Visit the website, www.richardwanke.com. Read about the petty offender who got caught up in a small-town murder as the alleged "murder suspect", amid a "rush to judgment" by authorities, and the failure of the local media to properly report and investigate the sensational murder which occurred. The result: nearly two years after the shooting death, no one has been charged with the murder and the crime remains unsolved. Plenty of unresolved questions remain and the authorities remain committed to their assumptions, but provide no proof or answers.

On a wintry February afternoon, this man's attorney was shot and killed while shoveling his driveway during the worst blizzard of a decade in Rockford, Illinois. A couple of witnesses were claimed despite severe visibility problems and conflicting reports. The police immediately leaped to the conclusion that Richard Wanke was responsible for some part in the death of his attorney (although they could not figure of his exact role and although forensic evidence did not connect him to the scene). A media "frenzy" ensued and Richard Wanke was immediately detained and held for six months under questionable authority. Some claim it was a matter of rounding up the usual suspects, with irreparable consequences. An investigation wound up being stymied; the police refuse to reconsider their initial conclusions, and while the murder was not litigated, individuals were deprived of all liberty and property without proof of any complicity in the murder!

Richard Wanke, a noted nonviolent offender ended up being dealt the harsh, maximum term, 14-year sentence for alleged attempt to steal an inexpensive Dell laptop. The prosecution claims the laptop was worth $5K, but before the murder, Richard's case was a low-priority to the state. Does Dell even make a $5K laptop? Yet, the state would not allow the defense to examine the stolen machine and Richard Wanke was convicted on solely circumstantial evidence at trial. His extended term sentence was obtained by the prosecution persuasively playing upon the emotions invoked in the community and the judge by the horrific shooting to demand that Richard Wanke be punished to the maximum despite his petty offender status.

I have followed this case for more than two years. I am a transplanted Los Angeles native who spends her time mostly in the frigid Midwest seeking ways to spend more time in the bay area. I know this man, Richard Wanke to be a  talented, intelligent, and caring community volunteer and especially a nonviolent individual. He refused to sign up for selective service, was a conscientious objector in the military, and is an ardently antiwar, and anti-gun liberal. He is a community activist, which makes the allegation that he would cold-bloodedly shoot anyone three times in the back even more insulting. Even when Richard Wanke lost at jury trial, the court percieved he was no threat, and permitted him to remain out on bond pending sentencing.

This is a story seeking a storyteller. The two-year anniversary of the attorney's death is approaching on February 6, 2010. Richard Wanke is still considered a "person of interest" by authorities, news media and city residents. The family and friends of the victim have repeatedly been assured that "the right man is in custody" but no charges have been brought. The local media bought into this tangled story and are much to blame in failing to question and to investigate. An organization like spot.us., a new way of community-based reporting is needed to answer the many unresolved questions. I hope I've done justice to this travesty. Modern media media has failed this story and this community. Something needs to be done.