Suzanne Marie Collins
Encyclopedia
Suzanne Marie Collins (June 8, 1966 – July 12, 1985) was a Marine
Lance Corporal who was raped and murdered by Sedley Alley
on the morning of July 12, 1985. At the time of her murder she was stationed at Naval Air Station, Memphis
in Millington
, Tennessee
. Collins was a student undergoing training at the base, and was scheduled to graduate from avionics training on the day of her murder. She is buried in Arlington National Cemetery
.
Suzanne Collins was the daughter of Jack and Trudy Collins. She graduated from Robert E. Lee High School
in Springfield, Virginia
.
, but soon the Marines were called back to the security office, where they identified Alley's car, which had been stopped by officers. Alley and his wife gave statements to the base security personnel accounting for their whereabouts. The security personnel were satisfied with Alley's story, and Alley and his wife returned to their on-base housing. The two Marine witnesses returned to the security office shortly after Alley and his wife departed. The Marines disputed the couple's version of events, citing that the loud, distinct sounds made by the muffler
on Alley's car matched those sounds they had heard prior to and during Collins' abduction. The security personnel indicated that since no one had yet been reported missing, there was nothing more that could be done. The Marines were thanked for their assistance and told to return to their barracks.
Collins' body was discovered several hours later. Alley was immediately arrested by military police
. He voluntarily gave a statement to the police, admitting to having killed Collins but giving a substantially false (and considerably more humane) account of the circumstances of the killing. He claimed that his wife went to a Tupperware party which angered him. He drank two six-packs of beer and a bottle of wine. He told authorities that he had gone out for more liquor when his car accidentally hit Collins as she jogged near the air base. He also claimed he accidentally killed the young woman when she fell on a screwdriver
he was holding as he was trying to help her. However, an autopsy
revealed that her skull had been fractured with repeated beatings, there were no screwdriver wounds, and no wounds consistent with being hit by a car. In addition to a severe beating and numerous head traumas, Alley had repeatedly rammed a tree limb into her vagina with sufficient force to enter her abdomen and lacerate one of her lungs. She died of internal hemorrhaging and head injuries.
A Shelby County judge denied Alley's initial request for state-funded DNA testing of 11 samples of physical evidence, saying he hadn't shown "reasonable probability" that he wouldn't have been prosecuted or convicted if the tests were in his favor.
After numerous appeals, Alley was executed by lethal injection
at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution
in Nashville, Tennessee, on the morning of June 28, 2006; he was pronounced dead at 2:12 a.m. The length of Alley's appeals process caused Collins' family to successfully work for limitations on groundless habeas corpus
appeals.
The book Journey Into Darkness (ISBN 0-671-00394-1) by John E. Douglas
dedicates three chapters to the life and murder of Suzanne Collins.
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
Lance Corporal who was raped and murdered by Sedley Alley
Sedley Alley
Sedley Alley was convicted of abducting, raping, and murdering 19-year-old United States Marine Corps Lance Corporal Suzanne Marie Collins near Naval Air Station Memphis in Millington, Tennessee.-The crime:...
on the morning of July 12, 1985. At the time of her murder she was stationed at Naval Air Station, Memphis
Naval Air Station
A Naval Air Station is a military airbase, and consists of a permanent land-based operations locations for the military aviation division of the relevant branch of their Navy...
in Millington
Millington, Tennessee
Millington is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 10,176. Millington was the home of the recently closed Memphis Motorsports Park. It was granted the title "Flag City Tennessee" by the Tennessee State Legislature. The Naval Support Activity Mid-South is...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. Collins was a student undergoing training at the base, and was scheduled to graduate from avionics training on the day of her murder. She is buried in Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
.
Suzanne Collins was the daughter of Jack and Trudy Collins. She graduated from Robert E. Lee High School
Robert E. Lee High School (Fairfax County, Virginia)
Robert E. Lee High School is a high school in the Fairfax County Public Schools system. Its mascot is the Lancer. The school is located in Springfield in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia. It is named after Robert E. Lee, the general of the Confederate troops in the American Civil War...
in Springfield, Virginia
Springfield, Virginia
Springfield is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States and a suburb of Washington, D.C. The Springfield CDP is recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau with a population of 30,484 as of the 2010 census. Homes and businesses in bordering CDPs including North Springfield,...
.
