Timeline of the Masters case

Rocky Mountain News

Friday, January 18, 2008

Case file

The crime: Peggy Hettrick, above, is murdered Feb. 11, 1987.

The suspect: Tim Masters, 15, who lived next to the field where Hettrick’s body was found.

The delay: Police interrogate Masters for hours but do not believe they have enough evidence to arrest him.

The near arrest: Fort Collins police travel to Philadelphia in 1992 to arrest Masters, but after questioning him realize there are problems with the case.

The break: A forensic psychologist brought into the case in the mid-1990s examines scores of drawings and writings produced by Masters and concludes he killed Hettrick.

The trial: Police arrest Masters in 1998. A jury convicts him in 1999.

The appeals: Colorado Court of Appeals and the Colorado Supreme Court uphold Masters’ conviction.

The problems: Investigators have no DNA, fingerprints, fibers or other physical evidence linking Masters to Hettrick’s death. The murder weapon was never found.

The proceedings: Masters’ attorneys allege that investigators ignored an alternative suspect and withheld information that would have helped prove his innocence.

The tests: Both the defense and prosecutors have recently complete tests showing DNA on Hettrick’s clothing that not match Masters.