What evidence is needed to solve a murder?
UPPER PENINSULA -- Even if a person admits to committing a murder, the investigation is still no easy task.
"A person's confession alone is not enough for a conviction,” said retired Michigan State Police Detective Bob Ball. “You have to have independent evidence that corroborates the confession."
This is exactly what happened when Ball was the lead detective during the Judy Moilanen murder investigation in Ontonagon in 1992. The murder was meant to look like a hunting accident, but Ball eventually suspected Judy's husband, Bruce, of being involved. However, it wasn't until the Michigan State Police Crime Lab found trace evidence on the bullet linking Bruce to the murder that charges could be filed.
"We did have a confession on it, but the items we picked up and the crime scene work that was done, that all helped pull the whole thing together," Ball said.
Bruce Moilanen was found guilty and is serving a life sentence.
But some cases never make into a courtroom. That's because prosecutors only have one shot at convincing a jury. A defendant can only be charged for a crime once meaning prosecutors, like Melissa Powell Weston in Iron County, need to get it right.
"If you are unsuccessful in prosecuting that person and you believe that they've committed that crime and they actually have committed that crime, but they're found not guilty, that's a heavy weight to bear on your conscious for the rest of your life," said Powell Weston.
That uncertainty has prevented police from filing charges in cases like the Erin Taylor murder. Taylor went missing in Marquette in August 2000, but her body wasn't discovered until several weeks later.
Even though it was clear she was murdered, the proper evidence was lacking.
"That's a case where we feel we know who's responsible for that murder,” Ball, who assisted in the investigation, said. “Just we're not able to put enough of the evidence together to link it to the suspect we have in mind."
But Ball said investigations can turn on a dime if people with information come forward.
"It doesn't have to be real specific information,” he said. “But the mere mention of somebody who may be involved, because they've made certain statements, can crack the case and lead to solving the murder."
With 73 unsolved murders in the U.P. from 1980-2008, police are looking for tips that can lead to arrests.
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