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Author Topic: Welder arrested in 1996 killing of 13 yo Texas City girl Krystal Baker(Convicted  (Read 15156 times)
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MuffyBee
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« on: September 24, 2010, 04:29:14 PM »

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/7216137.html
Welder arrested in 1996 killing of Texas City girl
September 24, 2010

Krystal Jean Baker at age 13. Krystal Baker, 13, was reported missing March 5, 1996. Her body was discovered the same day.

A Louisiana welder is being held in lieu of $1 million bail today after being charged in connection with the 1996 death of a 13-year-old Texas City girl.

Texas City Police chief Robert Burby said the arrest of Kevin Smith, 40, was made through a DNA match. Smith was arrested Wednesday – his birthday – at a Port Arthur plant where he was working as a welder.

“It’s a miracle from God and all the Angels,’’ the teen’s mother, Jeanie Escamilla, said.

Her daughter, Krystal Jean Baker, last was seen as she stormed out of her grandmother’s home in Texas City after a family disagreement about 3 p.m. on March 5th, 1996. Two hours later, her strangled body was found near the Interstate 10 feeder road at the Trinity River in Chambers County.

Two weeks passed before authorities linked the body to the missing teen in Texas City.

“They kept calling her a runaway,’’ Escamilla said, adding that “she was too girly-girly to be a runaway.’’

Escamilla said she and Krystal’s brother and sister distributed pictures and “talked to everyone’’ in a futile effort to find the girl.

Escamilla said Krystal phoned friends and family members from a tire shop a short distance from her grandmother’s home asking for a ride. Krystal also called her mother, but Escamilla said, “I was at work and couldn’t get her.”

Escamilla worked as a cosmetologist at the time.

“She was beautiful on the inside and on the outside,’’ Escamilla said. “But she was a teenager. She loved you one minute and hated you the next.’’

Burby said DNA was collected from Smith during a recent arrest was matched to the teen’s murder. He would not divulge details of Smith’s arrest.


Escamilla said that as the years dragged by, “I just put it in the hands of God. I just tried to appreciate the moment - when your heart’s been broken, it’s hard to be happy.’’
********************************
Smith hasn't been tried nor convicted yet in a court of law, but I consider the DNA findings enough that there is a link to the person that murdered her.  Hoping for justice for Krystal Baker and her family.   an angelic monkey
« Last Edit: April 28, 2012, 10:53:03 PM by MuffyBee » Logged

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« Reply #1 on: September 24, 2010, 06:13:22 PM »

In His Time.
Thank God for DNA testing! and LE that look at cold cases!
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« Reply #2 on: September 24, 2010, 09:10:10 PM »

http://www.39online.com/news/local/kiah-cold-case-story,0,6209978.story
(video)
Cold Case Murder Solved After 14 Years
September 24, 2010

"He's been lucky all this time - it's a miracle that he got caught," said Jeanie Escamilla

Cops got a major break in a cold case from 1996.

A 13-year-old, found strangled, beaten and sexually assaulted, but in all these years there have never been any suspects, until now.

All the pieces to the puzzle fell perfectly into place.

If not, this man could still be free.

It began with an arrest in Louisiana followed by a DNA sample, which doesn't immediately happen in Texas.

However that simple swab could be the start to solving other cold cases.

"Putting a face to what happened is really hard," Escamilla said.

Jeanie Escamilla has seen a picture of the man cops say murdered her little girl, Krystal Baker.

39 News hasn't seen it yet, while police in Chambers County, where Kevin Edison Smith is sitting in jail, continues its investigation.

"I really gave up hope," Escamilla admits.

After 14 years, it's a day she thought would never come.

"She did get in a spat with her grandmother that day," Escamilla recalls.

That was March 5th, 1996.

The 13-year-old headed out to a friend's house, but never came home.

Two fishermen found her body under a bridge in Chamber's County.

"Technology is amazing," said Texas City Captain Brian Goetschius.

