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Pastimes : Murder Mystery: Who Killed Yale Student Suzanne Jovin? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jeffrey S. Mitchell who wrote (846)	12/5/2000 9:59:46 AM
From: Jeffrey S. Mitchell	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1397

Re: 12/5/00 - NH Register: Sleuth visits cops about Jovin slaying Sleuth visits cops about Jovin slaying Register Staff December 05, 2000 NEW HAVEN — A private detective hired by Yale University to investigate the murder of Yale student Suzanne Jovin has questioned at least one of the police officers initially assigned to the case. Sources said Monday that a private detective began calling police at least a week ago to inquire about the Dec. 4, 1998, slaying. A lack of physical evidence has hampered the investigation. The investigator, said to be a specialist in "cold cases," also will have access to files at the Police Department and prosecutor’s office, according to sources. "It was the consensus from the state’s attorney and the New Haven Police Department that we certainly would make our files available," said Mayor John DeStefano Jr. "If someone looking at this with a fresh eye could see something else, I think that would be terrific." Yale officials would neither confirm nor deny the school had hired an outside investigator. Yale President Richard C. Levin said in a statement Monday that the university would not discuss any aspect of the case. "Sometimes being helpful involves doing something publicly and sometimes it involves confidentiality," Levin said. "And there are going to be times when we simply aren’t going to comment, or the police are not going to comment, or the Jovin family is not going to comment or respond to questions because it would not further our common goals." Levin said the university has had three goals since Jovin was killed: to assist and cooperate with the police, to be as supportive as possible of the Jovins, and to keep her memory alive. Jovin, who was a 21-year-old senior, was killed in the East Rock neighborhood. She was stabbed 17 times and discovered near death at the intersection of East Rock and Edgehill roads. The case attracted international attention. A month after the murder, police named Yale lecturer James Van de Velde as a suspect. The university canceled his classes and didn’t renew his contract. Van de Velde, 40, has consistently denied the allegations and has charged police botched the investigation. "If true, this is a very positive development for the investigation," said David Grudberg, Van de Velde’s attorney. "Jim called over a year ago for Yale to hire a private investigator. We have maintained for a long time that this case needs a fresh look by someone other than the New Haven police." Asked if Van de Velde would cooperate with the private detective, Grudberg said: "If there’s a new investigator, I look forward to talking to him or to her." Yale faculty members in the political science department said they had not been contacted by anyone representing himself as a private detective. Before hiring the detective, Yale officials brought the idea to New Haven police and the state’s attorney’s office, sources said. Both agencies signed off on the idea, the sources said. Assistant State’s Attorney James G. Clark, the lead prosecutor on the Jovin case, would not comment. New Haven Police Chief Melvin H. Wearing has referred all questions about the case to the department spokeswoman, Judith Mongillo, who said Monday that the case "is still very much under investigation and we continue to work on it." Lt. Bryan Norwood, chief of the detective bureau, said Detective Joanne Schaller has taken over as the lead investigator. He referred other questions to the Wearing. A $50,000 reward from the state remains for information leading to an arrest in the case. ©New Haven Register 2000 zwire.com