March 18, 2025

Chapter 96: Searching for Justice- The Murder of Kristina Hickey and The Abernathy Exoneration

Chapter 96: Searching for Justice- The Murder of Kristina Hickey and The Abernathy Exoneration

In this gripping chapter of The Book of the Dead, we dive deep into one of the most haunting true crime cases: the murder of Kristina Hickey. Join us as we explore the chilling details of the crime that shook a community and the subsequent...

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Unsolved Cases

In this gripping chapter of The Book of the Dead, we dive deep into one of the most haunting true crime cases: the murder of Kristina Hickey. Join us as we explore the chilling details of the crime that shook a community and the subsequent investigation that led to a wrongful conviction.

We’ll examine the evidence that pointed to Christopher Abernathy, who spent years behind bars for a crime he did not commit, and the journey toward exoneration. Listen in as we discuss the impact of media coverage, the role of forensic science, and the relentless pursuit of truth that ultimately led to Abernathy’s release. This episode sheds light on a tragic event and highlights the importance of justice and the fight against wrongful convictions.

Unfortunately, while Christopher was rightfully exonerated, Kristina's murder is still unsolved, and she has waited decades for justice. This is her story, in the hopes her family gets answers.

If you have any information please contact the Cook County Sheriff’s Office at (312) 603-6444.

Connect with us on Social Media!
You can find us at:
Instagram: @bookofthedeadpod
X: @bkofthedeadpod
Facebook: The Book of the Dead Podcast
TikTok: Bookofthedeadpod
Or visit our website at www.botdpod.com

Check out the Cold Case Coalition and read about the amazing work they have done

Alice. (2023, April 27). Kristina S. Hickey (1969 – 1984). Defrosting Cold Cases. https://defrostingcoldcases.com/kristina-s-hickey-1969-1984/Appellate Court of Illinois. (1989). People v. Abernathy. In Casetext (545 N.E.2d 201). https://casetext.com/case/people-v-abernathy-10Associated Press. (1984, October 8). Police Search For Clues, Girl’s Death. Breeze Courier, 1.Christopher Abernathy - National Registry of Exonerations. (n.d.). https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=4640Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. (2015, February 11). Acquittal of Chicago Man from a 30-Year-Old Murder Case Ensued from Conviction Integrity Review. State’s Attorney. https://www.statesattorney.org/press-charges-dismissed-30-year-old-murder-case/Dec 05, 1985, page 4 - Southtown Star at Newspapers.com. (n.d.). Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/537431274/?match=1&terms=kristina%20hickeyFeb 26, 1987, page 34 - Chicago Tribune at Newspapers.com. (n.d.). Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/388394711/?match=1&terms=Christopher%20abernathy%20kristina%20hickeyFegelman, A. (1987, January 14). Rape-murder tale vital in case: Prosecutors tell of statements by defendant to friend. Chicago Tribune, 8.Girl, 15, found stabbed to death in Park Forest. (1984, October 7). Chicago Tribune, 4.Horaney, M. (1984, October 7). Park Forest student found murdered. The Southtown Star, A1–A2.Reynolds, P. (1984, October 11). Classmates say sad farewell to slain girl. Southtown Star, 1.Shaw, P. (1985, December 8). Bond hearing set for murder suspect. The Southtown Star, A1–A3.Shaw, P. (1986, October 30). Delay area man’s murder trial. The Southtown Star, A3.Shaw, P. (1987, January 18). Midlothian youth found guilty in...

WEBVTT

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Hi guys. I'm Courtney and I'm Lisa, and welcome to

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the next chapter in the Book of the Dead, brought

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to you by Dark Cast Network Indie Podcasts with a Twist. Hello, Hello,

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welcome to the next chapter of the Book of the Dead. Today,

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as part of a podcast on to bring traffic and

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awareness to different organizations, the case I have for you

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is dedicated to the Cold Case Coalition. The Cold Case

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Coalition's mission is to help with unsolved homicides and disappearances,

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either directly or by helping people make progress on their

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own with no profit motive. The one that I am

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specific dedicating the episode two is the one founded by

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an attorney named Kara Porter, a private investigator named Jason

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kay Jensen, who if you guys are familiar with my

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older episodes, remember that I've mentioned Jason in my coverage

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of Elizabeth Salgado's disappearance and murder, as well as a

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retired journalist named Tom Harvey. They do amazing work and

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a lot of states have their own Cold Case Coalition,

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But the one that I'm specifically focusing on for this

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podcast that on is Utah's so with that I am

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going to be sharing with you a cold case from

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Chicago Onet that for a very long time appeared to

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be solved. This is the murder of Christina Hickey. According

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to the Chicago Tribune, Christina Hickey, who was fifteen years old,

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was in her home in Park Forest on a October third,

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nineteen eighty four, a suburb of Chicago, getting ready to

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perform in a choir concert. She put on a white

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and pink dress, matching earrings and high heeled shoes before

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putting on her coat. She grabbed her purse and said

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goodbye to her mother, Patricia, and walked out the door

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at around six thirty pm. Patricia had offered to drive

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Christina home from the concert that night, but as the

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school was only about a mile away, Christina said she

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would walk. She then headed to Ridge East High School,

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where she was a sophomore, to sing in the homecoming choir,

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after which she called her boyfriend to tell him she

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would be home in about fifteen minutes from the phone

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right outside the athletic director's office, and started the walk

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back home. Christina never made it home to her mother.

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When Christina failed to return home, Patricia got in the

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car and drove to Richieast High school looking for her daughter.

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Went on to call the police at eleven thirty pm,

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when Christina was nowhere to be found and no one

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could tell Patricia where her daughter had gone. The next morning,

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she called the police again, informing them her daughter had

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still not been found, and called around to Christina's friends,

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who told Patricia that Christina was last seen at around

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nine point fifteen walking home. Patricia was at a loss

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of what to do. For Christina. Not to come home

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was just not like her, Patricia said, quote, it wasn't

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like her to be away from home overnight. Once a

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long time ago, she got mad at me and took

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off for a couple of hours, but she'd never taken

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off overnight. Everything was fine at home. We hadn't been fighting.

