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Statute of limitations needs to be reexamined.

Jack Fabulous

Jack Fabulous

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Danny Heinrich.

danny-james-heinrich.jpg

This man, as part of a plea deal, will not face state murder charges for the 1989 kidnapping, rape, and murder of Jacob Wetterling. A crime that he just described the details of, literally an hour ago, in open court.

Heinrich confesses to abducting, killing Jacob Wetterling that day - StarTribune.com

In exchange for his confession and agreement to a plea deal involving child pornography charges against him, however, Danny James Heinrich, 53, will not be prosecuted for Jacob's murder.

"State officials have agreed that there will be no state prosecution for the crimes committed in 1989," U.S. District Judge John Tunheim said Tuesday before a packed federal courtroom in Minneapolis.
Click to expand...

In October of 2015 Heinrich was arrested at his home in Annandale Minnesota on child pornography charges. That investigation yielded DNA evidence which directly tied him to an unsolved kidnapping and sexual assault case which occurred in Cold Spring Minnesota about 9 months before the Wetterling abduction.



Because of the similarities of the two crimes investigators always believed that the same person was responsible for both. It was the evidence tying Heinrich to the Cold Spring case which led to him be classified as a "person of interest" in the Wetterling case shortly after his arrest on child pornography charges in 2015. The statute of limitations has expired on the Cold Spring case, however, so Heinrich won't be charged with that crime, either. He also won't be charged with the numerous unsolved sexual assaults in Paynesville Minnesota which it is now widely believed he committed in 1986 and 1987.

So to sum up...

-the guy gets arrested and charged with child pornography

-evidence gathered in the child pornography case directly links him to the unsolved Cold Spring kidnapping and sexual assault case from 1989.

-he cannot be charged for the Cold Spring kidnapping and assault because the statute of limitations has expired.

-because authorities now have proof that he committed the crimes in Cold Spring, they also know that he kidnapped and murdered Jacob Wetterling

-he won't be charged for the murder of Jacob Wetterling because he struck a plea deal in which the state agreed to not pursue murder charges if he led them to the body and confessed to the crime.


The point I highlighted is a travesty. If there were no statute of limitations on sexual assault, this monster would have faced charges for the Cold Spring kidnapping and sexual assault and as a result, may have caved in and confessed to the Wetterling murder, anyway. Because of the statute of limitations the state lost a great deal of leverage and it is possible that this absolute evil ****ing monster will yet taste freedom before he dies.

Why oh why oh why is there a statute of limitations on violent crime? Especially violent crimes against children?
 
Jack Fabulous said:
Danny Heinrich.

View attachment 67206900

This man, as part of a plea deal, will not face state murder charges for the 1989 kidnapping, rape, and murder of Jacob Wetterling. A crime that he just described the details of, literally an hour ago, in open court.

Heinrich confesses to abducting, killing Jacob Wetterling that day - StarTribune.com



In October of 2015 Heinrich was arrested at his home in Annandale Minnesota on child pornography charges. That investigation yielded DNA evidence which directly tied him to an unsolved kidnapping and sexual assault case which occurred in Cold Spring Minnesota about 9 months before the Wetterling abduction.



Because of the similarities of the two crimes investigators always believed that the same person was responsible for both. It was the evidence tying Heinrich to the Cold Spring case which led to him be classified as a "person of interest" in the Wetterling case shortly after his arrest on child pornography charges in 2015. The statute of limitations has expired on the Cold Spring case, however, so Heinrich won't be charged with that crime, either. He also won't be charged with the numerous unsolved sexual assaults in Paynesville Minnesota which it is now widely believed he committed in 1986 and 1987.

So to sum up...

-the guy gets arrested and charged with child pornography

-evidence gathered in the child pornography case directly links him to the unsolved Cold Spring kidnapping and sexual assault case from 1989.

-he cannot be charged for the Cold Spring kidnapping and assault because the statute of limitations has expired.

