The Mystery of Jane Mixer

Summary

48 Hours: The Mystery of Jane Mixer – Detailed Summary

Release Date: March 20, 2025
Host/Author: CBS News

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Introduction

"48 Hours" delves deep into the haunting case of Jane Mixer, a promising young law student whose life was brutally taken in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in March 1969. This episode meticulously unpacks the investigation, the subsequent trial, and the lingering doubts that have persisted for decades.

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Background of Jane Mixer

Jane Mixer was an ambitious individual with a bright future ahead. At just 23 years old, she was one of the first women admitted to the University of Michigan Law School, marking a significant milestone in her academic journey.

• Jane's Character and Aspirations
  • Barbara Nelson (Jane's sister) describes Jane as "bright and articulate and concerned and empathetic" (02:00).
  • Jane's personal writings revealed her dedication to social justice and her uncertainty about her future path, indicating her relentless drive (05:46).

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The Night of the Murder

On the evening of March 21, 1969, Jane intended to visit her parents in Muskegon, Michigan. She responded to a ride offer posted on a college ride board and was picked up by a man who introduced himself as David Johnson.

• Disposition and Disappearance

  • Jane expected to head west with her driver but disappeared for several hours.
  • Her body was discovered the next morning in Denton Road Cemetery, displaying signs of extreme violence: shot in the head and strangled (01:15 - 02:21).

• Family's Reaction

  • Barbara Nelson recalls the trauma, stating, "We were buried within our own little worlds of pain and didn't talk about what was really going on" (12:08).

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Initial Investigation and Suspect

As the investigation unfolded, Jane's case became intertwined with a series of murders targeting young women in the region, leading authorities to suspect a serial killer.

• John Collins – The Accused
  • John Collins, an education major at Eastern Michigan University, was arrested and convicted for the murder of Karen Sue Binoma (14:28).
  • Despite his conviction, doubts lingered about his involvement in Jane's murder:
    • Katherine Ramsland, a forensics expert, expressed skepticism, stating, "He was level-headed, smart... [but] Jane's case was too different" (15:25).

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Reopening the Case

Decades later, Detective Eric Schroeder took a renewed interest in Jane Mixer's unsolved murder. Utilizing advancements in DNA technology, new evidence emerged that complicated the original narrative.

• DNA Evidence

  • A drop of blood found on Jane's hand matched Gary Lighterman, a retired nurse from Goebbels, Michigan (22:19).
  • This discovery contradicted the earlier conviction of John Collins, whose DNA did not match the evidence (22:01).

• Introducing Gary Lighterman

  • Lighterman, a 62-year-old with no violent criminal record, was brought in for questioning (23:19).
  • He vehemently denied any involvement, asserting his innocence multiple times (24:22).

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The Trial

In 2005, Gary Lighterman stood trial for the 1969 murder of Jane Mixer. The courtroom became the battleground for unresolved questions and emerging evidence.

• Prosecutor's Theory

  • Stephen Hillard posited that Lighterman answered Jane's ride request under the guise of David Johnson, leading to a fatal encounter (31:28).
  • He emphasized the significance of the DNA evidence, arguing it irrefutably linked Lighterman to the crime scene (34:43).

• Defense's Stance

  • Lighterman's attorney challenged the reliability of the DNA evidence, suggesting possible contamination or innocent explanations for its presence (34:06).
  • Highlighted inconsistencies, such as the lack of fingerprints matching Lighterman and discrepancies in the vehicle description (37:34).

• Family Perspectives

  • Both the Mixer family and Lighterman's loved ones grappled with the trial's emotional toll, expressing doubts and sympathies respectively (38:17 - 38:34).

• Verdict and Sentencing

  • After four hours of deliberation, the jury found Lighterman guilty of first-degree murder (41:08).
  • At sentencing, Lighterman maintained his innocence, his only solace being his sympathy for the Mixers (42:46).

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Lingering Doubts and Aftermath

The conviction of Gary Lighterman did not entirely quell the mysteries surrounding Jane Mixer's death. Questions persist about the DNA evidence and the true circumstances of that fateful night.

• Unresolved Evidence

  • The presence of blood from a four-year-old, John Ruellis, raised concerns about potential lab contamination, a point the prosecution struggled to adequately address (35:17 - 35:53).

• Impact on Families

  • Maggie Nelson, Jane's niece, expressed a complex mix of closure and lingering doubts, highlighting the enduring emotional scars (44:12).
  • Barbara Nelson mirrored these sentiments, acknowledging the persistent uncertainties even after the trial (28:34).

• Gary Lighterman's Fate

  • Lighterman remained incarcerated, passing away in 2019 at the age of 76, still contending with the unresolved aspects of his conviction (45:09).

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Conclusion

"The Mystery of Jane Mixer" serves as a poignant exploration of a cold case reevaluated through modern forensic techniques. It underscores the enduring quest for truth and justice, the complexities of legal proceedings, and the profound impact unresolved crimes have on families and communities alike.

