A moment of clarity
Brandon Muri
Issue date: 1/31/08 Section: News
Only one person in the car knew.
But for those who needed to know most - two friends unknowingly connected by a murder 20 years past - their searches for answers quickly came to a head.
"As soon as she said it I just started crying," senior Carol Mathews said. "I was completely overwhelmed with so many emotions."
A connection unfolds.
The connection between Mathews and sophomore Shannon McCleary began unfolding in spring 2007. McCleary, a Washington state native, related the story of her father's brutal murder to her Hillsdale College friend, then-sophomore Meredith Dyer, the daughter of a Seattle prison chaplain.
Because of their unique contact with the Seattle prison, McCleary and Matthews each approached Dyer with private inquiries. McCleary said she asked Dyer about the man who killed her father, and Matthews, knowing her uncle was in prison in Seattle, asked Dyer for information about him.
"[My father and I] found out that Carol's uncle had the same name as the man who murdered Shannon's dad," Dyer said. "And then we found out that Carol's uncle went to prison at the same time as the killer."
Dyer's father, fearing to delve further, advised his daughter to let the matter rest and trust God to reveal the truth in time.
Dyer, who by this time had transferred to a fashion school in Seattle, ceased her inquiries and kept the secret to herself, with the exception of a close friend, Hillsdale sophomore Eva Marx. Marx was then the only person at Hillsdale aware of the secret.
"My heart was pounding"
Months later, a car ride conversation turned to life and death as Marx, McCleary and Matthews traveled back to Hillsdale from a Labor Day spent in Grand Rapids, Mich.
McCleary began retelling the story of her father's murder. Matthews was the only one present who had not heard the story.
The conversation came to a halt when McCleary said the name of the killer.
"I was nervous, my heart was pounding, and I just didn't know what to do," Marx said. "I decided silence was the best option. I knew that if God wanted them to find out, it would come out without my help."
But for those who needed to know most - two friends unknowingly connected by a murder 20 years past - their searches for answers quickly came to a head.
"As soon as she said it I just started crying," senior Carol Mathews said. "I was completely overwhelmed with so many emotions."
A connection unfolds.
The connection between Mathews and sophomore Shannon McCleary began unfolding in spring 2007. McCleary, a Washington state native, related the story of her father's brutal murder to her Hillsdale College friend, then-sophomore Meredith Dyer, the daughter of a Seattle prison chaplain.
Because of their unique contact with the Seattle prison, McCleary and Matthews each approached Dyer with private inquiries. McCleary said she asked Dyer about the man who killed her father, and Matthews, knowing her uncle was in prison in Seattle, asked Dyer for information about him.
"[My father and I] found out that Carol's uncle had the same name as the man who murdered Shannon's dad," Dyer said. "And then we found out that Carol's uncle went to prison at the same time as the killer."
Dyer's father, fearing to delve further, advised his daughter to let the matter rest and trust God to reveal the truth in time.
Dyer, who by this time had transferred to a fashion school in Seattle, ceased her inquiries and kept the secret to herself, with the exception of a close friend, Hillsdale sophomore Eva Marx. Marx was then the only person at Hillsdale aware of the secret.
"My heart was pounding"
Months later, a car ride conversation turned to life and death as Marx, McCleary and Matthews traveled back to Hillsdale from a Labor Day spent in Grand Rapids, Mich.
McCleary began retelling the story of her father's murder. Matthews was the only one present who had not heard the story.
The conversation came to a halt when McCleary said the name of the killer.
"I was nervous, my heart was pounding, and I just didn't know what to do," Marx said. "I decided silence was the best option. I knew that if God wanted them to find out, it would come out without my help."
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