Barbara Nelson

By the time we were both in college, we were extremely close. I would say she was actually my best friend. Dealing with Jane's death was extraordinarily painful. I don't think there are any words that can really capture it.

She was on her way home for a weekend. She was picked up supposedly at 6 o'clock by someone who was going to give her a ride to Muskegon, Michigan.

Detective Schroeder telephoned Jane's sister, Barbara Nelson. There would be no reason to think it would be closed, but I had no idea that there were people that were actually aware that it was an unsolved case.

My name is Barbara Nelson, and my sister was Jane Mixer. I think I didn't want to even get close to what had happened to her. At the time of Jane's death, there were a whole series of murders of young women. They did arrest a man for the murder of one of the young women, and he was tried and convicted.

There are enormous mysteries that remain in this case.

I wanted to bear witness to Jane's life, you know, and this is in some sense, you know, a part of her life. I couldn't not be here. I just couldn't.

I had not known exactly how my sister died, and the trial certainly made that very clear.

I never in my wildest dreams thought things would happen as they did. Never, ever.

You know, I try to put myself in their position, and I say my heart goes out to them.

I did it because she asked me, and I think because I knew that it was time. It was a healing experience. It was an extraordinary healing experience. All rise, please.

It was just pure stress. I think for each one of us, our stomachs turned over.

There was just this kind of stunned silence. I felt like I was sort of numb.

I think when it became a reality to me is when I turned to my father and my father began sobbing. And I knew then that this was a huge thing, a huge thing.

What would be wonderful would be to have Gary Lighterman actually say, I did it. And as long as he doesn't say that, there will always be this just nagging doubt about what really happened.

One, it was painful, and it seemed almost lurid to think about it or talk about it.

We talked on the telephone, and I thought she should come with Phil. She told me that she thought that it would work out better if they came independently. And I said it seemed like it wasn't the right thing to do, and she said, trust me. And those are the last words she ever said.

It was shock and horror.

She was bright and articulate and concerned and empathetic. I mean, she stood up for what she thought was worth saying.

So there was this sense of relief. I mean, I think that's what made so many of us think that, yeah, they got the man. They stopped.

Absolutely. Felt like it was a book that shouldn't be opened. And then also wanted to say, yes, Maggie, yes, go for it, you know.