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Notable Quotes

• Maggie Nelson: "She had been shot once in the front and once in the back of the head. Here is just where he dumped her. On a night of cold rain." (01:15)

• Barbara Nelson: "We were buried within our own little worlds of pain and didn't talk about what was really going on." (12:08)

• Detective Donald Bennett: "A homicide case is a homicide case. They're never closed." (19:50)

• Prosecutor Stephen Hillard: "There is not contamination in this part, but there's not contamination in this part." (35:57)

• Maggie Nelson: "The horror of Jane's death made her a forgotten person. It was too hard to look at it." (44:25)

• Prosecutor Stephen Hiller: "Gary Lighterman deserves to pay the price for what he's done, and he'll do that." (44:12)

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This comprehensive summary captures the essence of the "48 Hours" episode on Jane Mixer, providing listeners with a thorough understanding of the case's progression, the investigative challenges, and the profound personal impacts involved.

Transcript

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[Maggie Nelson]

She had been shot once in the front and once in the back of the head. Here is just where he dumped her. On a night of cold rain. Jane was a silent but very strong presence. Growing up, I had a lot of unanswered questions, both about Jane's murder, about who she had been. I look back to 1969 to find out.

[Barbara Nelson]

She was bright and articulate and concerned and empathetic. I mean, she stood up for what she thought was worth saying.

[Detective]

One of the first women admitted to the University of Michigan Law School. Very promising future ahead of her, and her life was stolen.

[Barbara Nelson]

She was on her way home for a weekend. She was picked up, supposedly at 6 o'clock by someone who was going to give her a ride to Muskegon, Michigan.

[Detective]

She gets into the vehicle with him, expecting to head west. And we've got a certain number of hours where Jane's basically missing. In the early morning hours, March 21, 1969, Jane's body was discovered in the Denton Road Cemetery.

[Maggie Nelson]

My aunt was shot twice in the head and strangled.

[Barbara Nelson]

My name is Barbara Nelson and my sister was Jane Mixer. I think I didn't want to even get close to what had happened to her. At the time of Jane's death, there were a whole series of murders of young women. They did arrest a man for the murder of one of the young women and he was tried and convicted.

[Maggie Nelson]

For many years, most people thought my aunt was the victim of a serial killer. When I did my research, I was not convinced that Collins killed my aunt.

[Detective]

Jane's case was just too different. The fact that she was placed in that cemetery with her belongings, very unlike the other cases.

[Maggie Nelson]

There were many mysteries. I had reasons to think that somebody was still out there.

[Detective]

I certainly felt that someone had gotten away with murdering Jane.

[Barbara Nelson]

Never in my wildest dreams thought things would happen as they did. Never, ever.

[Narrator]

Deadly ride.

[Maggie Nelson]

Jane was both an inspiration of many things. I wanted to be driven, disobedient, brilliant, independent. And I also knew that she died horribly.

[Narrator]

Jane Mixer was murdered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in March 1969. She was 23, about the same age her niece, Maggie Nelson, was when she resolved to learn all she could about the aunt she never knew.

[Maggie Nelson]

I didn't feel as though I could ask anyone in my family the details about Jane's murder.

[Interviewer]

What was it that you wanted to know that you needed to know?

[Maggie Nelson]

The questions weren't so much. I mean, they were like, who was she? How did she die? But they were really also, why does this story haunt me so much?

[Barbara Nelson]

We didn't talk about what had happened to Jane.

[Narrator]

Maggie's mother, Barbara, Jane's older sister by two years, admits there was a pall of silence.

[Interviewer]

Why do you think that is?

[Barbara Nelson]

One it was painful and it seemed almost lurid to think about it or talk about it.

[Narrator]

But Maggie felt compelled to unravel the mystery surrounding Jane.

[Maggie Nelson]

I was often called her name, but I didn't know much about her.

[Narrator]

She went to the public library and pored over old newspaper reports, finally learning the details of her aunt's death. Back home, she dug up some of Jane's diaries and began to read.

[Maggie Nelson]

This is from Jane's journal in 1966. You know, for a world that demands direction, I certainly have none. Will I be a teacher? Will I go to France? Really, I don't know how smart I am. And that, above all else, keeps me working and working hard.

[Narrator]

Maggie discovered that Jane was high school valedictorian. Over the objections of school officials, she had given a fiery graduation speech calling for social justice. She went on to the University of Michigan and was committed to changing the world.

[Advertiser 2]

If it was civil rights. The civil rights laws had to change if she was going to do something about it.

[Narrator]

Maggie also tracked down Phil Weitzman, one of the people closest to Jane in 1969, when she was one of just three 37 female law students and a class of 420.

[Advertiser 2]

Whatever she got involved in, she was extremely, extremely passionate about.

[Narrator]

She was most passionate about Phil. And early that spring, they were ready to make a big announcement.

[Advertiser 2]

We decided to get married, and Jane said that she wanted to go home and talk with her parents and felt that she could convince them that this was a good thing.

[Narrator]

Jane planned to go there first, with Phil following a few days later. So she Posted a note on a college ride board looking for a lift from Ann Arbor to her home in Muskegon.

[Advertiser 2]

No one thought anything of it because everyone did it.

[Narrator]

Phil says she found a ride with a man named David Johnson.

[Barbara Nelson]

We talked on the telephone. I thought she should come with Phil. She told me that she thought that it would work out better if they came independently. And I said it seemed like it wasn't the right thing to do. And she said, trust me. And those are the last words she ever said.

[Narrator]

Jane had told her parents she'd be leaving ann Arbor around 6pm they expected her to arrive home around 9:30. As the time ticked by and Jane didn't show up, her father grew concerned. Finally, around 11pm he simply couldn't wait around anymore.

