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>>> 13 INVESTIGATES TOLD YOU
ABOUT A CONVICTED KILLER LINKED
TO HARASSMENT AND ATTEMPTED RAPE
BEFORE UI STUDENT HANNAH WILSON
WAS MURDERED.
AND IT BROUGHT UP QUESTIONS ON
WHETHER DNA COULD HAVE BEEN
MATCHED YEARS BEFORE HER DEATH.
>>> SANDRA HAPPENMAN HAS MORE.
>> WE SAT DOWN THE INDIANA
FORENSIC EXPERT AND THE PERSON
IN CHARGE OF THE STATE DNA BAT
DATABASE TO GET MORE INFORMATION
ON THE HANDLING OF DNA EVIDENCE.
IT STILL APPEARS THAT THEY
MISSED A OPPORTUNITY TO PUT THE
PIECES TOGETHER SOONER.
HIS PROGRESSION OF CRIME MARKED
BY MUG SHOTS, DNA PROFILE
AVAILABLE AND SEARCHABLE SINCE
1997 WITHIN THE STATE'S DNA
DATABASE.
THIS VIDEO SHOT BY INDIANA STATE
POLICE SHOWED HOW SAMPLES FROM
CRIME SCENES AND COLLECTED FROM
INMATES ARE PROCESSED BY THE
STATE LAB.
THE DNA WAS ENTERED FOLLOWING A
CONVICTION WITH BATTERY
FOLLOWING A DEADLY WEAPON 20
YEARS AGO.
13 INVESTIGATES HAS DISCOVERED
THAT POLICE MISSED A CRITICAL
OPPORTUNITY TO COMPARE THE DNA
TO EVIDENCE IN AN ATTEMPTED RAPE
CASE THAT OCCURRED CAREERS
BEFORE HE WAS CONVICTED OF
KILLING IU STUDENT HANNAH
WILSON.
>> IT WAS CLEAR HOW VIOLENT HE
WAS AND THE VIOLENT PAST.
>> Reporter: A HABITUAL
OFFENDER SINCE THE '90s WAS
IDENTIFIED IN 2012 AS THE
SUSPECT TARGETING YOUNG WOMEN IN
BLOOMINGTON.
ONE VICTIM TELLS 13 INVESTIGATES
POLICE ALLOWED HIM TO GET AWAY
WITH THE HARASSMENT AND POSSIBLY
MORE SERIOUS CRIMES.
>> BASICALLY, THEY TREATED ME
LIKE I WAS A HYSTERICAL WOMAN
WHO HAD NO REASON TO BE CALLING
THE POLICE.
>> BETWEEN A NINE-WEEK PERIOD
MULTIPLE REPORTS OF A SUSPICIOUS
MAN TRYING TO GET GIRLS IN HIS
SUV, ATTEMPTED RAPE, AND A
SEXUAL BATTERY.
POLICE QUESTIONED HIM AFTER A
VICTIM MORE THANNIZED HIS --
MEMORIZED HIS LICENSE PLATE BUT
LATER CLEARED HIM.
DESPITE THE LAB IDENTIFYING THE
SUSPECT DNA UNDER THE VICTIM'S
FINGERNAILS.
MELLY WAGNER, A DNA ANALYST WITH
THE STATE.
SHE SAID IDENTIFYING SUSPECT DNA
IS CRITICAL BUT NO GUARANTEE
IT'LL GO INTO THE DATABASE.
>> THERE MIGHT BE A CIRCUMSTANCE
WHERE THERE IS ENOUGH DNA TO
DETERMINE THAT IT IS
DETERMINE THAT IT -S
DETERMINE THAT IT -- HOWEVER IT'
DETERMINE THAT IT -- HOWEVER ITS
TOO VAGUE.
ENTERING THE NAME JOHN IN
GOOGLE.
>> ACCORDING TO UNIVERSITY
POLICE, THE STATE LAB DID NOT
RUN THE SUSPECT DNA THROUGH THE
DATABASE BECAUSE THERE WAS NOT
SUFFICIENT QUANTITY FOR A
COMPARISON.
>> THESE ARE POLICY DRIVE BE
NUMERICAL THRESHOLDS.
>> CHRISTINE IS THE ADMINISTER
FOR THE DATABASE.
>> WE CONSIDER THE QUALITY OF
THE TO FILE ITSELF.
IT WAS INFORMATION, IS THAT
GOING TO PROVIDE A USEFUL
DATABASE SEARCH.
>> WHILE THEY CAN'T TALK
SPECIFICS ABOUT THE ATTEMPTED
RAPE CASE, THEY SAY MATCHING A
PARTICULAR SUSPECT'S DNA
DIRECTLY IS EVIDENCE FROM A
VICTIM'S CASE IS ANOTHER
EFFECTIVE OPTION POLICE CAN ASK
FOR.
>> -- OLD-FASHIONED WORK HAS
EVIDENCE PLACE SOLVING CRIMES.
IF THEY NEED US TO DO SOMETHING,
THEY CAN LET US KNOW.
>> IN FACT, THAT'S WHAT IU
POLICE DID, BUT NOT UNTIL 2016.
THE DAY AFTER MESSEL WAS
CONVICTED OF KILLING HANNAH
WILSON.
THE ATTEMPTED RAPE VICTIM CALLED
IU POLICE TO SAY THAT MESSEL
COULD BE HER ATTACKER TOO.
THE COURT RECORDS SHOWED THAT
THEY COMPARED THE DNA FROM
UNDERNEATH HER FINGERNAILS
AGAINST A SAMPLE OF DNA.
A KAISM BACK A MATCH OF ONE AND
1.7 MILLION.
CAME BACK A MATCH.
>> THE LAB TRIES TO GET RESULTS
BACK FROM DNA SAMPLES WITHIN 90
DAYS.
THE DNA FROM THE ATTEMPTED RAPE
CASE WAS SENT TO THE LAB
SEPTEMBER 9, 2012.
MESSEL WAS BROUGHT IN FOR
QUESTIONING DECEMBER 2 OF THAT
SAME YEAR, ALMOST 90 DAYS LATER.
THE CAPTAIN WITH THE UNIVERSITY
POLICE SAID THEY HAD NO SUSPECT
IN THE ATTEMPTED RAPE CASE AT
THAT TIME, AND, THEREFORE, NO
ONE TO COMPARE TO THE DNA IN
2012.
STILL, HE SAID, UNIVERSITY
POLICE AND BLOOMINGTON POLICE
CAN WORK TOGETHER, SHARE A LOT
OF INFORMATION, AND HE BELIEVES
THAT BLNCHES POLICE SHOULD HAVE
KNOWN ABOUT THE ATTEMPTED RAPE
CASE.
>> INTERESTING.
THANK YOU.
>>> THE INVESTIGATION INTO THE
PAST ACCUSATIONS AGAINST DANIEL
MESSEL.
YOU CAN WATCH THE STORY AT