The Oklahoma Girl Scout Murders and Gene Leroy Hart

***I should warn the readers that I believe this may be my longest blog yet***

A few months ago my son, who obviously knows my fascination with true crime, brought up this case to me saying he had just heard of it. For my part I had obviously heard of it but I had never researched it. Murders that involve children are always the most difficult to do, not that I do not do them. The main reason I had likely not looked into it is because it is an unsolved case and I do not generally tend to do a lot of those. Just the other day I did one on the Villisca Axe Murders, an unsolved case and I have already put the information together for another one that is technically unsolved, The Bear Brook Murders (it should be coming soon). I think the reason unsolved crimes do not tend to “touch” me a lot is that I like closure in cases. I like to see what evidence is presented at a trial and the most accurate way to get that is through appeals from already convicted people. Unsolved cases tend to have a multitude of “arm chair” detectives involved and so the facts and evidence get lost sometimes. The longer an unsolved case goes on, the harder it is to distinguish between fact and fiction as well as be objective.

Even still, with all of that said I decided to delve into this case head first. In fact, I almost did something that I rarely do... start composing without completely finishing my research. I was leaning a particular way already but I was not necessarily ready to reveal that position. Further research actually pushed me more towards the position I was already taking. Hearing this case one seems forced to come to one of three positions. One is that Gene Leroy Hart, who was tried and acquitted, was guilty of murdering three young girls. The second idea is that Hart was completely innocent and law enforcement framed a case around him in attempts to get him convicted. The third is that whether Hart was guilty, or innocent, there is still a least one person out there that was involved. I however take a fourth position. I do not know if Hart was guilty or not but I also believe that there was tunnel vision and a need for vengeance in this case that could have led to the planting of evidence as has been proposed. I also agree that the evidence suggests that there were at least two people involved in the murders.

On the morning of June 13, 1977 around six a counselor at Camp Scott, a Girl Scout Camp in Mayes County Oklahoma, stumbled across what she first thought was a crumbled sleeping bag on the edge of trail leading to the showers. As she approached the sleeping bag she discovered it was not just a sleeping bag but also a body of a young girl. It was clear the girl was no longer alive. While another counselor went to go inform those in charge at the grounds, the two remaining counselors checked all of the seven other tents in their area, known as Kiowa. All seemed fine except for the last tent, known as number eight.

Camp Scott had opened in 1928 and consisted of over 400 acres of land. There were ten camping areas, including Kiowa. Each camp consisted of one tent for the two-three counselors assigned to that section and seven more tents for guests. Kiowa was the most isolated of the ten camp sites and the furthest from the main area of the camp. And, number eight was even more isolated and secluded. It was the only tent that could not be seen from the counselors tent as the building to the showers blocked the view. It was also said that at that particular time it was the only tent in Kiowa that only housed three girls instead of four. I should point out that most of the information states that the tent in which the investigation occurred was number eight while one of the official sites on the murders refer to the tent as number seven. I have stuck with number eight because no matter how you look at it, it was the eighth tent at the site when you add the counselors tent.

As Richard Day went down to investigate what was going on his wife, Barbara Day called the local police. It is unclear if they knew that the body found belonged to Doris “Denise” Milner, age ten, and that she had been an occupant of Tent Eight. At that point Denises' roommates, eight year old Lori Lee Farmer and nine year old, Michele Heather Guse were missing. Soon after the first officer, Harold Berry arrived the bodies of Lori and Michele were also found, not far from where Denise had been found.

While the investigation was getting underway a decision was made to keep all of the girls at the camp busy with activities until they could contact parents and set up a bus to get the girls all back home. The camp would be evacuated around ten that morning, some four hours after the discovery. It would later be said that representatives of the camp contacted the parents of the three girls and simply said there had been an accident that had resulted in their deaths. They would later say that they did not know the girls had been murdered until they heard it on television.

