More bad publicity plagues Martinsville

The recent discovery of Jill Behrman's remains near Martinsville, which was confirmed Thursday, adds another page to the city's long record of bad publicity. \nBones belonging to Behrman were discovered Sunday by a hunter near Paragon, Ind., located just outside Martinsville. The FBI, University of Indianapolis anthropologists and an IU-Purdue University Indianapolis forensic odontologist confirmed the identity of the remains Thursday from dental records. An earring was also found alongside the remains, but it has not yet been confirmed as Behrman's.\nInvestigators involved with the search effort and the identification of the remains held a press conference Thursday at the Morgan County Courthouse in Martinsville.\n"I'm looking forward to arresting and convicting the person or persons responsible for Jill's death," said Morgan County Prosecutor Steve Sonnega. \nGary Dunn, a retired FBI agent, spoke of the extensive search, which had previously focused on the Bloomington area. \n"We haven't left any stone unturned," Dunn said.\nAlthough the remains were found near Paragon, Ind., the press conference and most recent investigation are seated in Martinsville. \nMartinsville already has had its share of bad publicity in recent years.\nIn 1998, Bloomington High School North's basketball team was met in Martinsville's gym by a crowd chanting, "Here come the darkies." Although students and residents discredit the players and deny the occurrence, the Indiana High School Athletic Association imposed sanctions on the school. \nA 1998 letter to the editor to the city's newspaper, The Reporter-Times, from Assistant Chief Police Dennis E. Nail further reinforced its racist reputation in Hoosier's minds. The letter contained slurs regarding non-Christian religions and homosexuals. Nail spoke of a potential ban on prayer in school, using the epithets "Buddy Buddha," "Hadji Hindu" and "queer." Some residents wrote in, protesting Officer Nail's letter, but many residents defended his right to hold these beliefs. \nMartinsville's most publicized story started 34 years. In 1968, a young African-American woman, Carol Jenkins, was murdered in Martinsville. Jenkins was selling encyclopedias door-to-door when she was stabbed by a screwdriver. \nFormer Ku Klux Klan member Kenneth C. Richmond was convicted of the murder in 2002. The Indiana State Police, tipped by an anonymous letter which later proved to be from Richmond's daughter, arrested him in Indianapolis. They returned him to Morgan County to be formally charged. Richmond's daughter, Shirley McQueen, was seven years old when she witnessed her father leave his car and approach Jenkins, yelling racial slurs. Mayor Shannon Buskirk commented at the time of Richmond's arrest that, "(The murder) has attached itself to our city for the last 33 years, and it has definitely hurt our city." \nDespite past negative incidents surrounding Martinsville, graduate student Christine Somers said she doubts the Behrman discovery will impact Martinsville or its image. \n"This started in Bloomington, and it's still not clear what role Martinsville has played," she said. "It sounds like the body may have come from somewhere. They were investigating Salt Creek. Martinsville was just an out of the way rural area, which there are a lot of in Indiana." \nSophomore Corey Dunigan said he agrees with Somers. \n"I think that whatever reputation Martinsville has will stay. This is a separate thing," Dunigan said. "Martinsville has a bad reputation, and there are a lot of ignorant people there, but there are also a lot of normal people who aren't racist. It's not different from any other city, it's just that the people with racist views here are more outspoken about them"