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Her father lives in Florida, but she'd just seen him

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about a month ago. Everything was okay. When she was late,

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she would call me. She was a good kid. This year,

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she was as a soloist with the choir and had

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performed in the homecoming show on Tuesday night. I went

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to see her in the show that night. Less than

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forty eight hours after Christina was reported missing. On October fifth,

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two young boys were plying in the bushes on the

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west side of Park Forest Plaza on Western Avenue in

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Lakewood Boulevard when they stumbled upon the body of a

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teenage girl. The boys ran home and told their mothers

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what they had seen, but the mothers assumed they were

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just telling stories and they didn't believe them, According to

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an article for The Southtown Star. An hour later, when

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the boys kept telling their mothers what they had seen,

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one of the boy's mothers headed over to the plaza

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to see what her son was talking about, alerting the

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Marshall Field security, who then called the police. Dressed in

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the same clothes she had been wearing when she had

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left home two days prior, Christina Hickey's body was found

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lying in the dirt behind the bushes. She had been

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stabbed multiple times and her dress was torn, exposing her

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left side from shoulder to nable, and her braw had

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been cut and pushed away on that side towards her neck.

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According to defrostingcolcases dot Com, Christina's arms were behind her

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back and her right arm had been tied with the

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belt of her coat. Police estimated that she had been

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killed sometime late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning, According

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to the chief of Police, they determined she had been

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killed at the plaza. He said, quote, we found signs

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of a struggle marks in the dart from a heel

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during their examination of the scene. According to court records,

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officer Jeffrey Henderson said that they observed that the area

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where Christina was found was not visible from Marshallfield's entrance

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door due to the bushes and the way that the

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land was sloped. Nancy Cruz, the security guard, also told

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police that on the evening of October third, the building's

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exterior lights as well as the lights in the parking

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lot were not working, so the area was incredibly dark.

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In fact, unless someone was standing on the edge of

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the parking lot by the bushes, no one would have

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seen anything going on. When the evidence technicians arrived on

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the scene, Alan Kulovitz proceeded to photograph the scene as

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well as Christina's body, observing a gaping wound in the

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center of her throat and another stab wound just above

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her left breast. He determined, based on the blood spatter

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surrounding her, as well as on her chest and on

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her clothing, that Christina had died where she had lain

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and that the terr in her dress had been folded

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back before she had been stabbed. Her stockings and underwear

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had been shoved down by her ankles, and her right

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foot was buried in the dirt where she had kicked

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repeatedly trying to get away from her attacker. The lividity

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on her back and legs also showed that this was

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where she had died. As I've explained in the past,

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lividity is the settling of the blood, and based on

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that lividity being present on her back and on the

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back of her legs showed that Christina had not been

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moved at all from where she had been found. Police

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immediately began searching the area surrounding the crime scene, looking

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for evidence to point them towards Christina's killer. Of the

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evidence they were looking for, they were focused on finding

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the knife that had been used to kill her. However,

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they were unable to find it. They searched the plaza

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and the neighboring thirty acre field that separated the high

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school from the plaza, as Christina had likely cut through

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the field and plaza on her way home. On October sixth,

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Christina's autopsy was performed by doctor Yupulchoi. He observed extensive

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bruising on the external parts of her body that supported

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the theory that she had been sexually assaulted, but there

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was no evidence of sperm found. There was some bruising

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found internally, but he was not able to determine what

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caused it. There was also a bruising found on her

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right arm. Of the stab wounds, doctor Choy observed that

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the one on her neck was over six inches long

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and extended to both sides, deep enough to transact her

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trachea and esophagus. There were scrapes and bruises on her

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face and along her neck and left side of her shoulder,

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so doctor Troy theorized that Christina's attacker could have possibly

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knelts on her neck and shoulder to try and hold

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her down, or she had been struck with a heavy object.

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There was also evidence that her head had been struck

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against the hard surface as well. Doctor Troy said that

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the stab wounds on her chest, one superficial, the other deeper,

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were most likely inflicted first. Her death was violent and horrific,

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and it's clear that Christina fought like hell to stay alive.

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Sometime after Christina's body was found. An employee for the

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Department of Public Works was mowing the grass near where

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Christina had been found when he came across her Social

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Security card and a wallet with some of her other

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cards in id Inside. Officer Francisia Goardy searched the area

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and found more items belonging to Christina, like her cosmetics,

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a shredded address book, and pieces from her corduroy bag

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that the mower had run over. On October ninth, nineteen

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eighty four, Christina was laid to rest and the funeral

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was held at the Lane Sullivan Funeral Home in Park Forest.

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So many people showed up that they had to use

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auxiliary rooms for the overflow. It was standing room only.

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Two priests were used to conduct the service, and the

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service had to be delayed for fifteen minutes because so

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many people wanted to say their last goodbyes. Hundreds of

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people came to warn her, including a young man named

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Christopher Abernathy at Sas seventeen. He told a reporter named

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Carol Dorset, who had come to cover the funeral, that

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he had once dated Christina and had loved her. Carol

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noticed that he had scrapes on his face and lip,

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and Christopher explained that he had gotten hurt running into

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a tree. He then informed this reporter that he had

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an M sixteen rifle in his car and planned to

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open fire during the service, presumably as a farewell salute.

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This threat was reported to the police, leading to Christopher

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being questioned. However, it appeared that the police did not

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find Christopher's threat credible, as he was ultimately released without

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any charges being filed. Police also failed to find any

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weapons when they searched his car, in addition to the

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evidence found at the original crime scene and the field.

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In terms of Christina's personal effects, police did find DNA

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evidence that they collected from various items as well as

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from Christina's bank body. However, they weren't able to test

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anything due to the restrictions and technology at the time,

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but they were hopeful it woul become and useful. Incidentally,

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weeks before Christina's murder, as a little side note fun

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fact if you will, Alec Jeffries, a British geneticist, had

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just successfully isolated DNA to obtain a person's unique genetic

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fingerprint in his efforts to trace genetic markers through families

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to find patterns of inherited disease causing mutations. According to

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an article and wired on September tenth, nineteen eighty four,

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he successfully isolated the strands, and his discovery over the

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next year would begin to be used in criminal investigations

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and forensic analysis. So police wered mere months away from

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being able to properly test this evidence forensically. Now, the

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investigation stalled with zero leads, and the months passed by

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with Portraysha attempting to rebuild her life without Christina. Christina

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was Patricia's only child, and it was a struggle to

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live life without her. Patricia, who was a claim suggester,

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told the Southtown Star quote, I had a great amount

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of difficulty dealing with other people's problems. They did not

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seem quite as important as my own At the time.

