The Murder of Laura Dickinson

By Ruth Kanton

Laura lived in room 518 in Hill Hall dormitory, a single room at Eastern Michigan University. When she walked into her door after the secret Santa Christmas party, she called her boyfriend Travis Scott, who worked at an engineering firm, Covanta Energy, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Scott was working late, and the two spoke for a few minutes before Laura stated that she was turning in for the night. Laura had exams the next day, and when she failed to show up, her friends increasingly grew concerned. They began frantically calling her phone, but she was not picking up. In Hastings, Michigan, Robert and Debra Dickinson, Laura's parents, were also growing concerned. They were a tight-knit family, and the phone calls were frequent. Laura always picked up her phone, and in the rare occasions that she didn't, she always returned the calls soon after. They reached out to Scott, who was having the same problems. By December 15, 2006, two days after anyone last heard from Laura, Robert and Scott began making plans to drive down to the school. After discussing the plan, Scott decided that he would take the day off work and check on Laura, promising to call back with news as soon as he found out what was going on...What happened to Laura Dickinson?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trellis Publishing
• Release date: Jul 11, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201964498

Book preview

THE MURDER OF LAURA DICKINSON

RUTH KANTON

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LAURA DICKINSON

KILLER HANDYMAN

ROBERT HOWARD

A MONSTER IN THE CHURCH

RAY COPELAND

JUANA BARRAZA

PETER SUTCLIFFE

Laura Leigh Dickinson

On December 12, 2006, Laura Leigh Dickinson took time off from studying, and made her way to a party hosted by the novice crew at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan. 22-year-old Laura had joined the school’s nutrition program later than most of her classmates, owing to the fact that she had decided to get her Associate’s Degree in nutrition from Grand Rapids Community College before she worked on her Bachelor’s Degree. After enrolling in the university, Laura quickly joined the novice rowing crew as a way to keep fit, where she made fast friends. The Christmas party was hosted early, since it was finals week and crew members were just about to starting leaving school for Christmas break. She spent time talking to her friends and having fun, and gladly accepted the Christmas gift she got from her secret Santa. At 11:12 p.m., she made her way into her dormitory building, a red-and-green gift bag in her hand. Inside was what looked like a stuffed toy.

Murder

Laura lived in room 518 in Hill Hall dormitory, a single room. When she walked into her door after the secret Santa Christmas party, she called her boyfriend Travis Scott, who worked at an engineering firm, Covanta Energy, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Scott was working late, and the two spoke for a few minutes before Laura stated that she was turning in for the night. Laura had exams the next day, and when she failed to show up, her friends increasingly grew concerned. They began frantically calling her phone, but she was not picking up. In Hastings, Michigan, Robert and Debra Dickinson, Laura’s parents, were also growing concerned. They were a tight-knit family, and the phone calls were frequent. Laura always picked up her phone, and in the rare occasions that she didn’t, she always returned the calls soon after. They reached out to Scott, who was having the same problems. By December 15, 2006, two days after anyone last heard from Laura, Robert and Scott began making plans to drive down to the school. After discussing the plan, Scott decided that he would take the day off work and check on Laura, promising to call back with news as soon as he found out what was going on.

As Scott made his way towards the campus, Hill Hall custodian Michelle Lockwood received a foul odor complaint from some of the residents. She made her way to room 518, noting that the odor was stronger at the door. She unlocked the door and pushed it open, immediately noting the gruesome scene just inside the door. Laura was lying on the carpeted floor – naked from the waist down – with a pillow over her face. Immediately following the discovery, Lockwood closed the door and called campus police. She had no idea what had happened to Laura, but the odor was enough to convince her that the junior was deceased. Eastern Michigan University campus police officer Kenneth Hardesty was the first security official to respond to the scene. He made his way to Laura’s room, where he confirmed that she was unresponsive. He noted the body’s position and state of undress, and decided to only conduct a visual inspection at the time. He later testified that his decision was based on the fact that he didn’t want to disturb anything in the room in case it was a crime scene.

Jeffrey Nesmith, Eastern Michigan University campus police lieutenant, arrived at the scene not long after. They immediately launched an investigation into Laura’s death, mainly because they suspected foul play, but hoped that it was not. Lieutenant Nesmith placed a call to the Michigan State Police Crime Lab and asked for help processing the crime scene. As the crime scene technicians documented their observations, they noticed what looked like semen on Laura’s legs. They took samples, and Laura’s body was transported to the county medical examiner’s office. Following a cursory initial exam, the medical examiner listed Laura’s death as suspicious, noting that he suspected foul play. With this, investigators began looking for Laura’s killer.

University Betrays Its Community

When Laura’s parents received the notification that Laura had been discovered dead in her dorm room, they immediately banded together and made the drive down to the campus. Laura’s parents, Robert and Debra, her two brothers, and her boyfriend Scott were informed that she was found unresponsive in her room, and that there were no signs of foul play. Laura had been diagnosed with a heart problem when she was younger, and her family latched on to the conclusion that she had probably died of a possible heart attack or heart failure. News of Laura’s death began spreading on campus, and some students began expressing concern over their own safety.