As it advances, he said many police departments are resubmitting old cases.

Using DNA from Baker's case, a profile was entered into a national data base.

Last week investigators found a match.


Smith was arrested in Groves Wednesday - his 45 birthday.

"He's lived a good life - my daughter's gone forever," Escamilla said.

Escamilla describes this turn of events as none other than a miracle, though says she's not yet feeling closure.

That will come; she said when Smith is sentenced to the death penalty.

"I think about how much I miss her, I see her pretty smile - I miss that," She said, gazing at Krystal's pictures.

In death, Krystal may end up being more than just her family's guardian angel.

"We had Krystal baker, Jessica Cain and Laura Smither they were the big three at that time - we're one for three now, hopefully we can narrow it down and go three for three," said Captain Goetschius.

Investigators will compare Smith's DNA to see if it matches other cases.

Smith is being held on $1 million bond.

Here in Texas, DNA samples aren't taken until after a person is prosecuted.

Escamilla hopes to change that.
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« Reply #3 on: September 25, 2010, 04:36:26 PM »

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7217221.html
DNA links man to teen's 1996 slaying
For years the family of Krystal Jean Baker wondered what became of the 13-year-old who left her Texas City home after a fight. And now they know.
September 25, 2010



Mayra Beltran Chronicle
Krystal Jean Baker’s body was found near an I-10 feeder road at the Trinity River bridge in Chambers County. Friday, the Texas City Police Department announced the arrest of suspect Kevin Smith in connection with her death


Mayra Beltran Chronicle
Jeanie Escamilla, whose daughter Krystal vanished in 1996, gets a hug from lead investigator Capt. Brian Goetschius at Friday’s news conference.

TEXAS CITY — A 13-year-old Texas City girl who disappeared in 1996 after storming off from her grandmother's home after a family spat was raped and killed by a Louisiana refinery worker whose DNA links him to the crime scene below a Trinity River bridge, authorities alleged Friday in announcing the man's arrest.

As members of the dead girl's family listened on the verge of tears, Texas City Police Chief Robert Burby detailed how Kevin Edison Smith's genetic material, collected during his recent arrest for an unspecified offense, was linked to the March 5, 1996, strangulation of Krystal Jean Baker.

"It's a gift from God and all the angels," Jeanie Escamilla, Krystal's mother, said of the arrest.

Smith was apprehended Wednesday — his 45th birthday — at the Motiva refinery in Port Arthur, where he worked as a welder. Although a Louisiana resident, he previously lived in the Texas City area. He was held in lieu of $1 million bond Friday in the Chambers County Jail on a non-capital murder charge.

Krystal's body was found near the Interstate 10 Trinity River bridge in Chambers County about two hours after she left her grandmother's Texas City home, her mother said.

For two weeks, though, authorities and Krystal's family — unaware of the found body in Chambers County — continued their search.

Chambers County sheriff's officials declined to comment on the case, saying releasing information might jeopardize their investigation.

"They kept calling her a runaway," Escamilla said. "But she was too girly-girly to be a runaway . ... She was beautiful on the inside and on the outside. She had that heart, but she was a teenager — she loved you one minute and hated you the next."

Escamilla said Krystal telephoned her and friends trying to get a ride after she left her grandmother's house. "I was at work and couldn't get her," Escamilla said, adding that she was employed as a cosmetologist at the time.

Burby declined to reveal whether Smith had a previous criminal record.

The chief spoke to reporters at police headquarters, where photos of the dead girl were flanked by plaster statues of angels. Among the photos was a 1995 letter from Krystal to her mom in which she wrote that "you light up my day with your everlasting smiles."

"To fall asleep in your arms, it makes my dreams seem sweeter," Krystal wrote. "Knowing the time I share with you is a gift you gave me."

As the years dragged by, Escamilla said she "just put it in the hands of God," and tried to concentrate on the needs of her five grandchildren.

"I just tried to appreciate the moment," she said. "But when your heart's been broken, it's hard to be happy." On many days, she said, "I just wished I could wake up from this terrible nightmare."

