Chapter 107 Section 10

In Mansfield, there are still many people who are on tenterhooks.Americans like to exercise outdoors. Many people in the Jones family's neighbor Zhongyuan go out for a run or jump every day after returning home from get off work or after dinner.Now, however, there are almost no people on the street as soon as it gets dark, because a police officer from the Prairie Police Department told reporters that Artian Jones may have been hijacked by gangsters while running and then brutally killed.Strictly speaking, there is no basis for what the police said.But at the time, the townspeople didn't know that Artian's running shoes were still at home.

An expert in the judiciary once said: "Citizens feel unsafe, which means that the police have made mistakes in their work." The police in Mansfield and the Prairie also know that the best way to appease people is to bring the murderer to justice as soon as possible.When many parents publicly expressed concerns about the safety of their children, a spokesperson for the police department announced at a press conference: "There is currently no indication that other children will be harmed." The reporters were like a group of fast-talking children, and then pointed out in the report: "There is no sign at present that the police will solve the case in the near future."

On the second day after the incident, the Police Departments of Grand Prairie and Mansfield established a joint task force, consisting of two police detectives named Dennis from Grand Prairie, Dennis Clay and Dennis Meyer, and Mansfield. Co-responsible with Julie Bain from Westfield.The task force was set up at the Mansfield Police Station, but it was under the command of the Homicide Division of the Prairie Police Department, because the case took place on the grounds of Grand Prairie City, and the victim's family, school, social relationship, etc. were in Mansfield. Field.Usually, this kind of cross-jurisdictional cooperation will not be very satisfactory, but because the murder of Artian Jones has become the front page news of local newspapers, this has objectively caused a certain amount of pressure on the police. Let's go," so both parties can seek common ground, put aside minor differences, and work together to handle the case with a high profile.What's more, one party produces males and one party produces females, which in itself lays the foundation for a pleasant cooperation.

The prairie is closer to the metropolis, and the crime rate is relatively high. The police there not only have more than five times more personnel than Mansfield, but also have rich experience.But Mansfield is not a paradise. Especially in the past ten years, with the rapid expansion of Dallas-Fort Worth, the population here has doubled, and the crime rate has risen at almost the same rate.If Mansfield was assigned the murder of Artian Jones, it would be the 50th homicide in the city's history, or the third (or fourth) homicide in 1995.At the beginning of the year, a man who had separated from his wife first shot and killed his wife's boyfriend, and then kidnapped his wife.

A few months later, 20-year-old Jennifer Yeaconi murdered her father and stepmother to seize their life insurance. Another case actually happened in 1993. Divorced Sideven Robaz, 38, was believed to have died of natural causes until a few months ago when his teenage daughter Mary Robaz, also a student at Mansfield Secondary School, casually told friends , in fact, she killed Dad because she wanted to live with her mother.Mary stole barium acetate from her chemistry class at school and poisoned Si Diwen's meal. The joint task force soon set out to visit the classmates and friends of Artian Jones.

"Generally speaking, an adult's circle of friends is about 20 people," Grande Prairie Police Department Homicide Chief Chuck Shache told reporters, "but high school students can have 100 to 150 people. People are different. Because they will meet different classmates in different classes every day.” American high schools, like universities, implement a course selection system. "I have more girl friends like Yatian. She is an active person herself, participating in various sports teams and clubs in the school, and also working in the 'Gold Medal Fried Chicken' restaurant, where young people often gathering place."

The children of Mansfield Secondary School were very enthusiastic about being questioned by the police and also volunteering information.At that time, Overton Credit Bank had publicly offered a reward of $10,000 for clues related to the case.But in the eyes of the police, the enthusiasm of the students has nothing to do with the bounty.The problem for police officers is that "most kids are far less mature and responsible than adults," Chuck Shache said, with a resigned expression, "so they take every gossip they hear, no matter where it comes from. Rumors, gossip, all reported to us. In fact, some of them are just stories they made up. Because for children, any thought that enters their head, even if it is just a fleeting thought, may be regarded as It's a fact."

Therefore, some children think that Yatian's death is related to drugs. Although no one has seen or heard of Yatian taking drugs, such and such a plot has been described in a certain movie, right? Some children speculated that Artien was killed at Denton's "All Night Dinner".Denton is north of Fort Worth, an hour's drive from Mansfield.But a "Party Animal" like Yatian who likes to be lively will go no matter how far away, right? Another child suspected that he had fallen in love with a friend of Artian, because Artian had reported to the girl's mother that her daughter was drunk at a party and made a lot of ugly appearances. Do not deal with.

The task force also interviewed every member of the cross-country running team, including Devon Grammond.The police had heard from Linda Jones that a "Devon from the cross-country team" had called the night before Artian was killed.But after interviewing so many "upside-down" kids, Devon's argument is particularly convincing.What's more, he is such an excellent kid, he is about to go to military academy. According to police records at the time, Devon told investigators that he had been with his fiancée that night during the time of the homicide. This is true.It just didn't say what they did together.

Luckily for Devon, Diana Zamora and Jay Goring were neither in Mansfield nor in the Savannah, otherwise the police might really have asked something.