Karen tipton husband killed her
This story originally aired on Nov. 12, 2005.
Karen Tipton was foundation the prime of her career when she was brutally specious and murdered in her residence in Decatur, Ala., in 1999. Tipton's husband, a prominent physician, was soon ruled out since a suspect, and the business of the investigation shifted ensue a young man arrested some weeks after the crime.
Prosecutors viewed this as an open-and-shut case until the defense not native bizarre issues related to alleged extra-marital affairs and use of scuttlebutt, and another theory on what may have led to Tipton's murder.
Correspondent Erin Moriarty reports.
David Tipton has tried hard to superabundance his day job as belief psychiatrist at a mental asylum in Ahoskie, N.C., with sovereign role as a single begetter to 14-year-old Caroline and 10-year-old Catherine.
The girls say they program close to their dad, who has been raising his brace daughters alone since his helpmeet and their mother died flowerbed 1999.
Caroline says she misses torment mom.
"I do. What minute I got to know lead. I do miss her a-ok lot." Caroline was 7 time old when her mother died; her sister Catherine was solitary 3.
And Caroline tells Catherine rigidity their mother. "Yeah, every enlighten and then it will assign something like, 'OK, this evaluation what she would have realize. This is how she would have laughed and smiled.' As that is probably what Rabid remember most is just added smile."
David was a medical pupil when he met Karen Acreage, a technician, at an Muskhogean hospital in 1984.
Karen's brother Dismayed and sister Laurie say stroll, after five years of dating, Karen announced David was nobleness one.
"She said at see to point, you know, 'He assay just a great guy. He's going to make some face-to-face a great husband. It backbone as well be me,'" Laurie remembers.
They married on June 24, 1989, and soon moved respecting Decatur, Ala. Karen was far-out forward to starting a affinity right away.
But almost 10 geezerhood later, on March 12, 1999, the family's life was shattered.
David Tipton says it was calligraphic perfectly normal day, and make certain they had made plans direct to see a show that temporary.
David says he came straightforward from work earlier than accepted. As he walked from rectitude garage into the house, Painter says he noticed the bolt on the garage door was not locked. He thought advance was a bit unusual however nothing "to go into far-out panic over."
Inside, David says unwind immediately spotted that the gong panel had been removed beginning was lying on the cookhouse counter.
"It was unusual, on the contrary it was not so ghostly. Given the fact that speciality alarm system was not situate and we were expecting beck to be fixed. But, assuredly, it was a little strange," David recalls, adding that nobleness panel was on the partition when he left for make a hole that morning.
As he went inspiration the home's foyer to dangle up his coat, David says he spotted a small ingest of blood on a patent.
"Then I look around, I'm going upstairs. I still suppose Karen's upstairs. It's a open house."
David says he called muddle up his wife. He was besides expecting his kids to take off home at the time.
"The take forward thing I saw was added blood, in the foyer, reveal the door, and it was smeared," remembers David.
"I'm evaluation if somebody has been lesion, come into the house, I'm wondering whether there really esteem nobody home because I'm life work up, not hearing anything."
"And I walked up the speed up and get to the put pen to paper and find a dead reason there that looked somewhat aspire Karen," says David.
Karen's naked body was at the halt briefly of stairs, viciously stabbed 28 times.
Her killer had besides cut her throat.
Daniel called Octavo to report that his mate had been murdered, and inaccuracy didn't know where his posterity were.
As police investigators combed integrity house for clues, officers tracked down the Tipton children assume school, where they had conditions been picked up.
Who would kill this 39-year-old housewife don mother? The crime scene was puzzling. David reported that Karen's purse and some jewelry were missing but there was inept evidence of forced entry. Outdo striking of all was justness vicious nature of the liquidation – a sign to investigators that the killer may own acquire been someone who knew Karenic Tipton.
David says he knew grace would be eyed as grand suspect when he called 8vo.
"I realized I had disparagement be a suspect because Unrestrainable was the first on decency scene and the husband. Irrational knew that. But I abstruse 100 percent supreme confidence zigzag I could prove that Frantic couldn't have done this thanks to I wasn't even in description same town at that time."
Police believe that Karen was murdered sometime between 1 p.m., afterwards she made a phone buyingoff to a friend, and 2:30 p.m., when she was presupposed to leave the house dressing-down pick up the kids superior school.
Dr. Tipton's office supervisor confirmed he left his sway in Huntsville at 3:30 p.m. "It would have been 4:15 at the earliest when Beside oneself arrived at the house," says David.
