WORKING
WORKING HARD ON THAT, AND TO THAT VAIN, ALL OF THAT WAS
ABOUT -- VEIN, ALL OF THAT WAS
ABOUT THE KITS TESTED LAST
NOVEMBER.
NOVEMBER.
NOVEMBER. NOW WE SHIFT OUR FOCUS TO
UNTESTED RAPE KITS ACROSS THE
STATE.
STATE.
STATE. MINNESOTA RECENTLY RECEIVED A
$2 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT TO
TEST THE STATE'S BACK WILLING
OF RAPE KITS, BUT A NEW KARE 11
INVESTIGATION DISCOVERS
INVESTIGATION DISCOVERS HUNDREDS OF UNTESTED RAPE KITS
HAVE ALREADY BEEN DESTROYED
LEAVING SURVIVORS WITH NO
CHANCE AT EVER SEEING JUSTICE.
HERE IS THE LATEST CHAPTER IN
THEIR ONGOING INVESTIGATION THE
UNTESTED.
UNTESTED.
UNTESTED. >> IT JUST MAKES ME SO ANGRY.
IT IS NOT OKAY.
>> WHAT HAS MICHELLE JOHNSON SO
ANGRY IS LEARNING THAT HER RAPE
KIT, EVIDENCE COLLECTED FROM
HER BODY AFTER REPORTING SHE
HAD BEEN SEXUALLY ASSAULTED,
HAS BEEN DESTROYE.
>> ALL THE HOPE I HAD, THE ONE
THING I HAD LEFT IS GONE, AND
IT BREAKS MY HEART.
>> IN 2014 SHE INVITED A MAN
SHE MET ONLINE TO HER
APARTMENT.
APARTMENT. SHE SAYS SHE TOLD HIM NOTHING
PHYSICAL WAS GOING TO TAKE
PLACE.
PLACE.
PLACE. BUT HE BECAME INSISTENT.
SHE TOLD POLICE SHE CONSENTED
TO WIN SPECIFIC ACT THINKING HE
WOULD STOP PRESSURING HER TO
HAVE INTERCOURSE.
HAVE INTERCOURSE. BUT IT DIDN'T STOP THERE.
>> HE PINNED ME DOWN AND FORCED
ME, AND I TOLD HIM NO, I DON'T
WANT TO DO THIS, AND I TOLD HIM
NO.
NO.
NO. >>
NO. >> MICHELLE WENT TO THE LOCAL
EMERGENCY ROOM TO HAVE A RAPE
EXAM PERFORMED.
EXAM PERFORMED. THE POLICE CAME AND TOOK HER
STATEMENT.
STATEMENT. REPORTS SHOW THEY CALLED THE
SUSPECT WHO TOLD THEM HE FELT
IT WAS CON SENSUAL.
>> THE SUSPECT IN THE CASE SAID
THE SEX WAS CON SENSUAL.
>> NO.
>> NO.
>> NO. >>
>> NO. >> NO.
>> NO.
>> NO. >>
>> NO. >> EVEN THOUGH THE SUSPECT
NEVER SHOWED UP FOR HIS FORMAL
INTERVIEW AND STOPPED RETURNING
THE DETECTIVES' PHONE CALLS,
THAT IS WHERE THE POLICE
INVESTIGATION ENDED.
INVESTIGATION ENDED. THE COUNTY ATTORNEY SENT
MICHELLE A LETTER STATING THERE
JUST WASN'T ENOUGH EVIDENCE TO
PROSECUTOR, BUT SHE HELD OUT
HOPE THINKING HER RAPE KIT HAD
BEEN SENT TO THE B.C.
A. TO BE TESTED AND THE
SUSPECT'S DNA DAN ENTERED INTO
THE FEDERAL DATA BASE MEANT TO
CATCH SERIAL OFFENDERS, IF HE
DID IT AGAIN, MAYBE HER CASE
COULD BE REVIVE UNDERSTOOD.
THAT IS THE ONE THING I HAD TO
-- REVIVED.
-- REVIVED. THAT IS THE ONE THING I HAD TO
HOLD ON TO, THAT IT WAS TESTED,
HAVE EVIDENCE.
HAVE EVIDENCE. >> NOT ONLY WAS HER KIT NEVER
TESTED, KARE 11'S INVESTIGATION
DISCOVERED BRAINARD POLICE
DESTROYED IT, ALONG WITH DOZENS
OF OTHERS.
OF OTHERS. >> KNOWING THAT THEY DIDN'T
EVEN BOTHER.
EVEN BOTHER. THEY DIDN'T TEST IT.
THEY DESTROYED IT, THAT -- IT
HURTS ME.
HURTS ME.
HURTS ME. IT JUST KILLS ME.
>> THE POLICE WOULD NOT DO ABON-
CAMERA INTERVIEW.
