Re: Text of Live Chat with ABC's John Miller
Tragedy at Yale
John Miller Investigates Campus Murder
March 1 ? 20/20?s John Miller, left, has been investigating the brutal murder of
21-year-old Yale senior Suzanne Jovin since last fall. The first-and still the
only-suspect to be named publicly in this case is Jim Van de Velde, a former Yale
lecturer who was Suzanne?s thesis adviser at the time of the stabbing.
Van de Velde, who has not been charged, maintains that on Dec. 4, 1998, the night of
the murder, he was home alone watching television. Claiming that as a suspect he is
serving a life sentence in legal limbo, Van de Velde sat down with John Miller in a
20/20 exclusive.
John Miller joined us in online chat to answer your questions about the case, its impact
on the Jovin family, Yale University and on Van de Velde.
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Moderator at 1:59pm ET
Welcome John Miller. Let's begin.
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JohnG. from proxy.aol.com at 2:00pm ET
Mr. Miller: Why is Jim Van de Velde the only suspect in this crime? What evidence do
the authorities claim to have that points to him?
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John Miller at 2:02pm ET
Police have sorted through 20 suspects. Sources say each of the 20 had their alibi
carefully checked out and in all those cases police were able to verify where they were
at the time of the murder. Because Jim Van de Velde said he was at home watching
television by himself, his alibi can't be verified. Plus, there is at least one witness who
believes they saw Van de Velde walking behind Suzanne one half hour before the
murder.
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Jeff from optonline.net at 2:03pm ET
The police have no fingerprints, blood, hair, fiber, bodily fluids, DNA, murder weapon,
eyewitness, or motive to tie Professor Van de Velde to the crime. Why was he even
named a suspect in the first place?
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John Miller at 2:04pm ET
He was named a suspect, according to sources close to the investigation, because
detectives learned that in the week prior to Suzanne's murder, she was complaining to
friends she was furious at Van de Velde over a term paper she had handed in. Van de
Velde had met her the afternoon of her murder and then, according to police, had
difficulty accounting for his time that night, except for saying he was home. Her body
was discovered .6 miles from his house. All of that is circumstantial evidence that
caused the police to focus on Jim.
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wal at 2:05pm ET
As a Yale alumnus, I find it harder to get students to consider Yale because of the
reputation for violence on the campus. What do you think the impact of such reports
will have on Yale University and its ability to get top notch students?
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John Miller at 2:07pm ET
This has been a problem that has dogged Yale. The university is in the center of New
Haven, and surrounded by some of the city's toughest neighborhoods. Nine years ago
after the murder of a Yale student who was shot and killed during a robbery, Yale
spent millions of dollars to improve security. They installed electronic locks, police call
boxes, and new lighting. Ironically, some at Yale were relieved to find out that police
suspected that the killer was someone from inside Yale. They felt that that would lessen
the worries that New Haven's violent crime had encroached inside the university again.
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Brian Curtin at 2:07pm ET
I am a freshman at Yale and a resident of Connecticut, so I've seen quite a bit of this
story already. It seems like the investigation into the murder has been spinning its
wheels for a very long time. The NHPD has not produced any new leads, but also has
not produced any evidence that has led to an arrest. Do you foresee this changing any
time soon? Or might this end up being some comparatively low-profile, but similarly
unending version of the Jon Benet Ramsey investigation?
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John Miller at 2:09pm ET
It may very well. At the moment, the investigation appears to be stalled. The NHPD
has approached Dr. Henry Lee, Connecticut's public safety commissioner and
renowned forensics scientist, to try and reconstruct the crime in hope of finding new
forensic clues. Jim Van de Velde, for one, has been a proponent of this, saying any
new evidence can only serve to clear him.
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sarah at 2:09pm ET
What have you learned about the victim in this case, Suzanne Jovin?
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John Miller at 2:10pm ET
By all accounts, Suzanne was a beautiful, intelligent, cultured, well-traveled young
woman with a bright future. She was a very driven student, and according to friends,
somewhat of a perfectionist. That may explain why she was so exercized over the term
paper that police believe may have started her conflict with the professor.