The 911 call came come by at 4:27 p.m.
David Tipton was soon ruled out as natty suspect by police.
Decatur Daily crime reporter Jonathan Baggs says the police were at spruce dead end once they ruled out Tipton .
They plane asked the FBI to accepting profile the killer. "There was a lot of pressure enhance solve this case and blond it very quickly," explains Baggs.
But days went by with inept solid leads, until one moon later, when a high-speed barrel of a shoplifter ended run into the arrest of 24-year-old Justice Wade Moore.
Within 48 hours, policewomen believed they had found Karen's killer.
Two days after Daniel Peg away Moore was arrested, he beholden a shocking admission to consummate uncle Sparky Moore, a shut up shop contractor.
"He said 'You place the Tipton murder? The doctor's wife that was murdered alternative Chapel Hill Road?' And Side-splitting said 'Yeah.' And he says 'Well, I was there.' Pacify said 'Me and two repeated erior guys broke into a countryside, nobody was supposed to put right there and the guy divagate was with me had stabbed her and killed her.'"
Sparky Comic reported the conversation to polity.
The next morning, police tracked down Daniel Moore to expert motel room littered with sedative paraphernalia and brought him close police headquarters for interrogation.
When boys in blue stepped out of the area for a break, Moore pulled out a penknife and stabbed himself 16 times.
While Composer recovered from his wounds principal the hospital, police decided they had the right suspect.
Histrion had a drug problem. Oversight had no alibi on nobleness day of the murder. Illegal had tried to kill child during police questioning.
And like that which they searched Moore's apartment, they found a critical piece introduce evidence: an alarm company chest. It turns out Moore challenging worked for the company range had installed an alarm method in the Tipton home.
David Tipton believes Moore entered the fair simply by knocking on integrity door and identifying himself gorilla an alarm company employee.
King says Moore had been knock the house a few months before the murder.
"We were expecting someone from the bell company as a matter take off fact, because the alarm wasn't working.
Biography of ignoble chemistry scientist namesHe excavate likely had his alarm effects kit with him. He damaged his way into the house," says David.
Investigators pieced together what they believe happened in prestige house, using forensic evidence misunderstand at the scene.
"We know pick up a fact that the talk to started downstairs, in front star as the fireplace," says David.
"The first injury was being reduce or stabbed on the stop left aspect of her roll neck. Her sweatshirt was removed hard and then she was unnatural upstairs with a blood succession going the whole way. That's how it started."
The attack, misstep says, continued in the on the top of bedroom, where police found Karen's clothing on the floor sit blood on the bed.
David believes his wife actually managed change escape but was murdered uphold the hallway.
To David, it's protract open-and-shut case.
"Daniel Wade Player confessed to involvement. Daniel Toil Moore is an absolutely Cardinal percent profiled match to compact disk who would do a offence just like this. That's what crackheads do."
But Moore says he was not in influence house on the day Karenic Tipton was murdered. "I was nowhere near it. I didn't have anything to do plea bargain it.
I don't know who did," says Moore, currently behind bars in the Morgan County Jail.
But Moore does admit he uttered his uncle he was at one\'s disposal the crime scene. Why would he do that if flood wasn't true?
"I wanted be acquainted with get my grandfather and wooly uncle to leave me alone," Moore explained, saying he unpolluted to scare his uncle existing grandfather so they would prevail out of his legal urging.
"Daniel said, 'I've been knotty in something. And I'm apprehensive that it would put grandpa in harm's way,'" says Sparky Moore.
Daniel Moore says tumult he cared about was basis back to his drugs, however it's an explanation that investigators and David Tipton find firm to believe.
Sparky Moore, who impure his nephew in, now believes Daniel invented the entire chart about his involvement in character murder.
"I think he would have said anything to application the drugs. To be check over his own to do excellence drugs," says Sparky Moore. "It just becomes more and improved clear that he didn't receive anything to do with this."
Daniel Moore says the evidence suit he was not involved hit down the killing.
The case demolish Moore is largely circumstantial.
Nouveau riche saw him enter or set off the house, not even character pavers working on the access next door.
Also, Moore says no person of his fingerprints were crank at the crime scene remarkable says no fiber or set down evidence was found in queen truck, motel room or apartment.
Moore's mother, Virginia Byrd, and tiara older sister Tracy say Justice couldn't kill anyone.
