urors expressed two main reasons for finding Lucas B. Goodrum, 23, of Scottsville not guilty last week of murdering Pellville freshman Melissa “Katie” Autry.
Besides the lack of physical evidence, some jurors said they believed campus police should have done more in their investigation of the student’s death.
During Goodrum’s trial, the defense repeatedly accused campus police of being inexperienced and conducting a poor investigation.
There are also some who believe that university police should not investigate homicides on college campuses.
Western’s police department never handled a homicide investigation before Autry’s death in May 2003.
But university officials maintain that the campus police department not only did a sufficient job during the investigation, but also were qualified to handle the investigation.
“I’m comfortable everything was done that could have been done,” General Counsel Deborah Wilkins said.
The harshest criticism of the campus police department was expressed by the defense during Goodrum’s trial.
Criticism
Defense attorney David Broderick argued that there was a rush to convict Goodrum. The “rush to justice” led to inconsistencies in the prosecution’s investigation, he said.
During cross-examination by Broderick, lead investigator and campus police Capt. Mike Dowell said he didn’t recall following up on potential suspects after Stephen L. Soules, also of Scottsville, and Goodrum were arrested.
Dowell also testified that Goodrum’s alibis were never contacted about Goodrum’s whereabouts on May 4.
Campus police Chief Robert Deane testified that it was fair to say that campus police felt pressure to solve the case. He also said failing to question Goodrum’s alibis in a timely manner was not good police practice.
Charlie Saums, head of Security and Investigative Support Services Inc., said the investigation ceased after Goodrum’s arrest.
“It appeared that when Stephen Soules offered up the name of Lucas Goodrum, that for whatever reason, the investigation stopped,” he said.
Saums and a team of four investigators worked on the Goodrum case beginning in April 2004.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Chris Cohron declined to comment about the criticisms of the investigation.
Western officials said the investigation was turned over to the Commonwealth’s Attorney office after Soules and Goodrum were arrested.
Dowell continued to lead the investigation after work with the rest of the department ended, Wilkins said.
“They worked up until the day of trial, and I believe they did everything in their power to assist at all times in any regards to this case,” Cohron said.
Campus police officers did deliver subpoenas and transport witnesses to the trial, Wilkins said.
“We’re getting criticized for things that happened after May 14 that we had no involvement in,” said Bob Edwards, assistant vice president for media relations.
Campus police were the first to respond to the fire alarm at 4:10 a.m. at Poland Hall on May 4, 2003.
Autry had been set on fire in room 214.
Her attack and death, three days later, launched a multi-agency investigation that was led by campus police.
The Kentucky State Police, Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bowling Green Fire Department, the state fire marshal and Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were included in the investigation, Edwards said.
Campus police organized the efforts of the investigation, making sure the agencies involved reconvened to share information that had been gathered, Edwards said. Campus police led the investigation because the crime occurred at Western.
Even though campus police had never investigated a murder, there were at least 10 officers from other agencies who had worked on a murder case and were involved in the Autry investigation, Edwards said.
Within 10 days of Autry’s attack, Goodrum and Soules had been arrested.
Soules later pleaded guilty and accepted life in prison without the possibility of probation or parole as part of plea agreement.
President Gary Ransdell said the campus should be proud of the investigation done by campus police.
“We do know that we identified the guilty party and he’s behind bars, and we did it in eight short days,” he said. “I couldn’t be more proud of our campus police.”
Training
Edwards said there have been misconceptions about Western’s ability to handle the investigation of a high-profile murder case.
The department undergoes the same training as other police officers in Kentucky, campus police Capt. Mike Wallace said.
Campus police graduate from the state police academy and meet a set of professional standards before becoming an officer, Wallace said.
Campus police also are required to complete at least 40 hours of additional training classes a year, Wallace said. Some subjects taught include police photography, robbery investigation and homicide investigations.
“The training is ongoing and never ceases,” Wallace said.
Wallace declined to comment about the Autry investigation.
There are no classes geared specifically toward campus policing. But Wallace said the campus police department exchanges information with other members of law enforcement associations.
Kenneth A. Willett, president of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators, said multi-agency investigations are ideal for covering high-profile crimes on college campuses.
“That way if jurisdiction fell through the crack on one, it can fall through on the other,” he said.
The ability of a campus police department to investigate a felony depends on the resources, such as the number of officers available to the department, Willett said.
Other options
A law approved in Tennessee doesn’t allow campus police in the state to investigate deaths and rapes on campus without the aid of local police agencies.
“Robbie’s Law,” approved in 2004, was named for Robert Nottingham, a student at East Tennessee State University who was found dead, according to the Security on Campus Web site. His cause of death was never determined.
Local police in Tennessee will be the lead investigator if a death or rape occurs on a college campus, the Web site said.
Edwards said the campus police handled the Autry investigation well and will handle any future homicide investigations.
Reach Ashlee Clark at news@wkuherald.com.
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