-because authorities now have proof that he committed the crimes in Cold Spring, they also know that he kidnapped and murdered Jacob Wetterling

-he won't be charged for the murder of Jacob Wetterling because he struck a plea deal in which the state agreed to not pursue murder charges if he led them to the body and confessed to the crime.


The point I highlighted is a travesty. If there were no statute of limitations on sexual assault, this monster would have faced charges for the Cold Spring kidnapping and sexual assault and as a result, may have caved in and confessed to the Wetterling murder, anyway. Because of the statute of limitations the state lost a great deal of leverage and it is possible that this absolute evil ****ing monster will yet taste freedom before he dies.

Why oh why oh why is there a statute of limitations on violent crime? Especially violent crimes against children?
Click to expand...


I fully agree with you.
 
chuckiechan said:
I didn't think there was a statute of limitations of murder.
Click to expand...
There isn't for murder.

The state basically had no leverage to use against Heinrich because they could not prosecute him for the crimes in Cold Spring. The key to this whole Wetterling mystery unraveling was finding out that Heinrich was guilty of the Cold Spring rape and kidnapping but because the statute of limitations does exist for rape they could not use it as leverage.
 
Jack Fabulous said:
Danny Heinrich.

View attachment 67206900

This man, as part of a plea deal, will not face state murder charges for the 1989 kidnapping, rape, and murder of Jacob Wetterling. A crime that he just described the details of, literally an hour ago, in open court.

Heinrich confesses to abducting, killing Jacob Wetterling that day - StarTribune.com



In October of 2015 Heinrich was arrested at his home in Annandale Minnesota on child pornography charges. That investigation yielded DNA evidence which directly tied him to an unsolved kidnapping and sexual assault case which occurred in Cold Spring Minnesota about 9 months before the Wetterling abduction.



Because of the similarities of the two crimes investigators always believed that the same person was responsible for both. It was the evidence tying Heinrich to the Cold Spring case which led to him be classified as a "person of interest" in the Wetterling case shortly after his arrest on child pornography charges in 2015. The statute of limitations has expired on the Cold Spring case, however, so Heinrich won't be charged with that crime, either. He also won't be charged with the numerous unsolved sexual assaults in Paynesville Minnesota which it is now widely believed he committed in 1986 and 1987.

So to sum up...

-the guy gets arrested and charged with child pornography

-evidence gathered in the child pornography case directly links him to the unsolved Cold Spring kidnapping and sexual assault case from 1989.

-he cannot be charged for the Cold Spring kidnapping and assault because the statute of limitations has expired.

-because authorities now have proof that he committed the crimes in Cold Spring, they also know that he kidnapped and murdered Jacob Wetterling

-he won't be charged for the murder of Jacob Wetterling because he struck a plea deal in which the state agreed to not pursue murder charges if he led them to the body and confessed to the crime.


The point I highlighted is a travesty. If there were no statute of limitations on sexual assault, this monster would have faced charges for the Cold Spring kidnapping and sexual assault and as a result, may have caved in and confessed to the Wetterling murder, anyway. Because of the statute of limitations the state lost a great deal of leverage and it is possible that this absolute evil ****ing monster will yet taste freedom before he dies.

Why oh why oh why is there a statute of limitations on violent crime? Especially violent crimes against children?
Click to expand...


Clearly the family was consulted and their wishes were granted. They wanted answers. They got them. And they were able to bring their little boy home. The saddest article I've ever read, by the way.

The state is asking for the maximum...twenty years. If he isn't so sentenced, I hope they remove the judge from the bench. If law enforcement and/or family attends his parole hearings, I think it's doubtful he'll ever be a free man again . . . Assuming he lasts in the general prison population until his first parole hearing - which I kind of doubt.

I think we underestimate the need for details and closure and being able to bury a child abducted and murdered. The details, yes, gruesome, may have brought his parents some small bit of peace just in knowing he wasn't tortured.

Oh, God...
 
Jack Fabulous said:
Danny Heinrich.

