Michigan University Stays Quiet About Student's Rape and Murder for Weeks

[militaryspouse]

Source: nbc news

Laura Dickinson, 22, was raped and murdered in her Eastern Michigan University dorm room in December. Police and school officials kept the murder investigation quiet for 10 weeks, until a suspect was arrested. (ABC News)

Read more: http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/Story?id=3297153&page=2

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I don't understand why the school officials would lie about something as serious as this?!

[JoDog]

1. That's inexcusable

It's one thing if they need to keep some details of the crime quiet to protect the investigation. But to not even call her parents, and then outright lie to them about what happened to their child is disgusting. If this was just about the regents being ignorant about their legal obligation to inform students about the crime, that would be bad enough. However, by their cold actions, they have compounded the already incredible pain and hell this family is already trapped in. I hope they lose their jobs, and are forced to face the family in court.

[kestrel91316]

2. Keeping this quiet, while deplorable, does NOT constitute lying.

"1. A false statement deliberately presented as being true; a falsehood"

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/lie

One TELLS a lie. Failure to come forward and tell about this would be an omission, but not a lie per se.

[Demeter]

4. Oh, They Lied, All Right. They Claimed It Wasn't Murder, At First

After 2 months the truth came out.

[Demeter]

16. Today's Follow Up Articles

http://blog.mlive.com/annarbornews/breaking_news/emu_report/

http://www.mlive.com/news/annarbornews/index.ssf?/base/news-23/1182350453183490.xml&coll=2

http://www.mlive.com/news/annarbornews/index.ssf?/base/news-23/1182350436183490.xml&coll=2

[NashVegas]

7. The School Gave Deliberately False Info

In initially claiming the death was by natural causes.

[rocktivity]

26. "Eastern Michigan University violated a federal law

...(T)he Jean Clery Act...named for a student killed on another college campus...says that colleges must inform the campus community about crimes that are considered to be a threat to students and employees.

...(The)...chairman of the Michigan Board of Regents, which oversees the school...has apologized for the school's failure to be more forthright, but he denied the school had engaged in a cover-up and insisted mistakes were made because of ignorance of the Clery Act."

The victim's family should sue the school if the president doesn't step down.

:(
rocknation

[Demeter]

3. There is a Big Stink About It

EMU has its problems, and an on-campus, in the dorm murder was just too horrible for them to admit to the public or the students. The 2nd in command is on paid leave, the president is taking a lot of flack. But if enrollment has declined, it hasn't hit the news.

Ypsi and Ann Arbor are not known for this kind of crime--Ypsi had drug gangs, but this wasn't that kind of situation.

One of the Ann Arbor News subscribers cancelled her subscription because the News was "putting too much publicity" about the murder. Go figure. It was front page for a week or more. (and Bush crimes rate a couple of paragraphs in the back).

For all the cosmopolitan flair, this area is still very small town mentally.

[madame defarge]

5. It's not the first time someone has been murdered there...

Back in the '70's, John Norman Collins was terrorizing EMU & the A2 area by killing campus co-eds. I don't remember how the news handled it then, but it wouldn't surprise me if EMU kept a lot of it out of the news.

http://www.aadl.org/aapd/truecrimes/7

[Demeter]

17. True. We Average Maybe 1 a Year in Ann Arbor

Maybe slightly higher in Ypsi, if you count drug deaths as well as crimes of passion or madness.

[AngryOldDem]

6. I guess there's no mandatory reporting law...

...Or is that only where colleges have to disclose their crime rates?

Inexcusable. This is a general public safety concern.

[wakeme2008]

9. they broke a Federal Law

By keeping the investigation secret, Eastern Michigan University violated a federal law, known as the Jean Clery Act, which is named for a student killed on another college campus.

[wakeme2008]

8. pic

[superconnected]

21. She looks like a baby. How sad.

so young.

[MichiganVote]

10. Your post title is misleading. It makes it appear the college was either Michigan State or Uof M.

The title of the article clearly states the university being reported on as Eastern Michigan University. Why would you change the title of the article? You should correct it.

[Scout]

11. you need to fix the title ... LBN rules require it, I believe.... n/t

[militaryspouse]

12. huh??

I'm confused. i copied the title as it appeared on the nbc website.

ETA-i see eastern was left out. tried to add it in and it said editing time expired.

[Zuiderelle]

13. "Eastern Michigan University Stays Quiet About Student's Rape and Murder for Weeks"

You clearly dropped the first word.

[militaryspouse]

14. not on purpose

maybe a mod can fix it. Honest mistake. Why do i just feel like i stole something lol!

[Zuiderelle]

15. Ok, so not on purpose, but it is still misleading

and it is not the full title of the article. :shrug:

[youngdem]

18. There are TONS of crimes that never make the news....Does NOT make it a lie

In some cases, especially when the cops have an idea who did it, it is better for the case and for chance of prosecution if the case isn't publicized, forcing the suspect to flee or lawyer up.

I don't have much problem with this. I doubt SERIOUSLY that ANYONE on that hall or in that dorm DID NOT know about the murder.

[brentspeak]

19. Wrong

http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3297153&page=1

For 10 weeks, Laura's family and friends mourned her death and believed that it was indeed a horrible accident.

The student body was assured by school officials that the campus was safe.

But in February, the Dickinsons and campus received shocking news: Orange Amir Taylor, also a student at Eastern Michigan, had been arrested and charged with raping and murdering Laura.
....................................................................................................
For weeks after the murder, the suspect below (who will now be facing trial) was allowed to roam the campus freely -- and students and faculty weren't told about him.



A simple Google search before posting would have given you an answer.

[Jed Dilligan]

23. Did his mother actually know

the color he would be wearing for most of his life when she named him?

Sickly ironic, don't you think?

[Demeter]

22. The Parents AND the Dorm Students Were LIED TO

which you would find out be reviewing the links provided above. Everybody was lied to, including the president of the university, by his account.

[Blue_Tires]

20. shameful...it's always about image for universities

but i've heard stories like this before...a long time ago there was a female student found dead in a room at Eastern Virginia Medical School, and tptb covered it up very well

[LisaL]

24. Who is supposed to investigate a crime like this? Campus police

or city police? Anyone knows?

[rocktivity]

25. It IS a lie--of omission.

And the police endangered the college and community by not informing them to be on the lookout for such a person. The investigation may not have taken ten weeks if they had. Sounds like the college was more interested in protecting its OWN honor.

:(
rocknation