Cops: Indiana University student likely made it home before murder
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Detectives believe Indiana University student Hannah Wilson, who was killed last week after a night out drinking, made it home safely and was murdered sometime in the following hours.
Sgt. Curt Durnil with the Indiana State Police told 48 Hours' Crimesider investigators have reason to believe that Wilson was dropped off at her house by a taxi cab service early on the morning of Friday, April 24.
It's still unclear when and where the 22-year-old came into contact with her alleged killer, 49-year-old Daniel Messel, of Bloomington.
Wilson's body was found around 8:30 a.m. on Saturday April 24 in rural Brown County, about 10 miles from the IU campus in Bloomington.
A probable cause affidavit indicates Messel's cell phone was found next to the 22-year-old's body and when authorities went to question him, they found blood and hair in his vehicle, as well as claw marks on his arms. He was taken into custody and charged Monday with Wilson's murder. A judge entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.
Wilson, a senior at IU, had been drinking with friends at a Bloomington hotel late Thursday, April 23, hours before she was allegedly bludgeoned to death. The group departed for the nearby Kilroy's Sports Bar at around 1 a.m. on April 24, but when they arrived, Wilson's friends decided she was too intoxicated to go inside and instead put her in a taxi alone and sent her home, the police affidavit says.
What happened afterwards is unclear, however Sgt. Durnil tells Crimesider there were cameras in the taxi cab and authorities have spoken with the cab driver and they believe Wilson was dropped off safely.
What's also unknown is whether Messel and Wilson had any prior relationship. Messel's stepfather, Gerald Messel, told CBS affiliate WTTV that his stepson had mentioned he'd met a woman named Hannah in recent weeks, but Sgt. Durnil says he's seen no indication there was any prior relationship between Wilson and the suspect.
Police spoke with Gerald Messel as part of their investigation. According to the affidavit, he told them that he went out to dinner with his stepson, Daniel, at around 6 p.m. on April 23. He said they returned to their residence afterwards and then Daniel Messel departed around 8 p.m. for Yogi's Bar and Grill to play trivia with friends.
Matthew Brighton, one of Daniel Messel's friends, who is also his coworker, told police he was with Daniel at trivia and that he gave him a ride home at around 11 p.m.
But Gerald Messel told police his stepson never came home, according to the affidavit. Daniel also never showed up to work at Fine Print and Printing in Bloomington the next morning, something his coworkers described to police as being unusual.
WTTV reports investigators are still trying to piece together the timeline of the night.
Authorities are also trying to determine whether Messel may be connected to the 2011 disappearance of Indiana University student Lauren Spierer. The 20-year-old disappeared after a night out of drinking at Kilroy's - the same bar near where Wilson was last reported seen. Spierer has not been found and no criminal charges have been filed in her disappearance.
Indiana State Police Sgt. Durnil has said there is nothing at this time to suggest Messel is connected to Spierer's disappearance.
Messel lives with his stepfather in Bloomington, less than 10 miles away from the Indiana University Campus. According to the Herald-Times, the 49-year-old had a profile on a "Sugar Daddy" dating website describing himself as a "Bloomington male looking for that special IU coed."
The paper also reports Messel has been arrested several times for violence against women, including once more than 20 years ago when he was accused of battering a girlfriend and confining her to an apartment. He has also been arrested on allegations he beat his grandmother and broke bones in her face.