Southern Illinoisan from Carbondale, Illinois • Page 2

2A From Page One www.thesouthern.com The Southern Illinoisan Sunday, April 20. 2003 FITZPATRICK: Couple still looking for answers, justice in death of daughter three years ago Franklin County is set to begin next month. Defense attorneys have said repeatedly through several motion hearings that the Drakes' involvement the night Blair died will be an integral part of Smith's defense. According to court documents, Smith talked about Tina's death to police and told authorities that Sean Drake was jealous of her because of her friendship with his wife. No charges have ever been filed against the Drakes and they are not accused of any wrongdoing.

Detective John Graskewicz-of the Franklin County Sheriff Department was an investigator on the case and said the investigation surrounding Tina's death, desnite the coroner's verdict. that when he entered the bedroom he immediately observed a body under a blanket on the floor of the bedroom. The officer wrote in his report: "I then noticed a small caliber revolver handgun on the floor near a closet door and several spent rounds of what appeared to be ammunition. I then noticed several small entry holes in the ceiling and the closet door." Following the ruling that the death was a suicide, the Fitzpatricks went about the task of trying to piece together the final hours of their daughter's life. From what they gained through conversations with friends, the Fitzpatricks learned that Tina was drinking with acquaintances at Pretenders, a Benton bar close to the Public Square.

The couple also learned approximately what time Tina left the bar, because an altercation ensued when she departed. According to a Benton police report, Tina was attempting to leave the parking lot with Aimee Drake shortly after midnight on June 1 when Sean Drake, Aimee's husband, opened the passenger side door and attempted to stop the car. The report stated that when Sean Drake opened the car door Tina hit the accelerator, knocking him to the pavement. Sean Drake reported the incident to police, which prompted the search for Tina the following day. Several things about the incident at Pretenders and the scene at the Akin trailer don't add up to the Fitzpatricks, leading them to believe their daughter's death is not a suicide.

First, Tina's glasses were found in a different room in the trailer and they were crumpled, with both lenses pushed out of the frame. While that might not seem unusual to some, it speaks volumes to her parents. "She had bad eyes and never took her glasses off," said Rick. "If she got up in the middle of the night and walked in their minds is because it was the last time they saw Tina alive. According to her parents, Tina received her paycheck at work that day and cashed the check on her way home from work.

After returning home she showered and told her mother that she was going to Wal-Mart to purchase some items. Rick and Mary never heard from their daughter again. "That's the first thing that doesn't add up," said Mary. "Even though she was 23 years old, Tina and I had an agreement, it was a deal between us. I called it a 'courtesy If she wasn't coming home at night I wanted her to call me and let me know, and she always did.

That night she didn't call." The following afternoon, a Benton police officer came by the Fitpatricks' house and asked if Tina was home, saying that he needed to talk to her. The police told the couple that they had a report that Tina had been involved in a car-pedestrian accident the night before. Rick told police that his daughter wasn't there and then said he began an immediate search trying to fmd her. Within 90 minutes after the police officer left, the Fitzpatricks' lives changed forever. "We got a call from Tina's friends telling us to go the hospital," Rick said.

"While we were on our way there, we got another call that Tina was dead." The Fitzpatricks learned that their daughter's body had been found at an Akin mobile home. Rebecca West, the friend who Rick had called, and her father, Charles "Blue" West, are the ones who discovered Tina's body. According to a report by the Franklin County Sheriffs Department, a 911 call was received from the trailer at 8:17 p.m. on June 2. The call was reportedly made by Blue West.

An officer responded and discovered Tina's body in a small bedroom in the mobile home. In the police report, which listed the death as "suspicious," the officer stated However, according to a written statement Aimee Drake gave to police, she claimed her husband was run over while walking across the parking lot of the bar and then stated that Tina fled the scene. The report also states that Aimee Drake told police that she and her husband went home following the alleged incident and then she left by herself and went to another bar to drink. When she returned home the second time, approximately two hours later, she reported her husband's injury had worsened and she called Benton police and requested an ambulance. Also included in that same report, Sean Drake told police that Tina had called his residence after the incident in the bar parking lot and was threatening to kill herself.

The Drakes also told police when they filed the report that they thought Tina might be at a trailer in Akin. The report was filed by the Drakes at 1:38 a.m. on June 2. Perhaps the strongest piece of evidence that points to foul play, according to the Fitzpatricks, centers around the contents of Tina's purse. "She had just gotten paid and she left the house with over $500 in her purse," said Mary.

"When they found her purse at the trailer, she had $6 and some change. Where did that money go?" The Drakes are not strangers to Franklin County law enforcement officials and were questioned in the disappearance and murder investigation of Cassie Blair, who was reported missing March 16, 2002. Blair, of West City, was found nearly a month later when she was dragged from the murky waters of Lake Moses, located east of Benton. She had been beaten and strangled and a ligature was still around her neck. Blair was last seen alive leaving a Benton bar with John Delbert Smith and the Drakes.

