Lessons from Katie Poirer

Saturday December 7, 2019, Frank Weber will be discussing forensic work and his latest true crime thriller, Last Call, from 11:00 a.m. to noon at the Little Falls Public Library.  Frank will be at the library from 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. signing books and talking to patrons.  The library’s address is:  108 3rd St NE, Little Falls, Minnesota.  Frank Weber’s books are available at The Shoppes of Little Falls.​ Saturday, December 7, 2019, The Bent Paddle Brewing Company is hosting my big Duluth opening of Last Call from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.   I’ll speak from 6:00 to 7:00 about forensic psychology and the writing of True Crime mysteries.  It’s an opportunity to get questions answered about forensic psychology.  Frank will be selling and signing books before and after the presentation.  Book cover model, Elise Yates, will be dressed as she is on the cover and will be available for pictures with attendees.  Stop in and have a cold beverage.  The Bent Paddle Brewing Company is located at 1832 W Michigan Street, Duluth, Minnesota.Sunday, December 8, 2019, Frank will be signing and selling books from 11:30 to 4:00 p.m. at the “Big Sip and Shop” event at Maddens on Gull Lake.  This event is sponsored by the Brainerd Service League (BSL).  This is a group of women who give back to the community by volunteer hours or raising money to help women and children in the Brainerd lakes area.  It’s a great cause and a wonderful opportunity to find some unique and creative gifts.  Maddens is located at 11266 Pine Beach Peninsula, Brainerd, Minnesota.​ Frank at Saint Paul Brewing last weekend As a parent, cases like Katie Poirer are heart-breaking, and as a society we need to learn and adjust to prevent future victims.  The big pictures in this article are of Katie, as she was great, and the perpetrator was a slimeball.
​
On May 26, 1999, Katie Poirer, 19, was working alone at DJ’s Expressway convenience store in Moose Lake when she was abducted. It is significant to note that Katie was an intelligent, athletic person who was in college considering a career in law enforcement, and not just a frail uninformed teen.  I feel it’s important that this is said out of respect for her and the importance of recognizing we can all be vulnerable at times.  The police were called when a passer-by noticed no attendant was working in the open store.  A grainy black-and-white surveillance video showed Katie being forced out of the store around 11:40 p.m., by a man wearing jeans, a backwards baseball cap and a New York Yankees baseball jersey. The man's hand was at the back of her neck, and the way she touched her throat suggested there might have been a cord tied around her neck.  Even though the abductor was a stranger, the manner in which the crime was carried out pointed out that this was a planned premeditated abduction.  It wasn’t a coincidence that this man just happened to have a cord in his hand. The police estimated that the abductor was 5'10" and weighed around 170 pounds. He had long light-colored hair, and appeared to be around 25 years old. The witnesses reported that they had seen a black pick-up truck near the convenience store that evening. One of the witnesses gave a partial license plate number (three numbers and a letter).  A composite sketch of the abductor, based on statements of four witnesses, was broadcast on the local media. The break in the case: 
​
On June 18, Darrel Brown called the police tip line and reported his former co-worker, “Donald Hutchison,” looked similar to the man in the composite sketch provided by the police. Donald had been absent on the day following Katie's disappearance. Donald had recently cut his hair, and had stopped driving his black pick-up truck. Shortly after Katie’s disappearance, Donald quit his job as the janitor at the Minnesota Veteran's Home without any notice. When investigators looked into this tip, they discovered that “Donald Hutchison’s” legal name was actually Donald Blom.

Donald Blom owned a 20-acre property in Moose Lake, 12 miles from the convenience store from where Katie had been abducted. They also learned from the neighbors that Blom had spent a lot of time at the property before Katie's abduction, but not since.  Donald Blom was spending time with his family at a campground 140 miles away from his home in Richfield, Minnesota when initially questioned by agents from Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. He was arrested later that same day, June 22, while driving home. Blom presented as cooperative, but refused to give a statement and requested an attorney. He was initially held in a county facility but was placed in solitary confinement after his plans to escape from the facility were discovered.  Donald Blom had a pickup truck registered to his name, with a license plate number matching the partial number provided by the witness.
 
The investigators searched Blom's residence and his extensive Moose Lake property, with the assistance of over one hundred members of the National Guard and several hundred volunteers from the local community. They were unable to find Katie or her body, despite extensive search in the area. They found some firearms, which Blom was prohibited from possessing, due to his prior felonies. 