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People call in to complain because they didn't get the

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check or her bill wasn't paid. I thought, lady, I

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just lost my daughter. I don't care whether your bill

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got paid or not. I couldn't handle it. In the beginning.

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It was hard for me to think of anybody but myself,

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and of course it was she had just lost the

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most important person in her life, her only child. I

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could totally sympathize and understand the fact that the only

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thing she was thinking about was herself and her daughter

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and how she was supposed to go on without her.

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She also spoke about how she worries for the children

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in the neighborhood and the teenagers, especially the girls, because

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there was no place for them to go to safely

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hang out with each other, and they were still out

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walking around at night without an adult or any sort

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of safety or protection. She also really wanted to see

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something happen with the Plaza, the place where Christina had

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been killed. She said, quote the plaza has become so

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desolate that something like this could have happened. It wasn't

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necessarily abandoned, but it wasn't a bustling shopping center where

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there were plenty of people around to hear if something

213
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bad were happening. In fact, many of the stories there

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were closed. Ultimately, Patricia said that even if they found

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who was responsible for her daughter's murder, it would do

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little to ease the pain she felt. She said, quote,

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it's always going to be the same. She was murdered,

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she's dead, she's gone. That will never change. Whether they

219
00:13:55.039 --> 00:13:58.879
bring someone to justice or not finding and prosecuting the

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killer may only act to maybe a little relief to

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the question in my mind of knowing who it was.

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Would I know him? Did they know me? Do they

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know my house? Do they know where I live? Do

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they know me? That's right? Do I see them every day?

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Wouldn't that be a kicker? One year after Christina's murder,

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Christopher Abernathy was arrested after his friend Alan Dennis informed

227
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the police that Christopher had confessed to killing Christina. Alan

228
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was being interrogated concerning a burglary that had occurred, and

229
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he told police what Christopher had said. He alleged that

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Christopher told him over the summer that he had murdered Christina.

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Christopher was brought in for questioning on November thirtieth, nineteen

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eighty five, and he was questioned for forty hours. According

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to court records, this is what Christopher said happened on

234
00:14:55.799 --> 00:15:00.759
the night Christina died in his written confession. Now to

235
00:15:00.759 --> 00:15:03.519
propose this, it was confirmed that Christopher had a learning

236
00:15:03.559 --> 00:15:06.759
disability and had dropped out of high school his sophomore year,

237
00:15:07.720 --> 00:15:10.759
and this learning disability is reflected in the way he

238
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wrote out his confession, he said quote. I asked my

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00:15:16.159 --> 00:15:18.559
friend Tony to take me to Park Forest to see

240
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some friends. I went to Jules to get me something

241
00:15:21.519 --> 00:15:23.960
to eat. I got a twinkie and a can of pop.

242
00:15:24.799 --> 00:15:27.879
Then I see Chris walk by herself. So I walked

243
00:15:27.960 --> 00:15:30.000
up to her and she was crying. At the time,

244
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I asked her what was worry. She said she got

245
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into a fight with her boyfriend, and I asked her why.

246
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She said it was not any of my business at all.

247
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So I said to her, if she wants me to

248
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walk her home, and she said yes, please. Then she

249
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started to get upset more. Then she hit me and

250
00:15:49.799 --> 00:15:51.919
I grabbed her arms. At the time, I had a

251
00:15:51.960 --> 00:15:54.600
knife with me. I had it in my hand at

252
00:15:54.600 --> 00:15:57.600
the time that I was holding her. She pulled away

253
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from me. I think that I could have hit her

254
00:16:00.559 --> 00:16:04.200
with my open hand. Then I grabbed her again. I

255
00:16:04.240 --> 00:16:06.080
still had the knife in my right hand in front

256
00:16:06.120 --> 00:16:09.360
of her. Then tried to pull her arms up in

257
00:16:09.360 --> 00:16:12.279
front of her. She put my hands by her neck.

258
00:16:12.440 --> 00:16:14.960
Then I said something to her. I can't remember what

259
00:16:15.039 --> 00:16:17.720
I said to her. She turned her neck and then

260
00:16:17.720 --> 00:16:21.200
I accidentally cut her neck. I took my picture from

261
00:16:21.279 --> 00:16:23.679
her then I ran to Mickeyda's. Then I went to

262
00:16:23.720 --> 00:16:26.000
the park for a while. Then I went and called

263
00:16:26.039 --> 00:16:29.559
Tony to pick me up, and then I went home. Now,

264
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I do want to stress that nowhere in his signed

265
00:16:31.679 --> 00:16:34.840
confession did he say that he killed her, nor did

266
00:16:34.879 --> 00:16:38.120
he mention any sexual assault. A lot of what he

267
00:16:38.159 --> 00:16:40.639
said in this confession, frankly, doesn't make a lot of sense,

268
00:16:41.960 --> 00:16:45.000
and it's important to reiterate that Christopher had been questioned

269
00:16:45.039 --> 00:16:47.639
for forty hours at this point, and during that time

270
00:16:47.679 --> 00:16:50.039
he had repeatedly begged to speak to his mother, to

271
00:16:50.159 --> 00:16:54.360
which he was told no. Now, finally the police told

272
00:16:54.440 --> 00:16:57.000
Christopher that he would be allowed to go home if

273
00:16:57.039 --> 00:17:01.879
he wrote and signed a confession. Instead, Christopher was arrested

274
00:17:01.960 --> 00:17:05.880
and charged with first degree murder, aggravated criminal sexual assault,

275
00:17:05.960 --> 00:17:10.720
and armed robbery. He had also been given a polygrop test,

276
00:17:10.799 --> 00:17:15.559
which he submitted too willingly and he failed. Now, due

277
00:17:15.640 --> 00:17:19.240
to Christopher being two months shy of eighteen when Christina

278
00:17:19.279 --> 00:17:22.319
was killed, that meant he was ineligible for the death

279
00:17:22.319 --> 00:17:27.039
penalty according to Illinois law. According to The Southtown Star,

280
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Christopher's mother, Anne Kolis, was furious that her son was

281
00:17:30.960 --> 00:17:34.640
arrested and gave a statement at his bond hearing. She said,

282
00:17:34.720 --> 00:17:37.559
quote he was at Ingles Hospital when the murder happened.

