The Unsolved Murder of Peggy Hetrick: A 15-Year-Old Suspect and DNA Revelation

The Discovery of Peggy Hetrick's Body

• 💔 Peggy Hetrick, a 37-year-old artist, was found murdered in a field on February 11, 1987, less than 500 yards from the bar she left hours earlier.
• 🔪 The scene revealed a brutal attack, with Peggy stabbed and mutilated, indicating the killer used a serrated knife and a sharp instrument like a scalpel, with wounds suggesting a left-handed perpetrator.
• 🩸 A pool of blood and a cigarette butt belonging to Peggy were found near the scene, with a blood trail indicating her body was dragged over 100 feet into the field.

Tim Masters: The 15-Year-Old Suspect

• 🔍 Police quickly focused on 15-year-old Tim Masters, whose father reported seeing him in the field that morning, and whose footprint matched one found in the blood.
• ✍️ Masters, who was left-handed, was questioned extensively, and investigators found numerous graphic drawings and writings depicting violence against women, along with a survival knife containing a scalpel.
• 🚫 Despite overwhelming circumstantial evidence, including the drawings and his proximity to the crime scene, no physical evidence directly linked Masters to the murder, and he maintained his innocence.

Years of Investigation and Appeals

• 🕵️‍♂️ The case remained open for years, with police employing tactics like misinformation campaigns and consulting forensic psychologists to build a case against Masters, theorizing a sexual homicide.
• ⚖️ Masters was eventually arrested and convicted of first-degree murder in 1999, based heavily on the thousands of violent drawings and writings, and testimony fitting an FBI profile that was later revealed to be fabricated.
• 🔓 His conviction was upheld on appeal, but new attorneys argued for a new trial, citing shoddy police work and withheld evidence.

DNA Exoneration and New Suspects

• 🧬 In January 2008, DNA test results conclusively linked DNA found on Peggy Hetrick's body to someone other than Tim Masters, leading to the vacating of his conviction and his release.
• 💔 The DNA evidence pointed towards Peggy's former boyfriend, Matt Zelner, who had been questioned early on but was largely cleared.
• ⚖️ Tim Masters later filed a $10 million lawsuit against the city and county, which was settled, and investigator Jim Brick faced perjury charges related to the fabricated FBI profile, though most were dismissed.

Lingering Questions and Future Hopes

• ❓ Another suspect, Dr. Richard Hammond, an eye surgeon with a history of voyeurism, was considered due to his proximity and surgical skills, but evidence against him was allegedly destroyed after his suicide.
• 🎯 The murder of Peggy Hetrick remains officially unsolved, though DNA evidence has identified a person of interest, and authorities continue to investigate, hoping for a resolution.
• 💡 The case highlights the dangers of tunnel vision in investigations and the critical importance of DNA evidence in achieving justice, with new laws enacted to preserve evidence.