Re: 2/13/02 - AP: FOI panel votes to release Jovin murder files; Police files ordered released in Jovin; FOI Commission votes to release documents in Jovin murder case
FOI panel votes to release Jovin murder files
Associated Press
HARTFORD, Feb. 13 - The state's Freedom of Information Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to release more than 4,500 pages of police documents from the investigation into a Yale University student's 1998 murder. But it could be years before reporters have access to any of the paperwork related to the slaying of Suzanne Jovin.
Police have 30 days to either turn over the files or challenge the decision, and an attorney for the New Haven police department said he would fight the order. "I don't see how we could not appeal," said Martin Echter.
An appeal could tie the case up in the courts for years.
Echter acknowledged that much of the information in the files has already been leaked to the press. He said it is vital that what remains confidential is sealed until it can be used in a trial. "Eventually, much of this information will come out anyway," Echter said.
The Hartford Courant and Jeff Mitchell -- a high school friend of James Van de Velde, a former Yale instructor who police said was among a "pool of suspects" -- filed complaints last year with the commission. Van de Velde, whose contract was not renewed by Yale after the slaying, has steadfastly maintained his innocence. He was Jovin's senior thesis adviser.
The FOI request involves thousands of police reports, memoranda, witness statements and other evidence pertaining to the December 1998 murder. The case remains unsolved.
Commissioner Dennis O'Connor acted as hearing officer in the case and personally reviewed all the documents. O'Connor had previously recommended that the police files and a 911 audiotape be made public.
O'Connor said New Haven police had not adequately shown why the documents should not be made public. "You must show how and why it would prejudice a jury and the prosecution of the case. This, the respondent did not do," he said. "I realize we do give the police a certain amount of deference, but that doesn't mean they don't have to prove a thing."
An attorney representing Ellen Jovin, the murder victim's sister, argued that releasing the documents would not only jeopardize the investigation but invade the privacy of the family. "We have a situation where a family has poured out their most private, confidential information for the purposes of forwarding the investigation," David Rosen said.
The family revealed personal details of Jovin's life to police, details they were told would be kept confidential, he said. The files could also tip the killer to what police know about him, Rosen said.
William Fish, the attorney representing the Courant, argued that police have had enough time to used whatever evidence they've gathered. "It's been three years," he said.
wvit.com
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Police files ordered released in Jovin case
(New Haven-AP) A state Freedom of Information commissioner has ordered release of some police files in the killing of a Yale student.
FOI Commissioner Dennis O'Connor has directed New Haven police to release a fraction of thousands of pages of documents in the case of Yale senior Suzanne Jovin.
O'Connor says city attorneys and police failed to prove that disclosure of the remaining records at issue would not be in the public interest.
The focus of the legal dispute is the file that includes thousands of police reports, memos, witness statements and other evidence pertaining to the December 1998 Jovin murder.
The case remains unsolved.
No final determination will be made, however, until a full FOI commission meeting next month.
O'Connor instructed police to release a 9-1-1 audiotape and more than 4,400 pages of police documents collected during the investigation.
(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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FOI Commission votes to release documents in Jovin murder
(Hartford-AP, Feb. 13, 2002 4:48 PM) _ The state's Freedom of Information Commission voted unanimously today to release more than 4,500 pages of police documents related to the investigation into the 1998 murder of Yale student Suzanne Jovin.
But it could be years before reporters have access to the documents.
Police have 30 days to either turn over the files or appeal the decision, and an attorney for the New Haven Police Department says he plans to do just that.
Appealing the decision could send the case to the courts and tie it up for years.
The Hartford Courant and Jeff Mitchell, a high school friend of James Van de Velde, filed complaints last year with the commission.
New Haven police say Van de Velde is among several suspects. He has steadfastly said he is innocent.
The FOI request seeks thousands of police reports, memoranda, witness statements and other evidence in the unsolved murder.
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