Abduction and murder
Sedley Alley, a civilian married to a military person, abducted Collins late in the evening of July 11, 1985 while she was jogging on the base. He transported her to nearby Orgill Park where he raped and murdered her. He left her body in the park. Two Marines jogging near where Collins was abducted heard her scream and ran toward the sound. However, as they reached the scene, they saw Alley's car leaving the area. They reported to base security and accompanied officers on a tour of the base, looking for the car. Unsuccessful, they returned to their barracksBarracks
Barracks are specialised buildings for permanent military accommodation; the word may apply to separate housing blocks or to complete complexes. Their main object is to separate soldiers from the civilian population and reinforce discipline, training and esprit de corps. They were sometimes called...
, but soon the Marines were called back to the security office, where they identified Alley's car, which had been stopped by officers. Alley and his wife gave statements to the base security personnel accounting for their whereabouts. The security personnel were satisfied with Alley's story, and Alley and his wife returned to their on-base housing. The two Marine witnesses returned to the security office shortly after Alley and his wife departed. The Marines disputed the couple's version of events, citing that the loud, distinct sounds made by the muffler
Muffler
A muffler is a device for reducing the amount of noise emitted by the exhaust of an internal combustion engine. A US Patent for an Exhaust muffler for engines was granted to Milton and Marshall Reeves in 1897....
on Alley's car matched those sounds they had heard prior to and during Collins' abduction. The security personnel indicated that since no one had yet been reported missing, there was nothing more that could be done. The Marines were thanked for their assistance and told to return to their barracks.
Collins' body was discovered several hours later. Alley was immediately arrested by military police
Military police
Military police are police organisations connected with, or part of, the military of a state. The word can have different meanings in different countries, and may refer to:...
. He voluntarily gave a statement to the police, admitting to having killed Collins but giving a substantially false (and considerably more humane) account of the circumstances of the killing. He claimed that his wife went to a Tupperware party which angered him. He drank two six-packs of beer and a bottle of wine. He told authorities that he had gone out for more liquor when his car accidentally hit Collins as she jogged near the air base. He also claimed he accidentally killed the young woman when she fell on a screwdriver
Screwdriver
A screwdriver is a tool for driving screws and often rotating other machine elements with the mating drive system. The screwdriver is made up of a head or tip, which engages with a screw, a mechanism to apply torque by rotating the tip, and some way to position and support the screwdriver...
he was holding as he was trying to help her. However, an autopsy
Autopsy
An autopsy—also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy , autopsia cadaverum, or obduction—is a highly specialized surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse to determine the cause and manner of death and to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present...
revealed that her skull had been fractured with repeated beatings, there were no screwdriver wounds, and no wounds consistent with being hit by a car. In addition to a severe beating and numerous head traumas, Alley had repeatedly rammed a tree limb into her vagina with sufficient force to enter her abdomen and lacerate one of her lungs. She died of internal hemorrhaging and head injuries.
Trial and execution of Alley
In spite of his attempt to convince a jury that he had multiple personality disorder, Alley was convicted on March 18, 1987 of murder in the first degree and was sentenced to death. He was also convicted of aggravated kidnapping and aggravated rape, for which he received consecutive forty-year sentences. He was scheduled to die by electrocution May 2, 1990, but was reprieved indefinitely by the state Court of Criminal Appeals.A Shelby County judge denied Alley's initial request for state-funded DNA testing of 11 samples of physical evidence, saying he hadn't shown "reasonable probability" that he wouldn't have been prosecuted or convicted if the tests were in his favor.
After numerous appeals, Alley was executed by lethal injection
Lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting a person with a fatal dose of drugs for the express purpose of causing the immediate death of the subject. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide...
at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution
Riverbend Maximum Security Institution
Riverbend Maximum Security Institution is a prison in Nashville, Tennessee, operated by the Tennessee Department of Correction. The prison opened in 1989 and replaced its 100 year-old neighbor, the Tennessee State Penitentiary. Even today, it is billed as one of the state's most high-tech facilities...
in Nashville, Tennessee, on the morning of June 28, 2006; he was pronounced dead at 2:12 a.m. The length of Alley's appeals process caused Collins' family to successfully work for limitations on groundless habeas corpus
Habeas corpus
is a writ, or legal action, through which a prisoner can be released from unlawful detention. The remedy can be sought by the prisoner or by another person coming to his aid. Habeas corpus originated in the English legal system, but it is now available in many nations...
appeals.
The book Journey Into Darkness (ISBN 0-671-00394-1) by John E. Douglas
John E. Douglas
John Edward Douglas , is a former special agent with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation , one of the first criminal profilers, and criminal psychology author.-Early life:...
dedicates three chapters to the life and murder of Suzanne Collins.