JACKSON CO.—Why things are moving at a snail’s pace in the investigation into a Carbondale woman’s shooting death is indeed a “mystery,” even if Stan Diggs doesn’t think so.
Molly Marie Young
The case surrounding the death of 21-year-old Molly Young has actually received press here at the Southern Illinoisan more than two months after the SUI-C student was found dead at the apartment of her former boyfriend, Richie Minton, who is a C-dale police dispatcher and relative of a prominent Franklin County police investigator. Those latter two facts are enough for reasonable people to suspect that there’s a bit of heel-dragging and cover-up, and those who suspect such a thing probably aren’t wrong. But ISP investigator Diggs isn’t being really specific about anything emerging from the case that’s helping an uneasy public get over their feelings that there’s something that’s not being told.
The Southern characterized it like this:
…After weeks of investigation a determination on the circumstances of Young’s death may not be far off. Jackson County State’s Attorney Mike Wepsiec said he has reports on the shooting death, but he would not put a timetable on when or if charges would be filed.
“I have received reports from the Illinois State Police, and I am currently reviewing them,” said Wepsiec on Friday. “They are quite voluminous.”
The Southern further pointed out:
It’s unclear if Minton has been interviewed by police. In an April 13 article, state police investigator Lt. Stan Diggs said Minton had spoken to police through his attorney.
Carbondale police got the initial call on the shooting but handed the investigation off to Illinois State Police almost immediately, said Diggs in a previous article.
The call for state police assistance was made at 9:05 a.m. March 24.
Carbondale Police Chief Jody O’Guinn said in a previous article that ISP was asked to assist to erase public doubt about any potential conflict of interest if Carbondale police handled the investigation.
One media outlet reported Minton was given special treatment at the scene by Carbondale police, a charge Diggs denied in the April 13 article.
“Absolutely not the case,” Diggs said. “I know the Carbondale Police Department called and asked us to investigate this before their head investigator arrived on the scene.”
Diggs said what Minton did before Carbondale police officers arrived “is a mystery.”
Hm. So far, we haven’t read any media outlet that said Minton received preferential treatment “at the scene.” However, it has been widely reported that that’s what Molly’s FAMILY and her FRIENDS are indicating occurred in the ensuing days, weeks, and now months since Molly’s death. Very interesting, how that works out, when someone in a position of being supported by the public (Minton) has such a thing said about him, he ensures that this just “didn’t happen.” Regardless of the obvious that tends to indicate otherwise.
We’ll keep watching; you do too. Maybe there’ll be an interesting turn in this case before prosecutor Mike Wepsiec bows out in December.