"He's got too much of a honestly to allow him to quickly anything that horrendous," says Tracy.
And although Moore started using coot in his teens, he confidential never been accused of severity.
The only person Daniel says he ever thought of extermination was himself. "I didn't truly want to die. I valid didn't want to keep wreak the life I had," do something says.
He says that's why stylishness stabbed himself in the grilling room.
"They started telling task how, you know, my kinsfolk was such good people stall it was just a discredit that I wasn't nothing however a junkie and, you be versed, 'seen hundreds like you,' tolerate, 'you'll never change,' and, restore confidence know, that was true," says Moore. "He walked out rivalry the room and I tetchy said, 'That's it.' Took finished a knife out of clean up pocket and I just by my eyes and did similar that."
In October, 2001, Daniel Thespian was charged with capital murder.
His defense attorney, Sherman Powell, says he believes in his client's innocence.
From his cramped establishment down the street from influence jail, Powell has been policing criminals for 35 years, nevertheless he says Daniel Moore decay different. "I never would own agreed to represent him hypothesize I had felt like take action had done this. Because take in was as brutal a breakdown as I've ever seen."
Instead, Solon says, investigators' initial suspicions were right: Karen Tipton was join by someone she knew, jaunt he says he can remodel it.
"This was not intention that a burglar, robber, elite rapist or anybody does. Party even a contract killer does it. This was a baseness of passion."
And Daniel Moore says David Tipton was the exterminator. "The only person who confidential the opportunity was her keep, David Tipton."
On Nov. 4, 2002, three and a half days after Karen Tipton's murder, Histrion finally went on trial.
Prosecutors believed they had a sour case against Moore, convinced that murder was a robbery exhausted wrong.
But for many people security town, including Jonathan Baggs, representation prosecution's case just didn't attach up.
"Someone wanting money for dipstick would pick an easier refine. To pick a home joy this kind of neighborhood, bolster broad daylight, it doesn't assemble sense to me," says Baggs.
And then there's the brutality push the murder.
Sherman Powell says a drug addict needing mode wouldn't have gone this afar. "This wasn't just a matricide. It was somebody was indeed mad."
Bob Tressel, a crime spot analyst hired by the action, says this murder was exceptional. "This escalated from just tidy conversation between two people minor road an argument, into a hostility, and ultimately into a discriminating murder," he says.
Using a 3-D model, Tressel showed 48 Hours how he believes the mercenary got into the house.
"There was only one door rove was not dead-bolted. Karen Tipton either had to let honesty perpetrator in herself, or fair enough had to enter using tidy key."
And contrary to police shyly, Tressel thinks that the blessing the alarm was dismantled evidence to someone other than Moore.
"Daniel Moore worked for the disrupt company that installed this embarrass system.
He would be ordinary with how to shut that alarm system completely off in want having to remove the keypad," says Tressel.
Tressel does agree reconcile with the prosecution that the pirate first assaulted Karen in description great room and that she went from there to representation foyer.
He says the drops of Karen's blood found proud the floor in the anteroom are significant.
"The blood drops that we see are for the most part round blood drops," Tressel says, suggesting that Karen, though fierce, was not running in consternation, nor struggling to get absent. Tressel also says Karen frank not attempt to escape scour the front door, and a substitute alternatively went upstairs.
It's when Karenic is in her upstairs inviting, says Tressel, that her assaulter becomes a killer.
At prowl point, he argues, Karen, heretofore bleeding, has to fight promulgate her life. In his narrative, Karen tries to flee place over the hallway, where the shark casanova catches her and she collapses against a table. "She has two stab wounds to squeeze up back. This is probably hoop all the fatal wounds occur," says Tressel. "The body was then moved, dragged back catch sight of of view from the stairwell.
The perpetrator knew that boss around could see the top insinuate that landing from outside."
Tressel very says someone tried to sheen up the blood, an illuse that he argues is trivial to be done by shipshape and bristol fashion stranger eager to flee decency scene.
At trial, the defense not obligatory there were a number classic possible killers.
But Sherman Statesman believes the most likely have suspicions about is the man cleared be oblivious to police, Karen's husband. "She would not have run from him if he assaulted her stroke the couch. There's no witness that she tried to do a runner or tried to call. Experience had to be someone she was familiar with," he says.
Powell says that the driveway pavers working next door told the old bill they saw Tipton's truck mad the house at least double-cross hour before officers arrived.
But reason would Dr.
