Podcast Summary: Cold Case Files – REOPENED: Evidence Kit Chicago

Episode Date: October 30, 2025
Host: Brooke Giddings (A&E / PodcastOne)
Featuring: Narrator Bill Curtis, Sherry Mecklenburg, Detective Jeffrey Roberts, Brenda Crawford (Robin Hill’s mother), and survivors/victims.

Episode Overview

This episode delves into the story of Robin Hill, a Chicago teenager whose 1998 sexual assault case languished unsolved for years due to a backlog of untested rape evidence kits. The episode explores the devastating impacts of delayed justice, the community-driven Women’s DNA Initiative that broke the logjam, and how breakthroughs in DNA technology finally brought a dangerous serial rapist to justice—though not in time to bring closure for all his victims.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Reality of Evidence Kits and Backlogs

• Graphic but vital context (00:19–01:46): The host outlines the extremely invasive process of a forensic sexual assault exam, underscoring the trauma victims face and their expectation of justice.

  • Notable quote:

    "Women undergo rape kit exams because they want their rapist to be caught, which makes the fact that there are at least 200,000 untested rape kits in the United States… so infuriating." (01:36, Brooke Giddings)

• The scale of the problem:

  • In Chicago alone, a backlog of 1,200 untested kits was cited (05:34, Sherry Mecklenburg).

Robin Hill’s Assault and the Immediate Aftermath

• Robin’s story (02:49–04:46):

  • Robin Hill, age 14, was raped on her way home, and her mother, Brenda Crawford, recalls both the traumatic discovery and the devastating after-effects on Robin.
  • Brenda Crawford:

    "She didn't want to go back to school no more... She didn't want to do nothing. She didn't even want to wear dresses." (04:37)

• Case stagnates: With no suspects, Robin’s kit sits untested for six years amid the worsening backlog.

Initiating Change: The Women’s DNA Initiative (WDNA)

• Formation and mission (05:44–06:54):

  • Sherry Mecklenburg spearheaded WDNA, a private effort to fund DNA testing where the city lacked resources.
  • Sherry Mecklenburg:

    "It wasn't a question of technology. It was totally a question of funding... Let's step up and just get it done." (05:44)

  • Kits nearing Illinois’ 10-year statute of limitations were prioritized.

• Triage process:

  • Kits with clear evidentiary value (e.g., containing semen) were tested first.
  • Robin’s case is among the initial 50 sent for private testing (07:13).

DNA Testing, Breakthrough, and Pattern of Crimes

• CODIS match and suspect revealed (07:13–08:06):

  • After six years, DNA from Robin’s kit leads police to Wayne Willis, whose DNA also connects him to at least three other unsolved Chicago rapes.
  • Detective Jeffrey Roberts:

    "Once his DNA profile got put into the code, his DNA database, he kind of went off like a pinball machine." (08:06)

• Willis: A serial predator

  • Willis was a fugitive, having evaded separate charges in North Carolina by leaving the state (08:30).

Locating Victims and Building the Case

• Reaching victims:

  • Detectives face the challenge of convincing survivors to revisit trauma and testify (10:25–11:10).
  • Detective Jeffrey Roberts:

    "To walk up, once you located them... and say, we need your help. We got this bad guy. Let me revisit and take you back to a dark place you don't want to go." (10:42)

  • Brenda Crawford:

    "They're scared that he might get off, come back after her, and kill him." (11:10)

• Robin’s courage:

  • Robin is initially hesitant, fearing the emotional toll of testifying—her mother gently encourages her toward justice (12:04–12:22).

More Victims and the Pattern Emerges

• Kenya Harvey’s account (16:46–18:04):

  • Kenya, another survivor, describes her 1999 attack by Willis; he is arrested but skips town before trial, remaining free to offend again.

• Willis’ methodology:

  • Detectives identify his patterns—targeting teenage girls, stalking and isolating them before assault (15:30).

• Underreporting acknowledged:

  • Both police and victims’ families suspect Willis’ actual number of victims is much higher (12:55–13:03).