283
00:17:38.000 --> 00:17:40.480
The Park Force police picked him up last year and

284
00:17:40.599 --> 00:17:42.720
let him go, and now they are doing it all

285
00:17:42.720 --> 00:17:47.079
over again, allegedly, though Ingles Hospital had no record of

286
00:17:47.160 --> 00:17:51.359
Christopher being there at the time of Christina's murder. She

287
00:17:51.559 --> 00:17:54.000
also explained that the injuries on his face that were

288
00:17:54.039 --> 00:17:57.640
seen when he attended Christina's funeral were from him drinking

289
00:17:57.720 --> 00:18:00.039
at a gathering and running into a tree when he

290
00:18:00.160 --> 00:18:04.319
was leaving the party. She also claimed that Christopher was

291
00:18:04.440 --> 00:18:07.640
heartbroken when he read about Christina's murder in the paper

292
00:18:07.720 --> 00:18:10.599
and had cried about it, and she had driven him

293
00:18:10.599 --> 00:18:15.680
to the funeral herself. Now, Frank Grego, Christopher's attorney, filed

294
00:18:15.720 --> 00:18:19.319
a few different motions to have evidence suppressed. He had

295
00:18:19.359 --> 00:18:22.559
attempted to stop the grand jury indictment, citing that Detective

296
00:18:22.599 --> 00:18:28.000
Carl Custer's suspicions about Christopher being guilty and not actual

297
00:18:28.079 --> 00:18:31.079
evidence should have been reason enough for the indictment not

298
00:18:31.160 --> 00:18:35.359
to go forward, but that was rejected. He was also

299
00:18:35.400 --> 00:18:38.880
attempting to have the confession suppressed, as Christopher had made

300
00:18:38.880 --> 00:18:41.799
this confession after being held by police with Otto Warren

301
00:18:41.960 --> 00:18:44.519
for over thirty six hours and did not have his

302
00:18:44.640 --> 00:18:49.920
lawyer present. Additionally, he had asked for the bond hearing

303
00:18:49.960 --> 00:18:52.920
to be delayed because he still had not received any

304
00:18:52.960 --> 00:18:56.880
documentation or evidence from the police. Up until that point.

305
00:18:56.920 --> 00:19:00.440
The only thing he had was this written confession, and

306
00:19:01.240 --> 00:19:04.759
that was it. He said he had given the police

307
00:19:04.759 --> 00:19:07.720
in the State's attorney three days to give him everything

308
00:19:07.839 --> 00:19:11.319
and they still hadn't done it. Although he did eventually

309
00:19:11.359 --> 00:19:15.880
receive all of the documentation necessary. Christopher went to trial

310
00:19:15.920 --> 00:19:20.079
in December of nineteen eighty six, and at Christopher's trial,

311
00:19:20.200 --> 00:19:23.519
Patricia was shown the blood stained pink dress Christina had

312
00:19:23.559 --> 00:19:28.480
been found in by Assistant State Attorney Patrick Quinn. Patricia

313
00:19:28.480 --> 00:19:31.160
burst into tears on the stand and confirmed that this

314
00:19:31.279 --> 00:19:34.119
evidence was the dress that Christina had put on to

315
00:19:34.160 --> 00:19:36.160
go to the concert on the day she was killed.

316
00:19:38.119 --> 00:19:41.680
Christopher's public defender, Frank Rego, said in his opening statement

317
00:19:41.720 --> 00:19:44.400
that Christopher was known to say things that weren't true,

318
00:19:44.880 --> 00:19:48.039
suggesting that everything that he had been accused of telling

319
00:19:48.160 --> 00:19:53.839
Alan Dennis was fiction made up by Christopher. Also read

320
00:19:53.839 --> 00:19:56.599
at the trial was the oral statement that Christopher had

321
00:19:56.640 --> 00:20:01.000
allegedly made by Assistant State Attorney Paul Perry that said quote.

322
00:20:01.519 --> 00:20:04.200
Defendant said that he had known Christina for about a

323
00:20:04.279 --> 00:20:08.480
year before her death. On October third, nineteen eighty four,

324
00:20:08.599 --> 00:20:11.920
he saw Christina in the vicinity of the Park Forest Plaza.

325
00:20:12.680 --> 00:20:16.559
Christina was crying. Defendant asked her what was wrong. She

326
00:20:16.640 --> 00:20:18.440
said that she had had a fight with her boyfriend.

327
00:20:19.359 --> 00:20:21.759
Defendant asked her the reason for the fight, and she

328
00:20:21.880 --> 00:20:25.400
replied that it was none of his business. Defendant then

329
00:20:25.480 --> 00:20:27.480
asked her if she wanted him to walk her home,

330
00:20:27.599 --> 00:20:31.599
and she said yes. As they were walking, defendant kept

331
00:20:31.640 --> 00:20:35.039
asking her about the fight. She became upset and hit him.

332
00:20:36.119 --> 00:20:40.160
He pushed her like to cheer her up. They started arguing.

333
00:20:41.200 --> 00:20:43.400
They were next to the Marshall Field Store when he

334
00:20:43.480 --> 00:20:47.279
might have hit her without realizing it. Then he probably

335
00:20:47.400 --> 00:20:51.039
accidentally knocked her down. He got on top of her,

336
00:20:51.400 --> 00:20:54.400
pursed her dress up, and pulled her panties down. He

337
00:20:54.440 --> 00:20:56.920
was trying to have sex with her. He had a

338
00:20:56.960 --> 00:20:59.200
butterfly knife with a three or four inch blade in

339
00:20:59.200 --> 00:21:03.160
his hand. He had her pinned. He didn't realize the

340
00:21:03.200 --> 00:21:05.839
knife was in his hand at the time. Then she

341
00:21:05.920 --> 00:21:10.119
was struggling then he might have without realizing, stabbed her

342
00:21:10.160 --> 00:21:14.119
once or twice in the chest. She threw him off

343
00:21:14.200 --> 00:21:16.640
and he got back on her. He pinned her arms

344
00:21:16.640 --> 00:21:19.720
to her chest. Then she tried to pull her hands away,

345
00:21:19.799 --> 00:21:22.759
and instead of pulling, she pushed them up. Then she

346
00:21:22.839 --> 00:21:25.160
turned her head suddenly and he might have cut her

347
00:21:25.200 --> 00:21:28.880
neck on accident. He grabbed her purse and her slip,

348
00:21:29.079 --> 00:21:30.880
took his picture out of the purse, and threw the

349
00:21:30.920 --> 00:21:34.200
purse and the slip away. Two days later, he was

350
00:21:34.240 --> 00:21:38.279
treated at South Suburban Hospital for injuries to his face, chests, ribs,

351
00:21:38.319 --> 00:21:41.519
and arm that he suffered when he ran into a tree.

