Oakland County law enforcement not giving up on cold cases

By L.L. Brasier Detroit Free Press PONTIAC (AP) -- For Edmund and Bilha Bachmann of Pontiac, hope cuts both ways. It gives them enough strength to climb out of bed every morning, wondering whether their son's slaying 14 years ago will ever be solved. But it also sets them up for crushing disappointments -- a promising lead that goes nowhere, calls to detectives that aren't returned, the passing of another birthday or yet another Christmas with still no word. "We just want to know why, that's all, why someone would do this to my son," Edmund Bachmann, 81, said as wife, Bilha, 76, wiped away tears in the family's tidy ranch home last week. "Then we could have a little peace." On their living room wall are pictures of Heinrich Bachmann, who was 42 when he was shot in the back of the head in his Troy home in the early-morning hours of Aug. 11, 1997. The Bachmanns are among dozens of families who have waited for years for justice, as their loved ones' murders grew cold and the cases eventually were shelved. Now, they have reason for renewed hope. In Oakland County, law enforcement has stepped up efforts to close cases, aggressively pursuing old homicides. Their efforts have paid off. Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper has obtained convictions against seven men in six old murders in the last two years, making her one of the most aggressive cold case prosecutors in the state. Some of the cases date to the 1960s and '70s. "These are very tough cases to try," Cooper said. "The worst thing would be to bring a charge and get a family's hopes up, and then not be able to get a conviction. So when we do take these to trial, we are very well-prepared. That's the reason for our success." Earlier this year, a citizens' grand jury was seated in Oakland County, the first of its kind there since 1999. That panel is now reviewing at least 30 old murder cases -- examining decades-old evidence and taking testimony from witnesses. Five senior prosecutors are working on the cases, in conjunction with the Oakland County sheriff's office's five-officer cold case unit and several local police departments. Sheriff Michael Bouchard also is using retired investigators who are volunteering their time to review cases, looking for things that might have been missed or ways to apply new technology to old evidence. "These are cases we will never give up on," Bouchard said. Cooper, noting grand jury proceedings are secret, declined to discuss which cases are under review. "In general terms, the grand jury is very important when it comes to cold cases because people are often afraid to come forward with information," she said. "We can protect those that do and have the ability to compel testimony we would not otherwise be able to." In July, Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson confirmed the grand jury is reviewing the Oakland County Child Killer case, in which four children, ages 10 to 12, were abducted and murdered in 1976 and 1977. Officials have cautioned that just because a grand jury is reviewing a case doesn't mean an arrest is imminent. Cold cases can be profoundly difficult to investigate. "The biggest challenge is, are witnesses still alive?" said Oakland County sheriff's Lt. Gary Miller, who investigated several cold cases that led to convictions -- including the 1985 shooting death of a motel clerk in Royal Oak Township. "And if they are, how good are their memories? What details can they remember? In a lot of these cases, the devil is in the details." Although new technology helps -- such as highly sensitive DNA testing and improved hair and fiber analysis -- often the evidence was initially handled in a way that makes contamination likely since investigators couldn't foresee such technology. Investigators spend months going through dusty evidence boxes, police reports, witness statements and transcripts. Then they begin looking for and re-interviewing witnesses. Published: Wed, Sep 28, 2011