This man, as part of a plea deal, will not face state murder charges for the 1989 kidnapping, rape, and murder of Jacob Wetterling. A crime that he just described the details of, literally an hour ago, in open court.

In October of 2015 Heinrich was arrested at his home in Annandale Minnesota on child pornography charges. That investigation yielded DNA evidence which directly tied him to an unsolved kidnapping and sexual assault case which occurred in Cold Spring Minnesota about 9 months before the Wetterling abduction.

Because of the similarities of the two crimes investigators always believed that the same person was responsible for both. It was the evidence tying Heinrich to the Cold Spring case which led to him be classified as a "person of interest" in the Wetterling case shortly after his arrest on child pornography charges in 2015. The statute of limitations has expired on the Cold Spring case, however, so Heinrich won't be charged with that crime, either. He also won't be charged with the numerous unsolved sexual assaults in Paynesville Minnesota which it is now widely believed he committed in 1986 and 1987.

So to sum up...

-the guy gets arrested and charged with child pornography

-evidence gathered in the child pornography case directly links him to the unsolved Cold Spring kidnapping and sexual assault case from 1989.

-he cannot be charged for the Cold Spring kidnapping and assault because the statute of limitations has expired.

-because authorities now have proof that he committed the crimes in Cold Spring, they also know that he kidnapped and murdered Jacob Wetterling

-he won't be charged for the murder of Jacob Wetterling because he struck a plea deal in which the state agreed to not pursue murder charges if he led them to the body and confessed to the crime.


The point I highlighted is a travesty. If there were no statute of limitations on sexual assault, this monster would have faced charges for the Cold Spring kidnapping and sexual assault and as a result, may have caved in and confessed to the Wetterling murder, anyway. Because of the statute of limitations the state lost a great deal of leverage and it is possible that this absolute evil ****ing monster will yet taste freedom before he dies.

Why oh why oh why is there a statute of limitations on violent crime? Especially violent crimes against children?
Click to expand...

Wow.

I agree with you. And I think it would be simple to keep this tight, so that it doesn't defeat the purpose of the statute.

A big part of the reason the statue was implemented was because of how he-said, she-said evidence can be years after a crime. But that's not always the case anymore.

For these sorts of heinous crimes -- murder, rape, child molestation -- if there is very strong evidence, such as DNA or a detailed confession, and in this case we have both, the statute could be waived. This is a perfect case to try to take this to higher court with. This is a perfect example of why law needs to be nuanced.

How ****ing unthinkable that this man could just wind up back on the streets again before his life is done.
 
MaggieD said:
Clearly the family was consulted and their wishes were granted. They wanted answers. They got them. And they were able to bring their little boy home. The saddest article I've ever read, by the way.

The state is asking for the maximum...twenty years. If he isn't so sentenced, I hope they remove the judge from the bench. If law enforcement and/or family attends his parole hearings, I think it's doubtful he'll ever be a free man again . . . Assuming he lasts in the general prison population until his first parole hearing - which I kind of doubt.

I think we underestimate the need for details and closure and being able to bury a child abducted and murdered. The details, yes, gruesome, may have brought his parents some small bit of peace just in knowing he wasn't tortured.

Oh, God...
Click to expand...
I read that the family would have had to agree to the plea deal so I am sure that you are correct. In their place I would have probably done the same thing. The chance to finally know what happened to your child would overpower everything else, I imagine.

The part of the plea deal that is upsetting is the fact that, because the statute of limitations had expired for the Cold Spring case, the state basically had no leverage and this deal was all they could get. I can't understand why there is a statute of limitations for a crime involving the kidnapping and rape of a child. It makes no sense.
 
NO! There are a lot of good reasons to keep statutes of limitations. These include:

The purpose and effect of statutes of limitations are to protect defendants. There are three reasons for their existence:

A plaintiff with a valid cause of action should pursue it with reasonable diligence.

A defendant might have lost evidence to disprove a stale claim.