Later investigators would say that while the camp itself and really even the surroundings of the tent or the area were not immediately secure they did claim that the bodies themselves were. I suspect that possibly they just assumed the bodies were secure because they did not expect anyone to go near the bodies. Of course they were not able to stop anything from before they got there either. Law enforcement would remain at the camp until July 1^st saying that they had obtained all that they felt they could. As far as the camp went it is unclear if they had made the decision yet or not but when it closed on June 13^th, after nearly fifty years in business, it would never open again. There was however a private security firm left on the property but it is unclear just who they worked for and if they were there twenty-four hours a day.

Let me start with the conditions of the victims. All three girls had been hit with a blunt force object. It was said that one of the victims was hit once, one was hit three times and one was hit six times. Lori and Michele would die from the blows and while it was not specific, at least that I could find, I can only guess that they were the two hit the most. Denise's cause of death was strangulation. Two of the girls had also had their hands bound. One was bound by rope, one was bound by rope and duct tape.

When you look at all of the articles that have been done about the case it seems so many would simply be repeated over the years. Any time an anniversary comes or something else brings the case to the media there may be some new information but often past articles are almost repeated word for word. Almost from the beginning it was believed that the girls were sexually assaulted which of course incensed those about the crime even further. You will almost always see “raped and murdered” in every description of what happened on that June morning. Denise had been found naked from the waist down right away, which of course does indicate sexual assault. However, according to the “official” website that has a timeline it states that on June 16^th, three days after the murders the medical examiner reported that the girls were not raped. Yet on July 6^th the autopsies were released and it stated that the girls were raped. Later reports say that while it appears all three were raped it was only allegedly conclusive with two of the girls. First, I find all of this a bit confusing but as you will see it is not the only thing that was questionable in this investigation. It is also something that I believe will haunt this case forever.

Among items found in the area was a red flashlight. Over the years there have been arguments whether there were fingerprints on the flashlight and if so if those prints were good prints or too smudged to identify. The same argument would be made about whether there were usable prints on other things, including the bodies of the girls. A few days after the murders Mayes County Sheriff Pete Weaver announced to reporters that a weapon had been found. When asked about this prosecutor Sid Wise and members of the OSBI (Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations) said they had no idea what Weaver was talking about. UPI (United Press International) reported that the alleged weapon was a crowbar found and that there fingerprints found on it. The following day DA Wise announced that Weaver in fact did not find a weapon and he said there were no suspects. On the other hand the OSBI would say there were three suspect and Weaver said there was only one. But again by the next day DA Wise is changing his story again, at least when it came to suspects. At this point he announces there are “several suspects and a mountain of evidence.” The crowbar does not seem to ever be brought up again and it is pretty much believed that no weapon was ever found in this case.

Each of the tents at the campgrounds were basically a canvas roof or covering over a wooden floor. The day after the murders floor of tent eight was removed. There had been blood all over the tent which led investigators to believe that at least two of the three victims had been murdered inside the tent and then their bodies moved. There was little to no mention of whether the canvas of the tent was also preserved, only the floor. It was alleged that it appeared that the perpetrator had attempted to clean up the blood with a towel of some sort. Although again, there was no mention of where or if this alleged towel was found or whether it was a theory. Authorities would also say that there was one boot print left in blood inside the tent and one print, apparently in mud, outside the tent. It appears that while this was told to the press there were some within law enforcement that was angry not only that it was released but also that it had been determined that these two prints looked to come from two different boots. I have to be honest here in saying that I have seen the picture of the boot print inside the tent and no matter how long I stared at it I could not see a boot print at all. But these prints would be important later, although admittedly I heard very little more about the second print outside the tent.

On June 17^th, four days after the murder, a man who was living in his car a few miles from Camp Scott was taken into custody, questioned and released. Another man, Jack Shroff was questioned. He lived on a ranch near the camp and he apparently had rope and duct tape that matched the items used in the crime. Shroff would tell investigators that some items had been stolen from his barn/shed area and it was later believed that what was found at his home were replacement items. Shroff also at some point would take a lie detector and pass it but I cannot say how soon that happened. Shroff took a lot of heat and the investigation damaged his reputation quite a bit. It was announced on this day three well known tracking dogs had come to the area and it was believed that the killer had walked past the counselors tent to get to tent eight. It would later be said that a few of the girls in other tents alleged sometime in the middle of the night a man had opened the flap to their tent, shine a flashlight and then leave. June 17^th was also the first time that the name Gene Leroy Hart was mentioned publicly in connection to this crime.