Burby said Smith's arrest came from a joint investigation involving his department, Chambers County officials, Port Arthur police and the Texas Department of Public Safety. He began his Friday news conference with a prayer.

If convicted, Escamilla said, Smith deserves to forfeit his life. She would welcome the chance to witness his execution, she said. At this point, Smith is charged only with murder, an offense that could bring up to life in prison.

"How could he do this to my little girl?" Escamilla said.

Melissa Brennan, a longtime friend of Escamilla said Marilyn Monroe, whose real name was Norma Jean Baker, was Krystal's great aunt.

In February 1995 — a year before Krystal's abduction and killing — a Brazoria County judge sentenced Smith to four years' probation after he entered a no-contest plea on a charge of aggravated assault on a police officer, official records indicate.

A 2007 newspaper article announcing Smith's marriage to an Opelousas, La., woman reported that the suspect was a 1984 graduate of Galveston's Ball High School.

His mother, according to the article, resided in Texas City; his father is deceased.

Texas City criminal investigation Capt. Brian Goetschius said authorities are trying to construct a timeline to determine when and where the suspect lived in the area.

Anyone with information should contact the department at 409-945-TIPS.




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« Reply #4 on: October 28, 2010, 06:51:00 PM »

http://www.39online.com/news/local/kiah-kevin-smith-charged-story,0,2229804.story
(with video at link)
Kevin Smith Charged in 14 Year Old Cold Case
October 14, 2010
14 years after her death, Kevin Smith is finally behind bars, charged in the brutal murder of 13-year old Krystal Baker.

His DNA matched evidence found on Baker's clothes.

It was a chance finding, the result of technological advances and new DNA laws.

It's also raising the question: should DNA testing be mandatory upon arrest for minor crimes?

Our cameras were rolling, three weeks ago; days after Krystal Bakers family got the surprising news that their daughter's killer may have been caught.

"Technology is amazing," Krystal's mom, Jeanie Escamilla said.

In January, 45-year-old Kevin Smith was arrested in Louisiana for drugs, a state where DNA is taken immediately.

Meanwhile, back here at home, Texas City investigators, re-visiting the Baker case, had submitted evidence in February and then again in December.

Keep in mind; 14 years ago no semen was detected on Baker's clothes collected after she was found beaten, sexually assaulted and strangled because the sample size was too small.

"Back in the '90'syou had to have a lot of DNA, now we're doing touch swab," said Texas City Captain Brian Goetschius.

Once Smith's DNA was entered into the national database, investigators got a match.

News, that's bringing new hope to families of other cold case victims, like Bob Smither, who's 12-year-old daughter Laura was murdered one year after Baker.

"The technology itself is getting much more sensitive and that's the hope that Gay and I have, that eventually that might lead to something in Laura's case," he said.

The 12-year-old was kidnapped and killed while jogging in April of '97 - the first time she had ever ventured out alone.

"Her body was found about 20 days later," said Smither.

That was just days before she would have turned 13.

While Smither knows, had Smith been arrested in Texas instead of Louisiana, chances are he could still be on the run. In still, he does not support expanding the use of DNA swabbing for minor crimes, saying he fears the law could be abused.

"I don't really know that you need to change the law, I think there's just a little effort involved on the part of the police if you have any suspicion at all the courts are usually pretty good at giving a court order which follows what the constitution says we should do," Smither said.

The Smither's think they know who killed their little girl, but he hasn't been charged in her case. He is however, serving prison on an unrelated murder charge.

So, they'll continue dedicating themselves to the Laura Recovery Center, built in their daughter's honor. A place where they've been able to help more than 1400 families, who've also lost loved ones.

"It's not closure in any means, but at least to have some resolution about what happened to her and maybe even see justice, is huge," he said.

Krystal Bakers family said they will fight for new laws here in Texas.

Kevin Smith is being held on $1 million bond.