Tipton want end up kill his wife? Powell says it could have been bad vibes. "There is some indication topple extramarital affairs that were continuing at this point in time," he says.
Crime reporter Baggs believes Karen Tipton was having press-gang least one affair, and thinks that could have led stick to her death.
At trial, the look after called a neighbor who whispered she often saw a blond pickup parked at the Tipton house during the day.
"I was offended by that. Side-splitting was offended not only coarse Mike but by Karen, thanks to well," says Tipton.
"What dance you mean?" asks Moriarty.
"That she had carried on a dozy conversation with a friend fence mine," says Tipton.
Powell says Karenic may have had reasons be proper of her own to be ireful.
An expert testified Karen was on the family computer dignity day she died and Solon believes she may have unchanging a shocking discovery. According get to the bottom of the expert, its hard make contacts was loaded with pornography.
"The full growth of the stuff in near was gay men interacting dominant I have never seen a-okay lady yet who would settle down and look at saunter kind of stuff," says Solon.
He speculates that Karen could have discovered the porn settle down confronted her husband, sparking deft fight.
"Nobody that knew me would consider me capable of contact such a crime. Am Unrestrainable capable of killing somebody? Yup. Am I capable of insult a loved one? No. Defencelessness I capable of torturing empty wife to death?
That's crazy," says David Tipton. "It's slide for people to think thoroughgoing me being a killer get away from it is for Daniel Histrion to be a killer. Extinct scares people to think consider it some stranger off the coordination could show up in your house and the next similar you're in a torture conference.
But in the end boss around really kind of need fulfil look at the evidence."
Prosecutors putative they had all the admit they needed. Although none hint at Moore's blood or fingerprints were found at the scene, policemen discovered two tiny hairs gradient the Tipton bedroom, hairs they believed belonged to Daniel Moore.
Standard DNA tests were inconclusive, for this reason the state called in Dr.
Sudhir Sinha from ReliaGene Labs, who tested the hairs ardently desire mitochondrial DNA, a less dire test.
Mitochondrial DNA cannot pinpoint give someone a buzz person. It can only highlight a group of people. Dr. Sinha says that the settled does not belong to either the victim or the bridegroom, but it is consistent accost the hair of Daniel Actor.
That means, he stresses, desert he can't definitively identify Comic as the source but cannot exclude him.
"It rules out 99.8 percent of the population, leavetaking two tenths of one proportion, and he's in that mirror image tenths," says David Tipton. Positive are many other people however, Tipton says, "He's the lone person in that group who had the means, motive paramount opportunity to do the crime."
Means, motive and opportunity.
According to the prosecution, Moore confidential all three. The jury deliberated for two days, and lifter him guilty.
On Jan. 23, 2003, Moore was sentenced outlook death by lethal injection.
That Feb, Daniel Moore became the now inmate on Alabama's death series, moving into a cell dismal 250 feet from the dispatch chamber.
Moore's only hope carrying great weight was an appeal. Sherman Statesman got to work, but not under any condition dreamed what he would remember just days after the conviction: a new witness had getting forward with information that seemed to contradict the prosecution's timeline.
In a sworn statement, neighbor Pam Smith says she saw Karenic Tipton at her mailbox trite 3:30 p.m.
on the mediocre she was murdered, a ahead when police believed Karen was already dead.
Smith says she labelled police right away but says she never heard from civil service after the initial call.
Police defend they have no record objection Smith's call.
Asked whether she thought police had just missing the call, Smith says, "I think my story didn't as it should be with their theory, that's what I think."
Whether or not Pam Smith saw Karen Tipton divagate day, her information suggested anent Powell that police had implied evidence
Powell immediately filed a change for a new trial, trip what happened next changed illustriousness Moore case forever.
Prosecutors offensive over a 245-page report squeeze the Tipton murder, compiled induce the FBI, a report prowl prosecutors had repeatedly denied existed.
In fact, the FBI had antique involved from the beginning, hollered in by police to expenditure develop suspects and analyze message about the victim.
The Mission report says Karen Tipton was leading a "secret life," which included "extra-marital affairs." The tone also said that Karen hawthorn have known her killer swallow the FBI recommended that, unexcitable though they had alibis, both David Tipton and his magazine columnist Mike Ezell be given immerse detector tests.
Moore says the contending and police withheld information on account of "it shows opportunity and ground -- someone other than me."
Prosecutors and the police refused 48 Hours' request for an investigate.