352
00:21:44.119 --> 00:21:46.119
Now I have to say that this oral statement is

353
00:21:46.160 --> 00:21:48.839
a bit confusing because that's not what was signed when

354
00:21:48.880 --> 00:21:52.400
Christopher was at the police station. It seems like they

355
00:21:52.519 --> 00:21:56.400
were filling in some blanks of their own volition, because

356
00:21:56.400 --> 00:21:59.839
that's not again, what he signed. That's not what he wrote.

357
00:21:59.839 --> 00:22:03.720
Dot I read that to you. They don't exactly match.

358
00:22:03.960 --> 00:22:06.240
They definitely added a little bit more detail. Now it's

359
00:22:06.319 --> 00:22:09.839
very possible that what he said in his oral statement

360
00:22:09.960 --> 00:22:12.920
was obviously written down by someone else, and maybe what

361
00:22:13.000 --> 00:22:15.720
he wrote down didn't exactly match because he couldn't exactly

362
00:22:15.759 --> 00:22:18.960
remember what he had said. It's possible, but it's interesting

363
00:22:19.000 --> 00:22:21.759
that they don't match. It's also important to note that

364
00:22:21.839 --> 00:22:25.240
during the trial, no physical or DNA evidence was ever

365
00:22:25.359 --> 00:22:29.960
presented to the jury. The entire basis of the state's

366
00:22:30.079 --> 00:22:35.200
argument was the confession and polygraph test. Now, the defense

367
00:22:35.240 --> 00:22:39.240
brought in witnesses to testify on Christopher's behalf. A friend,

368
00:22:39.319 --> 00:22:42.279
Lisa Roebel, testified that she met up with Christopher on

369
00:22:42.319 --> 00:22:45.359
October third, and they had gone to her grandmother's house

370
00:22:45.400 --> 00:22:47.599
in mid Lothian, where they had cut the lawn and

371
00:22:47.759 --> 00:22:51.960
had dinner. She said he left at around eleven thirty pm,

372
00:22:52.640 --> 00:22:56.000
and during her cross examination she said that they had

373
00:22:56.039 --> 00:22:59.640
also gone to another friend's house at ninth thirty pm.

374
00:23:00.079 --> 00:23:02.440
She also said that she had spoken with Detective Coustra

375
00:23:02.559 --> 00:23:06.519
twice but had not mentioned being with Christopher on October third.

376
00:23:07.319 --> 00:23:10.000
In December of nineteen eighty five, she testified that she

377
00:23:10.039 --> 00:23:12.559
had gone with Detective Coustra to Marshall Fields and was

378
00:23:12.599 --> 00:23:15.440
able to point out where Christina had been found because

379
00:23:15.480 --> 00:23:18.599
Christopher had shown Lisa where her body had been. After

380
00:23:18.680 --> 00:23:23.920
Christina's wake, Detective Couster testified that Lisa told him she

381
00:23:24.079 --> 00:23:28.799
didn't see Christopher on October third. Lisa's mother, Virginia, also

382
00:23:29.000 --> 00:23:32.039
testified that Christopher and Lisa had dated from July to

383
00:23:32.079 --> 00:23:35.200
December of nineteen eighty four, and that they left from

384
00:23:35.480 --> 00:23:39.319
Lisa's grandmother's home between six thirteen seven, getting back to

385
00:23:39.400 --> 00:23:41.920
her home at around ten before sitting on the porch

386
00:23:42.039 --> 00:23:47.079
until Christopher left at eleven thirty. Alan Dennis also got

387
00:23:47.119 --> 00:23:49.240
on the stand and testified that in the summer of

388
00:23:49.319 --> 00:23:52.920
nineteen eighty five, Christopher told him he was responsible for

389
00:23:53.000 --> 00:23:56.680
Christina's murder, after Allan had asked him if he was involved.

390
00:23:57.759 --> 00:24:00.160
He also confessed that they had met in nineteen eighty

391
00:24:00.640 --> 00:24:04.319
and that at some point he had beaten Christopher very badly,

392
00:24:04.920 --> 00:24:08.680
which could explain his broken ribs or bruise ribs and

393
00:24:08.880 --> 00:24:12.599
scrapes and bruises that he was treated with at the hospital.

394
00:24:13.559 --> 00:24:16.720
In their closing argument, the prosecution alleged that the motive

395
00:24:16.759 --> 00:24:21.720
behind Christina's murder was Christopher's sexual advances being denied. The

396
00:24:21.720 --> 00:24:25.160
prosecution also said that the details mentioned in his confession

397
00:24:25.240 --> 00:24:29.839
could only be known by the killer. Frank Rago argued

398
00:24:29.839 --> 00:24:32.799
that Christopher was quote looking for attention and now he

399
00:24:32.880 --> 00:24:35.640
realizes he is in trouble and this has gone too far.

400
00:24:37.039 --> 00:24:39.640
He also alleged that the confession was made under duress

401
00:24:39.640 --> 00:24:42.079
and that it was a made up story and didn't

402
00:24:42.079 --> 00:24:45.160
make any sense besides the fact that many of the

403
00:24:45.200 --> 00:24:48.359
details mentioned in his confession were in newspapers cover and

404
00:24:48.440 --> 00:24:52.519
Christina's murder, which I can confirm is fact because most

405
00:24:52.559 --> 00:24:57.519
of my research is based on newspapers from nineteen eighty four. Additionally,

406
00:24:57.640 --> 00:25:00.839
there were fingerprints found on a notebook the crime scene

407
00:25:00.839 --> 00:25:03.960
that had not been tested, and they were at the

408
00:25:04.079 --> 00:25:07.599
very minimum. Even if say technology had an advanced enough

409
00:25:07.720 --> 00:25:11.880
by that point to forensically analyze DNA, they could visually

410
00:25:11.920 --> 00:25:15.880
analyze fingerprints. That was something that was able to be done.