[Maggie Nelson]

He got very nervous. So he set out looking for her, driving in his car. There's only one freeway really, between Ann Arbor and where my grandfather lived. The idea that he could just encounter her on the road, wandering somewhere, needing help. So he drove, you know, several hours, just looking on the road to see.

[Narrator]

Sometime. That night Jane was killed.

[Interviewer]

Jane Mixer's body ended up here in an old out of the Way Cemetery 14 miles from Ann Arbor.

[Narrator]

Her killer left her out in the.

[Interviewer]

Open atop a grave just steps from the gate. It wasn't until the next morning that a woman in a nearby home noticed the body and called police.

[Detective Donald Bennett]

When we arrived there, it was 10:30 in the morning and it was a cold, crisp morning.

[Narrator]

Detective Donald Bennett, now retired, was sent to investigate.

[Detective Donald Bennett]

We saw what appeared to be a body of a woman lying underneath some clothing on top of a grave. We first lifted off the uppermost piece of clothing, which was the raincoat. You could very quickly see that she'd been shot in the head. And then around her neck we could see a nylon hose. So she'd been strangled. Also.

[Narrator]

There was no apparent sexual assault, but Jane's pantyhose had been pulled down. During the autopsy, Bennett scraped a second single drop of blood off Jane's left hand.

[Detective Donald Bennett]

Well, it probably grabbed my attention because it was a singular round spot of blood, dried. I didn't know what it meant, so I thought, well, we'll find out later.

[Narrator]

Three decades later, that tiny drop of blood would become a controversial piece of evidence. But back in 1969, there was little the police could do with that. So they searched for other clues. On the night of the murder, a green station wagon was seen careening away from the cemetery, but that was never tracked down. Police searched Jane's dorm room and found a phone book that had a mark next to the name David Johnson. But that David Johnson, a University of Michigan student, had an ironclad alibi. He was acting on stage the night of the murder and said he never offered Jane a ride. The cops checked out other David Johnson's in the area, as well as Jane's acquaintances, including her fiance.

[Advertiser 2]

I was too numb to really care. I was much more concerned about dealing with the death of someone I was about to get married to.

[Detective]

For the third time in the past.

[Detective Donald Bennett]

Two years, the body of an Ann Arbor Ypsilanti coed has been found. The girl brutally murdered.

[Narrator]

Police were stymied and concerned. This crime seemed to fit a disturbing pattern. Jane Mixer was the third young woman in the area to turn turn up dead in the past two years. And four days later, the pace picked up when a fourth body was found. By the end of July, there were seven victims. Most were brutalized before they were killed.

[Katherine Ramsland]

You would see these photographs each time a body was found, you know, all lined up with dramatic headlines.

[Narrator]

Katherine Ramsland teaches and writes about forensics.

[Katherine Ramsland]

This is one of the better maps of where each of the murder victims have been found.

[Narrator]

Her latest book is about serial killers. Back in 1969, she was living near Ann Arbor.

[Katherine Ramsland]

They have young women being murdered and nobody can find the guy and stop him. That's just something that had never happened here.

[Detective Donald Bennett]

Karen sue was dead, the victim in the seventh unsolved murder of college coeds in the army.

[Narrator]

As body after body was recovered, the Mixer family retreated.

[Barbara Nelson]

We were buried within our own little worlds of pain and didn't talk about what was really going on.

[Narrator]

But the community was clamoring for action. We're afraid we might be the next one. You never know.

[Katherine Ramsland]

He's out there. He's a monster. He's a madman.

[Detective Donald Bennett]

How long can you have young women being killed before the pressures become so great? Because you as the police can't solve this.

[Narrator]

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[Detective]

Where does she come from?

[Narrator]

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[Narrator]

Mary Fleischer had been stabbed several times.

[Detective Donald Bennett]

20 year old Joan Shell. She'd been sexually molested and her throat had been slashed. The body of an Ann Arbor Ypsilanti coed has been found brutally murdered.

[Barbara Nelson]

It was shock and horror and being scared.

[Narrator]

Barbara Nelson says the murder of her little sister Jane left her numb.

[Barbara Nelson]

And it just seemed to me that how could life get any worse?

[Narrator]

Within a month, two more women would die.

[Katherine Ramsland]

This is the original police sketch.

[Narrator]

Forensics expert Catherine Ramsland says back in 1969, the killer seemed unstoppable.

[Katherine Ramsland]

We did not know much about serial killers in those days. We didn't even use the word serial killer.

[Narrator]

It wasn't until the seventh victim was found that police finally got a break in the case. When they made the arrest, it was a real shocker.

[Detective Donald Bennett]

We wanted to announce that one John.

[Advertiser 2]

Norman Collins has been charged with the murder of Karen Sue Binoma.

[Narrator]

John Collins was an education major at Eastern Michigan University.

[Katherine Ramsland]

He was level headed, smart, on the.

[Narrator]

Honor roll, and he had no known criminal record.

[Katherine Ramsland]

He played baseball. He was the tri captain of the football team.

[Narrator]

A witness claimed she had seen Collins with Karen Bineman shortly before her death. And while it was widely assumed that he was responsible for after all seven murders, Collins stood trial for just one, the Bindamon homicide. He was convicted of first degree murder.