Smith was subsequently charged with murder, but first told authorities that Sean Drake had murdered Blair and he had only helped dispose of the body. Hours after that confession, Smith changed his story and said he killed Blair. Smith's murder trial in from her bedroom to the bathroom, which is directly across the hall, she had to put her glasses on in order to see. I don't think she could have gotten from where her glasses were found to where she was found without them." The eight bullet holes in the wall and ceiling also don't add up to the Fitzpatricks. The only explanation given by crime scene investigators about the numerous bullet holes is that Tina apparently loaded the gun on eight different occasions and attempted to summon the courage to kill herself, only to pull the gun away each time at the last second.

In all, there were two bullet holes in the closet wall, two in an outside wall and four in the ceiling. A lamp was knocked over and a screen had been ripped off an outside window. Another unexplained question is that on the hot summer night Tina was found, the heat was on in the small trailer and the thermostat was turned as high as it would go. "You're talking about a girl that needed her glasses to see, loading a gun eight different times," said Rick. "I think (the police) decided right off the bat that this was a suicide and they just wouldn't investigate it.

To my knowledge there was never even any tests taken to see if she had gunpowder residue on her hand. "And then to top it off, the gun was found six feet from the body. If she shot herself, why wouldn't the gun have fallen right where she was found?" Rick asked. Rick said if the shots in the mobile home were made by Tina, he believes it's because somebody was trying to get in the mobile home and she was firing at the intruder. The gun found at the scene also created questions, Rick said.

"It was a single-shot pistol that had to be reloaded every time it was fired," he said. "I just don't buy into the idea that she loaded that gun eight different times." Rick also pointed out that the stories given by the Drakes to police don't match. According to Sean Drake's statement to police, he tried to stop the vehicle and Tina floored the accelerator, knocking him to the ground. FROM PAGE 1 home. Following a short investigation, a coroner's jury ruled Tina's death a suicide.

The cause of death was listed as a single gunshot wound to the head. The Fitzpatricks don't buy the conclusion reached by Franklin County authorities. "I'll never believe she committed suicide never," said Rick Fitzpatrick. "During her entire life there was never any indication that she would have done that. She had everything going for her when she died.

I believe somebody murdered her and I also believe somebody out there knows what happened that night." Tina lived at home with her parents in a comfortable residence on Benton's far north side. She worked at Crownline Boats in West Frankfort, where her parents said she made "good money." "We didn't charge her anything to live with us," said Mary. "So, all the money she made was hers." Tina had just purchased a newer car and the week of her death had gone on a shopping spree, purchasing new summer clothes. "She was happy," said Rick. "She liked her job, she loved her new car there was not a single thing that would make me believe she would do this." Both parents said their daughter had "never, ever" had a history of depression or emotional problems.

"Committing suicide would not have been an option for her," said her mother. The only problem the Fitzpatricks can point to with their daughter was a new group of friends Tina was involved with. "We didn't like some of the people she was running with and we told her about it," said her mother. "We let her know that we didn't approve of some of the things she was doing. She had a hard time staying away from some of the people we didn't like." The Fitzpatricks can still recall exact details of the afternoon of Thursday, June 1, 2000.

The reason it stays fresh '1 1 is still considered "open." However, Graskewicz said "at this time" he would not ,1, discuss any other details surrounding the death. Despite the fact that it is approaching the third anniversary of their daughter's death, Rick and -Mary Fitzpatrick have not given up hope that the A mysteries surrounding Tina's) death will be solved. "The main thing that stands; out in my mind is that I know as close as Tina and I were that she would have contacted! me if she was in trouble," said Mary. "And the reason that I know deep in my heart that she didn't commit suicide is 7, because she would have left me something to explain. I'll never believe she did it, never." An underground coal miner, Rick says the unanswered questions surrounding his daughter's death tug at his mind continually.

"I never stop thinking about it," he said. "Sometimes when I'm down in the mine I get it on my mind and just can't shake, it. "I think she was murdered and I think somebody out there knows who did it," he said. "I've believed that from the very beginning and I'll always believe that. writeon1shawneelink.net 618-625-2006 unlimited plan per month everything, see details below Account Executives Judy Greer Barb Kinnear Mike Nolen Brendan Tolan Hucks Convenience Stores Now offer First Cellular Pre-paid wireless services Distance Learning Classes Summer 2003 want the least-expensive wireless deal in southern Illinois? of course, but do you also want the least-expensive wireless bill every month? always the same thing.) southern Illinois unlimited anytime minutes forget those other wireless plans only with limited daytime minutes and the scary overcharges, only first cellular lets you talk they're not only first cellular lets you talk all you want in southern Illinois.

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