Gene Hart was an American Indian of Cherokee decent who had grown up in the area among a large Cherokee community. In 1966 he received a ten year prison sentence for the rapes of two pregnant women. It would later be said that the women had been bound with rope and duct tape much like the young girls in 1977. However, I want to be clear that I never found any proof of information as to what was done in 1966 or if anyone else did either. Yet, this has repeatedly been said throughout this case and the examination of Hart's life. I am not saying that it was not that way that things happened, I am just saying I have not seen anything about the case prior to the 1977 murders.

Many things say that Hart had escaped twice from prison within his life and it is eluded that the first one occurred after he was sentenced in 1966 but the information I found stated that he was paroled in 1969 but was re-arrested three months later on four counts of burglary. He was also charged with violating his parole and his sentences came to more than 300 years meaning he would likely never leave prison alive. In 1973 Hart escaped from prison, allegedly by sawing through the bars of a window in his cell. It is not completely clear where it was that he was being housed at the time of his escape but it was repeatedly mentioned that Hart had escaped under the watch of Pete Weaver, the sheriff of Mayes County in 1977.

Many have said that going into this case Pete Weaver seemed to be obsessed with Gene Hart and was convinced that he was behind the murders. In a little fairness to Weaver it is not completely unreasonable to suspect Hart for the crimes. Hart had grown up in the area and with all of the dense woods in the area it was believed that whomever committed these murders would have to know the area fairly well to not just maneuver it but do so in the dark of night. To add to this he had eluded law enforcement for four years at this point already though it was presumed that he was still in the area receiving help from family and the large Native American community. But, being a reasonable suspect and having the evidence to back it are very different things.

This case was one of those that law enforcement knew they needed to solve fast. The community would be in an uproar. These were three young girls doing exactly what young girls should be able to do and it did not seem to be unreasonable to expect that they would be safe doing it. Law enforcement could not afford to let this case get cold. To add to this there was Weaver who had this deep seeded need to find Hart. To many Hart was an easy patsy. Following the day that Hart was publicly announced as a suspect it seemed that every day more and more evidence was said to point to him. By making these assertions it can put some ease to the people in the community even if the person was not arrested yet. It gave them the security in believing law enforcement knew exactly who was responsible. To add to this because of the severity and heinousness of the crime it was likely the hope that those who had been helping hide Hart over the years would stop and let law enforcement know where he was. The latter did not happen as quickly as they would have liked.

Within a week of the murders two of the three tracking dogs that had been brought in from another state had died and this started more rumors. The first one died of heat exhaustion under strange conditions. The second dog apparently broke away somehow and was hit by a car. Because of the large Native American community in the area and even a huge support for for Hart, it was believed that a real honest to God curse put on the investigation by one of the natives.

June 22^nd was a big day for the media in the case. First it was announced that two pictures were found with women in them. It seems that one law enforcement agency stated the pictures were found near the bodies had been located while another agency stated they were found in a cave some two miles away. Prosecutor Sid Wise then ordered what he called a “Blackout” for the media saying that he felt they were portraying that there was “infighting” among the agencies. However, that being said it does not appear that Wise's “order” really meant anything at all. I also want to point out that this is the only time in which there is a mention of two pictures being found. The story would change to only include one picture and that it was found in the cave. The following day it is announced that the picture found could be linked to Hart as someone identified it as one that was taken at the local prison and had been developed by Hart, who had worked in that area. It was also announced that Hart had allegedly been spotted near the camp.

So keep in mind that the murders occurred in the early morning of June 13^th and in the next four days there are only three people mentioned as being looked at, the man who lived in his car, the landowner, Jack Shroff and Gene Hart. Also, all three of these men were mentioned on the same day. After that day the media information as far as suspects almost exclusively surrounded around Hart. In fact, six days after the crime when asked about suspects Sid Wise says there are no suspects, the OSBI said there were three and Weaver claimed there was only one. Then the following day Sid Wise suddenly changes course and announces there are “several suspects and a mountain of evidence.” Two days after that the issue came up about the picture and the following day the picture is conclusively connected to Hart. Two other things interesting about that cave would be alleged later also, implicating Gene Hart even more.

