Judy Danielak, 21, was nearing graduation at the University of Arkansas as a journalism student.
In mid-January 1979, she was employed by UPI (United Press International, which is now defunct) to help cover the current session of the Arkansas Legislature.
Judy Danielak was shot on February 6 1979.
It was a shot of great accuracy.
The bullet entered slightly above and behind her right ear.
She was found unconscious in her car, which was in an open field adjoining Interstate 40.
This road was the way home to Little Rock Air Force base, where she lived with her husband Senior Airman Ronald Danielak.
Danielak was last seen at the State Capitol.
She was taken to a Little Rock hospital.
She died three days later without regaining consciousness.
Sgt Walter Miles who was in charge of the case did not find the shooting an accident of some sort.
http://tinyurl.com/6fw6d9y
http://tinyurl.com/44k9qor
The police have, however, not been able to establish motive.
http://tinyurl.com/4459767
If you have any information about the motive behind the shooting of Judy Danielak, please send it to this blog as a comment, so the blog can be updated
In mid-January 1979, she was employed by UPI (United Press International, which is now defunct) to help cover the current session of the Arkansas Legislature.
Judy Danielak was shot on February 6 1979.It was a shot of great accuracy.
The bullet entered slightly above and behind her right ear.
She was found unconscious in her car, which was in an open field adjoining Interstate 40.
This road was the way home to Little Rock Air Force base, where she lived with her husband Senior Airman Ronald Danielak.
Danielak was last seen at the State Capitol.
She was taken to a Little Rock hospital.
She died three days later without regaining consciousness.
Sgt Walter Miles who was in charge of the case did not find the shooting an accident of some sort.
http://tinyurl.com/6fw6d9y
http://tinyurl.com/44k9qor
The police have, however, not been able to establish motive.
http://tinyurl.com/4459767
If you have any information about the motive behind the shooting of Judy Danielak, please send it to this blog as a comment, so the blog can be updated
writerinindia,
ReplyDeleteJust curious what caused you to become interested in this case?
I consider it a very important case.
DeleteIt is true that with the passage of time the chance of getting relevant details about a case may decrease.
But on the other hand it is inevitable that more will be known about those who could be suspected in a crime than what was known when the crime took place. This more which is known may clear some suspects and focus more attention on other suspects.
This case is about thirty years old. It is possible Judy Danielak said something to a friend which is relevant to the case. Judy Danielak was only 21 at the time and it is reasonable to suppose that a friend of hers to whom she revealed something important (and who may not have come forward at the time) will be still alive and will come forward to reveal what Judy Danielak may have told.
I am not at all convinced it was the work of a serial killer.
Outside of a dozen or so archived newspaper articles from 1979, there are very few references to this incident on the Internet at large. Her name appears on a list of victims frequently posted by conspiracy fanatics and political extremists on various Internet forums, but even then there are barely a half dozen unique forum posts going back almost 15 years.
ReplyDeleteAre you a relative or former friend by any chance? I am neither, but my interest goes back to 1979, preceding any spurious Internet speculation (in fact, the Internet itself). I was surprised to find your Blog after all these years, and that's why I wondered why you were interested.
You are correct about two aspects of this tragic incident. This shooting was in no way an accident or act of random violence, and there just a few people who possess knowledge that can uncover the truth. I fear some of these people may carry what they know to their graves, and the truth will forever be lost.
Re politics:
DeleteI believe in secular democracy and separation of religion and state.
I do not think merely holding elections qualifies any country to be declared a democratic country.
I think the main difference between Monarchy and democracy is that in a Monarchy the police and judiciary (in as much as there is any judiciary at all apart from The King in a Monarchy) are The King's Men, and in a democracy the police and judiciary are independent.
There is no guarantee of freedom of speech in a Monarchy and I do not see how you can run a democracy without a free press.
In my view the political views of a journalist have nothing to do with journalism. Any more than the leftist or rightist view of a doctor has anything to do with the practice of medicine. I believe in the separation of politics and journalism.
Re Conspiracy Theory:
I think it is a term the popularity of which in a country is directly proportional to the illiteracy level of that country.
Educated people look at the facts of a case.