411
00:25:16.000 --> 00:25:19.920
The jury deliberated for four and a half hours after

412
00:25:19.960 --> 00:25:22.759
the week long trial, and came back with a verdict

413
00:25:22.799 --> 00:25:26.920
of guilty on all counts on January fifteenth, nineteen eighty seven.

414
00:25:28.359 --> 00:25:32.160
Of course, Christopher's mother was devastated, and she pleaded with

415
00:25:32.240 --> 00:25:35.680
prosecutor Thomas Consel that he had gotten the wrong man.

416
00:25:36.680 --> 00:25:40.160
The Southtown Star reported that Thomas told Anne Collis quote,

417
00:25:40.359 --> 00:25:46.440
He'll die in prison, said with a grin. Anne attacked

418
00:25:46.480 --> 00:25:49.359
Conseil and broke his glasses before being led away from

419
00:25:49.400 --> 00:25:52.759
the area, and the Robles were very upset as well,

420
00:25:52.880 --> 00:25:55.319
insisting that what they had said was true and that

421
00:25:55.440 --> 00:25:58.160
Christopher was not in Park Forest at the time of

422
00:25:58.240 --> 00:26:02.480
Christina's murder. At the sense of Securing, according to the

423
00:26:02.559 --> 00:26:06.039
Chicago Tribune, the prosecution read it a statement from Patricia

424
00:26:06.119 --> 00:26:09.279
Hickey that said, quote, there is no sentence that will

425
00:26:09.279 --> 00:26:12.400
bring my daughter back, But the thought of Abernathy ever

426
00:26:12.480 --> 00:26:14.960
being let out of jail to mingle with society and

427
00:26:15.079 --> 00:26:18.440
perhaps commit a vicious and brutal attack on anyone else

428
00:26:18.480 --> 00:26:22.000
would be more than I could stand emotionally. He has

429
00:26:22.079 --> 00:26:24.519
his life, which is more than my daughter will ever

430
00:26:24.559 --> 00:26:28.240
have again. I hope and I pray that the courts

431
00:26:28.279 --> 00:26:30.559
put him away for the rest of his life, so

432
00:26:30.599 --> 00:26:34.279
he can never again enjoy the freedom enjoy of living

433
00:26:34.319 --> 00:26:37.759
that he's so carelessly destroyed for my fifteen year old daughter.

434
00:26:40.039 --> 00:26:43.319
Christopher was ultimately sentenced to life in prison without the

435
00:26:43.400 --> 00:26:46.759
possibility of parole for murder, as well as thirty years

436
00:26:46.799 --> 00:26:50.599
each for the other charges. Of course, Christopher and his

437
00:26:50.680 --> 00:26:54.200
lawyer appeal the conviction, citing a myriad of issues with

438
00:26:54.279 --> 00:26:58.440
the trial. In nineteen eighty nine. According to court records,

439
00:26:58.519 --> 00:27:01.599
Christopher was attempting to appeal due to the following issues.

440
00:27:02.480 --> 00:27:05.359
Quote The trial court aired in denying his motion to

441
00:27:05.359 --> 00:27:09.519
suppressed statements. The trial court unduly restricted the defense's cross

442
00:27:09.519 --> 00:27:13.279
examination of the key state witness. The trial court erred

443
00:27:13.279 --> 00:27:15.759
in allowing the state's attorney to show a videotape of

444
00:27:15.799 --> 00:27:19.319
Christina Hickey to the jury, Certain remarks made by the

445
00:27:19.319 --> 00:27:23.839
state's attorney in closing argument and constituted reversible error. The

446
00:27:23.880 --> 00:27:26.880
trial court erred in refusing to instruct the jury on

447
00:27:27.000 --> 00:27:33.279
involuntary manslaughter, among others. Their main argument was the denial

448
00:27:33.400 --> 00:27:36.480
to have his statements suppressed, on the basis that Christopher

449
00:27:36.480 --> 00:27:39.480
claimed he had never been given his Miranda warnings and

450
00:27:39.519 --> 00:27:42.000
that he wouldn't have understood them even if he was.

451
00:27:43.480 --> 00:27:46.319
He said he cooperated the entire time because he had

452
00:27:46.359 --> 00:27:48.960
nothing to hide, but that the first time he had

453
00:27:49.000 --> 00:27:50.880
ever been given the warnings were in front of the

454
00:27:50.920 --> 00:27:56.519
state's attorney. After his arrest. However, he had signed the

455
00:27:56.559 --> 00:27:59.240
document verifying that he had been given the warning by

456
00:27:59.319 --> 00:28:02.599
detective Coups at the time of questioning on November thirtieth,

457
00:28:03.079 --> 00:28:07.680
and that he understood them. Christopher also claimed that he

458
00:28:07.720 --> 00:28:10.359
was unaware that he could have a lawyer present during

459
00:28:10.440 --> 00:28:13.559
questioning and that he agreed to sign the confession because

460
00:28:13.640 --> 00:28:17.079
Kustor told him he could go home. He said he

461
00:28:17.160 --> 00:28:21.200
was frightened and just wanted to leave. The court went

462
00:28:21.240 --> 00:28:24.279
on to explain that Christopher had signed all necessary waivers

463
00:28:24.319 --> 00:28:27.920
allowing for questioning, the administering of the polygraph and haarn

464
00:28:28.039 --> 00:28:31.880
DNA samples to be taken, and as a side known,

465
00:28:31.920 --> 00:28:34.359
I don't know why police bothered with that because they

466
00:28:34.359 --> 00:28:41.920
didn't have any of the evidence tested at all. Now

467
00:28:41.960 --> 00:28:45.200
this was denied because the court determined that despite testimony

468
00:28:45.240 --> 00:28:48.400
that Christopher had trouble understanding things, he was a very

469
00:28:48.480 --> 00:28:52.319
articulate at trial and was able to answer every question asked.

