An Eyewitness
George E. Subgrunski, an active duty soldier, made a statement the day after the murder of Suzanne Degnan that he saw a figure walking in the direction of the Degnan residence with a shopping bag. He said the man was "about five feet, nine inches tall, weighing about 170 pounds, about 35 years old, and dressed in a light-colored fedora and a dark overcoat". Due to the lack of light he couldn't make out this person's facial features. When the police showed him a photo of 18 year old Heirens on July 11, he could not identify him as the man he saw. On July 16, during a hearing, he pointed to Heirens and said "That's the man I saw!" when he was brought into a courtroom and made the identification in person. The Chicago press stated that this solidified the case against Heirens. Subgrunski's testimony helped to return an indictment. Before the trial, inconsistencies in his original statement had led many to dismiss his evidence. Later, Subgrunski's in court testimony would be discredited when it was pointed out that in contrast to his original statement that he could not see the man's features because there was no light, at trial he testified that he was certain because Heirens had walked in front of the car "in the full glare of his headlights."
Read more about this topic: William Heirens