This is where I think for me things began to look odd for me. You have a man who had escaped four prior and who's mother lived within a mile of where Camp Scott was located. There had allegedly been manhunts for him and always highly suspected that he was still in the area but never apparently anything to prove this theory. Now suddenly three young girls are murdered and evidence of his existence is everywhere. One of the other things allegedly found at the cave was a newspaper that law enforcement alleged that pieces had been torn from and used to wedge a loose connection to the batteries in the flashlight found at the scene of the crime. There were also a pair of women's glasses found. The glasses would allegedly be identified as belonging to a camp counselor but not just any camp counselor.

During the investigation it had been discovered that a few months prior the murders the counselors had all met up for I guess you would call their orientation or sorts. One of counselors would later say that she had come back to an area she had previously been to find her glasses and a doughnut(s) missing from a box. Inside the box the counselor claims there was a note that vowed to kill three campers (one report I found said the number would be four). It was never made clear if the note was shown to anyone else but that would not matter because it was thought to be a prank and disregarded.

But now investigators claim they have found the glasses that was allegedly from the threat before the murders, the newspaper that connects to the flashlight found at the scene and a picture that was developed by Hart in prison, all in the exact same place. Again, all of this just seems too coincidental to me. It seems really sloppy for someone that had been able to be on the run for more than four years. Another thing interesting about this is that in all of my research I never heard of any other crimes that had occurred in the area during that four year period or that Hart was suspected of committing.

By the end of June it seems that both the local and the state agencies knew they had lost control of the case and several dozen FBI agents came to Oklahoma. The very next day while Gene Hart's mother was telling the media she has been continually harassed and believed that Weaver had planted the picture to set her son up, the FBI announced they had proof that Hart was in the area during the murders. It does not seem that they announced what that evidence was.

On July 1^st all law enforcement leaves Camp Scott and a private security firm comes in. On the 5^th it was alleged that Hart was seen in the previous search area. Dogs were brought in again, allegedly picked up a scent but soon lost it. The following day the autopsies of the girls were released. There was a report that while it had been said there were fingerprints on the bodies none had been found. Yet, the OSBI had a press conference and expressed their belief that Hart was the prime suspect and they had no qualms in announcing his guilt.

On July 29^th guards at the camp claimed that they thought they had seen someone wandering around. They left to go look but found nothing. They claimed that when they returned to the building serving as their office they found a pair of tennis shoes and pink socks in a bag, wet, on the steps of the building. They were said to belong to Denise Milner but like all things in this case that was not a simple answer. Denise's mother stated that when she was given all of Denise's things the pink socks and tennis shoes were missing. Before these items were found by the security guards the OSBI had claimed that all of the girls' shoes were accounted for. Now suddenly evidence is just “showing” up. On August 3^rd, the governor of Oklahoma, David Boren, held a press conference. Once again Hart and his capture, or surrender was the subject. He stated that if Hart surrendered he would guarantee his security and that he received a fair trial.

Within a month of the murders there was a $15,000 reward offered to help solve the case. By October there was an additional $5,000 reward offered to anyone who led authorities to Hart's arrest. Then things got even more quiet. At the end of January the FBI released a new sketch of Hart and listed some of his alias'. Then finally they got a tip that led to Hart's arrest. On April 6, 1978 OSBI agents raided the small cabin of Sam Pigeon, a Cherokee “medicine man,” about forty-five miles from the camp and found Hart inside. When arrested he was asked about the murders and he allegedly said “You'll never pin it on me.” Before he was escorted to the police vehicle OSBI agents took a picture with Hart and would be highly criticized for it. As Hart was cuffed and the agents surrounded him they had huge smiles on their face. A juror from the upcoming trial would later say the agents “looked like they had bagged a big game” and were so proud of themselves.

