“He slid toward thekitchen—such a wonderful place for a predator; always a weapon in easyreach. He picked up a knife and weighedits balance in his hand. He headedstraight for the first bedroom door. There, 10-year-old Joel Kirkpatrick dreamed his last dream.”
Fifteen years ago today, Joel Kirkpatrick lost his life in abrutal, senseless act of violence. Joelwas a sensitive, smart, creative boy with a strong moral compass who wanted tobe a professional electronic game tester when he grew up. He astonished teachers with his intellect andkindness. He was loved by family,friends and almost anyone who spent some time with him. He had limitless potential.It was all stolen from him when a predator broke into hishome in the middle of the night and stabbed him to death. No matter how your child dies from illness,accident, suicide or homicide, every mother is stunned, devastated anddistraught.
For Joel’s mother, Julie Rea, however, the living nightmaregrew to even greater proportions when she learned she would not be allowed togrief in peace. From the time she leftthe emergency room after being treated for injuries that could not have beenself-inflicted, she discovered that she was the suspect in the death of herson.
That conclusion was reached by a combination of factorsincluding reports of strangers that were not thoroughly investigated, shoddycrime scene techniques, a bitter ex-husband who insisted she was guilty and aprosecutor whose ambition blinded him to his mission to seek truth and findjustice. Three years after Joel’smurder, Julie was charged with the crime.In the first trial, her court-appointed attorney was clearlyoutmatched in experience with criminal court proceedings. By his own admission, he was in over his head. Julie was convicted and sentenced to 65 yearsin jail.
As a mother, I can barely imagine the pain of knowing mychild was murdered. There is no way Ican accurately conjure up the anguish this additional blow of being foundguilty of that crime and locked behind bars. I cannot not think of any fate more horrendous for any mother.Compound that injustice with the fact that Joel’s killer wasstill free, roaming the countryside, selecting new victims at will. Two years later, Tommy Lynn Sells wasconvicted of a murder in Del Rio, Texas and placed on Death Row.
About a year after he received his sentence, I first metTommy Lynn Sells. Inspired by his lastsurviving victim, ten-year-old Krystal Surles, I interviewed him for my book, Through the Window. In the course of more than twenty interviewsand countless letters, he confessed to me that he had murdered JoelKirkpatrick.
My reporting of that confession in the book was used by theDownstate Illinois Innocence Project to gather corroborating evidence that ultimatelyled to the involvement of the Center on Wrongful Convictions at NorthwesternUniversity. Julie's wrongful conviction was overturned and she got a new trial. I provided an affidavit for that proceeding. The prosecutors stipulated their acceptanceof it and it was presented to the jury. Julie was acquitted. Then, after she went through an arduousprocess, she received vindication: a Certificate of Actual Innocence from theState of Illinois.Still the prosecution would not reopen the case and seekjustice for Joel Kirkpatrick.
Saddest ofall, Julie still cannot wrap her arms around her wonderful son. She can’t tell him she loves him except in a prayer. She can't rejoice in the many milestones that hewould have achieved in his life if he was still with her as a young man of 25.
No amount of justice can ever bring back JoelKirkpatrick. And the world is a sadderplace because he’s not in it.
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