Jane Mixer: The Controversial Conviction

The Promising Law Student

Jane Louise Mixer was born on February 23, 1946, in Michigan to parents Marian and Dan Mixer. Her father was a prominent dentist in the area, and Jane grew up alongside two siblings named Dan and Barbara.

Jane was the kind of student every teacher dreams of having. When she graduated from high school in 1964, she was in the top 10% of her class and an honor student. She was on the debate team, a cheerleader, and so well-liked that she was one of only two students selected to deliver a commencement address. She was voted "best all around girl" in her senior class.

After high school, Jane headed to the University of Michigan's College of Literature, Science and Arts, where she studied economics and continued to excel. She graduated in 1968 and enrolled in law school that fall.

Keep in mind, this was 1968, and Jane was one of the only female students in the entire law program. She lived alone in the law quadrangle dormitory, and life was looking up for her. Jane was dating a guy named Phil, and shortly before the events we're discussing, Phil proposed and Jane said yes.

The Murder

In 1969, Jane was trying to catch a ride home to tell her parents the exciting news about her engagement.

But Jane never made it home.

She was found shot and strangled in a cemetery, her belongings eerily arranged beside her. The murder was brutal and mysterious, and despite extensive investigations, no one was arrested.

The Cold Case

For over three decades, Jane's case sat frozen in time. Many people believed that John Norman Collins, a serial killer who had been convicted of murdering another University of Michigan student named Karen Beineman, was also responsible for Jane's death. The murders stopped after Collins was locked up, and Jane's family wanted to believe that her killer was behind bars.

All of the evidence from Jane's case—including bullet fragments, a phone book, Polaroids, a nylon stocking, and blood scrapings—was sealed up and put into long-term storage.

The DNA Breakthrough

But in 2001, everything changed when DNA testing was performed on the evidence.

The DNA pointed to a man named Gary Leiterman, a 62-year-old former nurse who had no prior connection to Jane. Gary was arrested and charged with her murder.

In 2005, Gary Leiterman went on trial. The prosecution's theory was that Gary had called Jane using the name "David Johnson," picked her up, made a sexual advance, and then killed her. The case against Gary rested on three main pieces of evidence: DNA found on Jane's pantyhose, handwriting analysis suggesting Gary wrote the name "David Johnson" in Jane's address book, and the fact that Gary owned a .22 caliber gun (the same type used to kill Jane).

Gary was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

The Controversy

But the conviction was highly controversial.

Three scientists later performed a statistical analysis and concluded that the DNA evidence was likely the result of lab contamination. They noted that the DNA on the pantyhose came exclusively from Gary Leiterman with no detectable DNA from Jane herself—which was highly unusual. The scientists argued it was more likely that contamination happened in the lab than that Gary was guilty.

Gary Leiterman died in prison on July 4, 2019, at the age of 76. He maintained his innocence until the very end.

Jane Mixer's murder case remains a case where the official answer doesn't seem solved. Was Gary Leiterman truly guilty? Or was Jane's real killer never caught?