[Katherine Ramsland]

Pretty much all they had against him was circumstantial evidence. I think when you put together the fear at that time and the need for the police to resolve it, I don't think there was going to be any other verdict than that one.

[Interviewer]

Although John Collins maintained his innocence in Binoman's murder, he was sentenced to life. And he has never been charged with the murders of any of the other six victims. Still, back in 1969, people here in Michigan breathed a collective sigh of relief.

[Katherine Ramsland]

Investigators gave the media the sense that even if we can't prove he killed all of them, we know he did.

[Narrator]

The Mixer family came to accept that Collins killed Jane.

[Barbara Nelson]

The murders stopped. So there was this sense of relief. I mean, I think that's what made so many of us think that, yeah, they got the man, they stopped.

[Narrator]

Still, Barbara harbored a deep seated fear from those days. And years later, her daughter Maggie would pick up on it.

[Maggie Nelson]

There was a lot of hysteria when I grew up. There's a Lot of barricading of the doors. Hysterical fear. You know, the kind of fear that just doesn't feel like it's going to do you any good to hold onto it.

[Narrator]

But that fear only fueled Maggie's curiosity about her Aunt Jane's short life.

[Interviewer]

Were you surprised or concerned when Maggie started asking questions?

[Barbara Nelson]

Absolutely. Felt like it was a book that shouldn't be opened. And then also wanted to say, yes, Maggie, yes, go for it, you know?

[Narrator]

And Maggie, a professor of writing, went for it in a big way. Her research would eventually become a book.

[Maggie Nelson]

It has poetry, prose, newspaper articles, journal entries.

[Narrator]

A book about Jane's life.

[Maggie Nelson]

And she writes, I am happy tomorrow. I may not be yesterday I wasn't, but I am now, and that's all that matters.

[Narrator]

It would also deal with the impact Jane had on other people, including Maggie herself.

[Maggie Nelson]

Her grave has no epitaph. I found her in the wild. Her name was Jane. Plain Jane.

[Narrator]

Maggie began to understand how strong the bonds were between her mother and her Aunt Jane.

[Maggie Nelson]

This is from Jane's journal in 1966. She writes to Barbara, here's to the hope that you'll never stop growing up, not only for what you are, but what I am when I am with you myself, gratefully, your sister, Janie.

[Barbara Nelson]

By the time we were both in college, we were extremely close. I would say she was actually my best friend. Dealing with Jane's death was extraordinarily painful. I don't think there are any words that can really capture it.

[Narrator]

After the horror, Barbara got on with her life. But there were still unanswered questions.

[Maggie Nelson]

No one has known what happened to Jane that night for 36 years.

[Narrator]

Jane's case became inactive in 1970, when John Collins was convicted of Karen Binoman's murder.

[Katherine Ramsland]

He thinks there was a miscarriage of justice.

[Narrator]

Ramsland, who's been researching the case, has been corresponding with Collins. He's been in a state prison now for the last 35 years.

[Interviewer]

Has he ever denied or admitted to anything?

[Katherine Ramsland]

He consistently denies that he has ever killed anyone.

[Interviewer]

Including Jane Mixer.

[Katherine Ramsland]

Including Jane Mixer.

[Narrator]

On that one point at least, Ramslyn tends to believe him.

[Katherine Ramsland]

The Jane Mixer murder was so different from the others.

[Narrator]

She's never been convinced that John Collins killed Jane.

[Katherine Ramsland]

Her murder just did not have the brutality about it that some of the others did.

[Narrator]

The killer had taken the time to cover up Jane's body and carefully arrange her belongings around her.

[Detective]

And she'd also had a raincoat pulled up over her face to protect her from the elements. Very unlike the other cases.

[Narrator]

Detective Eric Schroeder is one of many investigators who also believe Jane's case stands alone.

[Detective]

She was found fully clothed. She was not a victim of any blunt force trauma.

[Narrator]

For years, Jane Mixer's murder has bothered him.

[Detective]

A homicide case is a homicide case. They're never closed.

[Narrator]

Detective Schroeder was convinced that Jane's case should be taken. Taken out of cold storage. At the same time, Schroeder and his colleagues began to quietly re investigate Jane's murder. Maggie was still writing her book and.

[Maggie Nelson]

Struggling, and it was scary. Very, very gruesome. It's a terrible book to write. I had terrible nightmares. I mean, many times thought I should abandon ship.

[Narrator]

Those nightmares began to haunt her.

[Maggie Nelson]

I had this phobia that Jane's killer might be alive and free.

[Narrator]

Little did she know.

[Detective]

We had no idea that this person even existed. I've never been involved in a case disencompassing. This is the turtleneck shirt that Jane mixer was wearing. This is her jumper dress. This case got to me.

[Narrator]

Michigan state police detective Eric Schroeder was deeply touched by the story of Jane Mixer.

[Detective]

This case had kind of fallen through the cracks. I just didn't feel that we could give up on it. This was tied around her neck as a ligature.

[Narrator]

So in 2001, when Schroeder was put in charge of cataloging evidence from old cases, he jumped at the chance to finally do Jane justice.

[Detective]

Jane Mixer deserved to have some answers.

[Narrator]

He hoped to find new evidence.

[Detective]

This is all the evidence that was collected during the investigation.

[Narrator]

Evidence that could not be detected in the 60s. DNA.

