HOLLADAY — Jerry Johnson remembers heading home from Cedar City more than 23 years ago on Feb. 1, 1991, when he heard his mother's address announced on the radio.

The signal was fuzzy, so he did not hear what happened at that Holladay address. He said he thenheard a voice saying, "She's with me." The voice told him his mother was all right.

"I just had a very peaceful feeling come over me," he recalled Thursday. "That peace has been with me ever since."

After more than two decades, investigators say they've finally solved the brutal murder of LucilleJohnson, 78. John Sansing — a prison inmate on death row in Arizona — was charged Thursday with first-degree murder, a first-degree felony, in the woman's death.

"When you hear the details of this particular case, you can see that this individual is, is barely human," Salt Lake County Sheriff Jim Winder said.

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At the time, a veteran sheriff's captain called Johnson's death "as brutal as anything I've seen."

A daughter discovered her mother dead in bed with a pillow over her face. Johnson, who was 4 feet 11 inches tall and weighed 122 pounds, had been severely beaten. She suffered a fractured skull, 24 broken ribs, and received "numerous blows to her head," charges filed in 3rd District Court state.

An autopsy revealed that she died from strangulation and blunt force trauma in her home at 4284S. Holloway Drive (1960 East).

Investigators at the time found LEGO bricks on Johnson's living room floor, in the home's entry and on the driveway, Hoyal said. Detectives collected the toys as evidence after family members told them that while Johnson had toys for her grandchildren, she would never leave them lying around, the charges state.

Investigators also learned that a ring and necklace Johnson regularly wore were missing.

Salt Lake County sheriff's investigators worked on the case but were unable to solve it. They stopped investigating in 2006 because they lacked any new leads.

In August 2013, a team led by Unified Police Sgt. Michael Ikemiyashiro reopened the case. The detectives sent scrapings that had been collected from under Johnson's fingernails for DNA testing and recovered a profile that matched a Combined DNA Index System profile for Sansing, Ikemiyashiro said.

A current DNA profile was taken from Sansing in April and it matched the DNA found in the scrapings under Johnson's nails, he said.

Investigators also matched fingerprints from the LEGO toys gathered during the original investigation with one of Sansing's children who was 5 years old at the time of the killing, according to the charges.

Police now believe that Sansing's son was present at the time Johnson was viciously killed.

A relative of Sansing recently approached investigators and told them that he had overheard Sansing and his wife arguing on two separate occasions. He said he heard Sansing's wife threatenthat "she was going to tell police that he murdered a lady in Utah," charging documents state.

Detectives don't believe that Johnson and Sansing knew each other, but stopped short of saying he was in the house to rob her.

Sansing, 47, lived in Utah until 1995 when he moved to Arizona. He is currently serving time in a Florence, Arizona, prison for a 1998 murder in which he was sentenced to death.

That case involved a woman from the Living Springs Assembly of God Church who came to his house to bring the family food, according to the Tucson Citizen in 1998. The woman was tied up,beaten, raped and murdered.

Ann Lamphere told the Citizen that Sansing grew up in a troubled home.

Despite Sansing already being convicted of another crime, Ikemiyashiro said it’s "very importantthat we prosecute this case for the family.”

Johnson, a widow, lived alone in her Holladay home. Around the time of her death, she visited a neighbor who was in the hospital and brought food to another who was ill. Jerry Johnson described his mother as active, in good health and a devout member of the LDS Church.

He said he and his siblings are relieved to finally learn that their mother was not killed by someone she knew. He also said he has experienced a different kind of closure.

"I think forgiveness is really what closure is," Johnson said. "I think we already have (forgiven Sansing)."

Shirley England said discovering her mother dead in 1991 has continued to have a big effect on her. She still worries about being alone in parking lots or walking out of a grocery store at night.

"I hope justice will be served," she said Thursday.

The case was investigated in part thanks to a $300,000 cold case grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice.

