WTNH News Channel 8 / News / 1999

	Yale Lecturer Denies Involvement in Student's Murder (New Haven-WTNH) _ A Yale university lecturer questioned in the murder investigation of a yale student is speaking out tonight. 38 year old James Van De Velde was one of the victim's teachers. 21 year old Suzanne Jovin was murdered last month in an upscale new haven neighborhood. An autopsy revealed she was stabbed 17 times. Tuesday Van De Velde issued a written statement professing his innocence. In the one-page statement Van De Velde says quote "any suggestion that i had anything to do with the death of my former student is deeply, deeply painful and outrageous. I am innocent." He goes on to discuss police questioning him the night of December 8th, saying "I immediately volunteered my car keys and allowed the detectives to search my car thoroughly and dust it for fingerprints. I volunteered to allow them to search my apartment. I volunteered to give a blood sample and to take a polygraph examination. All those offers were declined." Van De Velde continues by saying "The so-called 'investigation' over the past month has been a nightmare for me... the questioning of my students, colleagues and friends, I am told, has featured outright lies." We called New Haven Police Chief Mel Wearing's office for reaction to Van De Velde's comments about the investigation and we were told police have no comment. Van De Velde continues to be a lecturer at Yale, but yesterday two classes he was scheduled to teach in the spring were cancelled. Today's News Page. WTNH Home Page. ©1999 WTNH/WTNH-DT A LIN station.

Yale Lecturer Denies Involvement in Student's Murder
(New Haven-WTNH) _ A Yale university lecturer questioned in the murder investigation of a yale student is speaking out tonight. 38 year old James Van De Velde was one of the victim's teachers. 21 year old Suzanne Jovin was murdered last month in an upscale new haven neighborhood. An autopsy revealed she was stabbed 17 times. Tuesday Van De Velde issued a written statement professing his innocence.

In the one-page statement Van De Velde says quote "any suggestion that i had anything to do with the death of my former student is deeply, deeply painful and outrageous. I am innocent."

He goes on to discuss police questioning him the night of December 8th, saying "I immediately volunteered my car keys and allowed the detectives to search my car thoroughly and dust it for fingerprints. I volunteered to allow them to search my apartment. I volunteered to give a blood sample and to take a polygraph examination. All those offers were declined."

Van De Velde continues by saying "The so-called 'investigation' over the past month has been a nightmare for me... the questioning of my students, colleagues and friends, I am told, has featured outright lies."

We called New Haven Police Chief Mel Wearing's office for reaction to Van De Velde's comments about the investigation and we were told police have no comment.

Van De Velde continues to be a lecturer at Yale, but yesterday two classes he was scheduled to teach in the spring were cancelled.

Today's News Page.

WTNH Home Page.