News and Observer Article 2005
The Stephanie Bennett Murder Investigation

In an effort to find Stephanie Bennett's killer, police used the traditional tools of shoe leather and forensic science, but they also engaged the services of a psychic.

Raleigh detectives called Sherrie Dillard, a professional clairvoyant in DurhamCounty, in August, 2005 and asked her for help with a case, but they did not specify which. Detective Ken Copeland told Dillard that he thought her abilities might help and asked what information she needed, Dillard said Monday.

Copeland gave Dillard only one piece of information: Bennett's name and birth date. Dillard knew of Bennett's death in 2002 but had not closely followed the case.  During the next three weeks, Dillard centered her thoughts on Bennett, using her psychic powers to learn more about the killer's personality, she said.

She met detectives outside Bennett's Lake Lynn Drive apartment Aug. 29 for a two-hour session that included a tour of the neighborhood in a detective's cruiser. Dillard said she sensed the suspect was a loner, tall, skinny and disheveled. He played with children outside the apartment where Bennett lived, she thought.

"I did not think he lived there any longer. I felt that he still lived close by," Dillard said. "I felt strongly that he [had] lived in the area."

Last week, police arrested Drew Edward Planten, 35, of Raleigh and charged him with murder in Bennett's death. Police said Planten's  DNA matched DNA left at Bennett's apartment when she was sexually assaulted and strangled May 21, 2002.

Raleigh police said Monday that they were grateful for Dillard's time but that detectives had learned nothing new from conversations with her.  "Their contact was in August," said Jim Sughrue, police spokesman. "That was after a potential suspect had been identified."  Dillard said Copeland encouraged her to continue working even when she tried to back out of the case."They would have never gotten a hold of me if they didn't need me," Dillard said.

Dillard told police the suspect had used sudden force to kill Bennett, according to e-mail messages Dillard sent Copeland. The killer was scared, nervous and filled with adrenaline. Dillard thought the man did not care whether he killed Bennett; he just wanted to feel as though he was in control.

Copeland would check with Dillard via e-mail or phone, listening to her visions and encouraging her to keep going, she said.  "He never grilled me," Dillard said.  "He never said, 'How about this; how about that.' He never said to me, 'We've got this person we're thinking of.' "

Two rewards have been offered in the case, but Dillard said she did not know about the money until late August when police told her about the rewards.

In 2003, Raleigh police offered a $10,000 reward for information that led to the arrest and conviction of Bennett's killer. That same year, Bennett's father offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. So far, neither reward has been paid.

The August phone call was the first time Triangle police have contacted Dillard and asked for help. Dillard has worked on homicide and missing-person cases, but her help is usually sought by victims' families. While Dillard usually charges people on a sliding scale, Raleigh police did not pay for her services.

Raleigh police have worked with clairvoyants and hypnotists in the past.
Chief Frederick K. Heineman, who oversaw the department during the 1980s, often flew a psychic to Raleigh to consult with police on unsolved murder and missing-person cases. In the 1990s, investigators used a hypnotist to help a witness recall the slaying of a Blockbuster Video clerk.

The day after their Aug. 29 meeting, Copeland wrote to Dillard, thanking her. By September, communication between the two had ceased. A few weeks later, police arrested Planten.

Dillard sent e-mail to Copeland last week, telling him she was thrilled to learn of the arrest. Copeland, Dillard said, has yet to respond.

 

 

 

 

 

August 30, 2006 email thread

between Detective Ken Copeland & Sherrie Dillard after Sherrie

described her visions of the suspect to him.

 

'A PERSON THAT FITS'

Dillard: "Like I said, you may be closer than you think.

Copeland:  "I'll be frank with you. I have a person that fits the description [you're] describing."

Dillard:  "Hangs out with children close by. Stays to himself. Does not have a

career. Lives close to the area we pointed out yesterday.   However, he is a

white male, 35 years old, tall, skinny and a recluse socially, and a loner."