Suspect arrested in mystery

MARTINSVILLE -- After nearly 34 years, the wait is over. With tears in the eyes of the Jenkins family, authorities announced the murder mystery that has plagued the Martinsville community for decades has been solved.\nIndiana State Police arrested former Ku Klux Klan member Kenneth C. Richmond in connection with the 1968 murder of 21-year-old Carol Jenkins. Richmond, 70, was taken into custody in Indianapolis and brought to the Morgan County Jail in Martinsville. Authorities say information from his daughter, Shirley McQueen, helped lead to the arrest. She was seven-years-old at the time of the murder.\n"I never thought I'd ever see this day after 33 years," said Frans Hollanders, Martinsville Chief of Police. "It's been a long time and I feel for the family."\nOn the night of Sept. 16, 1968, Jenkins, a native of Rushville, Ind., was selling encyclopedias door-to-door when she was stabbed with a screwdriver. Witnesses say they saw a vehicle drive away from the incident on what was then State Road 37, but no other clues were found.\nAfter years of frustration without leads, state police investigators were able to crack the case when an anonymous letter surfaced in November identifying Richmond as the driver of the car with an unidentified man and Richmond's daughter, McQueen. According to a probable cause affidavit, McQueen identified Richmond as the perpetrator. Detectives say McQueen watched her father leave the car to stab Jenkins while yelling racial slurs at her.\n"I know that it had to be difficult," said Patricia Howard, Jenkins' sister, who is now 48-years-old. "I'm sorry that she had to go through with that. She probably was fearful of her father."\nThe lingering connection to the Ku Klux Klan and other alleged racially motivated incidents have blanketed the city's image. Martinsville Mayor Shannon Buskirk understands how much pain this has caused.\n"I know the family hurts and for their sake I'm just thrilled and elated," Buskirk said of Richmond's arrest. "This has attached itself to our city for the last 33 years, and it has definitely hurt our city."\nThe move to reopen the case formally came in September 2000 when state police assigned its Cold Case Unit to the case. After 18 months, the Jenkins case was the oldest of six solved since 1981. Since the initial investigation, witnesses have moved away and investigators have deceased, making it more difficult on the authorities. However, officials conducted more than 150 interviews in several states leading up to Richmond's arrest.\nRichmond's arrest will go a long way to ease the minds of the victim's family, bringing closure to years of pain.\n"I thank God for answering my prayers," Paul Davis, Jenkins' father, said. "At least I know my daughter can rest in peace"