A long-dormant claim has "more cruelty than justice."
Click to expand...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statute_of_limitations

People's memories not only erode with time, they are modified by all sorts of subsequent experiences.

Evidence also erodes with time, or can be corrupted in various ways.

If a person truly believes that they have been harmed, then it is their responsibility to take action immediately to prevent miscarriages of justice. Strike while the iron is hot.

Under our Constitution a defendant has a right to a fair and speedy trial. It is neither fair, nor speedy if a charge can wait for decades and still have valid legal standing when the evidence and witnesses are stale or non-existent.
 
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Jack Fabulous said:
Why oh why oh why is there a statute of limitations on violent crime? Especially violent crimes against children?
Click to expand...

There is no statute of limitations on murder. He must have made a deal to get him out by confessing so that they could solve the crime, or soemthing.
 
Bodhisattva said:
There is no statute of limitations on murder. He must have made a deal to get him out by confessing so that they could solve the crime, or soemthing.
Click to expand...
They had his DNA linking him to the Cold Spring assault. This was the key to unraveling the Wetterling crime. Investigators knew that it was the same person responsible for both. Once they knew he was guilty of the Cold Spring crime, they leaned on him to confess for the Jacob Wetterling murder. They were forced to agree to not prosecute him for Wetterling's murder in exchange for him leading him to the body and confessing to what happened. The Wetterling family agreed to this deal in order to finally know, after 27 years, what happened to their son.

My beef is with the fact that he can''t be prosecuted for the Cold Spring rape. If he could have been, the state would have had much more leverage and likely would have not had to make this deal in order to give the Wetterling family closure.

This is an awful ending to an even more awful story.
 
Captain Adverse said:
NO! There are a lot of good reasons to keep statutes of limitations. These include:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statute_of_limitations

People's memories not only erode with time, they are modified by all sorts of subsequent experiences.

Evidence also erodes with time, or can be corrupted in various ways.

If a person truly believes that they have been harmed, then it is their responsibility to take action immediately to prevent miscarriages of justice. Strike while the iron is hot.
Under our Constitution a defendant has a right to a fair and speedy trial. It is neither fair, nor speedy if a charge can wait for decades and still have valid legal standing when the evidence and witnesses are stale or non-existent.
Click to expand...
Interesting.

So you're saying that the 12 year old boy who was raped at gunpoint in Cold Spring, Minnesota didn't "strike while the iron was hot"?

Evidence fo rthis crime didn't surface until 2015... and it IS real, damning, DNA evidence which was the key to unraveling this whole mystery. But, ya know... the iron had cooled down and stuff so, no biggie.:roll:
 
Get over it. It's a shame the murderer of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldberg was never caught, isn't it? The system isn't perfect but the original post was about the statute of limitations. When it was pointed out that there are no statutes of limitation on murder than should have ended the whining but it didn't.

The statute of limitations has been changed on many crimes of violence so that people can be charged many years after the alleged crime. When you're arrested and charged for a rape from fifteen years ago, how in the hell to you defend yourself?
 
Patrickt said:
Get over it. It's a shame the murderer of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldberg was never caught, isn't it? The system isn't perfect but the original post was about the statute of limitations. When it was pointed out that there are no statutes of limitation on murder than should have ended the whining but it didn't.

The statute of limitations has been changed on many crimes of violence so that people can be charged many years after the alleged crime. When you're arrested and charged for a rape from fifteen years ago, how in the hell to you defend yourself?
Click to expand...
Have you ever pondered the question of why there is no statute of limitations on murder?
 
Jack Fabulous said:
Why oh why oh why is there a statute of limitations on violent crime? Especially violent crimes against children?
Click to expand...
Let's be clear about something.

There is no statute of limitations on kidnappings, and most sexual assaults, in Minnesota.

Current Limitations Periods | Minnesota Criminal Statutes of Limitations - JUX Law Firm / Minneapolis, MN

The statute of limitations only ran out on one charge: sex offenses against a minor when DNA evidence is not present.

