Prosecutors introduced key DNA evidence they believe puts Derrill ‘Rick’ Ennis at the scene of Lori Anne Slesinski’s disappearance nearly 16 years ago.

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By Daniel Schmidt

April 8, 2022

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OPELIKA, Ala. – Rick Ennis sat stone-faced and silent between his two lawyers in a mostly empty courtroom at the T.K. Davis Justice Center as the capital murder trial over his alleged involvement in the 2006 disappearance of Slesinski continued Tuesday.

 

Ennis was taken into custody in Montgomery County, Virginia, by law enforcement officials with the U.S. Marshal’s Task Force on Aug. 6, 2018. The arrest came after the investigation, which was reopened in April 2017, yielded enough evidence that prosecutors believed proved Ennis’ guilt.

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The evidence Lee County District Attorney Jessica Ventiere presented to the grand jury focused on blood and semen samples collected from inside Slesinksi’s Ridgewood Village Trailer Park home and a partially burned hand-rolled cigarette discovered near her burning car.

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According to Pete Macchia, a former forensic biologist at the Alabama Dept. of Forensic Science (ADFS) that performed the cases’ DNA tests, the bodily fluids were a match to Ennis’ saliva collected in two separate mouth swabs.

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Lt. Daniel Humphries, a former Auburn Police Department criminal investigations detective, said the two swabs, which were conducted nearly 12 years apart, were necessary after the defendant’s name was misspelled in 2006.

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Dr. Jason Kokoszka, the Alabama Dept. of Forensic Science forensic biology disciplinary chief, testified that blood found above the interior front door handle occurred in only “1 out of 1.8 billion Caucasian individuals.”

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Kokoszka also mentioned that the semen found on Slesinski’s bedsheets occurred in only “1 out of every 18 quadrillion Caucasian individuals.”

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Ricky Holder, a retired officer with the Auburn Police Department, testified that Ennis’ arms contained noticeable scratches when he was interviewed on June 14, 2006, the day after Slesinski was reported missing.

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Points of contention between the prosecution and defense were the evidence collection methods and chain of evidence custody.

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Lee Hodge, a former detective with the Auburn Police Department, testified that he collected a “partially burned hand-rolled cigarette” near the scene where Slesinski’s burning 2005 Mazda Tribute was discovered.

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Hodge, who said the cigarette was of interest to him because it appeared “fresh,” had his credibility challenged by the defense after his signature failed to appear on the manila envelope containing the cigarette.

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Hodge also testified that there appeared to be scuff marks from shoes on the walls of Slesinski’s trailer roughly 1-2 feet above the floor and that a lid recovered from the storage room belonged to the trashcan missing from outside the home.

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Prosecutors also did not have most of the photographs of the crime scenes that were processed. Only 41 images remained after an evidence computer crashed.

 

Ennis, long a person of interest in the Slesinski case, was arrested and charged in 2003 for rape, kidnapping and sodomy of an unnamed young woman. Ennis was never indicted on these charges after it was determined there was insufficient evidence to charge him.