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By Matt Perkins
Staff Writer
As expected from pre-trial hearings, the defense attorneys for Jeremy Jason Hull suggested to jurors Tuesday that handwriting evidence does not prove Hull planned out the murder of Lewis Wilczek. This, despite evidence referred to as “The Plan,” which was submitted by the prosecution.
That evidence, a page in a notebook found in Hull’s apartment which lays out a plan for the murder of Lewis Wilczek, was analyzed by Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) Agent Lisa Hanson, a witness called upon by the prosecution Tuesday morning.
Hanson said she used a nine-point scale to scientifically analyze the criminal evidence in this case. She said she was presented with a green notebook presumed to be Hull’s which was allegedly found in Hull’s apartment, and a blue notebook, presumed to be Wilczek’s, which was allegedly recovered from Wilczek’s business. Hanson said the writing from both notebooks were compared to known writing samples from Hull and Wilczek.
The known and unknown writing samples were placed side by side as part of her investigations, and her analysis was shown to the jury. Hanson pointed out that she selectively pulls specific letters, words or phrases from both known and unknown writing samples and scrutinizes the similarities and differences of each when it comes to style, pressure, writing stroke and other variables.
In regards to the notebook which was allegedly recovered from Hull’s residence, a notebook which included “The Plan,” analysis resulted in a “probable did produce” for Hull and a “probable did not produce” for Wilczek, categorizations which can be found in the middle of both extremes on the nine-point scale (scale depicted above). The writing from the notebook which was allegedly found at Wilczek’s business, resulted in “probable did produce” for Wilczek and a “probable did not produce” for Hull.
When questioned by the defense, Hanson admitted that “probable did produce” does not prove that Hull wrote “The Plan,” a note which was found on the door at Wilczek’s business or the checks which were made out to several St. Cloud area businesses days after Wilczek’s alleged death. Hanson said her analysis merely suggests that he “probably did produce” those questioned documents.
The defense also pointed out to jurors that handwriting analysis is “premised upon the assumption that no two individuals write alike, but doesn’t take into consideration that no individual writes the same every time.”
Hanson agreed with defense attorney Andrew Northrup, but emphasized the fact that her analysis showed how similar Hull’s known handwriting samples were compared to the checks which were made out in Wilczek’s name.
But the defense questioned the BCA’s process, because some of the handwriting samples were compared to Hull, Wilczek and Hull’s girlfriend, Casey Jo Oldenburg, but some of the handwriting evidence was only compared to known writing samples from Hull and Wilczek. The defense said that the BCA could have, and should have, taken the time to compare all the evidence to known writing samples of Oldenburg.
Before resting on the topic, the defense asked Hanson if her analysis of the handwritten evidence can determine the date and time it was written.
She said it could not.
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