Jones, Haas was dressed in a blue denim shirt, white shirt,
khaki pants and penny loafers. She was carrying a black purse and her
hair was down. This closely matches the clothing Tammy was wearing
when her body was found.
“We conversed about five minutes,” Jones said. “She left the store and I
watched her walk out past the gas pumps. I never saw her again.” *
On the surface, this would seem compelling evidence,
especially if you ignore the 12:35 a.m. or earlier time of
death, and especially if you ignore the claim Sarah Stukel
makes about seeing Tammy in the hallway of her parent’s
home at around 1:00 a.m.
In other words, could Tammy be in two places at once…
...after she was already dead?
There are other explanations for this testimony, however,
that do not break the laws of biology and the space-time
continuum.
On one hand, Ms. Jones could have been mistaken in her
testimony, recalling events from the night before. Eric Stukel
had said that Thursday night was a repeat of Wednesday
night, and I believe part of his coping mechanism has been to
recreate that reality, blocking out the true events of that
homecoming eve, replacing them with a repeat of the previous
night. For her part, Ms. Jones could easily have confused one
night with the other as well. In fact, the Jones testimony has
been confused in news records, with Jones saying that
Tammy arrived between 12:30 and 1:00 a.m. on the 17th of
September—in other words, Wednesday, not Thursday night.
In any case, without video surveillance tapes or receipts, this
eyewitness testimony becomes difficult to corroborate.
On the other hand, Ms. Jones could have been given
information about what Tammy was wearing on Thursday
night by Eric Stukel or one of his friends.
There were questionable familial associations there.
Also, Tammy and Eric Stukel did buy alcohol from the Pump
N Stuff earlier that night.
Considering that the Pump N Stuff could have been held
partially liable for Tammy’s death for their illegal sales of
alcohol to minors—could it be proven that she died because of
illegal activities at the Stephenson party—there would be
motivation to see Tammy walk off into the night, alert and
sober, only to vanish.
Can I prove criminal conspiracy here?
What struck odd during Jones’ testimony was the specificity
with which she described Tammy’s dress.
There are those who have photographic recall of such things,
but Tammy wasn’t wearing anything out of the ordinary that
night (and though it was quite a ways out of the way between
Stukel’s and her aunt’s) there was really nothing out of the
ordinary about Tammy stopping into a gas station for a late-
night treat.
Could Jones have recalled Tammy’s clothing head to toe?
Perhaps.
Could somebody else have told her what Tammy was wearing
that night? We must be very careful of making erroneous
connections here. There was motivation to see Tammy walk
off into the night from the Pump N Stuff. There was a
connection between Jones and some of those accused of
covering up Tammy’s murder, but this does not prove
wrongdoing. In fact, alone it proves nothing; therefore, we
must turn to the clear-cut science of digestion.
Food digests in the stomach within two to five hours of a
meal. Alcohol can retard this effect, but the longest food
would remain identifiable in the stomach is six hours. The
contents of Tammy’s stomach were recognizable.
Based upon this and the time of her last known meal, Tammy
had to have been dead at 12:35 a.m. and more than likely
before midnight, before Eric Stukel said she left his house to
walk to her aunt’s, before Jones claims she saw her at the
Pump N Stuff.
There is no indication that Tammy had spaghetti later that
night, and if she lived until Friday and perchance had another
meal of spaghetti, where did she get that meal and how did
she go about completely unseen by friends and family?
Based upon all the evidence available, based upon cash
register receipts, based upon Stukel’s own testimony, by 6:35
p.m. Tammy had eaten her last meal and had left Pizza Hut.
That meal was still in her stomach when she died. Beyond a
reasonable doubt, Tammy had to have been dead by 12:35 a.m.
This is solid, clear-cut science.
If Eric Stukel says Tammy left his house after 12:30 a.m. or
later, he has to be either mistaken or lying.
If Sarah Stukel says she saw Tammy coming out of the
bathroom sometime around 1:00 a.m., she has to be either
mistaken or lying.
If Jones said she saw Tammy between 12:30 and 1:00 a.m.,
she, too, is either mistaken or lying.
Jones was the most compelling witness the defense produced.
Were I to get up on the stand and give the same testimony
Jones gave, I might have been just as nervous, but I doubt I
would have been trembling so violently, and I doubt I would
have sounded so rehearsed.
But did the jury believe her?
What might have thrown the jury off was the official time of
death as reported on the autopsy. When the autopsies were
performed early in the investigation, neither the medical
examiner in South Dakota, nor the medical examiner in Iowa
knew when Tammy ate her last meal.
The medical examiners simply had to make a guess based upon
the supposed Jennifer Jones sighting.
Assuming Jones’s testimony was accurate and honest, they
put the death at 2:00 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 18th, 1992.
Investigators, however, were later able to close that window
to before 12:35 a.m., putting so much defense-witness
testimony into doubt.
One other eyewitness would be used in Eric Stukel’s defense.
Val Hoepner, a photographer for the Yankton Press and
Dakotan, believed she saw Tammy during the homecoming day
parade the day after the Stephenson party.
She said Tammy was across the street from her on the parade
route, standing in profile.
She called out to Tammy, according to her testimony, but
Tammy did not hear her call, turned, and moved off into the
crowd.
On the surface, this testimony seems to indicate that Tammy
might have made it through the night, perhaps had eaten
another meal of spaghetti, and then died some other time over
the course of the weekend.
The problem with this sighting was that no other person at
the parade ever reported seeing Tammy.
Two years earlier, Tammy had been a member of the
homecoming royalty. She was popular and very hard to miss.
Further, Hoepner got Tammy’s hair color wrong. Tammy had
recently darkened her hair a few shades browner than
normal. Hoepner reported her hair as light brown.
If this person Hoepner saw was Tammy, she would have had
to have gone all night Thursday and all Friday without
anybody else seeing her. She would have had to have made it
to and through the parade without one other person seeing
her along the way.
Then she would have had to have been abducted and killed
(without anybody else seeing her anywhere, without one
trace of evidence left behind.)
Then she would have had to have been transported and
dumped into the ravine on County 121, within spitting
distance of the Stephenson farmhouse (which seems like an
incredible coincidence considering her last legitimate sighting
had been homecoming eve at the Stephenson farm with Eric
Stukel.)
And she would have had to have eaten more spaghetti…
Again, Hoepner called out to this person she thought was
Tammy by name, but this person never responded.
Most likely this was a simple case of mistaken identity.
IN THE END, CLEAR-CUT SCIENCE TRUMPS ALL DEFENSE
WITNESSES WHO CLAIMED TO SEE TAMMY AFTER 12:35 A.M.
ON SEPTEMBER 18TH, 1992.
TIME AND AGAIN, THE TRAIL ENDS WITH ERIC STUKEL.
m.c. merrill
* SOURCE: Rothanzl, Lorna. “Stukel’s Sister Back Up Alibi at Trial.’
Yankton Press and Dakotan. Oct. 5th, 1996.
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