Re My interest in the Judy Danielak case:
I am not a relative of Judy Danielak and I did not know her personally.
My interest is in the facts of this unsolved case.
Re The Judy Danielak case:
I will update this blog soon.
You will agree that if it can be said today that the death of Judy Danielak was neither an accident nor the work of a serial killer shooting people randomly, some progress has already been made.
Here is a detail from an unsolved murder which took place in India:
The autopsy of a murdered man said he had died due to heart failure.
The murdered man's wife contacted a social worker and together they had a private autopsy done.
The man was found to have three bullet holes in his chest.
Any one saying that the man was murdered cannot be called a Conspiracy Theorist.
To say this man was murdered is not a Conspiracy Theory.
Judiciaries the world over know that criminals do not leave signed confessions at a crime scene.
In fact what criminals do is try to cover their trail.
Therefore law courts the world over admit corroborated circumstantial evidence and corroborated direct evidence in solving and deciding a case beyond any reasonable doubt.
It is not too late for this cold case to be solved, but first it must be brought forward again in the minds of the right people. Neither of us currently possess all the information needed to solve this case, but by continuing to post about it on this Blog, there is hope the right people may stumble upon it as I did.
ReplyDeleteI am encouraged that you want to update the Blog's home page, and I feel you are interested in facts and not fanatical speculation. I will start by posting a comment with (tinyurl) links to all known articles available from newspaper archives on the Web. Next I have some thoughts and questions to pose...
I think it is a good idea that you are posting the links to all available articles related to this case. I will try to get all these links from http://sidehack.myopenid.com/. I hope many more people will become interested in this case. The chance of someone with information about the murder of Judy Danielak coming forward will also increase.
DeleteI think speculation should not rule out any possibility. It is true that this can be taken to absurd lengths, and some possibilities which were considered and rejected were nothing more than a waste of time to start with. But I think it is better to err on the side of considering too many possibilities than on the side of leaving a possibility out.
It is not totally clear to me what you mean by fanatical speculation but I am taking it you mean speculation which is eager to pin the murder on someone with no basis for doing so or overly eager to clear the name of someone as the person behind the murder with no basis for ruling that person out, and I completely agree.
I would like to add a comment on the subject of Conspiracy Theory.
I have mentioned an unsolved murder case from India.
Suppose that in that case an educated person who can be expected to understand the facts correctly starts insisting that the person saying a murder took place and not a heart attack is a Conspiracy Theorist and this educated person starts insisting that calling that deaths a murder instead of a natural death is a Conspiracy Theory.
With such a situation what one has is an interesting development in the case.
The person who should have easily seen it was a case of murder but instead is saying 'Conspiracy Theory' himself/herself becomes a promising lead to investigate.
I will also add that it seems the term 'Conspiracy Theory' has come to mean 'False Theory'.
I look forward to your thoughts and to the questions you wish to ask.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI agree concerning the fallacy of dismissing any theory purporting a criminal conspiracy as inherently frivolous. All possibilities should be considered.
ReplyDeleteAnd by 'fanatical speculation' I meant simply that I have been disappointed that previous discussion about this case on the Web has been little more than 'ranting' with a purely political motivation. Truly meaningful discussion would center around the desire to discover the truth and facilitate justice, regardless of politics.
Sorry, I was not able to post links on Openid, so I will post them as another comment to this blog.
The situation in India is that the media is completely corrupt. One cannot attribute 'political motivation' to their 'reporting, its a simple matter of corruption, of then having accepted bribes.
DeleteFurthermore there are almost no sites being run by private citizens which are worthwhile.