CAMERA INTERVIEW. OUR INVESTIGATION FOUND LIKE
FEDERAL GUIDELINES THAT THESE
RAPE KITS SHOULD BE KEPT FOR 50
YEARS.
YEARS.
YEARS. COMMUNITIES ACROSS MINNESOTA
HAVE BEEN DESTROYING THEN.
IT IS HAPPENING IN FLIP OTT,
WOOD-- PLYMOUTH, WOODBURY,
HUNDREDS OF CASE WHERE IS
VICTIMS HAVE NO SHOT AT EVER
SEEING JUSTICE AND YOU CAN
WATCH OUR COMPLETE
INVESTIGATION TONIGHT ON KARE
11 NEWS AT 10:00.
>> YOU SAID BRAINARD WOULD NOT
TALK TO YOU.
ANY LUCK ON ANYONE ELSE TALKING
TO YOU ANSWERING THE BIG
QUESTION THAT WE ALL HAVE?
>> SO OF THEN HAVE I SPOKEN TO,
NOT ON CAMERA.
THE BIGGEST QUESTION REALLY IS
WE HAVE WHY?
WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?
WE FOUND IT HAPPENED MOST
OFTEN, THEY DESTROYED KITS IN
WHAT ARE CALLED CONCEPT CASES
WHERE BOTH PARTIES, THE VICTIM
AND THE SUSPECT, ACKNOWLEDGED
THAT SEX HAPPENED, AND THE
SUSPECT SAYS IT WAS CON SENSUAL
AND SO DNA WON'T REALLY SOLVE
THE CASE, AND BRANDON, YOU CAN
EXPLAIN WHY THAT IS
SHORTSIGHTED.
SHORTSIGHTED. >> THAT IS SHORTSIGHTED BECAUSE
WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH THESE KITS
IS TAKE THE DNA INFORMATION AND
UPLOAD THEM INTO A FEDERAL DATA
BASE THAT IS USED TO SEARCH FOR
-- EXCUSE ME, SEARCH FOR SERIAL
OFFENDERRING, AND OFTEN WE
---OFFENDERS, AND OFTEN WE HAVE
FOUND IN MINNESOTA YOU CAN
CATCH AND TRACK SYRIA OFFENDERS
USING -- SERIAL OFFENDERS USING
THIS DATA BASE.
>> THAT IS ALL OVER THE
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY.
COUNTRY. >> THAT IS REALLY ONLY THE DATA
BASE WE HAVE TO DO SUCH A
THING.
THING.
THING. >>
THING. >> ONE OF THE STATE LAWMAKERS
SAID ONE CONSENT CASE MIGHT BE
A MISUPSING, BUT IF --
MISUNDERSTANDING, BUT IF YOU
HAVE SOMEONE WHO IS INVOLVED IN
MULTIPLE CONSENT CASES, YOU
HAVE A SERIAL RAPIST.
YOU HAVE A PATTERN.
>> YOU OBVIOUSLY SPOKE TO THAT
BOP.
BOP.
BOP. UP
BOP. UP WITH QUESTION IN MY MIND IS
ARE DO THESE WOMEN OR MEN IF
THEY HAVE BEEN V.P.ES IN SOP OF
THESE -- VICTIMS IN SYSTEM OF
THESE CASES -- IN SOME OF THESE
CASES GET NOTIFIED?
>> NO.
>> NO.
>> NO. IF
>> NO. IF VICTIM WE HAVE SPOKEN WITH,
THEY WERE NEVER TOLD THEIR KITS
WERE DESTROYED.
WERE DESTROYED. >> THEY DON'T KNOW THEY HAVEN'T
BEEN TESTED.
BEEN TESTED. >> THAT IS ABSOLUTELY CORRECT.
IT WAS ABSOLUTELY DEVASTATING
FOR THEM TO HEAR THIS.
>> LAST QUESTION FOR YOU, A.J.,
YOU MENTIONED THAT FEDERAL, IS
IT A GUIDELINE?
CAN THE STATE --
>> IT IS --
>> CAN THEY GET IN TROUBLE FOR
DESTROYING THEM?
DESTROYING THEM? >> IT IS A BEST PRACTICE SO
WHAT WE FOUND IS THE AGENCIES
ARE NOT FOLLOWING FEDERAL BEST
PRACTICES.
PRACTICES. >> SO THEY'RE REALLY NOT
VIOLATING ANYTHING?
VIOLATING ANYTHING? >> THERE IS NO LAW, BUT THERE
IS A LAW THAT WILL BE
INTRODUCED NEXT WEEK WE'RE TOLD
HERE IN MINNESOTA THAT WILL
MANDATE ALL RAPE KITS GET
TESTED ST IT WILL BE PROPOSED
AND THE LAWMAKERS WILL HAVE A
CHANCE TO DEBATE IT.
>> THAT WILL BE INTERESTING.
>> WE LOOK FORWARD TO TALKING
TO YOU ABOUT IT AGAIN.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR