Posted on 08/31/2009 6:31:10 PM PDT by Jenny217
In February of 2001 Don Berkebile added a one page codicil to his will saying it was added; “in the event that I should suffer an accident before a new will is prepared.”
Then in 2003, he added a sticky note to a letter to the Editor he sent to a reporter at a local news agency, noting that he felt his life was in danger: “Keep this in mind, should something happen to me, and request a thorough investigation.”
They say justice delayed is justice denied. Over a year has passed since Don Berkebile; retired curator of the Smithsonian Institute, was killed at his property in Mercersburg PA. The investigation still pending, charges still pending and no end in sight as authorities point the finger at the state forensics lab.
For more information about this case visit the website set up by his family: http://www.justicefordon.info
Any interest/support is appreciated. Thank you.
OK there has to be more to this story.
What is known so far is posted on the website. The family is trying to find out what happened and who is responsible. The DA and PA State Police have not released any information in over a year. The article at Public Opinion Online and others written over the last year are linked in the left margin as well.
Any reason you can think that the curator of the Smithsonian was murdered?....Any reason some one would want him out of the way when Sandy Burger was still in town?
bookmark for later
There is an article right on the web site that tells how Berkebile died in a fight with his neighbor. It is no mystery. It is no mystery why his estate settlement is being held up as well.
His neighbor says Berkebile attacked him; shot him and that in the fight Berkebile was killed. The estate is being held up by the neighbor who is suing the estate for damages caused by the whole mess. That is why the estate settlement has been held up. Berkebile left lawyers (not his family) in charge of his estate so the family has no say in how they screw the estate of out fees unless they are acting illegally.
The DA has not let the neighbor off the hook but obviously does not have much to go on for a prosecution. The article says the neighbor went to the hospital with injuries which reflect his story about being shot by Berkebile.
This might not be true. It appears that injuries suffered by both men reflect the story told by the neighbor who claims to have killed Berkebile while acting in self defense. But the note on the website from the family is devoid of any of these facts.
Are you a member of the family?
Pretty strange.
Yes family. Unfortunately Don is unavailable to tell his side of the story and the forensics tests are delayed for more than a year. There are still a lot of unanswered questions.
I am sorry for your loss, Jenny. I’ll bet Don was an interesting character and having his case unresolved is horribly stressful for the family.
First, let me say, there’s a possiblity that the crime team there is overwhelmed or incompetent. Assuming this is not the case however, there is probably more going on in this “inactivity” than meets the eye of the family.
Sometimes the DA holds onto a case - won’t resolve it - because he wants to see if anything else shakes out in evidence and does not want to let the suspect off the hook. They do that when they don’t have enough evidence to prosecute but still hold suspicions. The DA is not comfortable with closing the case. Sometimes witnesses come out down the road. The neighbor may talk to someone if he is held under the pressure of not being cleared by the DA. There are many ways to skin a cat.
The DA could say he is not finished investigating just to mess up the neighbor’s grab for Don’s money. The criminal investigation is not resolved, so the neighbor can’t sue the estate as a victim of Don. They leave the case in limbo to get what licks they can in on the killer. The DA can’t chat with you about it.
It is the height of creepiness for the neighbor who killed Don to sue his estate. People are sorely twisted these days. I would guess this is why the DA just can’t seem to finish up his investigation and clear the guy even though he might not have enough evidence to prosecute him.
The unresolved case hurts the killer more than it hurts you. It leaves him in limbo and in fear that he might suddenly hear a knock at his door. This may be the only punishment he gets out of this since Don is not here to tell his side of the story.
As far as the estate’s attorney fees go, the receiving charities will be interested in how much of the estate went to the law firm’s fees. This disclosure is the usual procedure at the estate settlement. Charities have lawyers who know how to look out for their client’s interests.
Thank you Sara. I agree with you on your points. We are trusting that the PA State Police and the DA will act quickly and decisively once the forensics reports are back. If they are a year behind now, how many other cases reports next year will be 2 years behind? The delays by the PA State lab in testing/reporting is unacceptable.
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