[Detective]

These are the pantyhose that were on her body. We took these to the lab. The forensic scientists took the cuttings from the areas that they located with the possible skill staining and did the DNA analysis.

[Narrator]

The lab also looked for telltale DNA on Jane's clothing, the ligature and a bloody towel found under her head.

[Detective]

It took about a year for the scientists to give me a call.

[Narrator]

They called with startling news. The lab did find incriminating DNA, but that DNA did not match John Collins, the man who had been blamed for the murder for more than 30 years. Now there was a new suspect.

[Barbara Nelson]

I was dumbfounded. It's still an open case.

[Narrator]

Detective Schroeder telephoned Jane's sister, Barbara Nelson.

[Barbara Nelson]

There would be no reason to think it would be closed, But I had no idea that there were people that were actually aware that it was an unsolved case.

[Narrator]

Maggie Nelson was just finishing her book about Jane.

[Interviewer]

Were you shocked?

[Maggie Nelson]

Oh, yeah, very shocked. It definitely was beyond the realms of anything I could have ever imagined.

[Narrator]

The lab found that the DNA on Jane's pantyhose matched this man, 62 year old Gary lighterman from Goebbels, Michigan. A husband of nearly 28 years, father of two children now grown, and a retired registered nurse.

[Detective]

We decided to just go ahead and contact him directly.

[Narrator]

When police came knocking on his door in November 2004, he says he thought nothing of it.

[Interviewer]

You were leading a pretty normal life.

[Advertiser 2]

I would say so, yes. Thoughts went through my mind, like perhaps there were some problems in the neighborhood. Maybe somebody had something stolen.

[Narrator]

After questioning Lighterman for more than three hours, the detectives dropped their bombshell. They told him his DNA was found on crime scene evidence that had been sitting in storage since 1969.

[Interviewer]

What was your reaction?

[Advertiser 2]

I was incredulous. What do you mean? My DNA.

[Narrator]

Back when Jane Mixer was murdered, Lighterman was 26 and single. He had served four years in the Navy and lived in a town about 20 miles from Ann Arbor.

[Interviewer]

Did you know Jane Mixer?

[Advertiser 2]

No, I did not.

[Narrator]

Although the police kept grilling Lighterman, he stuck to his story.

[Interviewer]

Why didn't you believe him?

[Detective]

Primarily, the DNA.

[Narrator]

The police lab could not pinpoint where the DNA came from, but said it was not blood and not semen. It might be something like sweat, saliva or skin cells. It was enough for police to accuse Lighterman of murder. A 35 year old murder.

[Interviewer]

What went through your mind?

[Advertiser 2]

They were wrong. I did not do this. My concerns for my family and what this was going to do to them, just the accusation is horrible.

[Narrator]

Lighterman was taken into custody.

[Advertiser 2]

Detective Schroeder had put me on the phone with my wife while she was in the car. I could hear the anguish, the terror in her voice.

[Narrator]

At the time, Lighterman's wife was too distraught to speak with us, so their close friend Rachel Kubie stepped in to talk about the man she has known for three decades. I believe they've got the wrong man. It just isn't.

[Katherine Ramsland]

It isn't Gary. And the Gary I know wouldn't have done this.

[Narrator]

Lighterman had never been accused of a violent crime before.

[Advertiser 2]

My personal life was pretty much wrapped up with my family, taking vacations with them, dragging the kids along to Civil War battlefields.

[Narrator]

But he did have one scrape with the law in 2001, when he was caught writing himself fake prescriptions. He had become addicted to painkillers during a bout with kidney stones. He was ordered to a treatment program, which he successfully completed. But his DNA was put in a database and that is how he now finds himself accused of murder.

[Interviewer]

Did you kill Jane Mixer?

[Advertiser 2]

No, I did not.

[Interviewer]

Did you take her body to the cemetery and dump her there? Were you with anyone who did that?

[Advertiser 2]

No, I was not. No, I did not.

[Interviewer]

Did you have anything to do with the murder?

[Advertiser 2]

Nothing.

[Narrator]

Prosecutor Stephen Hillard doesn't buy that and believes Lighterman should pay for this crime.

[Interviewer]

What would be the motive for him to kill a woman?

[Prosecutor Stephen Hiller]

The fact that her pantyhose had been taken down, her jumper had been pulled up so that her genitals were exposed. I think that it's fair to conclude that the motive was sexual assault.

[Narrator]

But there was no physical evidence of sexual assault. And that is just one of the many challenges Hiller faces in this old case.

[Prosecutor Stephen Hiller]

We had missing evidence, we had lost evidence. People's memories fade. We didn't have the murder weapon.

[Interviewer]

The state's biggest challenge may be that Gary Lighterman's DNA isn't the only DNA that was found on Jane. Mixed. Remember that tiny drop of blood scraped from Jane's left hand back in 1969? Well, the state's own lab says the DNA in that matches another man, a convicted killer named John Ruellis. But the prosecutor insists he is absolutely sure that Ruelas did not murder Jane.

[Narrator]

For one simple reason.

[Prosecutor Stephen Hiller]

He was 4 and a half at the time.

[Interviewer]

4 and a half?

[Prosecutor Stephen Hiller]

4 and a half years old. 4 and a half year old didn't put a gun to Jane Mixer's head and pull the trigger. Put it to her head again and pull the trigger. Knot a stocking around her neck and drag her body into the cemetery and arrange her clothes around her.

