Post by Scumhunter on May 30, 2015 8:13:00 GMT -5
(above photo from Cold Justice TV show, 2paragraphs.com website)
Last night, Cold Justice aired the case of the 1991 murder of Stacy Dillon of Cleveland, Tennessee.
On March 17th, 1991, Stacy's mother Judy was driven home to Cleveland after visiting family in California. She would soon discover from a friend that her son had been shot to death.
The investigation got off to a poor start. The murder weapon was never found (On the Cold Justice show, it was revealed police believe it to be a .44 magnum). An autopsy was also never performed. The Cleveland, Tennessee Police Department was in the middle of a federal investigation and their chief resigned six months later.
The case would stall until 2011, when Lt. Mark Gibson took re-opened the file, believing despite the disadvantages working against him, he could still solve it.
Detectives were able to identify people to talk with and a person of interest, the same man police had looked into more than 20 years before.
The former police Chief, Arnold Botts, had also interviewed the same man and defended the investigation, saying the suspect had asked for an attorney and there was very little to work with.
In any case, Cold Justice tried to see if they could finally bring some closure for Judy Dillon.
The first person hosts Kelly Siegler and Yolanda McClary interviewed was Stacy's stepfather Glenn Darnell. Darnell lived with Stacy and found his body. Darnell was said to have a physically abusive relationship with Stacy and may not have approved of his lifestyle. (Stacy was gay). However, Darnell was quickly ruled out. For one- his story of how he found Stacy never changed even 24 years later. Usually a guilty suspect's story will change multiple times. In addition, Darnell was up front and honest that there were arguments with both Stacy and Judy that would turn physical.
That left, Robert Houston, who was believed to be Stacy's secret lover. It was said Robert talked about "wanting to get back at someone". One friend said Stacy likely wanted to end the relationship while Robert didn't. He also mentioned seeing a gun but couldn't recall the type of weapon. It is believed that perhaps there may have been mutual threats of blackmail between the two exposing their secret lives and the biggest piece of physical evidence seemed to be a box in Stacy's room that contained a tape recorder- the box appeared disturbed.
Robert Houston refused to speak with Cold Justice without an attorney present. (I don't know if this means he's the same person of interest, but nevertheless it is another sign of the frustration of the case).
But the biggest clue may be a criminal informant named "Becky." who may have known Robert and about the murder of Stacy. Despite Kelly, Yolanda, and Cleveland police's best efforts, they were never able to locate her. A few women they thought might be Becky turned out to not be her.
So while Houston makes a good suspect, it is all based on speculation, and on the show, Kelly stressed that you cannot convict someone based on speculation but on hard evidence and facts. Unfortunately, the show ended with not enough evidence to charge anyone in Stacy's murder.
Thoughts? This might be one of the most frustrating episodes of Cold Justice I've ever watched. (I enjoyed the show itself, in terms of the investigation). Every time it looked like there was about to be a big break, there'd be another setback. Kelly mentioned the frustration that they couldn't catch a break. Judy Dillon was disappointed but not surprised there wasn't an arrest or case presented to the DA. I still feel terrible for her though, she seemed like such a great person and so dignified, and if anyone deserves justice, it's her.
But of course the biggest break will be if Becky can ever be located. It is believed of course that Becky may not be her real name. But whoever she may be, if you know where she may be, please contact Cleveland police.
Admin Note #1: Based on Cold Justice airing, online articles, our advice for anyone with information on "Becky" or who may have killed Stacy Dillon, please contact the Cleveland Police Department at (423) 476-1121
Admin Note #2: For tips, please contact Cleveland PD. If there was any (non-tip) information or updates you wanted to add that we may have missed, please contact us here: amwfans.com/thread/1662/website-contact-form
2paragraphs.com/2015/05/cold-justice-college-student-stacy-dillon-murdered-for-keeping-secret/
www.timesfreepress.com/news/news/story/2012/jul/11/cleveland-mother-news-investigation-son-death/82220/