The other charges were dropped as part of a plea deal. Heinrich confessed, provided the location of the body, gave up his right to appeal, gets the maximum 20 years, no chance for parole. Once his prison sentence is completed, he is almost certainly going to spend the rest of his life in a mental hospital after that.

I gotta say, that does not sound like an unjust outcome.
 
Jack Fabulous said:
Danny Heinrich.

View attachment 67206900

This man, as part of a plea deal, will not face state murder charges for the 1989 kidnapping, rape, and murder of Jacob Wetterling. A crime that he just described the details of, literally an hour ago, in open court.

Heinrich confesses to abducting, killing Jacob Wetterling that day - StarTribune.com



In October of 2015 Heinrich was arrested at his home in Annandale Minnesota on child pornography charges. That investigation yielded DNA evidence which directly tied him to an unsolved kidnapping and sexual assault case which occurred in Cold Spring Minnesota about 9 months before the Wetterling abduction.



Because of the similarities of the two crimes investigators always believed that the same person was responsible for both. It was the evidence tying Heinrich to the Cold Spring case which led to him be classified as a "person of interest" in the Wetterling case shortly after his arrest on child pornography charges in 2015. The statute of limitations has expired on the Cold Spring case, however, so Heinrich won't be charged with that crime, either. He also won't be charged with the numerous unsolved sexual assaults in Paynesville Minnesota which it is now widely believed he committed in 1986 and 1987.

So to sum up...

-the guy gets arrested and charged with child pornography

-evidence gathered in the child pornography case directly links him to the unsolved Cold Spring kidnapping and sexual assault case from 1989.

-he cannot be charged for the Cold Spring kidnapping and assault because the statute of limitations has expired.

-because authorities now have proof that he committed the crimes in Cold Spring, they also know that he kidnapped and murdered Jacob Wetterling

-he won't be charged for the murder of Jacob Wetterling because he struck a plea deal in which the state agreed to not pursue murder charges if he led them to the body and confessed to the crime.


The point I highlighted is a travesty. If there were no statute of limitations on sexual assault, this monster would have faced charges for the Cold Spring kidnapping and sexual assault and as a result, may have caved in and confessed to the Wetterling murder, anyway. Because of the statute of limitations the state lost a great deal of leverage and it is possible that this absolute evil ****ing monster will yet taste freedom before he dies.

Why oh why oh why is there a statute of limitations on violent crime? Especially violent crimes against children?
Click to expand...


Statute of limitations should be infinite! From jaywalking to trespassing. We need to give police even more power for them to abuse. Because if it's one thing I've learned it's that the government never ever abuses it's power!
 
Visbek said:
Let's be clear about something.

There is no statute of limitations on kidnappings, and most sexual assaults, in Minnesota.

Current Limitations Periods | Minnesota Criminal Statutes of Limitations - JUX Law Firm / Minneapolis, MN
Click to expand...

You are factually incorrect. They could not prosecute Heinrich for the Cold Spring kidnapping and assault because the statute of limitations had lapsed.

http://kstp.com/news/danny-heinrich-jacob-wetterling-confession/4255853/

Heinrich first came to the attention of investigators in 1990. A DNA sample was taken back then, but he was not charged at the time.

Heinrich was named a person of interest in the Wetterling case last October because his DNA taken back in 1990 matched DNA found on evidence obtained in the abduction of Scheierl.
Heinrich couldn’t be charged in that case because the statute of limitations had lapsed, but Heinrich was arrested for possession of child pornography and then subsequently named a person of interest in the Wetterling case
Click to expand...
I live less than 10 miles from where Jacob was abducted and trust me when I tell you that the local news has literally been 24/7 coverage of this event. The point that he could not be prosecuted for the Cold Spring kidnapping and rape of Jarred Scheierl because the statute of limitations had expired is a point that has been gone over and over, emphasized and re-emphasized by virtually everyone interviewed who was involved with this case. Whatever your link says is simply wrong.
 
