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Dyersburg State Gazette

Trial set for suspect accused in '85 slaying

Saturday, May 3, 2008
Schaffer

A man charged in a 23-year-old murder asked that his trial not be scheduled until he receives information he requested from the prosecutor.

Harold Bernard Schaffer, 43, appeared in Dyer County Circuit Court on Tuesday, April 29, primarily to set a date for his trial. Schaffer is accused of fatally stabbing William "Junior" Pierce Jr. in Pierce's discount store south of Four Points on May 17, 1985.

"This is my life at stake. My life, " Schaffer told Judge Lee Moore. Schaffer asked that the district attorney comply with his requests for information before proceeding to trial.

For example, Schaffer said one crucial piece of information involves a former Tennessee Bureau of Investigation agent, who is now believed to be deceased. Schaffer said he needs to know if the TBI agent entered data into a computer system and, if so, when.

Schaffer's attorney, Robert Brooks of Memphis, said he had inquired about a statement Schaffer had made in prison. A written version of the taped statement abruptly ends on Page 49. Brooks said the tape apparently just ran out, but he wants to be sure that his copy is complete.

Brooks said he also has requested crime-scene photographs and documents showing the chain of custody for evidence.

Judge Moore scheduled the trial for Aug. 27 but said the trial could be postponed if the defense did not receive the information it needed.

In addition to seeking information on the evidence, Schaffer hopes to show that he wasn't in Dyer County when the murder occurred. He reportedly moved in and out of the county frequently in 1985. On Jan. 6, Moore granted Schaffer's request for an investigator, who is tracking down Schaffer's employment records.

Schaffer was linked to the Pierce murder in 2005. Advances in DNA technology and a national DNA data bank made it possible for investigators to match a crime-scene blood sample with Schaffer's blood.

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  • Madmama, you dont know this person.So how are you to say what he is able to do.You people in Dyersburg are so quick to judge people.I know Harold Bernard Schaffer,I grew up with him and spent time with him day in and day out and he never looked like a killer to me.Maybe you need to expand your mind some..Bernnie I hope you get a fair trial there in Dyersburg.Growing up there on the east side(grant street)I know how the system works.

    -- Posted by austin on Mon, May 5, 2008, at 4:11 AM

  • Why would you say that he wouldn't get a fair trial? And, I don't care if you didn grow up with him, that doesn't mean that he is not a killer. There are lots of people who are different than they appear. And, since he's been in prison before, that should tell you something about his character. It's about time that this man is brought to justice after all of the hurt that he has caused this family. This family has suffered for over 20 years and has never been able to have any closure.

    -- Posted by mom27 on Mon, May 5, 2008, at 8:28 AM

  • AMEN mom27!! DNA doesn't lie!!!

    -- Posted by raspberrie on Mon, May 5, 2008, at 9:11 AM

  • Well in the small town justice of Dyersburg,Tn most black males are not giving a fair appearence in court.I have never seen a jury that was composed of peers.That does not mean an all white jury..Alo i just saw a man in Dallas that was sent to jail for 20 plus yrs for killing a(white female).Funny thing happened 20 yrs later he was found innocent.Now he has been in jail does that make him a bad person.He spent 2o yrs of his life behind bars for no reason...I know how the justice system works in Drersburg,its still the same...Sad to say but true...

    I hope he can get a jury of his own peers, that means it can not be all white......

    -- Posted by austin on Tue, May 6, 2008, at 12:19 AM

  • Maybe you need to research.Of the 26 men relaesed from jail after DNA testing and finding out they didnt do the crime all where black males.Hummmm...Now in Dyersburg if you are a black male you are gulity until proven without a shadow of doubt innocent.Oh by the way I dont play the race game, I play the fact games..

    -- Posted by austin on Wed, May 7, 2008, at 3:16 AM

  • William 'Junior' Pierce was the closest thing I ever had to a father. I've spent my life hoping that the person who committed this crime would have to suffer like I have for the past few decades. Black, white, brown, red, makes no difference. Junior Pierce did three tours of missionary work in Africa helping people who were suffering. He had an enormous heart and was every bit a 'good man'. I think it would really be tragic if a man who did so much to help a country was murdered by a descendant of that country. Plain and simple (any educated person can understand), if the DNA from the blood puts him there and he can't come up with a valid alibi, he did it. If he committed this crime, I will do everything I can to make sure every African-American male who serves time in prison with Schaffer is well aware of the things that his victim did for the native Africans and the country where their heritage lies. If Schaffer didn't commit this crime, may he live long, free, and prosper. And if he did, may he perish and relive every minute of the grief, pain, and agony of every last person who's world was turned upside down by the loss of William 'Junior' Pierce.

    "I detest racialism, because I regard it as a barbaric thing, whether it comes from a black man OR a white man." -Nelson Mandela

    -- Posted by theson on Sun, Aug 10, 2008, at 11:20 PM
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