There are approximately 40 cold cases in the Unified police areas. Winder promised that investigators will continue to try and solve them.

"We will never, ever, ever stop," he said. "You commit a crime like this in this community, and toour dying days we will continue to pursue you. We will hunt you down and we will solve these crimes."

Contributing: Richard Piatt

An autopsy was performed in the case of an attractive 33-year-old teacher and single-mother who was found dead on March 26 in a rural community in Vermont. Melissa Jenkins vanished ona dark road on the night of Sunday, March 25, having left her vehicle with the engine running. Residents of St. Johnsbury, a small town just 40 miles from the Canadian border, are stunned andoutraged at her disappearance and death. Jenkins was a teacher at the exclusive St. Johnsbury Academy and moonlighted as a waitress to support herself and her two-year-son.

Chief medical examiner Dr. Steven Shapiro in Burlington completed an autopsy on Jenkins’ body on the afternoon of March 27 and has ruled her death a homicide. However, the cause of her death has not been released. "The cause of death is being withheld as to not inhibit the progress of the investigation," state police Detective Sgt. Walter Smith said.Jenkins’ body was found approximately 16 hours after her disappearance on the evening of March 25. Her Suzuki Grand Vitara SUV was found earlier with her son inside at a short distance from their home. The boy’s father, B.J. Robertson has not commented on the death but that his son is not able to provide details about his mother’s disappearance.

According to ABC News, Robertson said he has “just been loving him when I am with him.” Thetyke is in good condition and staying with a family friend."I cannot disclose the details of how the body was found or the condition of the body, but this death is considered suspicious," Det. Sgt. Walter Smith told the media on March 26. "We don't know if it's an isolated incident, we expect the public to use all diligence and vigilance while out and about."

Dozens of friends and family gathered at a church on the evening of March 26 at a memorial for the young science teacher. Jenkins was a popular teacher at St. Johnsbury Academy and known for her empathy with students. School headmaster Thomas Lovett said of her "She's got a real gift with students who either haven't liked science before or learning science doesn't come easy to them," adding "She's got a real gift with them."

Besides teaching and waitressing, Jenkins was also studying towards a master’s degree. She had also worked as a basketball coach and dormitory supervisor until the birth of her son. She worked part-time at the Creamery Restaurant in the nearby town of Danville.

Jenkin’s Suzuki SUV was found on the evening of March 25 where evidence of a struggle was found. A friend had unsuccessfully tried to locate her and called police. Her vehicle was found later that evening. Her body has since been found in Barnet, a town nearby, and police suspect

foul play. Jenkins had no restraining orders against anyone at the time. While family member believe she may have driven her vehicle to help someone, the identity of that person or persons isstill unknown. According to a relative, Eric Berry – whose daughter is Jenkins’ goddaughter – said "She left her house with the idea, I think, to try to help somebody, and that's as far as I'm going to go with that, because I don't want to damage any investigation."

St. Johnsbury Academy was established in the 1840s. President Calvin Coolidge was a student there in the 1900s. , whose alumni include former President Calvin Coolidge.Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Vermont State Police in St. Johnsbury at 802-748-3111. Police are also looking to speak with anyone who may have driven on Goss Hollow Road in St. Johnsbury on the evening of March 25, between 7:00 p.m. and 11:30p.m.

Family members and friends of Melissa Jenkins gathered at The Creamery Restaurant

Wednesday after arriving back in Danville from Burlington, where they had attended the

trial for the man freshly convicted of killing Jenkins.

Two and a half years ago when Jenkins' body was found, they had done the same thing:

gathered in remembrance of their daughter, sister, friend and teacher.

Early Wednesday afternoon, about 50 people flocked to the restaurant before it opened.

Many drank white wine in rocks glasses instead of in wine glasses, just as Jenkins had,

restaurant owner Marion Cairns said.

