By Sienna Snider -True Crime Writer for Today in Fort Smith
The case of Nona Dirksmeyer, a beloved 19-year-old Arkansas Tech University student and Miss Arkansas contestant, who was found dead in her Russellville apartment remains unsolved. Her brutal murder on December 15, 2005, has left friends, family, and River Valley residents questioning if justice will ever be served.
Dirksmeyer was viciously stabbed and beaten to death with the base of her own floor lamp. Despite numerous questions surrounding the incident and investigation, two suspects were arrested and charged with the heinous crime, yet her killer remains at large.
Police first arrested Dirksmeyer’s boyfriend, Kevin Jones. In 2007, however, a jury acquitted him, finding insufficient evidence to prove his guilt. With Jones found not guilty, a special prosecutor was appointed to reopen the investigation, bringing renewed hope for justice.A
During the second investigation, police identified a new suspect, Gary Dunn. Dunn lived across from Dirksmeyer in the same apartment complex and was on parole, having spent six years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections for a 2002 incident where he beat a female jogger with a large tree branch and threatened to kill her.
Dunn had been released from prison for only four months when he became a suspect in Dirksmeyer’s murder. Traces of his DNA were found on a condom wrapper in Nona's kitchen. In 2008, prosecutors charged Dunn with the murder, leading to a trial.
The Trials and Circumstantial Evidence
During the trial, the defense disputed the DNA evidence, arguing that there was little direct evidence linking Dunn to the crime. The case against him was largely circumstantial. Two jury trials both ended in hung juries, and Dunn was not tried a third time. After spending nearly two years behind bars, Dunn was released from custody.
Ten years after Dunn’s release, on December 4, 2018, the Russellville Police Department and Arkansas Tech University Office of Public Safety received reports of separate incidents involving indecent exposure and attempted kidnapping. The three female victims provided descriptions that led to a BOLO (be on the lookout) advisory. Later that night, Dardanelle Police stopped a vehicle matching the description, driven by Gary Dunn.
On December 21, 2018, Dunn was transported from the Pope County Detention Center to an Arkansas Department of Corrections facility for a parole violation. He would later be transported back to Pope County to stand trial on new charges. Dunn was eventually sentenced to 15 years in prison for attempted kidnapping but only has to serve a third of that sentence.
Unanswered Questions and an Open Case
The murder of Nona Dirksmeyer remains an open case with no conviction. The lingering questions haunt those who knew her: Does her killer walk free? Did authorities fail to convict the right person, or is the true murderer still at large, unidentified by police?
Despite numerous efforts and ongoing investigations, the brutal slaying of Nona Dirksmeyer is still an unresolved mystery, leaving her loved ones and the community yearning for closure and justice.
Comments