Hart's trial would begin on March 19, 1979 and last until March 30^th when after six hours of deliberation the jury of six men and six women would acquit Hart for the murders of the young girls. So, how did this happen with all of the information (and more that I will get into) and evidence that law enforcement and prosecutors claimed to have? There is not a trial transcript as it is Oklahoma law that they are not to be retained in an acquittal allegedly. Oh, and Stan Wise, the prosecutor who had been quoted often throughout the investigation was forced to recuse himself when it was discovered that he had signed a contract to write a book about the case.

Let's start with items found and then I will go more into “forensics” as it were. Of course the prosecution pushed the idea about the things found at the cave (the picture, newspaper and glasses) attempting to connect them first all to Hart and then through the newspaper to the flashlight at the crime scene. They also stated that a search was done on Sam Pigeon's home after Hart's arrest and that some items that were found had been reported missing from the camp. The defense would argue first that the items in the cave were planted. Secondly, as far as the items found at Pigeon's house the defense let it be known (and apparently it was true) that these items were not found at the time of Hart's arrest. Pigeon's home was searched on the day of his arrest but nothing had been found. These alleged stolen items were not found until a second search was conducted on the small cabin. Pigeon would swear the items had not been in his home. And really as far as general evidence that is all the prosecution had.

As far as forensics despite several discussions of fingerprints being found by the time the trial came about there either were none at all or none that could be identified. Initially there was a lot of talk about fingerprints on the bodies, the flashlight and the supposed crowbar. As far as the alleged crowbar I never found one thing about this after June 18^th when Weaver had announced a weapon was found and the UPI announced that it was a crowbar and there were fingerprints. On July 6^th when the autopsy reports were released it was said there were no prints on the bodies so that leaves the flashlight. There are reports that there was one single print on the lens of the flashlight. Prosecutors would claim that it was not really a print as it was too smudged to get an impression but the defense claimed that it had been checked and that it did not match Hart and that no one knew who it belonged to opening up the idea that someone else was involved.

Then there are the boot print founds. There was little more information about the one found outside the tent and in the mud. But, there was the one inside the tent. It is unclear if the prosecution presented this print at trial, and if they did just exactly what they were thinking. It seems more plausible that the defense entered this evidence. The print (the one I mentioned earlier that I could not see) was in blood but was measured to be a 9.5 in size. It was determined that Hart wore a 11.5 size boot. It seems unreasonable to believe that he had worn boots two sizes too small, nor did it appear they were ever able to prove that he had.

Now we'll move on to a single hair that was allegedly found at the scene. Forensics being what they were in the 1970's was only able to determine if it was “similar” to Hart. It was thought to be a “Native American” hair but it is unclear just how they knew that by looking, even from an “expert” in those days. From all that I gathered the hair had been found outside the tent, near or with the bodies. Next a doctor would testify that semen samples were taken from the victims and that there was an unusual number of sperm in the samples to the point that it was called an “abnormality.” Evidence at the trial was presented that Hart had previously had a vasectomy making it seem impossible that he was the contributor of the semen found. It was blood typed and it matched Hart as Type O but that is a common blood type. Now, I will say here that it was later said that it would be proven upon his death that the vasectomy had allegedly failed and that he did in fact have the “abnormality.” But, just as I never saw things to prove things about his 1966 crime I never saw anything to prove this allegation either. Besides it did not matter in 1979 because the evidence the jury heard was that he could not have produced sperm. Whether it was true or not, it is evidence that the jury would be given to determine guilt or innocence. Something I find so interesting about this though was why the prosecution would not have followed up on this. If this was another instance in which they did not present the evidence but was forced to allow the defense to see it how did they not know that Hart had allegedly had a vasectomy? Had they had him tested prior to the trial and the allegations that the vasectomy had failed they could have countered this. One has to wonder if the prosecution had already put all their cards into Hart and his arrest was such a victory that they were not willing to look at anything else to make their case stronger or risk anything. In the end it just made them look more incompetent.

