People living in Portsmouth, Virginia, witnessed an incredibly brutal murder in which Meghan Landowski, a woman who was assaulted sexually and then stabbed to death on April 10, 2008. The investigation was conducted by detectives who discovered no evidence of forced entry.
However, there was a clear indication that Meghan was fighting for her life before her death. “Dateline: The Call” tells the story of the murderous crime and follows viewers through the subsequent investigative process that brought the culprit to justice. Let’s look in depth at the incident and learn more about it, will we?
How Did Meghan Landowski Die?
Meghan was just 16 years old aged at the time of her murder. Her friends and family members mentioned that she was an outstanding student. She also deeply loved dancing and was determined to get her feet wet in the area. In addition, her friends have stated that she was able to meet new people quickly and smile at everyone she encountered. A favorite at school and at home as well, her family members struggled to accept her tragic loss of her.
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On April 10 on April 10, 2008, Meghan returned home from work early. She was getting ready to cook a meal for herself. The teenager even emailed her mom and said she was safe. However, the situation soon changed and took a disturbing direction. When Meghan’s stepfather, Chris Shortt, returned home at the end of the day, he was stunned to discover that his daughter was lying on the ground. Chris immediately called 911, and first responders were on the scene to announce Meghan’s death. The victim’s limbs were tied together using tape, while the initial medical exam hinted at the possibility of sexual abuse.
The autopsy revealed it was found that Meghan was stabbed nearly 40 times. It also proved that the murderer was sexually assaulting her. It is interesting to note that there was no evidence of forced entry. However, the detectives did find some of the plants in the outside garden had made it into the house. In addition, when they examined the details of the crime scene, investigators realized just how bravely Meghan was fighting for her life when her attacker took her through various rooms before taking her life.
Who Killed Meghan Landowski?
The police were shocked. The stepfather of Meghan’s daughter immediately expressed his concerns regarding an ex-family member as the person accountable for the crime. The suspect is Robert Hicke, one of Chris his colleagues who established a strong relationship with the victim’s family. However, the show noted that Meghan then claimed that Hicke sexually assaulted her, which led to Chris breaking off all connections with Hicke. In a bizarre twist, according to the show, the investigation into Hicke exposed his illicit storage of child pornography which he was charged with. However, the DNA samples were not the same as those found at the crime scene, suggesting that he had no involvement in the murder.
The DNA sample the police took from the crime scene was found to belong to an African-American. But, the process of investigating the case was stopped entirely as the majority of leads led to dead ends, which put authorities back where they had started. In the six months following the crime, the police received an interesting tip that asked them to look for Robert Barnes, one of Meghan’s classmates at school.
While Barnes admitted to having known Meghan and frequently hung around with her on the weekends, Barnes said there was nothing to do with the killing. Additionally, he was prepared to surrender his DNA sample and did it by giving the authorities the chewing gum he had sucked out. However, to people’s shock, it was discovered that the chewing gum DNA came from a woman, confirming the notion that Barnes was trying to conceal something.
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In no mood to delay, they called the suspect, who was 16 years old, in to be questioned and interrogated him regarding the murder. In the end, Barnes gave in to the police and admitted to sexually assaulting and killing Meghan. While Barnes admitted that a man in a mystery was the one who forced him to commit this act, police were skeptical of his tale and instead arrested Barnes for the offense. After being brought to court, Barnes pled guilty to sexual assault and murder in 2009 and was sentenced to 42 years of prison in the year 2009. Currently, he is imprisoned at the Red Onion State Prison in Wise County, Virginia.
