The Murder of Pauline Storment

EARLY LIFE:

Pauline Storment was calved connected April 3, 1944, to Lillian and Paul Storment. Growing up successful Ozark, Arkansas, with her 2 siblings and 2 half-siblings, she was said to beryllium a quiescent and studious miss who didn’t partake successful drugs oregon portion alcohol.

In 1971, Pauline was a sophomore astatine the University of Arkansas successful Fayetteville. She’d returned to acquisition aft a six-year hiatus, having completed her freshman twelvemonth astatine Arkansas Tech University successful Russellville. To enactment herself, she worked 2 part-time jobs, 1 astatine the section Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) bureau and the different astatine the Malco Theatre.

At the clip of her murder, she was 27 years old.

MURDER:

On April 12, 1971, Pauline spent clip astatine the ROTC office, earlier attending a philharmonic accumulation astatine the Fine Arts Center and, later, going to the room connected the University of Arkansas campus.

Late into the evening, she began the trek location to her flat astatine 102 South Duncan Street. At astir 9:40 PM, she was stabbed betwixt 7 and 8 times by an chartless assailant who ran distant aft she began screaming for help. Those who came to her assistance said her attacker was a antheral who stood astir six feet gangly and wore glasses. Pauline was incapable to supply further details to the instrumentality enforcement officials and paramedics who arrived on-scene.

Pauline was rushed to Washington General Hospital successful Washington County to acquisition country for the galore stab wounds she’d sustained to her precocious body. Sadly, her injuries were excessively severe, and she was pronounced dormant an hr and a fractional aft the attack. She was laid to remainder successful Highland Cemetery, successful her hometown of Ozark.

INVESTIGATION:

One eyewitness came guardant to accidental helium was driving up Duncan Street astir the clip Pauline was attacked. He’d seen her walking connected the sidewalk, with a antheral pursuing 5 feet down her, whom helium described arsenic being astir six feet gangly and wearing a brownish sports jacket. He hadn’t thought thing of the brace and continued driving to the Summit Terrace apartments, wherever helium lived. As helium exited his vehicle, helium heard Pauline’s screams and ran to her aid.

According to the witness, the dying pistillate had asked for the books and portion recorder she’d been carrying.

A fewer days aft the attack, constabulary recovered a small, blood-stained butcher’s weapon stuck successful the crushed by a vacant house, astir 100 feet from wherever Pauline was stabbed. The limb was sent to Little Rock, Arkansas, for chemic and fingerprint analysis, and it was aboriginal indicated that it whitethorn not beryllium the execution weapon. Despite this, a fishy was charged with Pauline’s execution the pursuing day.

Composite drawings of the fishy successful Pauline Storment’s murder. (Photo Credit: Who Murdered Pauline Storment?)

On April 16, 1971, 17-year-old Peter Kunkel was charged with first-degree murder, successful narration to Pauline’s death. The younker had initially been picked up by constabulary connected the nighttime of the crime, astir 45 minutes aft Pauline was attacked. He’d been successful a car with different youth, and matched the statement provided by eyewitnesses astatine the scene. As well, officers observed what they believed to beryllium humor connected his shirt, overgarment and pants.

Kunkel was brought successful for questioning, but invoked his close to stay soundless and requested an attorney. His apparel were sent to the authorities aesculapian examiner for analysis, and helium was released by investigators. The 17-year-old pleaded not blameworthy to the complaint against him, with his lawyer arguing that the lawsuit should beryllium acceptable aside, owed to a deficiency of probable cause. This was overruled by the presiding judge.

However, conscionable a fewer days later, connected April 23, the charges against Kunkel were dropped, aft helium and his person agreed to instrumentality polygraph tests and passed “with flying colors.” There besides hadn’t been capable humor connected his apparel to find the sub-type. DNA investigating would not beryllium discovered until implicit a decennary aft the execution and, arsenic such, each forensic professionals could bash astatine the clip to find if humor belonged to idiosyncratic was done defining its sub-type.

Former patrol serviceman Bob Jones stated that a antheral successful his 30s confessed to Pauline’s execution not agelong aft the charges against Kunkel were dropped. However, it rapidly became wide that helium wasn’t responsible. Not lone was helium lone capable to supply accusation that was covered by the quality media, but the weapon helium led investigators to wasn’t the 1 they were looking for. The unnamed antheral was aboriginal committed to a authorities hospital.

In an effort to determination the probe forward, Pauline’s enactment past was examined. She’d antecedently worked for a information institution portion surviving successful Memphis, Tennessee, and Atlanta, Georgia, truthful the anticipation idiosyncratic from this clip held a grudge toward her was looked into. The institution cooperated successful tracing down those progressive successful a fig of cases, but nary 1 emerged arsenic a suspect.

The lawsuit has been looked implicit a fig of times implicit the years. According to 1 of Pauline’s relatives, there’s nary surviving grounds disposable for DNA testing.

AFTERMATH:

All of the members of Pauline’s contiguous household person since passed away. Her parents some died successful 1973 – Lillian that August and Paul successful September – without knowing what happened to their daughter. Her decease had occurred 4 years aft the household had suffered the heartbreaking nonaccomplishment of Pauline’s half-brother successful 1967.

CASE CONTACT INFORMATION:

Anyone with accusation regarding the lawsuit is asked to contact Lance J. Gosnell, who is Pauline’s archetypal cousin, doubly removed, via email. He’s been spearheading the effort to person the lawsuit re-opened and solved.

Image Credit: Lance J. Gosnell

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