Unanswered questions

Here are a few unanswered questions concerning this case. I'm sure there are many many more:


Unanswered questions about the Katie Collman case:
1. Why were police not doing anything about the drug problem in the community prior to Katie’s disappearance?
2. Why did the eyewitness who saw Katie in the truck wait 2 days to come forward?
3. Why did police claim Katie was riding with a stranger while at the same time claiming she looked as though she was a normal passenger?
4. Why was the composite sketch not shown again after Hickman’s arrest?
5. Who did Katie visit at the Penn Villa apartment complex?
6. What false information did the 17 year old give to police?
7. Why did Hickman name Jeff Tatlock?
8. Why were over 70 people DNA tested, including one person after Anthony Stockelman was charged with her murder?
9. Why did Prosecutor Stephen Pierson thank the State Police Crime Lab for their efforts in testing the evidence quickly, yet 7 months after Stockelman’s arrest claim he did not have the evidence back from the lab?
10. Why did Pierson claim only one week prior to Stockelman’s arrest that Katie had not been molested?
11. Why was Pierson hesitant to seek the death penalty against Hickman, yet quickly added a death penalty affadavit to the case when he charged Stockelman?
12. How could one lone cigarette butt at Cypress Lake be identified as having been left there by the killer?
13. How many cigarette butts were found at Cypress Lake? How many were tested?
14. Why did the semen evidence change from being found on Katie’s body to being found inside her body?
15. Why did police not ask for a DNA sample from Anthony Stockelman earlier?
16. Why had Stockelman been dismissed as a suspect if Chuckie Hickman’s story was so outrageous?
17. Where did Hickman take police claiming that Katie would be found alive?
18. Did someone threaten Hickman into making a false confession?
19. Why was this case never heard before a Grand Jury?
20. Why did Tabitha Stockelman stand behind her husband after police charged him with the murder after stating his DNA was found on binding materials, yet later state that the DNA evidence was what had changed her opinion?
21. Why had police previously checked the lake, but not found Katie’s body?
22. Why were Dennis and Edward Carmen questioned concerning the Collman case?
23. Why was the eyewitness who saw Katie in the truck not present to testify in court?
24. Why were none of the other eyewitnesses who claimed to have seen Katie in the truck on the day of her disappearance also not present in court?
25. Why wasn’t Chuckie Hickman deposed or subpoenaed to testify in court?
26. Who were the other people Hickman named?
27. Why did Pierson claim it was not possible for Hickman to have abducted Katie because he was at a party at the time of her disappearance, yet in the probable cause affadavit against Hickman claim that an eyewitness saw him in the area of the Dollar Store at around the same time Katie was last seen?
28. Were false informing charges brought against the eyewitness who claimed to have seen Hickman near the Dollar Store?
29. Why did Hickman’s mother claim that others had threatened her son into making a false confession? Who were they?
30. Why did police concentrate on finding a person smoking Roger cigarettes rather than seeing if the DNA matched that of the man who had confessed?
31. Why was the cigarette butt not tested at the same time as the binding materials?
32. How could 16 carpet fibers remain on the child’s body after being submersed in the lake for 5 days, yet none be found in Stockelman’s truck?
33. How can semen be positively tested after being in water for such a long period of time?
34. Were tire tracks taken at the Lake? If so, what were the results?
35. Why did police go to a home on 800 South the night of Katie’s disappearance looking for her?
36. Why did police not make any arrests when they found a meth lab in operation that same evening?
37. Why had police not made any previous arrests when called to the Penn Villa apartment complex prior to Katie’s disappearance?
38. Why will no one name the residents of the apartment Katie visited?
39. Why were all of Stockelman’s pre-trial conferences public, yet the same has not applied to all other cases in Jackson County including that of Zachariah Blanton which has also gained national publicity?
41. Why would Katie look as though she were a normal passenger in the truck unless she was with someone she was familiar with?
42. What are the names of the 69 other persons who were DNA tested?
43. Who was asked to submit a DNA sample one month after Stockelman was charged with Katie’s murder? Why were they asked for a sample?
44. Were the other samples returned from the laboratory in a timely manner?


Specific questions for James “Ricky” Kilburn
1. Why didn’t you ask for a change of venue?
2. Why were several key witnesses never questioned, including the person who last saw Katie?
3. Why did you allow Pierson to go in excess of 8 months without turning over the evidence against your client?
4. You claimed you could not defend Anthony if you felt he was guilty. Yet not only did you defend him, you asked for his release from jail under a new interpretation of Criminal Rule 4. Later you claimed you felt he was guilty. Why were you not only able to defend him believing he was guilty, but also ask for his release under Criminal Rule 4?
5. Why did you ask for his release under Criminal Rule 4 knowing that you yourself had asked for the case to be moved forward?
6. Why did you allow your client to waive rights to a trial by jury as well as any rights to appeal?
7. Why did you visit Stockelman so infrequently at the Jackson County Jail?
8. Why did you not ask for the DNA evidence to be re-tested?
9. Why did you not raise any objections or cross examine any witnesses during the plea agreement?
10. Why did you wait until the Friday before the plea hearing to contact any possible witnesses to testify as to Stockelman’s character?
11. Why did you not include another witness who was willing to testify on Stockelman’s behalf without a subpeona?
12. Why did you not attempt to contact any of Stockelman’s co-workers to testify on his behalf after the initial sentencing hearing was postponed?
13. A specific event was told to you during a meeting with one of the witnesses. This event would have been significant if mentioned in court, yet you never brought it up and never allowed the witness to talk about it either. Why?
14. Why were no expert witnesses called to testify?
15. Have you seen the DNA evidence?
16. Why did you never follow up with a witness who saw vehicles at Cypress Lake prior to her being found?
17. Why did you allow the prosecution to proceed with a plea hearing in which Mr. Pierson openly stated he would not obey the requirements of Indiana Law by having Mr. Stockelman state how the crime was committed?
18. Had you previously been fired by Mr. Stockelman?
19. Mr. Stockelman was entitled to two death penalty certified attorneys. Why did you never ask for these attorneys to be appointed to him?
20. How many drug dealers in the Crothersville/Austin area did you represent? Were any of these people named by Hickman?
21. What did you do with money given to you by members of Stockelman’s family to have the DNA retested?
22. Why did you tell Stockelman’s family not to speak out to the media on his behalf?
23. Are you troubled by your involvement in obtaining Stockelman’s false confession, thus allowing those truly responsible for Katie’s death to remain free?
24. Will you stand before the Lord with a clear conscience on your day of judgement?