[Narrator]

So how did a 4 year old's blood get on Jane Mixer's hand? The Ruelison Mixer cases were processed in the lab around the same time. Time raising the issue of contamination. But Hiller says that didn't happen.

[Barbara Nelson]

All right, please.

[Narrator]

As he'll explain in court when he tries Gary Lighterman for murder.

[Prosecutor Stephen Hiller]

Unlike John Rulis, Gary Lytterman was perfectly capable of having committed this murder.

[Advertiser 2]

I think I'm a kind and gentle person. I've never been abusive to anybody. I'm fortunate to have the love and support of my family and their prayers.

[Detective]

All right.

[Narrator]

But Lighterman is feeling the stress.

[Advertiser 2]

I'm as confident as you can be that I'll be acquitted. But no one ever knows for absolutely sure.

[Narrator]

And in this case, even the victim's family has doubts.

[Barbara Nelson]

I wasn't sure they had the right man. There are enormous mysteries that remain in this case.

[Advertiser 1]

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[Narrator]

On the new Crime House original podcast, Killer Minds, we're diving into the psychology of the world's most complex murder cases.

[Advertiser 1]

From serial killers to cult leaders, deadly exes and spree killers, we're examining not just how they killed, but why.

[Narrator]

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[Advertiser 2]

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[Narrator]

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[Detective]

In this world, stop with Mint.

[Narrator]

You can get premium wireless for just $15 a month. Of course, if you enjoy overpaying, no judgments. But that's weird.

[Advertiser 2]

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[Narrator]

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[Advertiser 1]

Of $45 for 3 month plan equivalent to $15 per month required intro rate first 3 months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra. See full terms@mint mobile.com.

[Barbara Nelson]

All rise please.

[Narrator]

The uncle Donald E. Shelton presiding. Michigan prosecutor Stephen Hiller says Gary Lighterman got away with murder for 36 years.

[Prosecutor Stephen Hiller]

Jane mixer is death remain unsolved until August of 2004.

[Interviewer]

A lot of the evidence was saved from this crime scene, Correct?

[Prosecutor Stephen Hiller]

We got lucky.

[Narrator]

Now in 2005, Lighterman is on trial for the 1969 murder of Jane Mixer.

[Advertiser 2]

I'm innocent.

[Narrator]

His friends and family are standing by him.

[Advertiser 2]

I talked to my wife three or four times a week. I know they pray for me.

[Narrator]

Jane's sister Barbara and her daughter Maggie vow to be here every day and weigh the evidence themselves.

[Barbara Nelson]

I wanted to bear witness to Jane's life, you know, and this is in some sense, you know, a part of her life. I couldn't not be here. Just couldn't. I had to be here.

[Detective Donald Bennett]

Come forward.

[Narrator]

Jane's father is the first witness called.

[Advertiser 2]

Well, they took us to the morgue.

[Detective Donald Bennett]

And exposed the body and it was my daughter, Jane.

[Prosecutor Stephen Hiller]

Was there any question?

[Detective]

No.

[Advertiser 2]

No questions. I could not think of a more terrible and sad and horrifying feeling being told that your daughter's never coming home again.

[Narrator]

You saw me swear it. Or David Johnson, the man who was acting in a play the night of the murder, testifies he never spoke with Jane.

[Prosecutor Stephen Hiller]

Did you ever know a person named Jane Mixer? I Did not. Did you ever agree to take Jane. Jane Mixer to Muskegon? No.

[Interviewer]

What's your theory on what happened in March of 1969?

[Prosecutor Stephen Hiller]

I think that Gary Lighterman called Jane Mixer in response to her ad for a ride to Muskegon and represented himself as David Johnson.

[Narrator]

Hiller believes that Jane got into Lighterman's car and sometime that night, he made a sexual advance that ended in murder.

[Prosecutor Stephen Hiller]

Ultimately, that night, he put a gun to her head twice, pulled the trigger.

[Narrator]

Lighterman, an avid Hunter, did own a.22 caliber handgun. But there is no proof that it was the gun that killed Jane.

[Detective Donald Bennett]

It's a picture of the body lying inside the fenced area of the cemetery, covered with a yellow raincoat.

[Barbara Nelson]

I had not known exactly how my sister died, and the trial certainly made that very clear.

[Narrator]

The old detectives do their best to recall the case.

[Prosecutor Stephen Hiller]

You recall the morning of March 21, 1969?

[Narrator]

Yes, to a degree.

[Detective Donald Bennett]

Evidence they found a small portion of a fired bullet.

[Narrator]

Evidence they lost.

[Prosecutor Stephen Hiller]

Do you recall a cigarette butt?

[Advertiser 2]

Yes, I do.

[Prosecutor Stephen Hiller]

You know what happened to it? No, I don't.

[Detective Donald Bennett]

I wish I could answer you, sir.

[Narrator]

But the crucial issue here concerns evidence they didn't even know existed back then.

[Prosecutor Stephen Hiller]

Are these the pantyhose that were removed from Jane Mixer's body?

[Detective Donald Bennett]

Yes, they are.

[Narrator]

DNA.

[Prosecutor Stephen Hiller]

The person whose DNA you took, do you see him in the courtroom?