On December 16, 2006, the university posted a message regarding Laura’s death on its website, assuring staff and students alike: At this point, there is no reason to suspect foul play. We are fully confident in the safety and security of our campus environment, and our campus officials will remain vigilant in ensuring safety for all members of our campus community. The school went on to assure the students that there will be services offered to help them cope with the sudden death of one of their own. Students were encouraged to speak about how they were feeling, and services were extended to Laura’s family to help with their grief. Laura’s friends held a memorial for her on campus, mourning the loss of her young life. They believed she had died of heart failure, although this had not been revealed in any of the school’s statements aimed at assuring the students of their safety on campus.

Despite the school’s numerous assurances that there had been no foul play in Laura’s death, her family harbored suspicions that they were not being apprised of the full information. Her boyfriend, Scott, was interviewed by investigators a few weeks after Laura’s death, which seemed suspicious. Additionally, Laura had not shown any signs of being sick. She was healthy – despite her heart condition – was a vegetarian, and made sure she exercised regularly and was vigilant about making sure she did not indulge in habits that would worsen her condition. We always suspected something had happened besides something natural, but we had no idea what, Robert later said. With no proof to back up their suspicions, Laura was buried and her family and friends began the process of trying to heal from their sudden loss.

However, all hell broke loose just 10 weeks after Laura’s death. As students at the university settled back in school after the winter break, news broke out that Laura’s death was not the untimely result of her heart condition, but a murder. On February 23, 2007, 21-year-old Orange Amir Taylor III, a student at the university, was arrested for the rape and murder of Laura Leigh Dickinson. The news was met with outrage and shock, with Laura’s family feeling blindsided by the news. Laura’s father, Robert, stated that the university had lied to us. They let us bury her thinking that a healthy 22-year-old girl died by some freak accident. For the students, the betrayal cut deep. In addition to their safety being disregarded, from February 27, students could no longer withdraw from their classes or they would be penalized academically, and they could not receive a full refund if they decided to withdraw from housing. The timing of Taylor’s arrest was suspicious, and many speculated that it was orchestrated by the school to ensure that they would not be mass withdrawals from housing or classes by the students.

Criticisms

Following Taylor’s arrest, the university president, John A. Fallon, released a statement addressing the situation: It was reported early on that foul play was not suspected. As the investigation developed, however, there were serious, strong, and abiding concerns about the raising of information that would prejudice the case. It affected the nature and focus and specificity of the information. As the university raced to try and contain the backlash, President Fallon decided to host various meetings with the students, faculty and community to address any concerns related to Laura’s case.

In one of the public forums, Asia David, a 20-year-old student who lived a few floors above Laura, stated: They kept telling us there was no cause for alarm; we were sleeping through this girl being murdered in her room. It just seems like they were really holding stuff back from us.

Another student, Jessica Richardson, stated: I felt like they were really lying to us by saying that there was no foul play even suspected. The sophomore added that Taylor’s arrest came as a complete shock to her because she had been told by her supervisor that Laura had committed suicide.

Jason Gardner, a student who commuted to campus, stated: It’s terrible for all the students that have to go through this. I just think whoever’s responsible should be gone.

Victor Walker, another student, said: Sometimes a few short words can make all the difference. Even if it had been ‘we are not sure, but we may have a possible homicide.’ I don’t know anyone who’s going to run out in the street howling and screaming if they say that. But then you don’t walk around with your head in the clouds not believing you could fall victim to the same thing.

Student Jaclyn Armstrong echoed similar sentiments, saying in one meeting: I was specifically told I was not in danger. That we weren’t in danger. And unless you guys already had a guy in custody, we were in danger. And the fact that he is being charged with criminal sexual assault, not only were our lives in danger, but we were in danger of many other things.

Speaking to Los Angeles Times, Stephen Gillers, a professor of legal ethics at New York University’s School of Law, stated that while he did understand that there were legitimate reasons why campus police and university officials would not comment on the details of a case, lying to Laura’s parents was an abdication of every responsibility a university administration has. There’s no reason for law enforcement to fear that keeping the parents informed will frustrate the ability to apprehend the perpetrator. This is not the theft of a computer. It’s the death of a child.

Investigation and Arrest

Following the discovery of Laura’s body, investigators began reviewing the security footage from the camera outside Hill Hall dormitory. They watched as Laura opened the buildings front door with her set of keys, the gift bag in her hand with a stuffed toy visible at the top. The footage showed that in the early hours of December 13, 2006, a man walked up to the door and began trying to make his way in. He was finally able to gain entry into Hill Hall after he walked in behind someone who had opened the door with a key. 90 minutes later, the man exited the building and appeared to be carrying the same gift bag that Laura had been seen with as she entered the building. Investigators began looking for the man, and two weeks

Reviews for The Murder of Laura Dickinson

[James Ridley · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Full of lies. There was another death 6 years later same mo