Jack Fabulous said:
Danny Heinrich.

View attachment 67206900

This man, as part of a plea deal, will not face state murder charges for the 1989 kidnapping, rape, and murder of Jacob Wetterling. A crime that he just described the details of, literally an hour ago, in open court.

Heinrich confesses to abducting, killing Jacob Wetterling that day - StarTribune.com



In October of 2015 Heinrich was arrested at his home in Annandale Minnesota on child pornography charges. That investigation yielded DNA evidence which directly tied him to an unsolved kidnapping and sexual assault case which occurred in Cold Spring Minnesota about 9 months before the Wetterling abduction.



Because of the similarities of the two crimes investigators always believed that the same person was responsible for both. It was the evidence tying Heinrich to the Cold Spring case which led to him be classified as a "person of interest" in the Wetterling case shortly after his arrest on child pornography charges in 2015. The statute of limitations has expired on the Cold Spring case, however, so Heinrich won't be charged with that crime, either. He also won't be charged with the numerous unsolved sexual assaults in Paynesville Minnesota which it is now widely believed he committed in 1986 and 1987.

So to sum up...

-the guy gets arrested and charged with child pornography

-evidence gathered in the child pornography case directly links him to the unsolved Cold Spring kidnapping and sexual assault case from 1989.

-he cannot be charged for the Cold Spring kidnapping and assault because the statute of limitations has expired.

-because authorities now have proof that he committed the crimes in Cold Spring, they also know that he kidnapped and murdered Jacob Wetterling

-he won't be charged for the murder of Jacob Wetterling because he struck a plea deal in which the state agreed to not pursue murder charges if he led them to the body and confessed to the crime.


The point I highlighted is a travesty. If there were no statute of limitations on sexual assault, this monster would have faced charges for the Cold Spring kidnapping and sexual assault and as a result, may have caved in and confessed to the Wetterling murder, anyway. Because of the statute of limitations the state lost a great deal of leverage and it is possible that this absolute evil ****ing monster will yet taste freedom before he dies.

Why oh why oh why is there a statute of limitations on violent crime? Especially violent crimes against children?
Click to expand...


It is not the statute of limitations laws that need to be reexamined. It is the idiot prosecutors that make deals that need to get their heads on straight.

There is no statute of limitations on murder.
 
If he spends the next 20 years in jail, that is essentially the rest of his life so it works out the same.
 
Mason66 said:
It is not the statute of limitations laws that need to be reexamined. It is the idiot prosecutors that make deals that need to get their heads on straight.

There is no statute of limitations on murder.
Click to expand...
I don't blame the prosecutors for making the deal in this case. They made the only deal that it was possible for them to make. The NUMBER ONE priority was to finally find out what happened to Jacob Wetterling. That poor family has had to live with that question for 27 years and deserved to finally have it answered.

I guess you have to live where I live in order to fully understand that. There are just a handful of events that have taken place in my life that contain the kind of "gravity" that never lets you forget where you were and what you were doing when you first heard the news. I'm talking space shuttle disaster, 9-11... things of that magnitude.

If you lived in central Minnesota in October of 1989, the Jacob Wetterling abduction had that kind of gravity. If you lived here right now, the recovery of Jacob's body and the revelations of what happened in October of 1989 holds the same.
 
Jack Fabulous said:
Danny Heinrich.

View attachment 67206900

This man, as part of a plea deal, will not face state murder charges for the 1989 kidnapping, rape, and murder of Jacob Wetterling. A crime that he just described the details of, literally an hour ago, in open court.

Heinrich confesses to abducting, killing Jacob Wetterling that day - StarTribune.com



In October of 2015 Heinrich was arrested at his home in Annandale Minnesota on child pornography charges. That investigation yielded DNA evidence which directly tied him to an unsolved kidnapping and sexual assault case which occurred in Cold Spring Minnesota about 9 months before the Wetterling abduction.