There were two more things of evidence presented that I think were highly significant. First was the issue that someone, whether it was a doctor, investigator, or medical examiner testified that blood splatter throughout the tent indicated that more than one weapon was used and that it appeared that they came from blows made from both left and right hands. The defense of course jumped on this to point out that this indicated that there were two perpetrators involved. I found nothing that indicated any investigator or prosecutor argued that Hart was ambidextrous, being both hand dominant. But this also indicated that not only was one weapon missing, but now there were two that were not found. The other significant evidence also indicated a second perpetrator. Both Lori Farmer and Michele Guse had their hands bound by rope and two different knots were used. Not only is it unusual for one person to use different knots in different crimes, but it is even more so in the same crime. One has to believe that perpetrator or perpetrators would have been trying to get in and out before anyone else woke up and would have likely tied the knots almost subconsciously so to tie different types of knots would seem unlikely.

After the acquittal it was said that twenty-two agents resigned from the OSBI “for emotional distress or questions of integrity” whatever the latter meant. Buddy Fallis, the man who took over for Sid Wise, would also resign, still claiming that the state had tried the right man and touting how strong the case against him had been. In my opinion the case was very far from strong to begin with and the defense had broken holes in what they did think they had. Looking over the case I am just amazed that the prosecution even went to trial with a that evidence especially considering they had all the time in the world to build a better case against Hart! They had captured him and it was said he still had over 300 years to serve on his previous sentence. Hart was not going anywhere. No, it is my opinion that just as Hart had been named a suspect within days of the murders in part to calm the community and make law enforcement look competent, so was he taken to trial when he was. I admit that I snickered when I read a comment by an OSBI investigator who said “This was as strong a murder case as I've ever seen.” He apparently has repeated that sentiment over the years.

On June 4, 1979, less than three months after his trial was over, Gene Hart would die of a severe heart attack in prison after jogging and working out for over an hour. He was thirty-five years old.

Just a few months after the murders two of the families of the victims sued Magic Empire Counsil, who owned Camp Scott, and their insurance company for neglect. They were asking for $5m. One article indicated that initially all three families sued but either that is not the case, or one family dropped out. The families argued that not only was the camp itself not secured by a fence, which allowed a perpetrator to enter the area at will but there was not enough outside lighting to illuminate the area. In particular they argued that the tent in which the girls had been placed was eighty-six yards from the counselors tent and could not be seen by the counselors due to the shower building. A large portion or the case also centered on the note that the counselor had found before camp had begun that claimed girls would be murdered. It was alleged that it was a warning of things to come but that it had not been taken seriously and nothing was done to ensure the safety of the girls. It seems there had been some other incidents over the years that the plaintiff's believed should have been acted on to keep the girls safe. Attorney's argued that these were ignored all in the name of money. The case was not decided until March of 1985 when after five hours of deliberation a jury decided 9-3 for Magic Empire.

There was a report that an investigator released some names of other suspects in the case and that he was forced to go into hiding because of threats to his life. As with so much in this case it is unclear if this is true, but I did find some names of other suspects not mentioned here earlier. It is also unclear whether these suspects were considered at the time of the investigation or have come out since Hart's acquittal. Over the years it seems that some investigators are saying they “just want to know who” committed the murder and resist mentioning Hart's name but that does seem to have always been the case, especially early on.

One suspect was named William Stevens. In 1979 he was serving a sentence of life in prison for the rape and kidnapping of a teacher. He had committed the crime with a man named DeWayne Peters. Peters would say at some point that Stevens confessed to him that he committed the murders. The wife of a friend of Stevens, Joyce Payne, would also claim that Stevens had taken her red flashlight and that she saw Stevens on the day of the murder and claimed he bought new boots. It was later discovered that Joyce Payne was having an affair with DeWayne Peters and the thought was that they concocted this plan to get Peters' sentence reduced. Although it does seem that someone else claimed to have seen Stevens on the morning of the murders with blood all over his hands. Allegedly both Stevens and Peters were looked into as suspects and dismissed. Stevens would commit suicide in prison in 1984 but as is often the case it was suspected to be a murder.

