Case 02: The Garroted Photographer

Solution

To win, you must have:

1. Named Cliff Morgan as the murderer.
2. Mentioned any three of the following five sets of clues:
   • Cliff Morgan was 5'5", while Richard Jecko was 5'10". The autopsy revealed that the murderer was several inches shorter than the victim.
   • The murder occurred between 12:30 and 1:30 P.M. For most of that hour, Cliff Morgan was out of his store and no one could say where he was.
   • Jecko was killed with a high E steel guitar string. The string used to kill him matched the set of strings found in Cliff Morgan's drawer.
   • The killer used a technique taught by the Army to special commando-type units. Cliff Morgan was a Green Beret in Viet Nam.
   • Cliff Morgan had paid blackmail for two years. His wife just died of bone cancer, so he was the only blackmail victim who no longer had to worry about the pictures.

The Story

Richard Jecko supplemented his family portrait income with blackmail. Jecko would befriend his carefully-chosen victim and introduce him to Gillian Day. He would arrange for Gillian to "entertain" his friend. Gillian would come on to the victim, and if he proved willing, take him to Room 204 of the Coachman Motel which Jecko had rented. From Room 203, Jecko would then photograph the action, using his Starlite lens, a light amplification lens capable of taking good pictures in semi-darkness without a flash.

Cliff Morgan became involved with Gillian when his wife was undergoing chemotherapy for her cancer and he needed some release. When Jecko showed Morgan the pictures, Morgan decided to pay blackmail rather than upset his dying wife. Once Morgan's wife was dead, there was no reason to keep paying. Morgan decided to get even with Jecko and used a guitar string to settle the score.