Who killed Peggy? On the cold morning of February 11, 1987, the body of 37-year-old Peggy Hettrick, a female, was discovered in a field in southern Fort Collins, Colorado, by a passing cyclist who initially mistook her for a mannequin. An autopsy later revealed she had died from a single stab wound to her upper left back. The killer had also performed a precise and disturbing sexual mutilation, a detail that suggested the perpetrator may have possessed surgical skills.
Hettrick worked at a clothing store and had been seen bar-hopping with friends the night before her death.
The investigation quickly focused on a 15-year-old high school sophomore named Timothy Masters, whose home was near the field where the body was found. Though no physical evidence linked him to the crime, investigators were suspicious because he had seen the body on his way to school but had not reported it, thinking it was a prank. A search of his home and school locker uncovered a collection of knives and over two thousand pages of violent drawings and writings. This circumstantial evidence, particularly his graphic artwork, would become the cornerstone of the prosecution's case against him years later. Despite the lack of a direct connection, the cloud of suspicion lingered over Masters.
Years passed, and the case grew cold. Masters went on to serve in the U.S. Navy for eight years and was honorably discharged. In 1997, a decade after Peggy Hettrick's death, he was arrested and charged with her murder. The prosecution's case in the 1999 trial relied heavily on a psychological interpretation of his teenage drawings, which an expert witness claimed were a rehearsal for the murder. Based on this, and despite the absence of any physical evidence, Timothy Masters was convicted and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He spent nearly a decade behind bars, all while maintaining his innocence.
The case took a dramatic turn when new DNA testing technology became available. In 2008, DNA evidence from the original crime scene was tested and did not match Timothy Masters. This new evidence led to his conviction being vacated, and he was released from prison. It wasn't until June 28, 2011, that he was fully exonerated by the Colorado Attorney General. In the wake of his release, allegations of police and prosecutorial misconduct emerged, suggesting that evidence pointing to other suspects had been withheld. Masters later received a $10 million settlement for his wrongful conviction. The murder of Peggy Hettrick officially remains unsolved, and as of today, no one else has been charged with the crime. Another person of interest, a surgeon named Dr. Richard Hammond whose home overlooked the field, had been identified during the appeals process. Hammond had a history of voyeurism and committed suicide in 1995 after being arrested on unrelated charges, leaving behind a note that some have interpreted as potentially related to the Hettrick case.
