Post by PIG HEAD on Jul 11, 2007 14:24:49 GMT -5
Memo to Sam
Here's the story.
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Decades later, murder case resurfaces
BY GREG KOWALSKI
STAFF WRITER
Originally published January 5, 2006
Someone knows who killed John McKinney.
Even 28 years after he was shot in his Birmingham art gallery, McKinney is remembered. His story recently was added to the gallery of unsolved murders at www.unsolved-crimes.com, the Internet site operated by Unsolved-Crimes International.
Formed about two years ago, the organization is a cross between Cold Case Files and America's Most Wanted. It highlights about 90 unsolved murders and missing people, seeking clues.
It was created "so that people would not be forgotten," said David Webb, who serves as the media consultant for the site. "A crime might capture national attention for a while, but if there is no arrest, people lose interest."
Which is how the story of John McKinney came to be featured.
In 1977 McKinney, 50, was a prominent owner of the Birmingham Gallery at 1025 Haynes. He was found shot in the head in the gallery on the morning of Sept. 20.
There were no signs of a robbery, although one hanging fiber art work was missing.
Clues were sparse. The small office in the gallery where McKinney's body had been found was not ransacked, and two drinks that had been poured were found undisturbed.
Indications were that McKinney had been struck in the head with a blunt object then shot.
But why?
"There is no motive that we are aware of," police Chief Edward Ostin said at the time.
The only lead police had to go on was that McKinney had been seen at dinner the previous day, hours before he was killed, in the company of a woman at the Landmark restaurant on Maple and Livernois. She was described as 30 to 35 years old, 5 feet, 8 inches and medium build.
The description came from an employee at the Landmark who was hypnotized to help draw out details of the description.
Police theorized that a man was involved in the murder and that McKinney knew the killer. He may have been struck as he was talking to the woman, then shot.
But by whom?
The question has never been answered. There was nothing in McKinney's life out of the ordinary. Indeed, he spent his Sundays as a chaplain at the Bloomfield Hills Nursing Center.
"I never advertise being a chaplain," he said in a story in the Birmingham Eccentric in February 1976. "You can't outgive God. The more I do there, the more I'm blessed in the gallery and all parts of my life."
Although McKinney's death drew a lot of attention, it quickly drifted into the background. He died in the midst of the series of Oakland County child killings that also have baffled police for nearly 30 years, and the media focus was on that.
McKinney's killer was never found. The mysterious woman was never identified. The case went cold.
ON THE WEB
Unsolved-Crime International was founded by a woman in New Jersey whose friend was murdered. After making contact in a Yahoo newsgroup, a small group of volunteers was formed to highlight various unsolved murders and highlight missing persons.
People submit information about the crimes. The Unsolved-Crimes volunteers verify the facts with local police, then post information on the site.
"People call in with tips," Webb said. "We refer them to the police."
Admittedly, the chances of breaking a nearly 30-year-old murder case are slim. But that's only part of the purpose of Unsolved-Crimes. Remembering the victims is the other.
It's part of Unsolved-Crimes International's mission statement: "We are here to help the survivors and those who no longer can speak for themselves. They will not be forgotten."
PIG HEAD
Here's the story.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Decades later, murder case resurfaces
BY GREG KOWALSKI
STAFF WRITER
Originally published January 5, 2006
Someone knows who killed John McKinney.
Even 28 years after he was shot in his Birmingham art gallery, McKinney is remembered. His story recently was added to the gallery of unsolved murders at www.unsolved-crimes.com, the Internet site operated by Unsolved-Crimes International.
Formed about two years ago, the organization is a cross between Cold Case Files and America's Most Wanted. It highlights about 90 unsolved murders and missing people, seeking clues.
It was created "so that people would not be forgotten," said David Webb, who serves as the media consultant for the site. "A crime might capture national attention for a while, but if there is no arrest, people lose interest."
Which is how the story of John McKinney came to be featured.
In 1977 McKinney, 50, was a prominent owner of the Birmingham Gallery at 1025 Haynes. He was found shot in the head in the gallery on the morning of Sept. 20.
There were no signs of a robbery, although one hanging fiber art work was missing.
Clues were sparse. The small office in the gallery where McKinney's body had been found was not ransacked, and two drinks that had been poured were found undisturbed.
Indications were that McKinney had been struck in the head with a blunt object then shot.
But why?
"There is no motive that we are aware of," police Chief Edward Ostin said at the time.
The only lead police had to go on was that McKinney had been seen at dinner the previous day, hours before he was killed, in the company of a woman at the Landmark restaurant on Maple and Livernois. She was described as 30 to 35 years old, 5 feet, 8 inches and medium build.
The description came from an employee at the Landmark who was hypnotized to help draw out details of the description.
Police theorized that a man was involved in the murder and that McKinney knew the killer. He may have been struck as he was talking to the woman, then shot.
But by whom?
The question has never been answered. There was nothing in McKinney's life out of the ordinary. Indeed, he spent his Sundays as a chaplain at the Bloomfield Hills Nursing Center.
"I never advertise being a chaplain," he said in a story in the Birmingham Eccentric in February 1976. "You can't outgive God. The more I do there, the more I'm blessed in the gallery and all parts of my life."
Although McKinney's death drew a lot of attention, it quickly drifted into the background. He died in the midst of the series of Oakland County child killings that also have baffled police for nearly 30 years, and the media focus was on that.
McKinney's killer was never found. The mysterious woman was never identified. The case went cold.
ON THE WEB
Unsolved-Crime International was founded by a woman in New Jersey whose friend was murdered. After making contact in a Yahoo newsgroup, a small group of volunteers was formed to highlight various unsolved murders and highlight missing persons.
People submit information about the crimes. The Unsolved-Crimes volunteers verify the facts with local police, then post information on the site.
"People call in with tips," Webb said. "We refer them to the police."
Admittedly, the chances of breaking a nearly 30-year-old murder case are slim. But that's only part of the purpose of Unsolved-Crimes. Remembering the victims is the other.
It's part of Unsolved-Crimes International's mission statement: "We are here to help the survivors and those who no longer can speak for themselves. They will not be forgotten."
PIG HEAD