WHO IS BACKBONE?

As noted throughout, the "BACKBONE" sweatshirt was considered the possible lynchpin in the murder investigation of Kim, Brad and Jill Camm. At least it was important for the defense and others who thought that unexplained evidence at a crime scene just might be critical to solving the case. The police and prosecution repeatedly dismissed the sweatshirt as an "artifact" and as unimportant. Lead Detective Sean Clemons even claimed that he didn't know that the words in the collar spelled BACKBONE but thought they might have spelled RACKONE.

The original defense team was told in 2001 that the unknown DNA in the collar had been run in CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) in an attempt to determine the identity of the unknown DNA. Most of the profiles in the CODIS database are "donated" by convicted violent felons. The defense was told that there was no such match although there would later be a multitude of finger pointing and blame as to why in fact there was absolutely no inquiry ever conducted on the watch of Stan Faith. Indeed, the explanations of the former prosecutor and Detective Clemons contradicted one another.

(Note: Even after the DNA was identified as belonging to Charles Boney, Faith made this comment, "It gives the short-term appearance of significance.")

Even the "Fresh Eyes" investigation chose to ignore the sweatshirt. Repeated pleas by the Camm family to Detective Gilbert to check the unknown DNA prior to David being recharged in November, 2004 resulted in nothing being done. It was only in January, 2005 that the new defense team told the prosecutors that a forthcoming motion to compel them to run the DNA resulted in any action taking place by the investigators.

Indeed, at a hearing on January 26, 2005 Prosecutor Henderson finally agreed to the defense demands that he would have the Indiana State Police run the unknown DNA (as well as other forensic tests) against those in the CODIS database. Henderson, however, later praised the efforts of the "Fresh Eyes" in matching the DNA and finding Boney.

It was on February 14, 2005 that ISP DNA Analyst Lynn Scamahorn checked the unknown "BACKBONE" DNA profile with CODIS. As she later testified, it only took minutes for the system to report the results. The unknown DNA belonged to Charles Darnell Boney whose DNA had been in CODIS since July, 1997 or for over four years prior to Prosecutor Faith telling the original defense team that the DNA profile had been run and that there was no match.

After Boney's DNA was identified, many prosecutors would have weighed the evidence and then would have dismissed the charges against the wrongly accused. That didn't happen, however, and the injustice against David Camm, his slaughtered family, as well as his other family members continued.

In order to adequately comprehend how this horror story continued unabated, one must know about Charles Darnell Boney, aka "BACKBONE." It is a very chilling story of a murderer of an innocent mother and her children who has absolutely no conscience, and to others, of his ability to tell and twist an unbelievable story with the help of a unique relationship with those who were supposedly investigating him.