Just hours earlier, the jury handed guilty verdicts to Allen Prue, 32, of Waterford for first-

degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and attempted kidnapping of Jenkins., A

group of family members and friends stayed in Burlington for the two-week trial. Allen

Prue's wife, Patricia Prue, is also accused in the murder and will be tried separately.

"No one won," Cairns said Wednesday afternoon, reflecting on the verdict. Cairns had

attended the trial. "It's very sad. There isn't much to say. There was some closure, but we

know we're going to have to go through it again. It's a really hard thing."

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Allen Prue weeps in Vermont Superior Court in Burlington on Wednesday, October 22, 2014 after being found guilty

of first-degree murder and two other charges in the 2012 slaying of Melissa Jenkins. (Photo: GLENN RUSSELL/FREE

PRESS)

Along with her full-time teaching job at St. Johnsbury Academy, Jenkins worked at The

Creamery Restaurant part-time for 12 years before her death in March 2012. Cairns said

she had known Jenkins since she was a girl.

Several of those who had gathered at the restaurant Wednesday left momentarily to thank

the Vermont State Police troopers and Caledonia County State's Attorney Lisa Warren for

their work on the case, Cairns said.

"She was a dear girl," Cairns said of Jenkins.

Earlier Wednesday, many of Jenkins' family members declined comment when leaving the

Burlington court after the verdict was read. Jenkins' aunt, Linda Gadapee of East Haven,

said the verdict is a "big weight off" the family's shoulders.

"We've been waiting for ... this to come," Gadapee said. "It's been hard… I think it turned

out the way we wanted it to. All the evidence was there. You couldn't dispute the evidence."

'Guilty, your honor'

Less than one hour after the jury resumed deliberations Wednesday morning, Judge

Robert Bent asked the jury spokeswoman about the overall verdict of the jury for Allen

Prue.

"Guilty," the juror said, causing a small gasp in the Vermont Superior Court room in

Burlington.

Allen Prue hung his head and began to cry as Bent asked the juror what the verdict would

be for each charge.

First degree murder: "Guilty, your honor," she said.

Conspiracy to commit murder: guilty.

Attempted kidnapping: guilty.

Allen Prue's reaction to the verdict was one of the only times he had shown emotion during

the two-week trial.

Friends and family members of Jenkins began to cry, and hugged each other as Allen Prue

was led out of the room. Vermont State Police troopers shook hands.

Allen Prue's mother, Donna Prue, and his sister were absent as the verdict was read.

The verdict by the jury of six men and six women came after nine days of testimony and

six hours of deliberation. Jurors had ended deliberations Tuesday evening, deciding to

come back Wednesday morning for their final decision.

Patricia and Allen Prue lured Jenkins from her home by telling her they needed help

because their car had broken down, police have said. Jenkins' car was found on Goss

Hollow Road in St. Johnsbury with the engine running and son sleeping in the backseat.

Her beaten, nude body was found a day later in the water at a Connecticut River boat

access area in Barnet.

Allen Prue told police in a seven-hour interview that he and his wife wanted to "get a girl"

and "wanted somebody they could play with," Warren told jurors.

Prosecutors also said that the Prues developed an obsession with Jenkins, and that the

murder was well-planned.

A tough case

Buy Photo

Linda Garapee, Melissa Jenkins' aunt, reacts outside of Vermont Superior Court in Burlington on Wednesday,

October 22, 2014 after Allen Prue was found guilty of first-degree murder and two other charges in the 2012 slaying

of Jenkins. (Photo: GLENN RUSSELL/FREE PRESS)

Heading out of the courtroom Wednesday morning, Warren told reporters she was pleased

with the jury's verdict.

"You always have questions of what the jurors are thinking, but I think the evidence we

brought was very good in the case," Warren said. "The detectives worked very hard, and I

was behind the case 100 percent."

Warren said she had no comment on Patricia Prue's trial, but she said that trial will most

likely be held in February.

Allen Prue's attorney Bob Katims had said that Patricia Prue carried out the murder without

warning her husband.

