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History Detective Relates Long-Ago Cases With Tie Of Today

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kcur/local-kcur-904096.mp3

St Joseph, Mo. – A never-reported liaison between Kansas City and St Joseph police more than 30 years ago led to a conviction of a serial rapist, now charged with more rapes in Kansas City. Bernard Jackson was a suspect in at least two rapes of women in the Pony Express City in 1976 and 77. There was no physical evidence to charge him there.

Current St. Joseph Detective Commander Jim Connors tells KCUR Jackson was considered in both cities.

"They didn't really have enough information other than the hunch they had this suspect," he said. "And then they were reading in the papers that Kansas City having a series of rapes going on in which the perpetrator used a pillow case over the victims . And they sounded very similar."

St. Joseph Police sent a fingerprint card of Bernard Jackson to their Kansas City counterparts. It helped convict him in the 1980s. Now Jackson is charged, again, with four Kansas City Waldo district rapes from 1983 and '84.

 

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