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Zimmermann, Marino detectives working together on cases

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Also by Cara Harshman:

Landlord to let victim's fiancé out of fall lease (April 15, 2008)
City receives boost for Allied redevelopment (April 15, 2008)
Zimmermann, Marino detectives working together on cases (April 14, 2008)
911 call reports junior was shot (April 10, 2008)
UW student's killer forced way into home, police say (April 11, 2008)

by Cara Harshman

Monday, April 14, 2008

With a wave of new tips reported in the continuing homicide investigations of Joel Marino and Brittany Zimmermann, detectives for each case are working together to find the killers, police said Friday.

Joel DeSpain, public information officer for the Madison Police Department, said about 200 tips have come into Crime Stoppers regarding the Zimmermann case, a 21-year-old University of Wisconsin junior found dead in her 517 W. Doty St. apartment April 2.

In addition to the 70 tips received prior to the Zimmermann investigation, about 25 new tips have come in regarding Marino’s homicide. Marino, 31, was stabbed in his 714 W. Shore Drive home — one mile from Zimmermann’s home — on Jan. 28 and found dead in a nearby alley.

“People working the Zimmermann case are coming across information that may be important to the Marino case,” DeSpain said.

DeSpain said the two investigations are separate as they fall into different police districts — Zimmermann in the central district and Marino in the south district — but as they lived so close to each other, police are covering the same parts of the city.

“[Detectives] are basically working in the same area of the city and talking to people who were in and around the area,” he added.

According to a police report, some similarities exist between the Zimmermann and Marino case, though police have not determined if the cases are connected.

Both residents were killed during the day inside their homes, and investigators have no information from either victim’s background that would make them targets of violence.

DeSpain said posters seeking information from the Zimmermann case will be posted around the city soon.

“[Posting posters] is an avenue we frequently go to in the early stages of investigations to make sure we’ve tapped enough people in the area,” DeSpain said.

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Anonymous (April 14, 2008 @ 2:24am):

Does Madison even have more than two detectives?

Does pooling together mean the detectives with desks right next to each other decide to start talking?

Anonymous (April 14, 2008 @ 8:28am):

Nope. Just two detectives.

Detective Sergeant Wainwright, and Detective Constable Cartwright.

We call them the Andys.

Anonymous (April 14, 2008 @ 8:29am):

They need to bring in experts FROM THE OUTSIDE. Obviously their plan isn't working.

To murder these poor people in the middle of the day and get away with it!!! This is ridiculous.

Anonymous (April 14, 2008 @ 9:17am):

200 tips and no suspect? what the hell is the madison police doing? maybe they should do some more speed traps by the alliant energy center, because thats a good use of resources.

Anonymous (April 14, 2008 @ 3:56pm):

WHY do the posters for crimestoppers have a huge picture of Brittany? It looks like a missing persons ad rather than a call saying "We're looking for murder suspects"

Anonymous (April 14, 2008 @ 5:31pm):

Man -- everyone is a g-d critic! If you think you can do a better job at solving these murders, then by all means...

Anonymous (April 15, 2008 @ 3:27pm):

I guess if what they're saying is true, and that they're trying their hardest, then the case needs new eyes. It seems that they just keep looking in the same places, and it's fruitless. My friends and I, people who live in the Bassett District, are scared. Why shouldn't we be? The police presence increased for about three days, but now it's back to normal--which is seemingly zilch. We knew this would happen. It's ridiculous, and we're no safer now than we ever have been.

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