Reached by phone early Wednesday afternoon, Katims said he plans to file an appeal to

the case. Katims said a motion to suppress Allen Prue's confession, which was denied

before the trial, was a "significant error" by the court, as well as the court's decision to

exclude from trial a psychiatrist's testimony and report on Patricia Prue's diagnosis of

dissociative identity disorder.

"We're obviously very disappointed with the jury's verdict," Katims said. "We'll be asking for

a new trial. If the court denies that, then obviously, there would be the sentencing, but we

plan on taking this and other issues to the Vermont Supreme Court ... We'll continue to

fight the case."

Restaurant owner Cairns said she had been concerned after the jury broke Tuesday

evening that the jury would return an unfavorable verdict the next day.

Buy Photo

Meridith Berry, Melissa Jenkins' cousin, reacts in Vermont Superior Court in Burlington on Wednesday, October 22,

2014 as they jury finds Allen Prue guilty of first-degree murder and two other charges in the 2012 slaying of

Jenkins. (Photo: GLENN RUSSELL/FREE PRESS)

"It was a tough case," Cairns said. "You never know how anything is going to turn out. Allen

got a very good lawyer. He did a wonderful job representing (Allen Prue)."

Phone calls to faculty members at St. Johnsbury Academy, where Jenkins worked, were

not immediately returned following the verdict on Wednesday. A secretary for Headmaster

Tom Lovett said he was out of town.

Judge Bent gave both Warren and Katims two weeks to file post-trial motions. A sentencing

hearing has yet to be scheduled, as Judge Bent has not decided if the hearing will take

place in St. Johnsbury or in Burlington.

Vermont State Police Capt. J.P. Sinclair, one of the case's investigators, said he was happy

with the outcome of the case as well. Sinclair said he believes justice was served on

Wednesday, but that the case was not over.

"We have a second trial coming up, so we'll be ready for that," Sinclair said.

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Doctor in murder case stands by autopsy

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The doctor whose bungled autopsy of a baby led to a murder charge that was dropped this week against an Alabama mother maintains the findings were correct, the medical examiner's lawyer said Friday.

Six experts disagreed with the autopsy report by Dr. Corinne Stern, who ruled that a newborn was suffocated in 2006. The experts' opinion that the baby boy was stillborn led a judge to dismiss the charge Thursday against Bridget Lee, 34, who spent nine months in jail after being charged with capital murder.

Jay Lewis, who represented Stern in a lawsuit she filed after leaving Alabama to work in Laredo,Texas, said Stern believes her original autopsy report was correct.

"She stands by her findings," Lewis said.

'Being raked over the coals' Three of the state experts who now maintain the baby was stillborn initially signed off on Stern's ruling that Bridget Lee's child was purposely suffocated after birth, he said.

"She is appalled that she is being raked over the coals like this," said Lewis. "It's unprecedented."

Dr. Kenneth Snell, who is Alabama's chief medical examiner and who testified during a hearing that Stern made a mistake, declined comment Friday.

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Snell previously said the Alabama Department of Forensic Science would review as many as 100homicide autopsies performed by Stern to determine whether more cases were flawed.

Stern's autopsy was the primary evidence against Lee, who said she panicked and hid the child's body in a plastic container in her sport utility vehicle after delivering the boy stillborn. The case fell apart when the defense successfully showed the medical report was flawed and prosecutors agreed.

Stern is currently the chief medical examiner in Webb County, Texas, where she and a five-person staff handled 430 death cases in 2007, 15 of which were classified as homicides. She tookthe job after leaving Alabama amid conflict with colleagues.

Court records and testimony during Lee's case indicated Stern finished her autopsy on the baby on her last day at work in Alabama — Dec. 15, 2006. She quit earlier in the month with a letter that complained about conditions at the state forensic agency.

"I hope the unprofessional and unfair treatment afforded me and the daily harassment that I face in my own office, with the knowledge of my superiors, will not fall on another unsuspecting physician," Stern wrote.

