The fatal shooting of a 68-year-old North Richland Hills woman killed after opening her front door in December 2007 is among unsolved murders being featured on a new Texas Department of Public Safety web page aimed at breathing new life into cold cases.
Marianne Wilkinson had been watching television with her husband Dec. 9, 2007, when the doorbell rang at their upscale home in the 8400 block of Spence Court. Wilkinson had just opened the door when she was shot multiple times.
A neighbor reported seeing a man in a hooded sweat shirt then flee in a gold-colored vehicle.
Eight months later, a child found the weapon used in the fatal shooting about 8 miles away from Wilkinson’s’ home. Although a fingerprint was eventually recovered off a spent shell casing, no matches have been made.
The website contains information on 68 unsolved cases from around the state dating back to 1978. Wilkinson’s case is featured on the Texas Rangers Top 12 Cold Case Investigations page.
“Cold cases are typically challenging to solve for a variety of reasons, but we want to send a clear message that we are not giving up on these murder victims,” said DPS Director Steven McCraw in a press release about the new webpage, which was unveiled Wednesday.
“Our goal for this webpage – and the investigative efforts supporting it – is to shine a new light on these crimes, so they are not forgotten. We are committed to bringing these ruthless criminals to justice and to bringing some amount of closure to the families involved.”
Tipsters, who may remain anonymous, can submit information online through the new webpage or by calling 1-800-346-3243.
- Deanna Boyd
I believe this was a case of mistaken identity. One street over, same house number, a viscious divorce was going on. I believe the husband hired a hit on his estranged wife and the shooter ended up on the wrong street. Thus, this innocent woman was killed.
Posted by: C Warriner | February 21, 2013 at 12:37 AM