The case is expected to be presented to the grand jury as a capital murder by the end of the month.

Copyright © 2010, KIAH-TV
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« Reply #5 on: October 28, 2010, 06:53:05 PM »

http://www.kfdm.com/news/chambers-39861-county-september.html
Sheriff: Suspect confesses to murdering teen girl in 1996
October 20, 2010

A man arrested in September on a charge of killing a teenage girl in Chambers County in 1996 has confessed to the crime, according to Chambers County Sheriff Joe Larive.

Kevin Edison Smith, 45, was arrested in Groves on September 22 and charged with capital murder in the killing of 13-year-old Krystal Jean Baker in 1996.

Sheriff Larive says on Tuesday Smith confessed to the murder.

Investigators say DNA evidence ties him to the killing of the teenage girl.

She disappeared in March of 1996 while walking from her grandmother's home in Texas City to a friend's house.

Her body was found four hours after she disappeared, beneath the Trinity River Bridge in Chambers County.

Texas City police say on September 14 of this year, the Department of Public Safety was able to match DNA from the crime scene to the suspect.
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« Reply #6 on: October 28, 2010, 06:55:15 PM »

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=7740719
Man accused of killing teen 14 years ago won't face death
October 22, 2010

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The death penalty has been taken off the table in the case of a man accused of kidnapping and killing a teenage girl 14 years ago.
The Chambers County District Attorney says she agreed not to seek the death penalty against Kevin Edison Smith in exchange for a confession.


Smith was arrested last month after authorities linked DNA evidence from a recent drug possession arrest to the murder of 13-year-old Krystal Jean Baker. Baker disappeared after leaving her grandmother's home in March of 1996. Her body was later found under a bridge in Chambers County.
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Thanks Brandi!


« Reply #7 on: November 20, 2010, 12:52:29 AM »

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=7740719
Man accused of killing teen 14 years ago won't face death
October 22, 2010

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The death penalty has been taken off the table in the case of a man accused of kidnapping and killing a teenage girl 14 years ago.
The Chambers County District Attorney says she agreed not to seek the death penalty against Kevin Edison Smith in exchange for a confession.


Smith was arrested last month after authorities linked DNA evidence from a recent drug possession arrest to the murder of 13-year-old Krystal Jean Baker. Baker disappeared after leaving her grandmother's home in March of 1996. Her body was later found under a bridge in Chambers County.
I would bet it wasn't his first rodeo either. I hope they are looking closer at him for cases between Houston, Galveston and Lafayette, LA.
Gotta love Karma! Finally, you can rest in peace sweet Krystal. an angelic monkey
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« Reply #8 on: November 29, 2011, 11:50:58 PM »

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/local&id=7740719
Man accused of killing teen 14 years ago won't face death
October 22, 2010

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The death penalty has been taken off the table in the case of a man accused of kidnapping and killing a teenage girl 14 years ago.
The Chambers County District Attorney says she agreed not to seek the death penalty against Kevin Edison Smith in exchange for a confession.


Smith was arrested last month after authorities linked DNA evidence from a recent drug possession arrest to the murder of 13-year-old Krystal Jean Baker. Baker disappeared after leaving her grandmother's home in March of 1996. Her body was later found under a bridge in Chambers County.
I would bet it wasn't his first rodeo either. I hope they are looking closer at him for cases between Houston, Galveston and Lafayette, LA.
Gotta love Karma! Finally, you can rest in peace sweet Krystal. an angelic monkey
I knew this wasn't the first time! Now come on LE lets look at the Texas Killing Fields!

 ::snipping2::
Judge sets January trial date for suspect in 'Killing Fields' murder

by KFDM News
http://www.khou.com/news/local/Judge-sets-January-trial-date-for-suspect-in-Killing-Fields-murder-133172658.html
khou.com

Posted on November 3, 2011 at 11:41 AM

CHAMBERS COUNTY, Texas – A judge has set a January 7 trial date for a man charged with capital murder in the 1996 beating, sexual assault and strangulation of 13-year-old Krystal Jean Baker in Chambers County, KFDM News reports.

