The Murder of David Dulin

For this case I watched another episode of The Fog of Murder. It’s season 1 episode 3 titled ‘Dying Words.’

A 53 year old man is killed in his home, and his own words on the 911 call help with the investigation.

Background

David Dulin was a 53 year old man from Hurley, Missouri, a small town where everyone knows everyone. David grew up in a larger family, and his siblings Kathleen, Pam and Jim, were interviewed in this episode.

David was described as a free spirit, creative and very intelligent. David’s nickname around town was “the professor,” due to his intelligence. Kathleen said some people might have seen him as crazy, but they just didn’t know his humor or values.

The 911 Call

On November 29, 2006, a 911 call came into the Stone County police. It was David, and he said that two men in their 20-30s had come in and shot him with a .22. David can be heard breathing heavily, but begging for help. The dispatcher keeps telling David to hold on and that first responders are on the way.

David would eventually die in his home. The first responders didn’t arrive until 25 minutes after the call started. They had to clear the scene to make sure the intruders weren’t still inside.

When it was safe to enter, they walked in to a horrific scene. David was found laying in a pool of his own blood. There was blood spatter everywhere, items were in disarray, showing a sign of a struggle. A partial denture was found on the ground. David did have a partial denture, but later in the investigation, it was determined that another denture was found, and actually belonged to the killer.

A List of Suspects

The dispatcher asked David during the 911 call who did this, and David responded “one guy said he was the Eby girl’s boyfriend.” This gave the police a look at who their first suspect or suspects could be.

The Eby family lived near David in Hurley. The Eby girls consisted of Paula and her daughters Christy and Candy. They were well known, and there was a rumor that Paula and David had dated in the past. At the time of David’s death, Paula was dating a man named Mark Meyers. Mark was soon ruled out because David had said that his killers were in their 20-30s, Mark was in his 40’s. Mark and Paula were also questioned, and said they had no knowledge of the crime.

The next suspects were Candy and her husband Tim Seaman. Candy was interviewed by the police, and confronted with what David said on his 911 call. Candy said that she wasn’t involved, her mom wasn’t involved, and she hoped her sister wasn’t involved. The police didn’t get any information from Candy, and it wasn’t clear if they questioned Tim.

There was one last connection to the Eby family, Christy’s boyfriend Leo Connelly. Leo had a minor criminal history for fights and DUIs. Leo’s interview was played in this episode. He was described as nervous, breathing heavily and looking at his watch. Leo told the police that he and Christy watched TV that night, and went to bed. He also said Christy’s half-brother, Zack Stewart stayed the night as well.

A Tip

In March 2007, four months after David was killed, Zack Stewart was now a prime suspect. He was brought in for questioning. Zack was asked what he saw that night. Zack said he didn’t see anything because he didn’t kill anyone. Zack was asked if Leo left the house that night, and Zack said no. Zack said he fell asleep on the couch, and can’t actually say if Leo left at any time.

Alicia Kimberling, Leo’s cousin, asked if she could speak to police. She was facing prison time for an unrelated crime. On March 15, 2007, she was interviewed by police. Alicia said that saw Zack and Leo in a white car on Tin Can Hollow Lane, where David lived. She said that Leo was covered in blood, and Zack had a gun on his lap. Alicia said she later asked Leo if he killed that “old man,” and Leo told her that he handled his business. The police asked Alicia how sure she was about this, and she said “110% sure.”

Zack Stewart and Leo Connelly were charged with murder.

Innocent or Guilty?

After Leo was charged with murder, his dad Paul, said that Leo was innocent. He said the police searched Leo’s home and stripped his car, and didn’t find anything. Paul fought for Leo, and Leo’s charges were eventually dropped. Zack wouldn’t be so lucky.

Another witness came forward, an cellmate of Zack’s, named Victor Parker. Victor said that Zack admitted to the crime, and told him that he used a .22. He also said that Zack said he shot David 2-3 times in the head.

Zack was confronted with this, and Zack said he was innocent. On March 25, 2008, 19 year old Zack went on trial for David’s murder.

They played the 911 call, and David’s family was horrified. David’s clothes and hat were also held up, when suddenly Kathleen realized that David didn’t wear baseball caps. David had a very unique style, and loved to wear fedoras. Kathleen wrote a note, and the trial was stopped. The baseball cap was sent in for testing, and a few days later, the results were in. Zack’s DNA didn’t match the hat and Leo’s DNA didn’t match the hat. There were two unknown male profiles were found inside that hat.

The DNA was a hit to Tim Seaman, Candy’s husband. Since it was only a hit and not a match, the trial couldn’t be overturned. Zack Stewart was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

The Fight of His Life

Everyone was stunned. Steve, Zack’s dad, 100% believe that his son was innocent. He called Paul Connelly, Leo’s dad, and Paul said he’d be happy to help prove Zack’s innocence.

One of the pieces of evidence that didn’t make sense was the dentures. They knew that David only had a partial, but there were several pieces found at the scene. They believed that one of the killers had also lost his dentures in the fight.

A year later, DNA was extracted from the dentures and it was a match to John Mills. John was best friends with Tim Seaman, and they often lived together in John’s trailer.

The police realized they had made a mistake, and they did everything to bring attention to David’s case again. After broadcasting the case on the radio and news, a Supreme Court Justice decided to look at the case. Zack was finally given a new trial. On December 3, 2010, Zack was released and his charges were later dropped before his retrial started that was scheduled for February 2011.

Trial and Convictions

On December 21, 2010, Tim Seaman stood trial for David’s murder.

John Mills agreed to a immunity deal of 7 years to testify against his former friend. John said they went to David’s that night to rob him. They knew he had a lot of valuables, guitars and guns. John said a fight broke out, and David was shot. It was later determined that John was the shooter.

John was sentenced to 7 years, and has been released. Tim Seamann was sentenced to 21 1/2 years in prison.

Other

Zack Stewart eventually committed suicide. His dad Steve said he had PTSD, and went into a downward spiral. The date of his death was not said on the episode and I couldn’t find it in my research.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This case kind of reminds me of Making a Murderer because two men who were not well off were accused of the crime. There were also witnesses that came forward who have never been charged with their false statements. It’s really sad because this has affected so many families, and it seems like the police focused too much on Zack and Leo. They also missed A LOT of evidence, and it seems like this case could have been solved the right way if the evidence had been tested. It’s heartbreaking, and I feel so sorry for all the families affected.

Sources

https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=3665

https://www.bransontrilakesnews.com/news_free/article_6b09909a-024a-11e0-89df-001cc4c002e0.html

https://thecrime-investigations.blogspot.com/2011/03/seaman-will-stand-trial-for-david-dulin.html

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