Much to the chagrin I’m sure of the NSU Hardy Boys Ken Blanchard and Jim Seeber, the domestic partner of slain NSU professor Morgan Lewis has hired Brendan Johnson, one of the best young attorneys in the state, to get to the bottom of whether Prof. Morgan was murdered (which the evidence actually points to) or committed suicide (which appears to be more of a wish than a fact.)

There will be an administrative hearing before a state hearing officer March 11-13, 2008, either in Pierre or Aberdeen.  It will likely be extremely interesting.

Perhaps with Brendan’s help, Prof. Morgan and his friends and family will finally get some justice.

• Read:

Suspicious death of professor gets a new hearing
07/01/08 11:36 from Northern Valley Beacon
News agencies are reporting that the death of Prof. Morgan Lewis on the NSU campus will be re-examined before a state hearing officer in March.Professor Lewis was found dead early the Monday morning before the general election of 2004…

What the Heck is Going on in Aberdeen, Part II?

I’m not even sure where to begin.

The Aberdeen chief of police won’t talk with the Aberdeen American news about the details that lead him to conclude that NSU Prof. Morgan Lewis committed suicide (under suspicious circumstances) yet he will allow two NSU professors, one of whom is a prominent blogger (and supporter of the suicide theory) to interview him?

Huh?

Why did Prof. Ken Blanchard of S.D. Politics blog fame NOT post his interview on this own blog and only a preview:

Click http://southdakotapolitics.blogs.com/south_dakota_politics/2006/week6/index.html#a0008890414 I would have gotten an exclusive like this on my own blog as quickly as I can.  This is big news. 

Huh?

Then the AAN publishes a story where they interview the two NSU professors about their interview with the Chief?

Huh?

This all seems very odd to me.  The police won’t talk to the real media directly but will talk to professors and bloggers and finally release the details of the murder and why they think it was a suicide?

Huh?

This has to be a first of some kind of first in the annuls of South Dakota “journalism.” 

Here are excerpts from today’s AAN: http://www.aberdeennews.com/mld/aberdeennews/13853691.htm

An hour-long meeting with Aberdeen Police Chief Don Lanpher Jr. has convinced two Northern State University professors that Morgan Lewis committed suicide.

Lanpher said he met with Ken Blanchard,professor of political science, and Jim Seeber, assistant professor of sociology, on Friday on the NSU campus. But the chief doesn’t approve of them going public with the information he gave them regarding the death of Lewis, a 46-year-old German professor whose body was found on campus the morning of Nov. 1, 2004.

For 15 months, Lewis’ death had been labeled “suspicious” by law enforcement officials. All the public knew was that he had been shot in the left side of the neck and a gun was found in a nearby garbage receptacle.

But during a press conference on Feb. 2, Lanpher said the department had concluded Lewis’ death was a suicide. He refused to give reasons for the findings, despite questions from NSU faculty and staff and the media.

Blanchard said he and Seeber asked to meet with Lanpher after the chief told NSU President Patrick Schloss and Aberdeen Mayor Mike Levsen that he would be willing to do so.

Facts revealed: During the meeting Friday,however, Blanchard and Seeber said Lanpher gave them a number of reasons why police believe Lewis killed himself:

• Lewis had gunpowder residue on both hands and blood spatter on one of his hands.

• Blowback, consisting of blood, hair and other materials, was found on the gun.

• Lewis held the gun in his left hand and placed it against his neck.

• A shell casing found next to the garbage receptacle led police to believe that’s where the gun was fired.

•The bullet severed an artery, but missed the spine, allowing Lewis to throw the gun in the garbage receptacle and walk 40 feet before bleeding to death. A blood trail also followed the path.

• On the morning of his death, Lewis left his belongings - including keys, money and backpack - in his office in Seymour Hall. He then exited the building wearing no jacket.

Lanpher confirmed all of the fingings to the American News, except he said the shot was “close to the neck,”but not necessarily against it.

Chief righted wrong: Schloss said he doesn’t know why Lanpher chose not to release additional information on Feb. 2 even though both he and Brenda Dreyer, NSU director of university relations, were led to believe all questions would be addressed. Lanpher said he was advised by lawyers not to. However, the president said Lanpher corrected the wrong - at least with the university - by agreeing to speak to Blanchard, who previously had believed Lewis’ death was suicide, and Seeber, who was doubtful of the police department’s conclusion.

Lanpher said he never would have agreed to talk to Blanchard and Seeber if he had known before the meeting that they were going to release the findings to the public. But Seeber said Lanpher seemed supportive when they addressed it during the meeting and never asked them not to do it - a fact Lanpher confirms.

“We talked about it with him,” Seeber said. “He said, as long as ‘you’re careful about presenting the facts.’”

However,Lanpher said he didn’t hear of the plan until three-fourths of the way through the meeting, and never had any intention of releasing anything.

Lanpher said he didn’t release the information to the public because he thought it would be an invasion of privacy for Lewis and his family.

If something happens to a close family member, you don’t want it out in public, Lanpher said.

With this additional information, perhaps Mr. Lewis took his own life.  I’m not sure I’m convinced.  But I am glad that the information came out—though through odd channels.

What I don’t understand:

• Why didn’t the AAN push the Chief and interview him themselves?
• Why would the chief talk to bloggers and professors and not journalists?
• Why would the chief talk to these specific people?
• What are the various motives involved?  Are they public spirited?  Is something else at play?
• IfNSU was going to pursue this, why wouldn’t they have the President, a designee of the President, or Brenda Dreyer, the had of university relations, talk to the Chief.  Brenda is a friend of mine.  I worked with her for several years at S.D. Public TV where she was a producer and
  on-air host.  Before that, she was a reporter at KELOLAND-TV. Brenda was a good reporter.  She has great people skills.  She could have easily interviewed Chief Lanpher and done a good job.

Maybe all this helps bring closure to Prof. Lewis’ tragic death.  But the telling of the story is as odd as the circumstances of his death.  And I’m not the only one who wonders what’s going on .  My buddy Chad at Clean Cut Kid has opined about this as well.  Click: http://cleancutkid.com/2006/02/11/morgan-lewis

It’s definitely one of those things that makes you want to go “hmmmm.”

Nagging question remain: What’s Blanchard’s and Seeber’s interest in all this?  Why did they push for the suicide theory?   Did the police have it right (murder) then screwed it up (suicide)?  If the police are wrong, will they change their minds and admit a mistake now?

What the hell’s going on in Aberdeen?! 

Technorati Tags: Morgan Lewis, Morgan Lewis murder, Morgan Lewis suicide, Aberdeen, South Dakota, Brendan Johnson, open government, open records, crime

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