Because of the similarities of the two crimes investigators always believed that the same person was responsible for both. It was the evidence tying Heinrich to the Cold Spring case which led to him be classified as a "person of interest" in the Wetterling case shortly after his arrest on child pornography charges in 2015. The statute of limitations has expired on the Cold Spring case, however, so Heinrich won't be charged with that crime, either. He also won't be charged with the numerous unsolved sexual assaults in Paynesville Minnesota which it is now widely believed he committed in 1986 and 1987.

So to sum up...

-the guy gets arrested and charged with child pornography

-evidence gathered in the child pornography case directly links him to the unsolved Cold Spring kidnapping and sexual assault case from 1989.

-he cannot be charged for the Cold Spring kidnapping and assault because the statute of limitations has expired.

-because authorities now have proof that he committed the crimes in Cold Spring, they also know that he kidnapped and murdered Jacob Wetterling

-he won't be charged for the murder of Jacob Wetterling because he struck a plea deal in which the state agreed to not pursue murder charges if he led them to the body and confessed to the crime.


The point I highlighted is a travesty. If there were no statute of limitations on sexual assault, this monster would have faced charges for the Cold Spring kidnapping and sexual assault and as a result, may have caved in and confessed to the Wetterling murder, anyway. Because of the statute of limitations the state lost a great deal of leverage and it is possible that this absolute evil ****ing monster will yet taste freedom before he dies.

Why oh why oh why is there a statute of limitations on violent crime? Especially violent crimes against children?
Click to expand...


The statute of limitations has nothing to do with this. Did you read the article?


Ed: There is no statute of limitations in Minnesota for sexual assault of someone under 18 provided that evidence has been collected and preserved that can be tested for DNA. Otherwise it's nine years. So there is no issue with the statute of limitations even for the earlier assault.
 
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Gaius46 said:
The statute of limitations has nothing to do with this. Did you read the article?
Click to expand...
The statute of limitations had expired on the Jarred Scheierl case. Heinrich abducted him at gunpoint and raped him in Cold Spring Minnesota 9 months prior to abducting, raping, and murdering Jacob Wetterling. In 2015 investigators were finally able to establish DNA evidence which conclusively proved that Heinrich had raped Jarred Scheierl. By doing so they also knew that they had found Jacob Wetterling's killer.

Read the OP in detail. Watch the video. It's all there.
 
Jack Fabulous said:
The statute of limitations had expired on the Jarred Scheierl case. Heinrich abducted him at gunpoint and raped him in Cold Spring Minnesota 9 months prior to abducting, raping, and murdering Jacob Wetterling. In 2015 investigators were finally able to establish DNA evidence which conclusively proved that Heinrich had raped Jarred Scheierl. By doing so they also knew that they had found Jacob Wetterling's killer.

Read the OP in detail. Watch the video. It's all there.
Click to expand...

In Minnesota there is no statute of limitations on sexual assault for someone under 18 provided there is preserved physical evidence that can be DNA tested. Nor is there a statute of limitations on kidnapping

Here's a link to a Minnesota House document summarizing the statute of limitations laws in the state. What I'm citing is on page 4.

Additionally the article states:

In 2015, using new technology, authorities tested DNA from Scheierl’s sweatshirt and found that it matched Heinrich. That led them to search Heinrich’s house, where they discovered more than 150 graphic images. They arrested him a final time, charging him with 25 counts of child pornography.

Ten days ago, Luger said, Heinrich’s defense team reached out with an offer — a full confession, detailed directions to Jacob’s grave — but only if he wouldn’t be prosecuted for Jacob’s killing, or an earlier assault on Scheierl.

“This was not an opportunity we could pass up,” said Luger, who described a “volatile and unpredictable” Heinrich as someone who might change his mind at any time. “We have to grab the moment.”
Click to expand...



See bolded. Why would Heinrich's lawyer insist he not be charged with Scheierl's assault and kidnapping if the statute of limitations had run out?
 
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