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Nov 12, 2008 10:06 pm US/Central
New Technology May Help Solve Year-Old Murder Case
NORTH RICHLAND HILLS (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
Last December, 68-year-old Marianne Wilkinson was shot to death at her door step after answering a knock at the front door.
CBS 11 has exclusive new information about the mysterious murder of the North Richland Hills woman.
Memories make this time of year a difficult time for her family. Wednesday would have been her 69th birthday.
"First time in my life that I haven't celebrated her birthday with her," said Mike Wilkinson, the victim's son.
November 4th would have been her 47th wedding anniversary. "I think it's very obvious that he misses my mom an awful lot," Wilkinson said.
December 9 will mark one year since the loving grandmother was gunned down in her doorway.
"I would prefer to just sleep the whole day and wake up the next day and have it be over," he said.
North Richland Hills police found the handgun used in the attack, but they haven't found the killer.
"We hope the family is able to find justice," said North Richland Hills Detective Tony Roten. He's hoping a trip to England may make that possible.
He's taking the shell casing from the killer's gun to the North Amptonshire Police Department where a physicist has developed a new procedure to get fingerprints off spent shell casings.
"He heats the shell casings up. Once they're heated up he puts electricity on them," Det. Roten explained.
Then they pour on a powder.
"There's a chemical reaction there to get fingerprints that would have been left on the shell casings before the weapon was fired," he said.
If fingerprints are found, detectives will run them through a national database. They will also compare them to several other people -- including two persons of interest in the case.
"We're very excited about it and very hopeful," said Wilkinson.
He knows his mom will never again be around to celebrate the holidays with her family. But he's hoping by this time next year he'll have a new memory: the date his mother's killer was put behind bars.
"I think it would be the next point where we could seriously move forward," he said.
The victim's family has purchased billboards, announcing a $25,000 reward in the case.
Marianne's husband Don has since sold the home where she was killed. The memories were just too difficult.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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