More than 100 days after Brooke Hanlon was stabbed to death at her Chester, N.J., home on June 5, no arrests have been made. Officials have offered no updates beyond identifying her as the victim; former prosecutor John W. Day says silence can protect an investigation.
Day, a criminal defense lawyer and former deputy district attorney, said investigators may limit public information to keep facts about the killing from reaching a suspect, which could change accounts or lead to evidence being destroyed. He also cited forensic testing or continued evidence collection as possible reasons for the delay.
The Morris County Medical Examiner's Office said an autopsy found multiple sharp-force injuries and ruled the death a homicide. A few weeks after Hanlon's death, officials offered $1,000 for information about her possible killer; the article says this was their only public request for help.
