May 2, 1987: Police study new evidence in serial killings

Angela Green had no alcohol in her bloodstream when she was killed, evidence that is forcing Minneapolis police to broaden the scope of their investigation as they search for a serial killer.

Police had been focusing on what they believed to be a common link in the killings of three Indian women, that all had been drinking in Franklin Av. bars before their deaths.

But the new evidence, disclosed Friday, "raises a new specter" in the probe, which has detectives working around the clock, said Police Capt. Jack McCarthy.

Police still were unclear about Green's whereabouts after she left her Park Av. S. apartment late Tuesday. Her body was discovered Wednesday more than 10 blocks away, near railroad tracks at Park Av. near 29th St. The distance from her apartment - Green did not own a car and frequently walked wherever she went - and the steep grade of the area where her body was found have continued to puzzle investigators. Police say they believe that she was beaten and sexually assaulted where her body was found.

"How did she get there? No one has been able to tell," McCarthy said. Investigators believe that Green had been dead several hours when she was found about 1 p.m. Wednesday.

The Franklin Av. area was a frenzy of activity last night, with groups from the Guardian Angels and the American Indian Movement patrolling the streets. The Guardian Angels were distributing leaflets saying, "Beware Woman Killer: I Hope The Minneapolis Police Department Gets You Before We Do."

Police emphasized that they have no solid suspects, but members of Green's family have said that they suspect a Minneapolis man who allegedly raped the 21-year-old single mother last November.

The Hennepin County medical examiner ruled that Green died from a blow to the head and injuries to her pelvis and abdomen.

The body of Angeline Whitebird-Sweet, 26, the second victim, was found April 12 in a park area near Franklin and Bloomington Avs. She had been sexually assaulted and severely beaten, and died of asphyxiation.

The body of Kathleen Bullman, the first victim, was found beaten and mutilated next to abandoned railroad tracks last July at N. 11th and Holden Sts. Most of her clothes had been removed and a 3-foot pipe lay across her throat. Bullman, 19, died of strangulation, perhaps during a sexual assault.

Late yesterday, the FBI was completing the preliminary stages of a psychological profile of the killer, based on similarities in the killings, the crime scenes and laboratory tests on the victims. McCarthy said that the profile will help, but that police will not use it as the sole basis for pursuing a suspect.

"If we have a major suspect who doesn't fit the profile, we're not going to turn him loose," McCarthy said.

"The crimes that have been committed and the factors that drive the person to do it will not be quickly influenced by the media stories," Lutz said.

The killings have provoked anger in the Indian community amid allegations that police have not been aggressive in investigating crimes against Indians. But police officials, including Police Chief
Tony Bouza, said they have been quick to investigate crimes in the Indian community.

Yesterday, as public concern continued, a meeting at the Native American Center was attended by Mayor Don Fraser, Bouza, Curtis Sliwa, head of the Guardian Angels, members of the American Indian Movement and numerous Indian leaders.