The Importance of Testing Kits

• WDNA’s ongoing mission (19:03–19:36):
  • WDNA is highlighted as a template for community-driven efforts to address systemic problems in criminal justice.
  • Sherry Mecklenburg:

    "If we test these kits... we can solve old rapes, give the victims some closure... And because you can see, these are serial rapists... we can catch them before they have seven victims." (19:55)

Confession and Closure—At a Cost

• Interrogation and confession (20:24–23:00):

  • Police confront Willis, who at first refuses to confess but ultimately breaks down and admits to multiple assaults, providing chilling details of his process.
  • Detective Jeffrey Roberts:

    "When she started crying, which kind of took me by surprise a little bit, because I really didn't expect that emotion to come from him..." (21:26)

  • Willis estimates there were 19 completed sexual assaults and attempted another 17–20 (26:23).

• Victim testimony crucial:

  • The prosecution’s case hinges on the survivor, Robin Hill’s, willingness to testify.

Tragic Turn and Justice Delivered

• Robin’s fate:

  • Six weeks before Willis’s trial for Robin’s assault, she is killed in a car accident (28:19).
  • Detective Jeffrey Roberts:

    "I just got stunned because I really wanted her case to move forward. I wanted her to have a chance to have some type of closure." (28:27)

  • Brenda Crawford:

    "When she died, she was still coping with it. She would never get that out of her mind." (28:36)

• Trial and sentencing (29:00–29:28):

  • Prosecutors move forward with another survivor’s case.
  • Wayne Willis is convicted and sentenced to 33 years in prison, with more cases pending.
  • Detective Jeffrey Roberts:

    "I take my hat off to these young women. Took a lot of courage to be able to come forward after all them years and still try to get justice for what happened to him." (29:16)

• Reflections on public-private partnerships:

  • Sherry Mecklenburg:

    "I think what we showed is that we can work together to solve this, and what it really means is that these problems are not insurmountable." (30:14)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If we test these kits… we can catch them before they have seven victims.”
  —Sherry Mecklenburg, 19:55

• "He would still be out there, and he would still be walking our streets stalking these women and young girls."
  —Detective Jeffrey Roberts, 23:10

• "When she died, she was still coping with it. She would never get that out of her mind."
  —Brenda Crawford, 28:36

• "I want him to get some years. I want him to hurt like my daughter hurt and like all these other girls has hurt."
  —Brenda Crawford, 28:51

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment / Topic | |---------------|------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:19–01:46 | The process and impact of sexual assault forensic exams | | 02:49–04:46 | Robin Hill’s assault and immediate aftermath | | 05:34–06:54 | Funding issues and formation of Women’s DNA Initiative (WDNA) | | 07:13–08:06 | DNA breakthrough and identification of Wayne Willis | | 10:25–11:10 | The challenge of getting victims to prosecute | | 11:34–12:22 | Robin Hill’s initial reluctance and resolve | | 15:16–15:49 | Description of suspect’s methods and victim’s experience | | 16:46–18:04 | Kenya Harvey’s testimony and Willis’s escape | | 19:03–19:55 | WDNA’s ongoing mission and statistics on serial rapists | | 20:24–23:00 | Interrogation and confession of Wayne Willis | | 28:19–28:36 | Robin Hill’s tragic death before trial | | 29:16–29:28 | Willis’s conviction and survivor courage | | 30:14–30:38 | Sherry Mecklenburg on solving unsolvable problems |

Episode Tone and Style

The episode employs a frank, empathetic, and serious tone. Survivors’ voices are given prominence and dignity, while the systemic failures—along with grassroots efforts to fix them—are discussed in clear, impassioned terms. The narration by Bill Curtis adds gravitas, with Detective Roberts and Sherry Mecklenburg offering both chilling details and hope for the power of community action.

Takeaways for New Listeners

• The episode is both a harrowing and hopeful exploration of how untested rape kits can delay and deny justice—but also how determined individuals can change the system.
• It personalizes the impact of delayed justice through Robin Hill’s life and untimely death.
• It illustrates how collecting DNA evidence is not enough—testing, funding, and community action are vital.
• The story reveals both the trauma suffered by victims and the persistence of advocates fighting for justice.

For more information or support on these topics, visit A&E’s Real Crime Blog or seek out local survivor advocacy organizations.