Karl Lee Myers was also named a suspect. It was alleged that Myers was of low intelligence and in the summer of 1977 he had abducted, raped and choked a twelve year old girl who survived. He was also suspected in the disappearance of a thirteen year old girl two weeks before the murders at Camp Scott. He was released from prison sometime in the 1990's but imprisoned again later for two rapes and murders. A former cellmate, John Russell, claims that Myers confessed to the crimes at Camp Scott. Russell would later produce a film called “Candles” about this case making this claim. It is believed that Russell made this claim because he was financially motivated to do so for the film.

The father of Jimmy Bryan who was murdered in July 1977 at the age of eighteen claims that his son was murdered by the perpetrators in the Camp Scott murders “because he couldn't keep his mouth shut.” Wesley Duffield would be convicted in the murder of Jimmy Bryan with the alleged help of his brother, Jessie. It was said that Duffield's father committed suicide before testifying against him and Jessie would later be convicted for rape. It is unclear if anything else ever came of this.

In 1989 DNA testing was done on apparently what seems to be the semen evidence. Of the five tests it was said that Hart matched in three of them. The results would mean that there was a 1 in 7,700 chance he had committed the crime. In 2008 some stains on a pillowcase were sent in but it was said they were too deteriorated and the results were inconclusive. In 2017 a fundraiser was conducted by the sheriff's department and $30,000 was raised to do new DNA testing using the latest advancements. It was reported that in 2017 the evidence was in a lab in Virginia but there does not seem to have been anything released about any results.

It appears that there have been several attempts to obtain information through the Freedom of Information Act on this case but they have all failed. This is because based on the “unsolved” status of the case it is shown as “open, but inactive” and it is the policy not to release information on open cases.

There have been accusations over the years that this case was racially motivated because Hart was Native American of Cherokee descent. It has been argued that at least two of the OSBI investigators on the case were also of Cherokee descent. While I obviously cannot argue what investigators believed at the time without knowing them, I personally believe this had less to do with Hart being Native American than it did about the fact that Pete Weaver really wanted him and law enforcement needed a suspect. I believe Weaver went into this either honestly believed Hart was the perpetrator or just had such a hatred for him he did not care if he was responsible or not, he was going to make sure that he was. I do not believe that initially the prosecutor or the OSBI agreed with this but as the days continued to pass they knew they needed to give the community an answer and Hart was as good as they could find.

Honestly, I do not know if Hart was guilty of the crime but I do believe the jury made the only decision they could with the information not just that they had, but that was available. I do believe that much of the “evidence” against him seems very coincidental and could have been planted. I find it interesting that in his four years on the run there never seemed to be any signs or tips of him and apparently no other crimes committed and yet if we believe investigators he left things all over connecting himself to this crime. They also claimed to have seen him near the area at least twice after the murders. To add to that if we believe Hart was reckless enough to leave all the things alleged in the cave that connected him to the camp how was there no fingerprints, legitimate boot prints, a weapon or anything left at the scene? I also have to agree with the defense that there was likely at least two perpetrators. Aside from the forensic evidence of the blood splatter, the use of two weapons and both hands, and the knots, how would one person have contained three young girls at once and yet not only were none of them able to get away or scream out for help and wake others up? It would have taken one person an extreme amount of time to commit this crime. First there is the sexual assaults but it was determined that Lori and Michele were attacked inside the tent and then their bodies were moved outside not to mention it was suspected blood was cleaned up inside the tent. It seems so unreasonable that one person could have done that in a short amount of time and alerted no one. To add to this the perpetrator was allegedly there long enough to steal items from other tents and camps. Some have argued that there were likely other boot prints inside the tent and they were wiped away and that some could have matched Hart. While this is not impossible to do it still seems rather far fetched to me.

Sadly this case, and yes, even my assessment of it, has left the girls and their family portrayed as minor players. The botched investigation and later trial has overshadowed the fact that three little girls were brutally murdered on the first night of their summer camp. I remember my own days at Girl Scout Camp and I can only imagine how excited they were to go and yet this happened to them. In the end I do not believe they will ever have justice.