NEW FIGURE CHARGED IN KATIE COLLMAN SLAYING

Prosecutor: First Suspect Falsely Confessed

BROWNSTOWN, Ind. -- Prosecutors dropped charges yesterday against the man
originally accused of killing 10-year-old Katlyn "Katie" Collman, and then
charged a second suspect with murder. Jackson County Prosecutor Stephen
Pierson said Charles "Chuckie" Hickman, 21, who was arrested Feb. 2 and
charged with Katie's murder, had confessed to a crime he did not commit.
"It is unusual . but certainly not unheard of," Pierson said in a
statement. At a press conference, Pierson said he had filed a motion
seeking the death penalty against Anthony Stockelman, who previously had
been charged with molesting Katie and now also faces charges of murder and
confinement. Stockelman, 38, of Seymour, Ind., appeared in Jackson Circuit
Court yesterday on the new charges. Pierson said there "was much more
evidence to come" and that there might be other suspects in the case. Katie
was reported missing on Jan. 25 after running an after-school errand at a
store near her home in Crothersville, Ind. Her body was found five days
later, her hands tied behind her back, in a creek at Cypress Lake, about 20
miles north of Crothersville. According to police, Hickman said Katie was
abducted in an effort to scare her after she witnessed methamphetamine
activity at a local apartment complex. Referring to Hickman's account of
the crime, Pierson said yesterday that "it now appears that the alleged
sighting of a meth lab by Katie Collman was more false information provided
by Mr. Hickman." The Indiana State Police Crime Laboratory presented
additional evidence in the case this week, according to a state police
affidavit. Lab results showed on Wednesday that Stockelman's DNA matched
DNA found on the binding material used to tie Katie's hands behind her
back. Pierson has declined to reveal what was used to bind her hands. DNA
also led to the molestation charge filed against Stockelman on April 6. His
DNA was matched that day to semen found on Katie's body and to a cigarette
butt found near the creek, the affidavit says. The lab also determined on
Thursday that fibers found on Katie's body "cannot be . eliminated as
originating" from carpet at a home where Stockelman's mother lived.

The affidavit said the fibers would be tested further. The house in which
Stockelman's mother lived, at 405 Kovenor St. in Crothersville, is in the
middle of a three-block stretch between the Collman home and the store at
which she ran her errand the day she disappeared. Stockelman has told
investigators he was at the Kovenor Street house that day from about noon
until 5 p.m. to move his mother's belongings. Katie was last seen walking
away from the Penn Villa apartment complex behind the house toward Kovenor
Street. Yesterday's developments left Pierson at a loss to explain why
Hickman confessed to a crime he didn't commit, and they brought charges of
a rush to judgment from Stockelman's family and lawyer. Pierson said, "We
had doubts early on as to some of the things that he (Hickman) said. But
when you're in the middle of a murder investigation and someone . says, 'I
did it,' you cannot ignore that." The prosecutor said Hickman's story set
the case back about nine weeks -- and cost taxpayers tens of thousands of
dollars -- while investigators tried unsuccessfully to confirm it. "Why he
did that, I can't say," Pierson said. He added that he was considering
charging Hickman with false informing. Meanwhile, Stockelman's wife,
Tabitha, voiced anger at investigators. "I think they have no idea what
they're doing," she said. "He didn't do this." Marylou Stockelman, his
mother, said, "I think . he's being used as a scapegoat." Defense attorney
James Kilburn said Pierson is "wrong with Anthony Stockelman" and voiced
skepticism about the DNA evidence. "I have not seen DNA evidence," he said.
"I don't know if they have it or not." Hickman still faces a
child-molestation charge in an unrelated case -- and remained in the
Jackson County Jail yesterday -- but his grandparents said they were
relieved that he had been cleared of the murder charge. Farrell Street,
Hickman's grandfather, said the family "would like to thank the
law-enforcement agencies for their efforts." He expressed gratitude for
"people in our community who have supported us by bringing food, by
offering us encouragement, and by keeping us in their prayers." Johnathon
Neace, Katie's father, said he was pleased by Pierson's decision to seek
the death penalty against Stockelman. Neace said he was not fully convinced
that Stockelman acted alone and added that he is "confused, just confused"
by the turn of events. Pierson said he would ask Jackson Circuit Judge
William Vance to consolidate the molestation and murder cases against
Stockelman. Kilburn said he would probably oppose that motion. Vance
entered a preliminary not-guilty plea on the new charges against
Stockelman, who is being held in the Jackson County Jail without bond.

[Sidebar]

Events In The Case

Jan. 25: Ten-year-old Katlyn "Katie" Collman is reported missing after
running an after-school errand at a store near her home in Crothersville, Ind.

Jan. 30: Searchers find Katie's body in a creek at Cypress Lake, about 20
miles north of Crothersville.

Feb. 2: Police arrest Charles "Chuckie" Hickman, 21, of Crothersville, who
is charged with murdering Katie. According to police, he confesses to being
involved in the crime, saying she was abducted in an effort to scare her
after she witnessed methamphetamine activity at a Crothersville apartment
complex.

April 6: Authorities charge Anthony Stockelman, 38, of Seymour with
sexually molesting Katie shortly before or after her death.

Investigators connected Stockelman to the crime by matching his DNA with
DNA they found on Katie's body and on a cigarette butt near her body.

April 28: Jackson County Prosecutor Stephen Pierson says in court, while
arguing against a reduction in Stockelman's bond, that he is a suspect in
Katie's murder.

May 20: Pierson announces that he is dropping charges against Hickman and
that he is charging Stockelman with Katie's murder.

He says Hickman lied in making his confession and that false-informing
charges may be filed against him. Pierson also says he will seek the death
penalty against Stockelman.