Death and the Beauty Queen

**Tidus** Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:45 pm

Police had a murder weapon with a bloody palm print -- and it belonged to the boyfriend of a slain beauty queen. But not everything was as it seemed.

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Nona Dirksmeyer, a beauty queen of Arkansas, was found murdered in her apartment off-camus in Dec. 2005. Nona Dirksmeyer was struck by a floor lamp and her neck was slit. Nona Dirksmeyer had won the title of Miss Petit Jean Valley, of Arkansas.
nitially, police assumed that Nona Dirksmeyer’s boyfriend, Kevin N. Jones, was the culprit as his palm print was found on the lamp. Defense lawyers for Kevin Jones argued that the print was left after Kevin Jones discovered Nona Dirksmeyer’s body.

A new suspect, Gary William Dunn, was found after new evidence was revealed. An open condom wrapper found near Nona Dirksmeyer’s naked body was analyzed and it contained DNA from Nona Dirksmeyer and Gary Dunn. Gary Dunn denied knowing Nona Dirksmeyer. Gary Dunn’s mother, Martha Dunn, claimed her son was innocent. Preston Chenoweth, Gary Dunn’s stepfather, said they will believe and support him.