When Jordan Gonnering returned to his off-campus home in the afternoon of April 2, 2008, he discovered that something had gone horribly wrong in the first-level apartment he shared with his fiancée, UW-Madison junior Brittany Zimmermann.
""Ambulance is needed,"" Gonnering told a 911 dispatcher in a shaky voice. ""I just came home, the door was busted in and my girlfriend's been shot.""
Authorities descended on the grisly scene at 517 W. Doty St. and discovered that Zimmermann, 21, had actually been stabbed, beaten and strangled to death in her bedroom. The crime sent shockwaves through the city and UW-Madison campus as the community grappled with the random slaying of a bright college coed in broad daylight. Who killed Brittany Zimmermann and why?
For the Madison Police Department, stringing together the pieces of the Zimmermann homicide has been an exhaustive and ongoing process over the last 12 months. Even though Zimmermann's killer remains at large, police are vigilantly investigating the homicide and hope to shed light on questions surrounding the unsolved crime.
""We continue to be confident, that with the support of the Zimmermann family, and the community, that the caring professionals of the MPD will solve this tragic crime,"" Madison Police Chief Noble Wray said in a release.
The search for a killer
Police were initially tight-lipped on details of the homicide, saying the release of certain information could compromise the ongoing investigation. They did reveal there were signs of forced entry into the apartment and the killing appeared to be random. County Coroner John Stanley said Zimmermann died of a ""complexity of traumatic injuries,"" but police declined to further elaborate on how she was killed.
In December, eight months after Zimmermann's death, additional details of the case were made public when the seals on several search warrants expired and were not renewed due to a police oversight.
A coroner's report said Zimmermann was stabbed multiple times with a two to five-inch knife that penetrated her heart in half of the stabs. According to the warrants, police collected a pair of bloody slippers, computer paper with blood drops, hair and blood samples, partial footwear prints, fingerprints and DNA swabs from the scene.
Although police did not intend for the information to be released, MPD Central District Captain Mary Schauf said investigators have moved past the hiccup and continue to relentlessly pursue solving the case. The current investigating team consists of a supervising lieutenant, two full-time detectives, two half-time detectives, a part-time crime analyst, a full-time intelligence assessment officer and other MPD staff who are brought in as needed.
""It's still a very open and active investigation,"" Schauf said.
A ‘unique' crime
According to Schauf, Zimmermann's case is distinctively different from other crimes because homicides are rare in Madison, and stranger homicides are even rarer.
""The case with Brittany is somewhat of an anomaly,"" Schauf said. ""The reason we're even talking about it a year later is because it stands out, and it is very unique for Madison because that community is relatively safe.""
According to Schauf, the odds of a crime like the Zimmermann homicide occurring in Madison are fairly small. In 2008, there were just ten homicides in Madison—half of which were related to domestic violence. Police said stranger homicides, where there is no known relationship between the victim and the perpetrator, are often the hardest to solve.
Just over two months before Zimmermann's death, the MPD began investigating a stranger homicide after Madison resident Joel Marino was stabbed to death in his home in January 2008. After months of intensive police work, the MPD arrested Adam Peterson, a 20-year-old former UW-Madison student who later confessed to killing Marino in a botched robbery attempt, in June. Police hope their meticulous and ongoing investigation of the Zimmermann homicide will yield similar results.
""I do believe this is a solvable case,"" Schauf said.
Keeping the faith
For members of the Zimmermann family, finding Brittany's killer is the only promise of some relief in an otherwise heartbreaking nightmare.
""Whoever did this is doing whatever they want to do in their life, and that is not OK,"" said Kim Heeg, Zimmermann's aunt. ""Brittany doesn't have her life anymore, and her family and friends don't have the same life they had before either, and there needs to be accountability for this.""
Schauf said the MPD remains in close contact with Brittany's parents, Kevin and Jean Zimmermann, to update them on developments in the investigation. The family recognizes and appreciates the police effort to solve the homicide, according to Heeg, and continues to believe that Brittany's killer will be brought to justice.
""If we don't have faith then we may as well just give up, and we'll never give up,"" Heeg said. ""Had something happened to any one of us, Brittany would've fought for us ‘til the day she died, and we'll do the same for her.""