470
00:28:53.119 --> 00:28:55.519
The court also stated that just because he had a

471
00:28:55.599 --> 00:28:58.799
learning disability, it did not mean he was incapable of

472
00:28:58.880 --> 00:29:03.440
understanding what was being told or asked of him. Regarding

473
00:29:03.480 --> 00:29:06.920
the issue of cross examination, Christopher claimed he was denied

474
00:29:06.960 --> 00:29:10.880
the right to question Alan Dennis and explore his probationary status,

475
00:29:10.920 --> 00:29:13.200
alluding to the fact that he was not a credible

476
00:29:13.240 --> 00:29:16.559
witness because at the time that Allan Dennis told the

477
00:29:16.599 --> 00:29:19.400
police about Christopher and what he had allegedly told him.

478
00:29:20.000 --> 00:29:23.079
Alan had just been arrested and was being questioned about

479
00:29:23.160 --> 00:29:28.720
five burglaries he was accused of committing. The court denied

480
00:29:28.759 --> 00:29:32.440
this because Alan had confessed to the burglaries and allegedly

481
00:29:32.519 --> 00:29:38.119
did not receive any benefit to speaking about Christopher. Again

482
00:29:38.519 --> 00:29:42.279
interesting because the courts decided not to prosecute Alan Dennis

483
00:29:42.319 --> 00:29:45.799
for the burglaries, and the reason the court did not

484
00:29:45.920 --> 00:29:48.799
instruct the jury to determine if Christopher was guilty of

485
00:29:48.880 --> 00:29:52.559
involuntary murder was because they stated that the positioning of

486
00:29:52.599 --> 00:29:55.720
Christina's body, the way her dress had been torn and

487
00:29:55.759 --> 00:29:59.440
folded before her death, as well as her injuries, were

488
00:29:59.599 --> 00:30:02.240
enough to proved that her death was not an accident

489
00:30:02.440 --> 00:30:05.559
or the result of a burglary or an assault gone wrong.

490
00:30:06.359 --> 00:30:09.880
They determined that her murder was very much intentional, which

491
00:30:10.039 --> 00:30:15.039
I agree the evidence supports that her murder was intentional. Ultimately,

492
00:30:15.440 --> 00:30:19.200
Christopher's appeal was denied, and while he continued to proclaim

493
00:30:19.240 --> 00:30:22.759
his innocence as to his family, that was the end

494
00:30:22.759 --> 00:30:28.680
of it until it wasn't. As I said in the beginning,

495
00:30:28.759 --> 00:30:31.279
the murder of Christina Higgey is a cold case and

496
00:30:31.319 --> 00:30:33.920
based on everything I've said until now, it seems as

497
00:30:33.960 --> 00:30:37.839
if it is closed. Christopher Abernathy was tried and convicted,

498
00:30:38.000 --> 00:30:45.119
and justice was seemingly served. However, decades after his arrest,

499
00:30:45.759 --> 00:30:50.119
some journalism students at Northwestern University began looking into Christina's

500
00:30:50.119 --> 00:30:55.799
case and they spoke to Alan Dennis. Alan had a

501
00:30:55.920 --> 00:31:01.880
lot to tell them. During this conversation, Alan recanted his

502
00:31:02.000 --> 00:31:06.680
original testimony and explained that Christopher had never actually told

503
00:31:06.759 --> 00:31:11.279
him anything about Christina's murder. He had been pressured to

504
00:31:11.440 --> 00:31:15.119
implicate Christopher because Alan was told by police that if

505
00:31:15.119 --> 00:31:19.640
he did, he would be given leniency regarding some minor charges,

506
00:31:19.799 --> 00:31:22.759
and that they had given him three hundred dollars to

507
00:31:22.799 --> 00:31:27.240
buy clothes for court. While Alan had confirms he had

508
00:31:27.240 --> 00:31:30.799
committed upwards of thirty burglaries, he was only charged with

509
00:31:30.880 --> 00:31:34.640
two and given a two year sentence. He was under

510
00:31:34.640 --> 00:31:38.039
the impression that if he refused to implicate Christopher, he

511
00:31:38.079 --> 00:31:43.680
would be charged with more burglaries and given a harsher sentence. Now,

512
00:31:43.720 --> 00:31:46.000
this new evidence was brought to a law firm and

513
00:31:46.079 --> 00:31:49.799
an attorney named Lauren Keisberg began looking into the case.

514
00:31:51.000 --> 00:31:55.319
In twenty fourteen, Lauren started working with the Illinois Innocence Project,

515
00:31:55.640 --> 00:31:59.039
and she asked the Cook County States Attorney's Conviction Integrity

516
00:31:59.160 --> 00:32:03.000
Unit to examine in the case. This led to an

517
00:32:03.000 --> 00:32:06.559
agreement between the Integrity Unit and the Innocence Project in

518
00:32:06.640 --> 00:32:11.119
August of twenty fourteen to have evidence retested for DNA

519
00:32:11.279 --> 00:32:16.799
and have it processed. Eight items were processed and none

520
00:32:17.039 --> 00:32:21.759
of these items contained any DNA belonging to Christopher Abernethy,

521
00:32:22.400 --> 00:32:28.000
including the vaginal swab and fingernail scrapings. Partial DNA was

522
00:32:28.079 --> 00:32:31.839
found that belonged to a different person entirely, but it

523
00:32:31.920 --> 00:32:34.440
was unable to be tested enough to determine who it

524
00:32:34.599 --> 00:32:41.279
belonged to due to the DNA profile being incomplete. State's

525
00:32:41.319 --> 00:32:44.920
Attorney Anita Alvarez also stated that in addition to the

526
00:32:45.000 --> 00:32:48.680
lack of physical evidence time Christopher to Christina's murder, there

527
00:32:48.720 --> 00:32:52.640
were also other disturbing issues with his conviction, including the

528
00:32:52.720 --> 00:32:56.119
lack of consideration for his diminished mental capacity during the

529
00:32:56.160 --> 00:32:59.240
time he signed the confession, as well as the fact

530
00:32:59.279 --> 00:33:02.920
that his sign statement did not include any key details

531
00:33:02.960 --> 00:33:08.240
of the crime itself. Anita Alvarez and her team confirmed

532
00:33:08.319 --> 00:33:14.119
that Christopher Abernathy was never near Christina Hickey on the

533
00:33:14.240 --> 00:33:17.799
night she was murdered. In fact, the Roebuls were most

534
00:33:17.920 --> 00:33:20.680
likely telling the truth that Christopher Abernathy was not in

535
00:33:20.720 --> 00:33:24.200
park Force at all on October third of nineteen eighty four.

