Davis known for taking on big cases
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By Ann McGlynn | Thursday, August 02, 2007 |
He offered a handkerchief to Greg Tetter after the man tearfully described the discovery of his stepdaughter, Jennifer Crompton, bloody and dead in the teenage girl’s home.
He hauled the back end of a 1983 Peugeot into a courtroom as evidence for the case in which Stanley Liggins was first convicted of killing 9-year-old Jennifer Lewis.
And he took a chiropractor named James Klindt to trial for murdering his wife and cutting her body in pieces with a chain saw. The case is considered groundbreaking for using a precursor of DNA evidence to identify a piece of Joyce Klindt’s body.
“Everybody talks about a case like this, but no one does it,” Bill Davis said in a Keokuk, Iowa, hotel room while going over testimony with a witness in Klindt’s first trial during August 1984. “Nobody’s had as little to go on as we’ve had.”
The cases prosecuted by Davis throughout his three-decade career as Scott County attorney have been some of the most brutal, most publicized crimes in recent Quad-City history.
The drive-by shooting deaths of Vincelina Howard and Deanna Shipp. The murder of Michelle Jensen by six teenagers. The plea deal with Sherman White, who was convicted in the 1972 Shamrock Tavern murders but had his conviction overturned by a federal court during 1999.
The beginning of Davis’ 29-year career as the county prosecutor began with an acquittal and ended in a mistrial.
The first big case Davis tried after winning elected office in 1978, according to Quad-City Times archives, was that of Dwight Heninger, charged in the shooting death of William Saloky Jr., a Palmer College of Chiropractic student. Heninger was acquitted.
Davis’ last big case, the second-degree murder prosecution of Megan Price, ended in a mistrial during June. Her second trial begins Monday. Mike Walton, who is set to be appointed as county attorney, will be presenting the case in district court.
“He was never afraid to take on a tough case,” Walton said of his former boss. “He took on Klindt, which was very difficult and unpopular at the time.
“The same goes with Stanley Liggins. There are many prosecutors who would have said there is not sufficient evidence. There is a lot of risk in taking on tough cases. Bill’s never shirked from taking on tough prosecutions.”
Pending cases
When former Scott County Attorney Bill Davis left office in mid-July, he was handling 17 pending cases, in addition to investigation and administrative matters, said Mike Walton, the acting county attorney.
The 17 pending cases include those of:
Megan Price — She is accused of second-degree murder in the stabbing of her boyfriend. Her first trial ended with a hung jury in June. Her second trial is set to start Monday. Walton will present the case.
Jack Morgan — The Eldridge, Iowa, man is accused of stalking in connection with a series of incidents involving his soon-to-be ex-wife.
Jeri Moore — The former McCausland, Iowa, city treasurer has pleaded not guilty to first-degree theft. She is accused of stealing $187,539.85 from the municipality over an eight-year period.
Emil Kramer — The Augustana College professor was arrested on drug charges after police were called to his home on a report of a burglary. Officers said they found several pipes and glass bongs and seven marijuana plants in various stages of growth. Kramer has since pleaded guilty to one count and is set for sentencing Aug. 23.
Brett Housley, Patrick Hughes and Miso Dujakovic — The three are charged in connection with a beating that left a 21-year-old woman in a drug-induced coma and two men injured. The injuries stem from a fight that began in Rock Island and ended at the Ground Transportation Center in Davenport.
Stanley Liggins — The convicted murderer of a 9-year-old Jennifer Lewis was the defendant in one of the most well-known cases of Davis’ career. Liggins filed the latest in a string of requests for a new trial earlier this year.
Glendale More — More was convicted of murdering Wauneita Townsend. She was shot, left in her car in a Davenport car dealership parking lot and set on fire in 1983. He is asking for a new trial.
Keith Brown and John Pardee — The two were convicted in connection with the 1999 shooting death of Virgil Engelkens. They also are seeking new trials.
Ann McGlynn can be contacted at
(563) 383-2336 or amcglynn@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.
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