Pathologist disputes injury
A forensic pathologist said a crescent-shaped wound on Virginia Johannessen's forehead was caused by a bullet, not a roofer's hatchet as prosecutors and witnesses have maintained.
"There is no point on this wound that would match with this instrument," testified Malcolm Goodwin Jr. Tuesday during the re-trial of Edward Tenney for the 75-year-old woman's murder in January 1993.
Tenney was first convicted of murdering Johannessen in 1998 and sentenced to death. The Illinois Supreme Court in 2002 overturned the verdict and ordered a new trial.
Tenney, 48, is serving a life sentence for killing dairy heiress Mary Jill Obeweis in October 1993.
Prosecutors have argued Tenney and his cousin, Donald Lippert, robbed Johannessen and that Tenney shot the woman in the back of the head and later hit her on the forehead with the hatchet. Authorities also said they recovered jewelry and the woman's high school class ring from a storage locker shared by Tenney, his cousins and uncle.
Aurora defense attorney Herb Hill has argued there is no physical evidence to place Tenney at the scene.
Goodwin said he found dirt but no blood on the hatchet's round head after examining it in 2006. He believes the wound on Johannessen's forehead was caused by the bullet striking her forehead from the inside. He also noted the rough edge of the roofer's hatchet -- which has a circular head on one side and an axlike blade on the other -- would have resulted in more abrasions if used.
Kane County State's Attorney John Barsanti noted Goodwin did not attend the autopsy 14 years ago and the decomposition of the body could have affected the wound's appearance. Barsanti also said Goodwin was being paid for his opinion.
Hill objected, but Judge Donald Hudson overruled him. "Whether or not the witness is being compensated is always relevant," the judge said.
The state Supreme Court ruled Tenney did not receive a fair trial for Johannessen's murder because incriminating statements from Lionel Lane, who was convicted of the crime in 1995, were not heard by a jury. The verdict against Lane was vacated after Tenney was charged.
Hill has suggested Lane and others were responsible for Johannessen's murder.
Closing arguments are expected today.
On Monday, prosecutors played a seven-minute portion of an audio tape made after Lippert's initial arrest in May 1995. On it, Lippert told authorities that he saw Tenney shoot Johannessen while Lippert was standing watch outside the home. Tenney also threatened to kill Lippert if he told anyone of the murder, Lippert said on the tape.
Lippert received a reduced sentence of 80 years in exchange for testifying against his cousin in the cases of Oberweis and Johannessen. The tape -- recorded before his deal was reached -- was needed after Lippert spent two unproductive days on the witness stand. Lippert frequently said he "couldn't recall" events from January 1993 or his testimony in 1998 and at one point even said he shot Johannessen.
Tenney also is accused of killing and robbing Jerry D. Weber, a 24-year-old father of two, in April 1993 after his van broke down in a field. DuPage County prosecutors have yet to try that case.