536
00:33:27.160 --> 00:33:31.440
On February eleventh, twenty fifteen, the Conviction Integrity Unit filed

537
00:33:31.480 --> 00:33:36.799
a motion to have Christopher's convictions vacated. That same day,

538
00:33:36.920 --> 00:33:40.200
this motion was granted and Christopher was released from prison

539
00:33:40.480 --> 00:33:45.640
exonerated of all charges twenty eight years after he was

540
00:33:45.680 --> 00:33:50.480
found guilty at forty eight years old. And in twenty sixteen,

541
00:33:50.559 --> 00:33:54.240
Christopher Abernathy filed a civil rights lawsuit against former Park

542
00:33:54.279 --> 00:33:58.240
Forest police officers Carl Custer and Donald Myers the Cook

543
00:33:58.279 --> 00:34:01.880
County State Attorney's office when Stephen Theodore, the owner of

544
00:34:01.920 --> 00:34:05.880
the polygraph service used by the police. They were accused

545
00:34:05.920 --> 00:34:10.239
of forcing Allan Dennis to falsely implicate Christopher Abernathy, as

546
00:34:10.320 --> 00:34:15.000
well as conspiring with Stephen Theodore to falsify the polygraph results.

547
00:34:16.320 --> 00:34:20.239
In twenty seventeen, Christopher received a certificate of innocence as

548
00:34:20.239 --> 00:34:23.159
well as two hundred and twenty two thousand dollars in

549
00:34:23.239 --> 00:34:27.039
compensation from the State of Illinois, and in twenty nineteen,

550
00:34:27.639 --> 00:34:32.039
Park Forest settled for twelve point seven million dollars, Cook

551
00:34:32.079 --> 00:34:35.639
County paid three hundred thousand dollars and Steve and Thomas

552
00:34:35.639 --> 00:34:38.679
agreed to pay one thousand dollars to settle the lawsuit.

553
00:34:39.920 --> 00:34:44.880
While it is amazing that Christopher Abernathy was exonerated because

554
00:34:44.920 --> 00:34:48.000
he was innocent, and I believe that Cook County wanted

555
00:34:48.039 --> 00:34:50.239
to be able to say that they solved this murder

556
00:34:50.320 --> 00:34:53.960
because they put all their efforts into getting Christopher, no

557
00:34:54.000 --> 00:34:57.760
one was looking at Christina's case to find her real killer.

558
00:34:58.559 --> 00:35:04.079
It sat on touched for almost thirty years. Now. It

559
00:35:04.119 --> 00:35:07.000
has been over forty years and there have been no

560
00:35:07.159 --> 00:35:10.000
real updates, even though old friends of hers have been

561
00:35:10.000 --> 00:35:13.559
doing whatever they can to try and get answers, including

562
00:35:13.679 --> 00:35:16.800
compiling a timeline of events and a list of attacks

563
00:35:16.800 --> 00:35:19.719
and murders that are similar to Christinas that occurred around

564
00:35:19.760 --> 00:35:24.320
the same time. This is why organizations like the Cold

565
00:35:24.400 --> 00:35:27.880
Case Coalition are so important, because while one victim in

566
00:35:27.920 --> 00:35:32.159
this case got justice, meaning Christopher Abernathy being a victim

567
00:35:32.280 --> 00:35:36.199
of the law and judicial system, Christina, the one who

568
00:35:36.320 --> 00:35:39.519
was so brutally murdered, is still waiting to have her

569
00:35:39.599 --> 00:35:43.280
case solved. And I can't understand how it's been forty

570
00:35:43.360 --> 00:35:47.760
years and not only did police get the wrong guy,

571
00:35:47.920 --> 00:35:50.639
they haven't made any progress in finding the right one.

572
00:35:51.360 --> 00:35:54.239
Thank you so much for listening and joining me today.

573
00:35:55.280 --> 00:35:59.679
This case frustrates me greatly because, as I said, they

574
00:35:59.679 --> 00:36:02.960
waste it's so much time zeroing in on the wrong guy.

575
00:36:03.840 --> 00:36:07.599
Christina and her case had essentially been ignored for thirty years.

576
00:36:08.360 --> 00:36:10.920
Now that they definitely don't have the right guy and

577
00:36:11.000 --> 00:36:14.880
Christopher Abernathy has been exonerated, her case is polled, there's

578
00:36:14.920 --> 00:36:19.559
no leads, there is no nothing. Hopefully her mother and

579
00:36:19.639 --> 00:36:25.519
her father get justice for their daughter, and hopefully at

580
00:36:25.559 --> 00:36:30.199
some point that partial DNA profile gets a hit and

581
00:36:30.280 --> 00:36:32.239
the source sense Below will be links to the Cold

582
00:36:32.280 --> 00:36:34.800
Case Coalition's website. You can check it out see the

583
00:36:34.840 --> 00:36:37.480
amazing work that they do, as well as all of

584
00:36:37.480 --> 00:36:41.800
the sources for this case. As always, I hope you

585
00:36:41.840 --> 00:36:45.000
have a wonderful week and I will see you in

586
00:36:45.079 --> 00:36:48.679
the next chapter of the Book of the Dead. Bye, guys,

587
00:36:49.559 --> 00:36:52.280
Thank you so much for listening to this chapter of

588
00:36:52.320 --> 00:36:55.679
the Book of the Dead, and don't forget that you

589
00:36:55.719 --> 00:36:59.519
can always connect with us on Instagram. You can connect

590
00:36:59.559 --> 00:37:02.559
with us on Twitter and you can absolutely connect with

591
00:37:02.639 --> 00:37:06.320
us on Patreon. We also have a merch store as

592
00:37:06.400 --> 00:37:09.639
well that we have frequent discount codes coming out for

593
00:37:10.079 --> 00:37:13.320
so that you guys can get March hand drawn by

594
00:37:13.320 --> 00:37:16.440
myself at a better cost. We hope you have a

595
00:37:16.519 --> 00:37:20.239
lovely rest of your week and just remember please be

596
00:37:20.400 --> 00:37:25.880
kind and don't forget to always stay safe, stay curious,

597
00:37:26.039 --> 00:37:31.440
and stay vigilant. Bye guys, Bye by