On the second day of the search, they found a number of bone fragments, in a fire pit on the Blom's property. The fragments were sent to a lab, where they were identified as pieces of human bones and a charred portion of a human tooth. The DNA tests proved inconclusive, but an examination by the dental experts established that the filling of this tooth portion matched that of the fillings used for Katie. Her dental work had used a unique composite for her fillings.  The researchers stated that the tooth belonged to a young female, and the probability that it belonging to Katie Poirer was quite high. When asked whether the remains in the fire pit were those of Katie Poirer, Blom said "I guess so." When pressed, he said he "didn't know." When asked, "Then whose remains are they?" he replied, "Well, I was asking that myself, man."

On September 8th, Blom confessed to abducting Katie, strangling her and burning her body in the fire pit. Blom's account was somewhat inconsistent with the evidence. The surveillance video showed the man with his hand on the back of her neck. Blom stated that he walked out of the store with Katie: she asked him to let her go several times, but did not fight with him until he started choking her at his property. Blom also said that he killed Katie with his bare hands, and burned her dead body with wood and paper.  Wood and paper alone would not have been sufficient to reduce a human body to ash. Blom never confessed to sexually assaulting Katie, and instead stated he did not know why he had committed the crime.

Blom soon recanted his confession of murder, saying that the stress of the solitary confinement and hallucinations due to "ten medications" had prompted him to make a false confession. Donald Blom was ultimately convicted of murdering Katie Poirier. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole.  Blom was initially incarcerated in Pennsylvania, but has since been moved to a prison in southern Minnesota (MN Correctional Facility- Faribault).  Donald Blom is suspected of being a serial killer.

Donald Blom appealed his conviction, but his wife, Amy, now came forward and admitted she had lied on his behalf when she attempted to provide him with an alibi.  Donald wasn’t with her the night Katie had been murdered.  Amy reported Donald had been punching and kicking her for years.  She felt helpless and lied for him.  Donald had been married twice before and told her he would take her last name out of respect for her.  She was flattered and hadn’t considered he was hiding his past.  Blom’s sons confirmed the domestic abuse she reported indicating she had bruises and black eyes.  She stated she had learned to behave in a submissive manner, to avoid being abused. Early life

Donald Albin Blom was born in 1949. Donald Blom's father had abused him when Donald was 13 years old.  Donald became a teen drinker and had difficulty abiding by rules.  In 10th grade, he was sent to a reform school.

In 1975, Blom kidnapped a 14-year-old girl, gagged her and raped her. He locked her up in his car trunk, but she managed to escape and turn him in. He went to trial and was convicted.

In 1978, Blom committed aggravated assault.

In 1983, he was arrested again for criminal sexual conduct. This same year, Blom threatened two teenage girls at knifepoint in a remote area. He tied them to a tree, and put socks in their mouths. He choked and revived one of them several times, as he threatened to rape them. The girls were rescued when a police officer saw their car parked the wrong way, and came by. Blom fled into the woods, and later changed his appearance by dying his hair. He was arrested two months later, when one of the girls recognized him. He pled guilty.

In 1992, a psychologist predicted that if Blom was not closely monitored, he would probably engage in additional hurtful behavior. However, Donald Blom changed his name, got a job and married. By May 1999, he had six felony convictions, five of which involved kidnapping and sexual assault.

Lessons:

The murder of Katie Poirer prompted changes in registration laws.  People were concerned that a violent offender was living just outside of Moose Lake and no one was aware.  For this reason, failure to register an unreported address now can result in 1 year incarceration in prison, and people are now actually checking the addresses to confirm the offenders are there. 

Still today, I deal with cases where attorneys argue a juvenile who abuses a child doesn’t need life altering treatment if it takes as long as 2 years.  I, on the other hand, think about the victims you are saving.  I wish people changed abusive habits quicker, but they typically don’t due to years of accumulating unhealthy information.  I, like most therapists, have no desire to keep people in therapy longer than necessary to make healthy changes.  I will continue to ask courts to address juvenile sex offenses seriously, so we don’t have more of these adults.  My concern is the need for effective help, over the need for legal charges.  Unfortunately, too many families blame victims and will not follow through getting a juvenile help without being court-ordered to do so.   

Thank you again for the great support for my release of Last Call!  The sales have been amazing and it’s been a blast talking about the development of the book in a variety of communities and venues.

Congratulations to Pierz for winning a state championship!  This is a great group of young men, who are well coached and represent the community well.  I realize there are great adolescents in every community, on winning and losing teams, and this takes nothing away from them.  I admire people in all types of performances who give their best, while risking public embarrassment. I have included some pictures below.

Thanks for listening,
 
Frank This song is dedicated to Katie Poirer and all the great people lost.  The lights in the audience remind of the souls that I pray are in a better place.  Hug your kids and love them with all you have!