Here are more links to articles archived on the Web (by date):
ReplyDeleteFeb 7, 1979
Frederick Daily Leader
http://tinyurl.com/7vteetg
Times Union
http://tinyurl.com/77udulx
Feb 8, 1979
Frederick Daily Leader
http://tinyurl.com/6pj7ex5
Times Union
http://tinyurl.com/78jvw29
Kingman Daily Miner
http://tinyurl.com/86gedc7
Reading Eagle
http://tinyurl.com/7y35qyy
Sumter Daily Item
http://tinyurl.com/8xjmu3q
Altus Times Democrat
http://tinyurl.com/7msjyq5
Feb 9, 1979
The Frederick Daily Leader
http://tinyurl.com/7ck39dc
The Deseret News
http://tinyurl.com/7jcqbwy
Beaver County Times
http://tinyurl.com/6td5g6y
The Palm Beach Post
http://tinyurl.com/7b9avsc
Bangor Daily News
http://tinyurl.com/87oyplm
Altus Times Democrat
http://tinyurl.com/7lvxj8m
Feb 10, 1979
Reading Eagle
http://tinyurl.com/6v26rem
The Toledo Blade
http://tinyurl.com/6uwwt83
The Palm Beach Post
http://tinyurl.com/7ggwx4y
Eugene Register Guard
http://tinyurl.com/6on7xgw
Youngstown Vindicator
http://tinyurl.com/6quyzo3
Feb 11, 1979
The Frederick Daily Leader
http://tinyurl.com/7xj6upl
Feb 12, 1979
The Victoria Advocate
http://tinyurl.com/6t99rj9
Ellensburg Daily Record
http://tinyurl.com/6wtltbc
Feb 15, 1979
The Times Union
http://tinyurl.com/7pqet9u
Altus Times Democrat
http://tinyurl.com/7rf8urq
Feb 16, 1979
The News Dispatch
http://tinyurl.com/6n4jodj
The Spokesman Review
http://tinyurl.com/7ulyz2t
Feb 18, 1979
The Altus Times Democrat
http://tinyurl.com/6olza3q
Feb 19, 1979
Middlesboro Daily News
http://tinyurl.com/6pta7s3
Feb, 1980
The Palm Beach Post
http://tinyurl.com/7r3dp7q
Thank you for the links.
DeleteOn the evening of February 6, 1979, a serious Winter storm had already begun moving into the Little Rock area. By early evening, temperatures were below freezing, and snow had already been falling and accumulating on the road surfaces. At 6PM, the daylight would have already diminished substantially, and visibility on the highway was also impaired by falling snow.
ReplyDeleteThe storm moving in that evening was to set snowfall records across Oklahoma and Arkansas, and by the following morning almost a foot of snow would fall in the Little Rock area. It is important to realize that highway snow removal equipment was almost non-existent in Central Arkansas (and many other areas across the South) at the time.
That Winter storm and the resulting snowfall would have impaired the ability of law enforcement officials to gather any evidence at the scene. It would also have adversely affected the ability of a sniper to position and place a shot from any distance that evening.
The bullet entered slightly above and behind her right ear. http://tinyurl.com/44k9qor
DeleteEven an expert with a rifle would have been extremely lucky to place such an effective (single) shot through window glass, into a moving automobile, and from a stationary position alongside the highway at any distance. With a handgun, such a shot would have been impossible.
ReplyDeleteThe bullet fragments recovered indicated a medium caliber (.38, 9mm, or .357) projectile. In addition, the bullet was indicated to be lead (non-cased), and therefore much more likely to have been fired from a handgun, not a rifle.
Any competent investigator would have had to conclude the shot was fired from an adjacent vehicle moving at a very similar velocity, and even then the shot would have been difficult to place in one try.
The fact that no drivers reported seeing another car is likely because highway traffic would have been very light considering the inclement weather and icy conditions. The shooting took place after the peak rush hour, and many commuters would have made an early start for home to avoid the approaching storm.
Only a single shot was fired at the site of Interstate 40 on the evening of February 6, 1979.
DeleteIt is the shot (of great precision) which killed journalist Judy Danielak.
According to the wikipedia entry 'Ballistic fingerprinting' a bullet fired from a rifle gets markings on it but one fired from a handgun does not.
DeleteThey have not mentioned any exceptions.
They have not mentioned any case where a bullet from a handgun could be confused for a bullet from a rifle.
If this is so there should not have been any confusion in the Judy Danielak shooting if the bullet came from a handgun or a rifle.
Handguns are traced using markings on bullet casings, using marks left where the firing pin strikes the primer on the cartridge. Since no casing was reported to be found at the scene, there would have been no opportunity to perform ballistic fingerprinting techniques.