Investigators say Kevin Edison Smith, 46, is a person of interest in several murders of young girls and women in the Houston to Galveston I-45 corridor, an area known as the "Killing Fields."

Baker’s body was found under the Trinity River Bridge off Interstate 10 in March of 1996 after she was last seen at a convenience store in Texas City. The case went cold after investigators couldn’t find any suspects in her murder.

Years later, in January 2010, Smith was stopped in Louisiana on a drug charge and a DNA sample was taken. Just nine months later, in September 2010, Smith was arrested at a refinery in Jefferson County after his DNA matched DNA found on Baker’s clothing.

Smith, his attorney and the Chambers County District Attorney were in court Wednesday morning for a hearing. The D.A. wanted to change Smith’s December 12 trial because of the holidays. A judge set trial for January 7, 2012.
 ::snipping2::

Also see this link on another thread regarding the Texas Killing Fields Murders
:

http://scaredmonkeys.net/index.php?topic=12244.0
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« Reply #9 on: April 25, 2012, 09:40:47 PM »

http://galvestondailynews.com/story/309778
Prosecutor: Jury will have no doubt of guilt
By Mike Gunning
Special to The Daily News
April 25, 2012

 ::snipping2::
Opening arguments and initial testimony in the trial of Smith, accused of kidnapping, killing and raping 13-year-old Baker 14 years ago, began in a Chambers County courtroom in Anahuac on Tuesday.

Special prosecutor Randy McDonald opened arguments before Judge Carroll E. Willborn Jr. in the 334th District Court by promising the jury one thing: They would have no doubt Smith did kidnap, sexually assault then strangle Baker on March 5, 1996, and dumped her body on the gravel shoulder of the feeder road under the eastbound side of the Trinity River Bridge.

McDonald told the jury Smith previously admitted to strangling Baker but denied allegations of forced sex. The 45-year-old former refinery worker admitted they had oral sex but not intercourse before she became angry and struck him. McDonald said Smith admitted to taking a welder’s line and wrapping it around the 13-year-old’s throat then suffocating her and dumping her body where someone driving on the feeder road found it shortly after.

Most of the first day of testimony was a scholarly discussion on the scientific basis of DNA collection and testing protocols. The final witness, DPS crime lab technician Christy Wimsatt, appeared to leave a strong impression with the jurors.

Wimsatt testified she extracted DNA samples from stains found on the dress and panties that Baker was wearing when she was found and compared the profile to a sample that was taken from Smith. Smith’s DNA was initially gathered by officials in Louisiana after he was arrested there on a drug charge.

“It would be a 1 in 322 sextillion probability that another random subject would match this profile,” Wimsatt said. “We are confident, the lab is confident, that Mr. Smith is the source of the stain on that dress.”

Defense attorney Stephen Taylor asked how much DNA it took for a profile and whether a 14-year-old sample still held valid cells for sampling.

Wimsatt said if even a tiny sample had not been preserved perfectly, no profile could be reached.

“We found sperm around the collar area of the dress and knew it then to be semen,” Wimsatt said. “The profile is good.”
 ::snipping2::
Pictures of the scene taken by a sheriff’s deputy caused several in the nine-man, three-woman jury to wince, with one becoming noticeably upset by the images.

Also Tuesday, an alternate juror was booted from the case after it was discovered she had been reading the local newspaper, which included coverage of the trial. Jurors are prohibited from reviewing material about the case.

Testimony continues today and is expected to include more talk about DNA and possibly Chamber’s County District Attorney Cheryl Lieck, who met with Smith when he reportedly admitted to killing Baker.


 ::snipping2::


« Last Edit: April 25, 2012, 09:42:45 PM by MuffyBee » Logged

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« Reply #10 on: April 25, 2012, 10:42:12 PM »

What was this juror thinking? 
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« Reply #11 on: April 25, 2012, 10:47:13 PM »

What was this juror thinking?  