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Jeff M. at 2:11pm ET
New Haven is well known for its high crime rate. Why have the police apparently ruled
out random violence?
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John Miller at 2:12pm ET
A study of the case, done by FBI profilers, as well as the analysis by Dr. Lee,
combined with the experience of homicide investigators, indicated that it was a frenzy
killing - an act of rage. Sudden and swift, 17 stab wounds, and no apparent attempt to
rob the victim. She was killed at the place where she was found, according to police,
not murdered elsewhere, for instance a friend's home, and dumped later.
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Dick at 2:13pm ET
If this were a murder mystery at some technical college or state university, would
20/20 be covering it? I doubt it.
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John Miller at 2:14pm ET
To be perfectly honest, the fact that a student at Yale University, one of the nation's
most elite, ivy league institutions, was brutally murdered, and the suspect emerged to
be a well-known, popular political science lecturer, gave the case all the elements that
make it "news."
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NewBlue from 246.67.19.newyork2.level3.net at 2:14pm ET
Excuse me, but how incompetent have the New Haven police been in this case? Is
there any move to get more competent investigators to possibly find some evidence, or
have things been pretty much given up for lost?
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John Miller at 2:15pm ET
The New Haven police, given the amount of violence, of drug-related crime that has
plagued that city, have by default become fairly experienced in the investigation of
homicide. Still, in any case where there are no eye witnesses, no finger prints, and little
forensic evidence of value, investigators anywhere would have an uphill struggle.
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Step Schmitt at 2:16pm ET
The Yale Daily News reported today that the first two of three lie detector tests that
Van de Velde took were inconclusive due to his being "emotionally over-responsive to
the polygraph." He passed the third test, but was not asked directly whether or not he
killed Jovin. What does this mean and how should it be interpreted? Why would it
matter whether he passed a lie detector test, if he wasn't asked about the murder
directly? Is it not the point of the test? If he was not asked directly about the murder,
then he wouldn't be caught lying, right? Why wouldn't the giver of the test have asked
Van de Velde, "Did you kill Suzanne Jovin?"
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John Miller at 2:19pm ET
On our 20/20 segment tonight, we go into this in great detail, and urge you to watch.
However, the distinction seems to be that when he was questioned directly about the
murder in the first series of polygraph exams, the examiner reported that he was
emotionally over-responsive, indicating that the very questions about the murder, given
the trauma that his personal life has been subject to by publicity surrounding the case,
caused him to be too upset for the machine to "read" him. The second technique
involved him signing a declaration that he didn't commit the murder and then being
asked while attached to a polygraph machine if the statement was true. It is hard,
without consulting experts, to gauge the exact value of these findings.
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Sara at 2:20pm ET
New Haven is a dangerous city -- I also went to Yale, and many of my friends were
mugged while there. There was, and I assume, ten years later, still is, town/gown
tension...and there was, and I assume still is, significant undergraduate neurosis
surrounding the senior essay. Is there any compelling reason to suspect this man,
except for this lack of alibi and the fact that she was upset about her essay? I grieve for
the family, and I definitely want the killer caught, but this case mystifies me.
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John Miller at 2:23pm ET
Police sources point to the following: That Van de Velde had no verifiable alibi, that
Suzanne had told people she was angry with him in the days before the murder. That
she met with him hours before the murder. That two other women in New Haven had
complained to police that he had followed or harassed them, though no charges were
ever brought against him. (Van de Velde vehemently denies the women's allegations.)
That the body was found about half a mile from his home. Collectively, these are the
elements that have caused police to focus on Van de Velde. But none of them,
separately or together, amounts to probable cause to make an arrest. Van de Velde
feels the fact that without that probable cause or anything that amounts to evidence that
would sustain an arrest, by naming him publicly Yale and the New Haven police have
ruined his life.
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Joseph at 2:23pm ET
This case illustrates that the NH police do not need hard evidence to publicly name
anyone as a suspect in a crime. Is there any protection in the system to prevent the
police from releasing names of suspects when there is a lack of evidence to support
their claim? Is there legal recourse by the innocent citizens who fall victim to these
police tactics?
