Trial in Veronica Jefferson murder case begins next week

[Kane]

The trial of Alfredo Prieto is scheduled to begin next Monday (March 19). He is going on trial for the May 1988 murder of Veronica "Tina" Jefferson. As you may know, DNA evidence linked him to Veronica's murder and to the December 1988 murders of Rachel Raver and Warren Fulton.

There's a recent article about her parents, Henry and Velda Jefferson. They discuss a few things, including Veronica and the upcoming trial of Prieto. It's worth a look.

http://www.kswo.com/Global/story.asp?S=6158510

[nohwheregirl]

Thanks for the update, Kane. All three were such promising young people. I'm glad that they are pursuing justice for all of his victims.

[Kane]

Thanks for the update, Kane. All three were such promising young people.

You are welcome.

I'm glad that they are pursuing justice for all of his victims.

Justice is nearly nineteen years overdue, but it goes without saying that the detectives never gave up trying to solve the case. In fact, I remember Det. Bob Carrig commenting in the 1989 segment that they would not stop looking for Veronica's killer.

By the way, have you noticed that none of Veronica's family members were interviewed for the 1989 segment? When UM did a segment regarding any given crime victim, the friends and/or loveds ones of the victim were usually interviewed. But then I started to consider the possibility that there were privacy issues involved. That's just speculation on my part.

But whatever the reason may be, I believe their appearance in the 2001 segement (which revealed that Veronica's killer was linked to Rachel and Warren's murders through DNA) made up for their absence in the 1989 segment.

[nohwheregirl]

Originally Posted by Kane

By the way, have you noticed that none of Veronica's family members were interviewed for the 1989 segment? When UM did a segment regarding any given crime victim, the friends and/or loveds ones of the victim were usually interviewed. But then I started to consider the possibility that there were privacy issues involved. That's just speculation on my part.

I guess I hadn't thought about it. It's also been a long time since I've watched the original segment. They interviewed a female friend of Veronica's, right? Or am I getting this mixed up with another case? Whenever they interview friends in lieu of family members, I just assume that the family did not want to be on television for any variety of reasons (e.g., safety, privacy, camera shyness, or the trauma of reliving the experience during the interview), and have asked the friend to be the family's representative. That is, unless the family members are the suspects.

[PrettyinPink55]

They just showed this case on LRW a few weeks ago, well the 2001 segment!!!
Thanks for the info!!!

[Kane]

I guess I hadn't thought about it. It's also been a long time since I've watched the original segment. They interviewed a female friend of Veronica's, right? Or am I getting this mixed up with another case?

To the best of my recollection, none of the interviewees in the 1989 segment knew Veronica personally. It's possible that you are thinking of a different case, but I'm not sure what case (if any).

In any event, the segment did have at least two female interviewees: Det. Gay Mercer and an eyewitness (the woman who reported seeing Veronica talking with a man outside a supermarket a few hours before Veronica's death).

[UMfan77]

I believe the parents appeared in a second segment that was about a young couple that was murdered several years after Veronica. I forgot the boy's name but the girl's name was Rachel Raver. Anyways, this segment was mainly about the murdered couple, but the police believe all three murders were connected. Does anyone remember the segment?

[crystaldawn]

Originally Posted by UMfan77

I believe the parents appeared in a second segment that was about a young couple that was murdered several years after Veronica. I forgot the boy's name but the girl's name was Rachel Raver. Anyways, this segment was mainly about the murdered couple, but the police believe all three murders were connected. Does anyone remember the segment?

Yes I remember that one. Their names are Rachael Raver and Warren Fulton. What was a bit strange in the initial segment they referred to her as Veronica Jefferson but in this one she was Tina Jefferson. They did interview Tina's parents in the Rachael and Warren segment. They noted that both female victim's were wearing red shoes. What was so interesting was that when Rachael's mother was in the midst of trying to help police find out who murdered her daughter she happened to have the tv on to UM one night and it was the "Veronica Jefferson" segment and she noticed some similiarities and turned out she was correct as there was a dna match.

[UMfan77]

Rachael's mother did some good detective work, good thing she was watching UM.

