DATE: Thursday, July 24, 1997               TAG: 9707240395

SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A10  EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY MIKE MATHER, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: JARRATT                           LENGTH:   64 lines

EXECUTION BRINGS CASE TO END AT LAST, POLICE OFFICER SAYS

Homicide Detective Steve Dunn drove 100 miles Wednesday to watch a man die.

The trip from Virginia Beach Police Headquarters to the Death House in Greensville Correctional Center lasted just 90 minutes. But the journey to get there took 12 years.

It started on a bleak, gray day in February 1985, when Dunn was sent to a murder scene. In a muddy, trash-strewn field near Military Highway, he found the defiled body of Helen Schartner, a secretary. Soon, he found her killer: Joseph Roger O'Dell.

Wednesday night, after a dozen years of appeals, publicity and protests that stretched across two continents, Dunn's involvement with O'Dell finally ended. He watched quietly as O'Dell was put to death by the state just after 9 p.m.

It was the end of a case that pitted Dunn's duties against the wishes of the pope, a celebrity nun and the Italian government.

At the time, Schartner's murder and O'Dell's prosecution was sensational, but no more so than many homicides that happen in the resort city. The case eventually took on a life of its own, however, vaulting the accused into an international icon who gained the notice of Pope John Paul II, the Italian government, and advocate for death row inmates Sister Helen Prejean, who became a celebrity after being portrayed by Susan Sarandon in the film ``Dead Man Walking''.

Suddenly, despite the evidence that convicted him, O'Dell mustered a media-savvy corps of advocates who tried to convince the world that Virginia was set to execute an innocent man.

``I believe that the pope, the Italian government and the Italian people are doing what they think is right,'' Dunn said Wednesday. ``I've been trying for the last 12 years to do what I think is right.''

Until Wednesday, Dunn had never seen an execution, and had never asked to. He feels that the death penalty should be reserved only for the vilest of criminals. In his mind, O'Dell qualified.

``All the evidence, although circumstantial, points to the guilt of Joseph O'Dell,'' Dunn said in an interview last winter. ``I stand by my investigation. I stand by my evidence. The lopsided coverage on this has been extremely frustrating. There is no doubt in my mind Joe O'Dell is guilty of this crime.''

At the State Police Headquarters in Jarratt, it was overcast and raining when Dunn boarded a white Ford van bound for the prison Wednesday afternoon. With him were Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Albert Alberi, victims' advocate Beth Taylor and evidence technician Bruce Muncy. All worked on the case and witnessed the execution.

``I don't know what to expect or how I'm going to feel,'' Dunn said. ``I just strongly believe this is something I have to do.''

Shortly after 9 p.m., Dunn witnessed the conclusion of the case he began so long ago.

``It is a conclusion, a closure to the case,'' Dunn said. ``I see it as a closure for myself and the victim's family.'' MEMO: Main story on page A1 and related stories on pages A1 and A10. ILLUSTRATION: Photo

VICKI CRONIS/ The Virginian-Pilot

Virginia Beach Homicide Detective Steve Dunn, who has worked the

Joseph Roger O'Dell III case from its start 12 years ago, joins

others in boarding the van to go to the prison to witness O'Dell's

execution.

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