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John Miller at 2:25pm ET
It was very interesting how Jim Van de Velde came to be named publicly as a suspect
in this case. He was actually named by Yale. The university issued a statement
explaining why they had suspended him from teaching that indicated New Haven police
had told the university that Jim was "among a pool of suspects" being looked at in the
Jovin murder. Police were forced, after that, to either confirm Yale's statement, or
deny it. It is very rare in a murder case for police to publicly name a suspect before
bringing a formal charge, unless the suspect is a fugitive. With Yale taking the lead, in
this case, it looked like the cart pulling the horse.
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Jeff M. at 2:26pm ET
Local TV played a clip of you asking Van de Velde if he ever carried a knife. Was this
a routine question or did the police ever imply they have any sort of evidence he ever
did or was ever violent towards anyone in any way.
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John Miller at 2:27pm ET
There is no indication whatsoever that we have been able to find, through talking to
police sources, or friends of Van de Velde, that he has ever acted violently.
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Selina at 2:27pm ET
Did Suzanne Jovin and Van De Velde have some type of relationship other than a
student-teacher relationship?
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John Miller at 2:28pm ET
We can't ask that question of Suzanne. Van de Velde says he had no relationship with
her beyond the classroom, and didn't even know where she lived. We did speak to her
closest friends, who believe she would have confided such a relationship, and there
didn't appear to be one.
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Apostle at 2:28pm ET
What has been the victim's family's response to the investigation and do they think Van
de Velde is guilty?
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John Miller at 2:30pm ET
They have been very careful not to say that they think Van de Velde is guilty. They
have also urged him to begin cooperating fully with the police again, saying that if he
has nothing to hide, there is no reason not to. Van de Velde has countered that it is
now clear to him that the police are out to get him and that there is no upside to dealing
with them any more. He has asked for the state police and the state's attorney's office
to take over the case, and said that he would cooperate with them.
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Jeff at 2:31pm ET
John, you seem to be repeating rumors. Have you or anyone you know ever seen any
verifiable police complaint involving Van de Velde?
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John Miller at 2:33pm ET
I have seen a police report that was filed by one woman, regarding alleged phone
harassment. We have also spoken to people about the allegations.Van de Velde flatly
denies them. In fact, he points out that he recently passed a lie detector test taken with
a private examiner in which he denied stalking these women. One thing that's important
to point out, the rumors and innuendo about Jim Van de Velde have already been
widely circulated in the local and national press. This program was as much Jim Van de
Velde's opportunity to answer all that in a national forum as anything else.
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Tim-TN at 2:34pm ET
The police have stated that Mr. Van de Velde is one of a "pool" of suspects. Does
anyone know how deep this "pool" is and who the other suspects might be?
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John Miller at 2:37pm ET
The universe of suspects in this case involve examining more than 60 potential names.
Sources close to the investigation say they settled on approximately 20 that needed to
be looked at closely. Each of those candidates, according to our sources, was
checked out carefully, and their movements and whereabouts on the night of the
murder were confirmed. That left Van de Velde in a "pool" of one. His problem is that
his account of that night places him at home watching a tape of "Friends." That makes
his alibi impossible to verify. That's a problem for him and for police.
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jane at 2:38pm ET
Has Van de Velde been able to work?
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John Miller at 2:38pm ET
After suspending him from teaching, Yale did not renew his contract. Jim tells me he
has applied for over 30 jobs and has had difficulty getting recommendations. He also
says he's lost his life savings in expenses involving lawyers and experts in this case.
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Jeff M. at 2:40pm ET
Given your extensive exposure to Van de Velde, do you think he committed the crime?
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John Miller at 2:42pm ET
I spent a great deal of time with Jim Van de Velde, first off-camera, then on. I do not
have the crystal ball to give you the answer to that question, but I will say this: At no
time was there any question he refused to answer, or any area --- no matter how
personal --- that he would not go into with us. He offered the police the opportunity to
search his car, his apartment, he offered to give them blood and hair samples. All that
considered, the best way to answer that question is for you to watch this program
tonight, listen to him and the circumstantial evidence authorities point to, and decide for
yourself.
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Moderator at 2:47pm ET
Thank you for joining us.
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