Or – The disconnect regarding the innocence or guilt of Brad Dunlap.
Friends and Family
Friends and family on both sides were steadfastly supportive of Brad and his innocence. They were convinced that there was no way Brad could have been involved in the murder of his wife. Anne’s parents stated that anger was never an emotion they witnessed in Brad. Not an inkling of negativity, albeit a former business partner of Brad’s who claimed Brad and Anne were in counseling, and a friend that came forward in 2013 to report a conversation he/she had with Brad years before the murder. Overall, solid support from the people who knew Brad best.
Public Opinion
Public Opinion had a much more critical eye when it came down to Brad’s involvement in his wife Anne’s murder. They didn’t know Brad or Anne on a personal level, but could all relate to the story. Public Opinion saw what happened to Anne as something that could happen to them, their sister, or a friend; A random act of violence in their town. They consumed every news story and read every newspaper article about the case. However, neither the timeline (below) nor the details was/were adding up to support a random act of violence-type scenario. Reportedly, Brad refused to give police an hour-by-hour recount of his whereabouts on December 30, 1995. Then, Brad stopped talking altogether, and got a lawyer. Public Opinion wondered, “Wouldn’t you do whatever it took to find the murderer of your wife, even if it got uncomfortable? Why would you run away?”
“When a spouse is reported missing and later found dead, the other spouse becomes the prime suspect. Until he can be ruled out, the husband remains the prime suspect. That is because statistically, the vast majority of homicides are committed by family members, and most women are killed by their husbands, lovers, or partners.” ~Vernon Geberth, retired NYPD Homicide Commanding Officer, nationally renowned lecturer, author, educator, consultant and expert witness on the subject of death investigations.
Timeline of December 30, 1995
8:00-11:30 a.m.
Anne: Met friends at her health club in Saint Louis Park, Minnesota for a 10-mile run. Showered afterwards.
11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Anne: Had brunch at a friend’s house (possibly in the Fulton neighborhood of SW Minneapolis).
1:30 – 2:00 p.m.
Anne: Drove home to her residence.
2:00 – 2:30 p.m.
Anne: Was at home in her parent’s Linden Hills home in SW Mpls, MN.
2:30 p.m.
Anne: Allegedly left to go shopping.
3:30 – 4:00 p.m.
Anne: Succumbing to her trauma and injuries, and dying.
4:30 p.m.
Anne: Deceased in the trunk of her car.
8:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m.
Brad: Running solo and passed Anne and friends going in the opposite direction at around 8:00 a.m.
Unknown activities from approximately 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
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2:00 – 2:30 p.m.
Brad: Unknown activities. Reported seeing Anne leave at 2:30 to shop.
2:30-4:30 p.m.
Brad: Reportedly running errands.
4:30: Planned meeting time. Brad and Anne planned to get salt for their aquarium and then go to dinner.
Brad: Reportedly home waiting for Anne.
5:00 p.m.
Brad: Reportedly stopped at a tropical fish store in Plymouth sometime after 5:00.
5:30 p.m.
Brad: Reportedly shopped at Big Top Liquors in Plymouth at about 5:30 p.m.
6:00 – 6:30 p.m.
Brad: Reportedly bought a bottle of water at Tom Thumb in Plymouth after 6:00 p.m.
6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Brad: Unknown activities.
8:00 – 9:30 p.m.
Brad: Notified Anne’s parents to come home from cabin. Brad starts calling and checking area hospitals and police departments for reports about Anne..
9:30 p.m. – 12:00 a.m.
Brad: and Anne’s parents scoured the Mall of America’s parking lots.
1:00 a.m. 12/31/1995
Brad: On the advice of his mother-in-law, drives to and searches the Medina building site for Anne.
7:40 a.m. 12/31/1995
Brad: Calls the police to file a missing person report.
11 Comments
Sky Watcher · 11.05.17 at 7:27 pm
The sun set that day at 4:40 p.m. If the murder didn’t happen in the Kmart parking lot, it makes sense that the car would have been moved there after sunset.
triciafiske · 11.05.17 at 10:26 pm
Good point! I have also wondered if the murder didn’t occur at Kmart, why move the car there at all?