ReplyDeleteThe lead bullet itself was apparently fragmented (portions were reported to have been recovered), with the majority reported to be embedded in the left side of the skull (opposite the entry wound). According to news articles, no attempts were made to remove the bullet at the time of hospitalization.
News articles mentioned that the bullet was to be removed by the state examiner at the time of an autopsy. However no follow story can be located in various archives, and it is not known whether an autopsy was in fact ordered or performed at all.
Whether she was killed with a handgun or whether she was killed with a rifle, one thing is completely clear - she was not killed by a sniper.
ReplyDeleteTwo days after the shooting, news sources had already fallen in line with an assertion made by the Arkansas State Police (and even the Governor himself) that the crime had been committed by a random sniper. However, earlier news articles reported that police were investigating what was thought to be an intentional act of some kind. Reading all the archived news articles, and considering the time of day, likely traffic situation, and local weather conditions, one could propose this alternate crime scenario:
ReplyDeleteThe fatal shot was fired through the victim's passenger side window (broken from impact) from a moving vehicle which pulled along the right side of the victim's vehicle. Whether this vehicle approached in the right lane of traffic (victim driving in the left lane), or in the shoulder of the highway (victim driving in the right lane) is not important, but the close range would have been necessary to place the single, fatal shot. The shot was likely fired from a handgun, through an open window of the second vehicle, by either by the driver or a passenger seated behind the driver.
It would have been almost impossible to determine the exact location of the victim's vehicle at the moment the fatal shot was fired. Whether the victim immediately lost consciousness, or retained some gross motor skills for a few seconds is not known, but the vehicle likely remained in motion on the roadway for some period of time before it finally left the roadway. The assailant's vehicle could have easily pulled ahead during that moment, effectively escaping notice of anyone traveling that section of highway. After finally drifting from the highway, the victim's vehicle struck a utility pole, and come to rest at the edge of a field. That surely would have been the first time a witness would have noticed anything was wrong.
The problem in the case is that it is not known why Judy Danielak was killed, there is no known motive for her killing. The motive for her killing remains a puzzle.
DeleteWith such a situation existing, it seems a likely killer or likely killers will have to be identified first, and the process of finding the motive in the shooting of Judy Danielak, will have to follow. This may not be the ideal way to proceed, it may not be the way people investigating the case may ideally want, but it may be the only way to proceed in the given situation to take forward the investigation of the killing of the journalist Judy Danielak.
Looking at the events in the Judy Danielak shooting from the time of the shooting till the time the case disappeared from the newspapers, it is completely certain that a VIP was involved.
DeleteNews sources reported that law enforcement had come to the conclusion this was a random shooting, so it seems doubtful that the crime was treated as a murder in any way. And news articles did not include any statements from law enforcement officials confirming any kind of ongoing investigation.
DeleteA proper murder investigation would have included looking into various facets of Judy's life in search of possible suspects. In fact, possible suspects could have included anyone Judy would have been in contact with around that time.
Were any family members considered with regard to possible motive (husband, siblings, parents, etc)? Were relationships wholesome? Could the killing have been a crime of passion?
Judy was nearing graduation from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and served as news editor for the Forum, a campus newspaper. How seriously did law enforcement take into consideration publicized reports that she had been harassed by student(s) offended by articles she had written for that paper? Did someone intend to scare or intimidate, and then things got out of hand?
She had been recently hired as a temporary reporter with UPI covering the Arkansas Legislature that Winter. Maybe the murder was intended to silence her, or a retaliation of some kind? Had she stumbled onto a story that would have been particularly damaging to some person(s) in positions of power? Did such a person attack or molest her, and was the killing was some kind of cover up?
Given the clear involvement of a VIP in the (derailed) investigation, the motive for the killing is sure to be related to her work as a journalist in the Arkansas Legislature. Even if the reason was that she was sexually molested (perhaps on the very day she was killed), and was murdered to hush that up.
DeleteYou have asked 'Were any family members considered with regard to possible motive (husband, siblings, parents, etc)? Were relationships wholesome? Could the killing have been a crime of passion?'
ReplyDeleteWas the family member in a position to have the local police reverse their own initial stance? in a position to get newspapers to drop the story? I think we can rule out a family member...
Not necessarily true. Boys on the tracks case comes to mind.
ReplyDelete