The Valerie Percy Case: 50 Years Later

 Posted on March 23, 2017 in Personal Injury

On September 18, 1966, Valerie Percy was murdered in her parents’ home in Kenilworth, Illinois. The attack was brutal, her cause of death being a fractured skill and 14 stab wounds. She was also so badly beaten she was beyond recognition. The police ruled out burglary, as nothing was taken. They also determined her attacker knew her. The crime suggests personal investment, and the family dog didn’t bark or cause any other kind of alarm during the attack. Authorities investigated thousands of people and tracked leads across the United States with no success.No one has ever been accused of her murder.

In September of 2016, a Cook County Judge ordered the Kenilworth police chief to release a 12-page memorandum, which outlined thousands of pages of secret evidence from the case. Most of the memorandum was redacted,making it almost as useless as the forbidden records. The reason for the redaction and the reluctance to release more details is that allegedly the investigation is still active. Later in December, a judge finally ruled that the thousands of pages of police reports related to the case will remain under wraps while the crime remains active. According to the judge, the release of the documents would, “jeopardize the investigation.”

Some suspects have been considered, including William Thoresen III, the son of a Kenilworth industrial tycoon. The man was described as “violent”and “a mental case,” and he had some unusual connections tothe Percy murder. However, Thoresen was killed in 1970, shot to deathby his wife in self-defense.

If the appeal fails, the public will still remain unaware of the details of this sad case until the Kenilworth police regard it as inactive and it will continue to remain a mystery.

Our experienced Greenwich personal injury lawyers have extensive experience representing victims and families of victims of assault and homicide. If your loved one was harmed by a criminal, contact us at (914) 505-7067 or fill out our online form for a free consultation. We are available 24/7.