Sky Watcher · 11.05.17 at 11:10 pm
Speculation was that the killer wanted the car stolen in hopes of framing the thief for the murder, so it was left at Kmart unlocked with the key in the ignition. That’s why the bottle of water found in the car was so important. If the bottle found in the car was the same one Brad Dunlap allegedly bought at Tom Thumb on the night of the murder, then it’s incriminating beyond measure. On the other hand, if Anne and/or Brad regularly bought that same kind of water at Tom Thumb, then it’s meaningless.
I’m inclined to believe Brad is innocent, because he gave a 5-hour interview to the police without a lawyer present. That’s a long time to talk and not say anything incriminating. He also gave many hours of depositions in his lawsuit to collect the insurance money. 16 hours, was it? I don’t know how someone guilty could answer questions for that long and not say something incriminating.
Thank you for your work to keep this case alive.
triciafiske · 11.06.17 at 11:44 pm
Thanks for stopping by! I have wanted to do something for a while. This was one way to spread the word and focus attention back on Anne’s case.
I think the police are between a rock and a hard place. In regards to that water bottle, I had always imagined it found in the backseat (not especially significant). If the bottle was in the front in the drink holder, more significant. However, it would be nearly impossible to prove that the bottle in Anne’s car was the same bottle bought by Brad that night. I assume authorities have DNA off of the bottle. I think we would have heard something if they found unknown DNA; Does this random-act-of-violence-perpetrator also shop at Tom Thumb in Plymouth? If the bottle had Brad’s DNA on it, big deal, they are married. The defense could easily explain that away.
During Brad’s 5-hour interview, I believe he got tripped up recounting time and his whereabouts. Between detectives accusing him of murder and an alibi that wasn’t making sense if he and Anne planned to meet at 4:30, Brad stopped talking. He refused to give detectives his hour-by-hour whereabouts, and got a lawyer.
As for the insurance policy case, Brad had a lawyer for that whole procession. They also won the right to see all the police files on Brad.
Sky Watcher · 11.07.17 at 11:55 pm
Yes, the water bottle was overly hyped when it was first reported as a clue when there was a tremendous media frenzy about this case in January 1996. It would have been something if it led to a suspect or location that didn’t fit.
What doesn’t make sense to me is that Anne could go shopping at MOA at 2:30 and plan to be back at 4:30. That would only work if she were going to MOA to visit a single store and then leave. If she were planning to visit multiple stores and comparison shop, she doesn’t have enough time on a regular day, let alone a holiday weekend. (MOA is a tedious place to do that in.) So the plan was that if Anne wasn’t back by 4:30, Brad would go to the fish store (that closed at 5) without her? Apparently neither of them had cell phones on that fateful day.
triciafiske · 11.09.17 at 11:02 pm
Water bottle- Sure, police asked the public for help finding the store that sold the water with the odd price tag. The public wants to help! With this case, I don’t understand why the police don’t release more details. It’s 22 years! In current perplexing news, it seems that so much more information is released.
MOA-I have read other articles that say she shopped mainly at Nordstrom. So, the idea is that she just went to Nordstrom to get shoes. However, she would have to park in the West parking ramp and I’m sure they had to have cameras then; Terrible, grainy footage, but cameras nonetheless. Plus, the Bloomington Police Chief Robert Lutz said there is no evidence placing her at the mall.
16 hour deposition?- I hadn’t heard that. I’m working on getting transcripts if possible.
Cell phones- One article I read said that Anne’s mom suggested Brad go check the site of their home in Medina. When Brad arrived and found that Anne wasn’t there, he called her mother. Not sure how he did that without a cell phone… I guess he could have went to a pay phone, but..?
Sky Watcher · 11.12.17 at 8:36 pm
The 16-hour video deposition of Brad Dunlap was mentioned in the St. Paul Pioneer Press on May 30, 1997.
A fairly complete set of articles about the case from the Minneapolis Star Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press are available at:
http://docdro.id/69gOw6Z
http://docdro.id/7t8ImJQ
triciafiske · 11.13.17 at 11:32 pm
Ok- I would love to see that video…
I just recently found the articles you mentioned -after only having some of the Strib articles from the library
triciafiske · 12.30.17 at 6:39 pm
After searching for the file for Dunlap’s case vs. Chubbs Ins., found it, but it is sealed, not accessible.
triciafiske · 12.30.17 at 6:42 pm
*Chubb
SkyWatcher · 04.08.18 at 12:01 pm
I’m really not liking the photo on this post, with the clock superimposed on Anne’s face. If you look quickly, the hands look like two streams of blood coming out Anne’s nose.