Filed a federal lawsuit Stern filed a federal lawsuit blaming gender discrimination for a demotion, but a judge threw out the claim in December.

Stern left another forensics job in Texas amid turmoil before coming to Alabama.

Stern gave sworn testimony that she quit the medical examiner's office in El Paso, Texas, after complaining that her free-speech rights were being violated. Records indicate Stern maintained that law enforcement was getting too involved in her work.

A copy of her settlement with El Paso County shows Stern received about $80,000 in pay and agreed to quit by July 31, 2005. She agreed not to perform any autopsies during the last month ofher employment.

Lewis, Stern's attorney, said the quality of her autopsies has never before been an issue. She helped examine human remains after both Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the shuttle Columbia accident in 2003, when seven astronauts died.

"She has a good reputation for being a pathologist," said Lewis.

Photo credit: ajc.com

The Facts: On July 18, 2008, a schoolteacher by the name of Genai Coleman was waiting for her daughter when a man fatally gunned her down and stole her car. Police were later able to identifyher killer from a cigarette butt that was found under the driver’s seat of her stolen car.

The detective on the case, Damien Cruz, said that the saliva sample from the cigarette matched a man named Donald Smith. Donald had a prior drug-related arrest and matched the profile taken from a surveillance camera that had captured the shooting. He was arrested on February 3, 2009. While that should have been the end of the story, it only got weirder when Donald Smith claimedthat the murderer was actually his identical twin.

The Weird: When investigators decided to follow up on Donald Smith’s statement, they dusted the car for fingerprints to test his claim. It was conclusive: The fingerprints found at the scene of the crime did in fact belong to Donald Smith’s identical twin brother, Ronald Smith. It took the investigators three days to track down Ronald, but they eventually found him at his parents’ house. Both his parents and his sister confirmed that Ronald was the right twin from the surveillance footage.

Furthermore, his cell phone record proved Ronald had been in the area where Coleman’s car wasdumped after her shooting. After he was presented with the substantial evidence against him, Ronald admitted to the crime. He was arrested for the murder on February 6, 2009.

5The Murder Of Mary Rogers

The Facts: Edgar Allan Poe enthusiasts might know the curious case of Mary Rogers from his short story, “The Mystery of Marie Roget.” Mary Rogers’s body was found floating in the Hudson River on July 28, 1841. When her body was brought to shore, police found that her face had been beaten and bruised to the point of being unrecognizable. The mystery of her death took off in the press and caused a media frenzy.

The Weird: No forensic evidence could be gathered at the time of Mary’s discovery, despite the brutal markings on her body and sightings of Mary’s whereabouts before her disappearance. As amatter of fact, it wasn’t until two months after her body’s discovery that any progress was made in the case. The break came when some local children playing in the woods near Elysian Fields in Hoboken, New Jersey found a woman’s clothing and personal effects hidden in the bush. The items included a white petticoat, a scarf, a parasol, and a cloth handkerchief with the initials “M. R.” embroidered on the edge. An eyewitness had previously reported seeing Mary entering the same woods with six men on the night of her disappearance.

Police officers searched the area for anything that could put them on the track of the killer. Nothing came of the search, the investigation abruptly ended, and Mary Rogers’ murder remained in infamy.

4The Highway Of Tears

The Facts: There is a remote stretch of highway cutting through the British Columbian wilderness named the “Highway of Tears.” The name comes from the fact that nearly 50 women have gone missing on the road over the course of 30 years. If that wasn’t scary enough, rumor has it that all of the women might have been taken by the same serial killer.

The Weird: One suspect has been linked to at least a few of the murders by a collective DNA sample. Known killer Bobby Jack Fowler was arrested after his DNA was found on the body of one of the women murdered along the Highway of Tears. He was also strongly suspected of murdering at least two more victims—possibly as many as 20—but there is no evidence to support the claim.

