A Penn State University student is murdered in the school's largest library
On the afternoon of November 28, 1969, a 22-year-old female graduate student named Betsy Aardsma was in the Pattee Library at Pennsylvania State University. It was the day after Thanksgiving, and the campus was quieter than usual. Aardsma, a student from Holland, Michigan, had returned to campus early to work on a research paper. She entered the library's stacks sometime around 4:30 p.m. Between 4:45 and 4:55 p.m., in a dimly lit aisle between rows 50 and 51, she was stabbed a single time in the chest. The blade pierced her heart and severed her pulmonary artery. As she collapsed, she pulled several books from the shelves with her.
Initially, those who found her believed she had fainted or had a seizure, an assumption reinforced by the fact that her red dress concealed the minimal external bleeding. Two students saw a man running from the area, who exclaimed, 'That girl needs help!' before leaving the library. By the time Aardsma was taken to the campus health center, it was too late, and she was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. The autopsy revealed she had died within minutes of the attack, essentially drowning in her own blood, which prevented her from screaming for help. The investigation was hampered from the start, as the crime scene was cleaned by janitors who were unaware a murder had occurred, potentially destroying crucial physical evidence.
The murder of Betsy Aardsma remains officially unsolved, and no arrests have ever been made. Over the years, several individuals have been considered suspects. One was William Spencer, a sculptor who allegedly confessed to the crime at a party, but his claims were largely dismissed by police. Another person of interest was a classmate named Larry Maurer. However, extensive research by authors and investigative journalists has pointed strongly toward Richard Haefner, a geology graduate student at Penn State at the time. Haefner knew Aardsma and had a brief friendship with her that she had recently ended.
Circumstantial evidence against Haefner includes a composite sketch that resembled him and testimony from his own family members who suspected his involvement. According to one of Haefner's relatives, his mother once confronted him, saying, 'You killed that girl, and now you're killing me!' Despite these suspicions and the focus of independent investigators, Haefner was never charged with the crime. He denied involvement, and he passed away in 2002. The case continues to be one of Pennsylvania's most infamous cold cases.