I don't know.    The role and responsibilities of a juror in a case like this is so important.  The trial could be jeopardized by something akin to this, couldn't it? 
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« Reply #12 on: April 26, 2012, 12:16:21 AM »

What was this juror thinking? 

I don't know.     The role and responsibilities of a juror in a case like this is so important.  The trial could be jeopardized by something akin to this, couldn't it? 
That is my understanding.  If nothing else, the juror has just handed the defense an appeal issue. 
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« Reply #13 on: April 26, 2012, 09:03:48 AM »

Thank goodness this guy was arrested!

How guilty would you feel if you were working and could not go get your child and then something like this happens...how awful..and gramma and her getting into a fight and this happens,,everyday life events that can change lives into hell...sorry for her family and her..

RIP sweet girl...justice
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« Reply #14 on: April 28, 2012, 10:49:37 PM »

http://galvestondailynews.com/story/310090
Smith guilty in murder of Krystal Jean Baker
April 27, 2012

TEXAS CITY — It took jurors less than 40 minutes Thursday to find Kevin Edison Smith, 46, guilty of capital murder in the 1996 death of Texas City teenager Krystal Jean Baker.

Judge Carroll E. Willborn Jr. imposed a sentence of 40 years, the equivalent to a punishment of life without the possibility of parole. It was the longest punishment Smith could receive under the 1996 Texas Penal Code.

Willborn used the old defunct code because Texas law requires penal codes in effect at the time of a crime must be used.
Smith was not eligible for the death penalty because there was a moratorium on the death penalty in Texas at the time of Baker’s murder.
 ::snipping2::
Smith, who admitted to officials he killed Baker, was defiant in the courtroom as special prosecutor Randy McDonald described the evidence suggesting the sexual assault and reconstructed the final moments as Krystal Baker fought for her life.

Smith called out several times.

“I didn’t do that,” Smith said. “I didn’t do it like he said I did.”

Willborn warned Smith he would be removed upon another outburst.

“But I didn’t do it like he said I did,” Smith said.

Smith cried as his sentence was read and repeated several times that he didn’t understand why.

Smith filed an appeal, but he will have to find another lawyer. Defense lawyer Stephen Christopher Taylor said he washed his hands of the convicted killer.
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« Reply #15 on: April 28, 2012, 10:51:44 PM »

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Man-convicted-in-1996-slaying-of-girl-3514233.php
Man convicted in Texas City girl's 1996 slaying
By Cindy Horswell
April 26, 2012

 ::snipping2::
Kevin Edison Smith, 45, was convicted of capital murder in the death of 13-year-old Krystal Baker, whose body was found dumped under a Chambers County bridge over the Trinity River in 1996.

Her killer was identified when a Chambers County sheriff's officer took her dress from a dusty evidence envelope and resubmitted it for analysis. New technology detected a semen stain that provided a DNA specimen that matched another specimen Smith had submitted after a minor drug arrest in Louisiana in 2010.

On Thursday, Smith received an automatic life sentence. Prosecutors said they did not seek the death penalty because they want to talk to Smith about the remaining unsolved murders.


Like many of the victims, Krystal was plucked from a public street. She was leaving her grandmother's Texas City home and walking to a convenience store to telephone a friend to get a ride on March 5, 1996.

Similarly, 16-year-old Laura Miller — whose father, Tim, later launched an international missing person search organization - vanished after walking to a League City convenience store to make a telephone call in 1984. Her body was found in a scrubby pasture in League City that came to be known as "The Killing Field" — used as the basis for a Hollywood movie this year. The nude bodies of four women were found there between 1984 and 1997. None have ever been resolved and one of the victims remains unidentified.
More...
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« Reply #16 on: April 28, 2012, 10:54:51 PM »

I'm moving this on over to "Finally Solved".  I hope Kevin Smith will give more information about the remaining unsolved murders. 

Rest in peace, Krystal.   an angelic monkey
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