Loss of Innocence: The Murder of Vanissa Waford

**NOTE: I inadvertently mispronounced Vanissa’s name in both episodes. It is pronounced slightly different than the traditional Vanessa name. I am so sorry for this error and it will be corrected with a recorded introduction to both episodes. **
On June 25, 1989, beloved seventeen year old Vanissa "Nissy" Waford was working her shift at Maxie's Shoe Store in Shelbyville, Kentucky. "Nissy" had just graduated at the top of her class at Shelby County High School and was headed off to college in the fall. On that fateful day, just as the store closed the beautiful teenager was brutally beaten to death in a robbery gone wrong. The senseless murder rocked the small town and police were desperate for answers. The investigation took months but in March 1991, William Ray Stark, Jr. was arrested for the crime. The arrest and indictment brought some degree of relief to the community but justice would not come for the crime. What followed the indictment was a legal nightmare and a failed prosecution. The failures mean that there has been no justice for Vanissa, her family or the community.