[Detective]

Yes.

[Prosecutor Stephen Hiller]

Would you point to him, please?

[Detective]

He's seated here.

[Narrator]

The new investigators who took over the case testify about the three distinct spots of DNA on Jane's pantyhose that clearly match Gary Lighterman here, here and here.

[Advertiser 2]

That is correct.

[Narrator]

And they say DNA in other places is a partial match. A four would be right there. Those places include three additional spots on the pantyhose, Spots on the bloody towel found under Jane's head, and spots on the nylon stocking that was tied around her neck.

[Advertiser 2]

This is the leg opening of the stocking.

[Narrator]

Hiller says that is a lot of DNA and proof that Lighterman was there when Jane was murdered, perhaps sweating as he moved her body. Lighterman denies that.

[Interviewer]

But you can't think of any physical contact that you had with her?

[Advertiser 2]

No, I cannot. We also don't know when that stain came in contact with that pantyhose. Yeah.

[Narrator]

Defense attorney Gary Gabry says he can imagine some possibilities.

[Advertiser 2]

I believe there's innocent explanations in which the DNA could have been on there.

[Interviewer]

Such as?

[Advertiser 2]

Such as having contact with the pantyhose in a laundromat.

[Detective Donald Bennett]

Sir. Face the clerk.

[Narrator]

Or as his expert testifies, DNA could have been transferred in a public place with a chance encounter like a sneeze.

[Prosecutor Stephen Hiller]

Material that's ejected during a sneeze certainly has an abundant amount of DNA associated with it.

[Narrator]

Hiller dismisses that, saying there is just too much DNA to explain away.

[Prosecutor Stephen Hiller]

It was in places where it would not have resulted from casual contact. There is no innocent explanation for Jane Mixer's pantyhose to have Gary Lighterman's DNA on them.

[Narrator]

But he cannot so readily dismiss the crime lab's finding that a spot of blood on Jane Mixer's hand matches the DNA of a convicted felon who was only four years old when Jane was murdered.

[Prosecutor Stephen Hiller]

Certainly we had to consider how to handle John rulis blood.

[Interviewer]

In 1969, young John Ruellis was living in downtown Detroit, about 40 miles away from where Jane's body was found. Investigators could not connect Ruelas to Gary Lighterman or to Jane Mixer. But remember, the Mixer and Ruelas cases were in the lab around the same time. Which begs the question, did something go.

[Narrator]

Wrong in the lab?

[Advertiser 2]

Would you agree that human beings make mistakes?

[Detective]

Yes, they do.

[Narrator]

If a mistake was made with Ruellis, Gabry says the evidence against Leiterman cannot be trusted.

[Advertiser 2]

It's going out on quite a limb to say, well, there's contamination in this part, but there's not contamination in this part.

[Narrator]

Michigan state officials would not allow 48 hours or any other outsiders inside the lab. This is their video. But Hiller insists he can show that nothing went wrong there. And he calls witness.

[Advertiser 2]

All the guidelines were followed in this.

[Narrator]

Particular case after witness.

[Maggie Nelson]

We wear gloves on our hands that we change between every item that we test.

[Narrator]

Who describe the great pains taken at the lab to keep all evidence separate, to prevent and catch errors.

[Detective]

We have a separate laboratory where we analyze bulk evidence.

[Narrator]

Lab supervisor Jeff Renai says he retraced every step in this particular case.

[Interviewer]

You don't believe there's any issue of contamination?

[Detective]

That's right. No issue whatsoever.

[Advertiser 2]

That means that John Roulos is around this young lady who is ultimately found dead and bleeds on her. How does that happen?

[Narrator]

How that happened, the prosecutor says is lost to history. But he insists the evidence clearly shows that somehow, some way, four year old John Ruellis was there.

[Interviewer]

So you honestly believe that John Rulis was somehow in the vicinity of Jane mixer back in 1969, that his blood actually John was his blood.

[Prosecutor Stephen Hiller]

His blood was on her.

[Interviewer]

No question.

[Prosecutor Stephen Hiller]

Not in my mind.

[Narrator]

With Hiller's case hinging on DNA, defense attorney Gabri highlights other evidence that points away from Gary Lighterman.

[Advertiser 2]

There were no fingerprints that had been associated with Gary Lighterman. Is that correct?

[Maggie Nelson]

That's correct.

[Narrator]

Lighterman's fingerprints do not match any of the prints still unidentified in the case. Nor did Lighterman own a car anything like the one seen speeding away the night of the crime.

[Detective Donald Bennett]

It was lime green 1668 Chevy station wagon.

[Narrator]

Leiterman does not take the stand. Two weeks after opening arguments, the jurors begin deliberating. Widerman's close friend Rachel Kuby says the case against him seems weak.

[Interviewer]

I don't believe that Gary did this.

[Katherine Ramsland]

There were way, way, way too many unexplained things.

[Narrator]

Still, his family is worried, and even the Mixer family feels sympathy towards them.

[Maggie Nelson]

Gary Lighterman is a loved person by many people. If he's found guilty, that will be a very deep tragedy for his family.

[Barbara Nelson]

You know, I try to put myself in their position, and I say my heart goes out to them.

[Narrator]

Even so, Barbara and Maggie have come to believe that the state has proved its case.

[Detective]

He's seated here.