The other problem with implicating Fowler as the main suspect is that three more murders happened after his imprisonment in 1996. Whoever was doing it was still out there. In 2011, a massive manhunt to find the killer began. Canadian officials even began pressuring cab drivers tosubmit DNA samples, just to pull together the smallest scrap of a lead. Nothing was ever found, and the events around the Highway of Tears remain a terrifying mystery.

3Kendrick Johnson’s Mysterious Death

The Facts: In January 2013, in Valdosta, Georgia, Kendrick Johnson was found dead in his high school’s gymnasium. The 17-year-old boy’s death was declared an accident—it appeared he fell headfirst into a rolled-up gym mat and suffocated. There was no evidence of bruises or foul play, but the bizarre circumstances of the boy’s death raised suspicion with the family.

The Weird: After a long back-and-forth between the boy’s family, the coroner, and, eventually, a grand jury, a new report was filed that stated that Kendrick had in fact died from “unexplained, apparent non-accidental, blunt force trauma.” Nobody was charged with the murder, but the weirdness of the case does not end there. When the second autopsy was performed, it was revealed that the brain, heart, lungs, liver, and every other vital organ from the pelvis to the skull were missing—they’d been replaced with crumpled newspaper.

The owner of the funeral home claimed that the organs were most likely destroyed through natural process due to the position of Kendrick’s body when he died. Nevertheless, replacing organs with newspaper is obviously not standard practice for autopsies. All evidence points to foul play, yet authorities are no closer to understanding what really happened in this case.

2Colonel William Shy’s Grave

The Facts: On December 15–16, 1864, the city of Nashville became a battleground for the already bloody American Civil War. William M. Shy, a Confederate Colonel of the 20th Tennessee Regiment, was shot in the head at point-blank range on the second day of the Battle ofNashville. This is where the story should have ended, but a 1977 excavation of his grave site proved that Colonel Shy was not yet through with the world.

The Weird: In December 1977, forensic anthropologist Dr. Bill Bass arrived in Nashville to investigate a case of vandalism at William Shy’s grave. The grave had been excavated, and a headless body had been propped upright on top of a 19th-century cast-iron coffin. The body appeared to be in an advanced state of deterioration and decay, but some discernible flesh and joints were still completely intact. Dr. Bass and the other forensic experts on the case made the natural assumption that the body had not belonged to the colonel, because his body should have already decomposed to dust.

After further examination, Dr. Bass declared that the body had been dead less than a year, and therefore definitely could not belong to Col. William Shy. But the inconsistencies kept piling up. Soon after the initial investigation, the body’s head was found—with a gunshot wound through the skull. Further, the clothes and casket did seem to be authentic Civil War-era artifacts. The answer was almost laughably simple, but it kept the forensic experts baffled for weeks. The cast-iron coffin—which was a rare privilege reserved for someone of Col. Shy’s social status—was secure enough to keep out all moisture, insects, and oxygen that would have progressed the decomposition process. With none of those present, the body was essentially trapped in a time capsule.

1The Mystery Of British Columbia’s Floating Feet

The Facts: Starting in March 2007, tennis shoes began washing up on the shores of British Columbia’s Georgia Strait. Over the course of five years, a total of 11 shoes washed up on the shore—some with feet still in them. Most theories for the mysterious case involved a serial killerwith a foot fetish planning each murder and sending the shoes to shore as a calling card.

The Weird: It wasn’t until February 2012 that the case was cracked. One of the shoes contained the bones of an identifiable man—Stefan Zahorujko—whose capsized boat had been found in thesame body of water in 1987. The coroner concluded that the cause of death was nothing more than an unfortunate accident, probably weather related, and the same assumption was hesitantly given to explain the rest of the mysterious shoes. British Columbia could rest easy knowing that the only serial killer on the loose was Mother Nature. As to why the shoes were the only things that made it back to shore, well, that’s still a mystery. Either way, it is the weirdest forensics case the area has ever seen.