[ddelta]

I've always wondered what really happened to Tina Jefferson. Her orignal segment seemed to imply she met the guy either food shopping (but the composite looks nothing like this guy) or that she might of known her killer (from the cops story). Now it seems like this was a random act of violence. Makes me wonder what happened to her that night and where did she meet this man. I highly doubt that a woman like Tina Jefferson would pick this guy up at a store and have consensual sex (like the cops suspected originally) in the back of school. Just does not make sense to me.

Rachel and Warren seems to be more believable that they were accosted by this guy after they left the bar that night.

So sad.

[nohwheregirl]

Originally Posted by Kane

To the best of my recollection, none of the interviewees in the 1989 segment knew Veronica personally. It's possible that you are thinking of a different case, but I'm not sure what case (if any).

I think I must have that segment mixed up (although I know the case itself well) with something I saw (Forensic Files?) on an attractive black woman who was murdered in Falls Church, VA not too far from where Veronica was murdered. Now I remember the segment with the older couple in the grocery store! They were trying to be so helpful, but it sounds like the grocery store incident really had nothing to do with the murder.

[Kane]

Originally Posted by nohwheregirl

Now I remember the segment with the older couple in the grocery store! They were trying to be so helpful, but it sounds like the grocery store incident really had nothing to do with the murder.

It could be. However, even with an arrest and an upcoming trial, there are still some unanswered questions.

As for the couple who reported seeing Veronica at the grocery store, I recall the man noting that the conversation between Veronica and the stranger gave him the impression that the stranger didn't know her; it seemed to him that the man was trying to pick her up. And the man's wife saw them talking outside. Although the woman noticed that Veronica was smiling, Veronica's body language suggested that she was eager to get out the conversation.

The UM segment noted the theory of Veronica being killed by a stranger, as well as the theory that she was killed by someone she knew. I still recall Robert Stack saying: "Did she meet two very different men that night? And how did they escape detection?" There's just an eerie feel to those words.

[Awsi Dooger]

I never noticed Veronica's relatives weren't shown in '89. It could be they WERE interviewed by UM but the footage met the cutting room floor. That's just a guess of mine. Not every relative has interesting or astute things to say. Plus in that case atypical focus and time was given to the couple who saw her in the grocery store. That certainly had more potential to reveal the killer than anything her relatives could say.

I wonder if the grocery store aspect will even come up during the trial? Maybe not, if authorities think Veronica encountered Prieto later. I suppose that couple -- if still alive -- could be called to the stand to help indicate Veronica's movements and time table of that night, assuming the prosecutors believe it was Veronica Jefferson who the couple saw in the grocery store. Heck, the defense might even call the couple, to cast doubt on Prieto's involvement since the description from the grocery store doesn't seem to match him.

[kadrmas15]

Yeah, I guess when I didnt see Veronica's family in the 1989 episode I just assumed they were either too grief striken to talk about it or were afraid for their safety and didnt appear. I also had thought of the possibility that they did do interviews but that the interviews were cut out as Awsi said. I wonder if the Flannigan's will be witnesses at the trial? They looked like they were well into their 50's in the 1989 episode so that would put them in their 70's now if they are still around.

I also found an interesting article on one of the original detectives, Gay Mercer. Gay Mercer is now married and her name is Gay Mercer Hayslett. However as of 2002 she was still working for the Arlington County Police Department and at that time was a Lieutenant. The article was about a lawsuit she had filed in federal court saying her civil rights were violated because she did not receive a promotion to Captain. As of 2002 she had been on the force 22 years.

http://www.arlingtonva.us/Department....asp?Index=870

[kadrmas15]

Also looking into Robert Murphy who was the Fairfax county, Virginia police detective that was interviewed on UM for the Warren Fulton/Rachel Raver segment. He is still working with the Fairfax county police and is still a detective. I was reading about him and found he won the 2006 Fairfax County Police Association Detective of the year award. He was also the winner of the Virginia Homicide Investigators Association Investigator of the year award in 1995 and 2000. Currently he is one of the board members of the Virginia Homicide Investigators Association. Since the trial is underaway next week I am researching updates as to what people shown and interviewed in the UM segment are up to now.