[Interviewer]

What do you think then is the most incriminating piece of evidence?

[Barbara Nelson]

It's got to be the DNA.

[Narrator]

But has the state won over the jury? Gary Lighterman's fate is in their hands.

[Advertiser 1]

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[Maggie Nelson]

Parallel to the highway there runs a narrow gravel road that used to be a lover's lane. The cemetery opens out to grass, then the highway.

[Narrator]

Maggie Nelson ends her book at the place where Jane Mixer's murder investigation began.

[Maggie Nelson]

So much talk about the possible significance of the name on the headstone where her body was found. But here is just where he dumped her on a night of cold rain. And where my mother and I stand today, listening to the birds.

[Narrator]

Long before there was a suspect, Maggie brought her mother here.

[Barbara Nelson]

I did it because she asked me, and I think because I knew that it was time. It was a healing experience. It was an extraordinary healing experience.

[Katherine Ramsland]

All rise, please.

[Narrator]

Now, five years later, they wait anxiously to hear whether it a jury believes Gary lighterman killed Jane 36 years ago.

[Maggie Nelson]

It was just pure stress.

[Barbara Nelson]

I think for each one of us, our stomachs turned over.

[Detective Donald Bennett]

Do have a note from the jury indicating that they have reached a decision.

[Narrator]

Lighterman's family also waits, hoping it will be the end of their ordeal.

[Detective Donald Bennett]

Counsel and defendant, please rise.

[Narrator]

The jury is swift. It has taken only four hours for them to determine Lighterman's fate.

[Advertiser 2]

We, the jury, find the defendant guilty. Signed by the jury.

[Detective Donald Bennett]

Thank you, Seat.

[Advertiser 2]

Sir.

[Barbara Nelson]

There was just this kind of stunned silence. I felt like I was sort of numb.

[Narrator]

Is this, and was that your verdict? Juror number 264, chair number one.

[Advertiser 2]

Yes.

[Detective]

Is this, and was that your verdict, juror number 218.

[Maggie Nelson]

It was just very emotional to think that these 12 people were saying, we believe this person killed your relative.

[Detective]

Is this and was that your verdict?

[Narrator]

Juror number 335, juror 6.

[Barbara Nelson]

I think when it became a reality to me is when I turned to my father and my father began sobbing. And I knew then that this was a huge thing. A huge thing.

[Maggie Nelson]

He was much more emotional than I've ever seen him. At a certain point, he just completely had to say, I'm never going to know what happened here. And I just don't think he thought at 91, he'd be hearing a jury read a guilty verdict.

[Detective Donald Bennett]

Sentencing will be August 30th at 1:30.

[Interviewer]

What did you think when you heard the verdict?

[Advertiser 2]

First thing that went through my mind was, did I hear that correctly?

[Interviewer]

Did it sink in? Because you really had no reaction at all to it.

[Advertiser 2]

I was devastated.

[Barbara Nelson]

What would be wonderful would be to have Gary Lighterman actually say, I did it. And as long as he doesn't say that, there'll always be this just nagging doubt about what really happened.

[Detective Donald Bennett]

Mr. Lighterman, you have been convicted of first degree murders. Anything you'd like to. To say to the court?

[Narrator]

Six weeks later, at his sentencing, Lighterman speaks out in court for the first time. He expresses sympathy for the Mixers.

[Advertiser 2]

It was probably an awful time of their lives back in 1969 to know that they lost her daughter and their sister, and she appeared to be a lovely young lady.

[Narrator]

But he steadfastly denies having anything to do with Jane's murder.

[Advertiser 2]

But I also want to say that I am innocent of this crime.

[Narrator]

Under Michigan law, his sentence is mandatory.

[Detective Donald Bennett]

It is the sentence of the court that you serve the rest of your natural life in the Michigan Department of Corrections without the possibility of parole.

[Narrator]

Even with his fate now sealed, Lighterman still finds it hard to accept the jury's verdict.

[Advertiser 2]

I wish I could say benevolent things about them and about the decision they made, but I simply have to deal with it. I have to deal with it and move on.

[Interviewer]

So have you just accepted it and that's the way it's going to be?

[Advertiser 2]

I haven't accepted it. It's not the way it's going to be.

[Interviewer]

Hopefully you're fighting.

[Advertiser 2]

Yes, we are.

[Narrator]

It will be an uphill battle, but Lighterman's new attorney, Mark Satawa, feels he has a shot.

[Prosecutor Stephen Hiller]

The fact that there is not just.

[Advertiser 2]

Some biological material, but a blood drop from a person who was four years old at the time, I think it calls into question the entire reliability of the testing in this case.

[Narrator]

Prosecutor Stephen Hiller believes justice was served.

[Prosecutor Stephen Hiller]

Gary Lighterman deserves to pay the price for what he's done, and he'll do that.

[Narrator]

After a long journey, Maggie Nelson may have found some peace.

[Interviewer]

Are you still haunted by any of the questions from that night?

[Maggie Nelson]

I think I'm less haunted now.

[Narrator]

Her search for answers has finally brought Jane Mixer home.

[Maggie Nelson]

The horror of Jane's death made her a forgotten person. It was too hard to look at it. And in some strange way, she's come back to life. My family got to to remember how much they loved her, you know?

[Narrator]

Gary Lighterman died in prison in 2019. He was 76 years old.