Trial Evidence

The following is a compilation of physical evidence found in the investigation of Jill Behrman’s death, as testified by various witnesses in the trial of John R. Myers II for her murder. The trial began Oct. 16 and is expected to last into the beginning of November.

The evidence: Jill Behrman’s skeletal remains (autopsy photos below), scattered across a wooded area in rural Morgan County.
What it shows: – Behrman sustained a single gunshot wound to the back of the head at extremely close range. – She was shot where her body was found. – Her bones showed no signs of being hit by a vehicle, dispelling an earlier theory that she was killed by a car and her body was hidden in panic. – Her remains had been there for more than two years when they were found in 2003, according to the initial report of forensic specialist Stephen Nawrocki.

The evidence: A Cannondale R500 bicycle found in three pieces on North Maple Grove Road in Bloomington.
What it shows: – Jill Behrman’s bike was discarded in a field less than a mile from the trailer where John R. Myers II was living. The bike fit the description of Behrman’s bike and was turned in two days after her disappearance by a resident who first stored the bike in his barn after he found it.

The evidence: A three-unit porcelain-gold dental bridge. (photo below)
What it shows: – The bridge positively identifies the remains found as those of Behrman. She was involved in a bicycle accident that affected three upper teeth in 1992. The damage later required a three-unit dental bridge, put in by her Bloomington dentist, Dr. Marc Smith, who identified the bridge found as the one he constructed.

The evidence: 380 lead pellets.
What it shows: – The shot pellets appear to be No. 8, typically used for small game and possibly skeet shooting, Indiana State Police Department Sgt. Mark Keisler testified. – The evidence has been used by the defense to point to another suspect known to go skeet shooting.

The evidence: Plastic shotgun wadding. (photo below)
What it shows: – The wadding is typical for a 12-gauge shotgun. – This particular wadding is unique, sold specifically by Federal Cartridge Company, but can’t be used to identify the brand of the gun used, Keisler testified.

The evidence: 20-inch-long wooden piece not clearly identified, which Nawrocki had tentatively identified in his initial report as a gun part.
What it shows: – Unknown because the defense attorney objected to the exhibit of the wooden piece and Judge Christopher Burnham agreed.