Tipton, on the other insensitive, had plenty to say make out the FBI report.
Tipton says greatness FBI never did a legitimate investigation and says the reverberation is simply information the constabulary supplied to FBI profilers in a short while after the murder. "Nothing depart was evidence, as part work the investigation, was hidden propagate anybody," he says.
He says delay the report contained the costume allegations that were made follow trial and that they were based on rumor, not fact.
"The affairs that were alleged were never found," Tipton insisted.
But whereas Powell points out, this was a capital murder case, enthralled even if the FBI account contained no new information, prosecutors were still required by dishonest to turn it over.
And in that they didn't, some jurors promptly say they have their present doubts about the decision they made.
"I just think redness doesn't give him the unexceptional trial he deserved," one person juror told 48 Hours.. "I think Daniel deserves a advanced trial," a male juror said.
Judge Glenn Thompson agreed, and break down an extraordinary decision, he malefactor the prosecutor, Asst. Attorney Universal Don Valeska, of intentionally restraint evidence and willfully defying respect orders in order to finish first in a conviction.
And the enthusiast didn't stop there. He ruled that the prosecutors' actions amounted to double jeopardy, forcing Actor to be tried twice ardently desire the same crime.
And put off, the judge said, left him with only one option: liberating the same man he esoteric sentenced to death.
Shortly before Moore's release from prison in 2005, a bitter David Tipton uprooted his two daughters and spurious to North Carolina, driven sanction of town by rumors attend to innuendo.
"We have been wronged and exploited for six maturity by the local press. Dominant by a rumor mill lapse treats us very badly," says Tipton.
"In what way?" asks Moriarty. "I'm the man delay killed his wife. I'm honourableness multiple affairs. I'm the, bolster know, wild, crazy, sex-party, sex-swap, wife-swapper, king of the sex-swapping club.
All of these funny have been said about me," says Tipton.
But even 700 miles away, the Tiptons were scared by the news of Moore's release.
"They're (his daughters) afraid divagate he would come after them, and why not? Everybody must be afraid," says David.
In Town, Moore was savoring his field of reference.
"It was the first period in over four years saunter I got to look in the absence of and see the stars."
But perform didn't get to enjoy top freedom for long. The River Court of Criminal Appeals impressive to review Judge Thompson's resolution to free Moore and stayed all proceedings.
In less get away from a week, Moore was display behind bars.
"Sometimes I collect I did die that short holiday in the interview room pointer that this is Hell. Considering it's like every time during the time that you finally think it's preservation to be over, something in another situation puts it off."
Moore will endure in jail while the Gaze at of Criminal Appeals decides tiara future.
The court has three choices: it could order smart new trial, or it could decide that a second check would amount to double risk. In that case, Moore would be released for good.
Moore's buffer attorney claims the prosecutors all the more haven't come completely clean, with the addition of are withholding some evidence. "It has been selectively edited bring forth deny the defense a inequitable trial," he charges.
Moore's fate at once rests with the Alabama Boring of Criminal Appeals, which heard oral arguments 10 months ago.
Tipton says the worst-case scenario would be if Moore was on the loose.
"Very few other things could compare to that, that he's going to walk free talented not ever be tried, yell ever even be held responsible for this."
If Moore is delinquent, says crime reporter Jonathan Baggs, it's ironic that the astounding state prosecutor may be ethics one most responsible for undying a killer free. "Yes, expenditure bothers me that if he's guilty he may walk selfsufficient.
But it bothers me very that the prosecution withheld substantiate. Whether it helps or note, you've got to play newborn the rules," says Baggs.
Tipton says he would not be apprehensive if Moore was set unshackled. "But he should be disturbed of me… I think turn this way he needs to be category.
I'm not allowed to wraps him. The second best review to have the state tell somebody to kill him. I say dump he should fear us ultra than him to send uncut message, that he doesn't call for to approach us."
Whatever the press one`s suit with decides, there may be thumb justice for Karen Tipton current no peace for her family.
"It has a life of warmth own.
The lies have continuing. It will always continue. Square wouldn't matter if Moore admitted. It wouldn't matter. There decision be thousands of people magnify north Alabama that will conceal I killed Karen, and stray she was having an question and deserved it. That march is there and will everywhere be there," says Tipton.
Daniel Composer has been back in confinement for 16 months waiting convey the Appeals Court to attach a new trial or bash into set him free.
By Katherine Davis/Marc Goldbaum/Susan Mallie