THE ABSURD RESULT PRINCIPLE
This is Linda Glantz. She is a rape survivor who has been working exclusively with host and producer Jule Banville to tell her story. It happened in 1987, when a man broke into her house through a bathroom window. That event led to a rush to convict a troubled 18-year-old boy.
provides a legal exception to the rule that a statute should be interpreted by its plain meaning
This is Linda Glantz. She is a rape survivor who has been working exclusively with host and producer Jule Banville to tell her story. It happened in 1987, when a man broke into her house through a bathroom window. That event led to a rush to convict a troubled 18-year-old boy.
Mopac Audio
In March, 1987, a man breaks into a Billings, Montana, home and sexually assaults a young girl then escapes undetected. The crime begins a decades-long recovery process for the girl and her family.
EP 7: Where We Are Now
Linda does something she’s been thinking of doing for years: She reaches out to Jim Bromgard. They agree to meet and remain in touch. Jim’s a dad now with two kids who mostly spent the millions awarded to him in a civil suit. Linda goes to work, lives her life and tries not to be angry about what happened. But sometimes she is.
EP 6: New Decisions
The case moves out of Billings and when the gavel drops in the state’s highest court, Linda, her mom and husband are in the front row. But Linda doesn’t feel great about her chances when it comes to this Supreme Court precedent.
EP 5: The Waiting
Linda gets a visit from a prosecutor who tells her: We know who did this, and we’re going to charge him. But there’s a problem. It starts where a lot of old sexual assault cases do: with the statute of limitations. Montana’s clock to prosecute this case expired with the wrong man in prison. But a law that makes an exception for DNA comes into play.
EP 4: The Hit
A former intern at the state crime lab is now the person in charge of the criminal DNA database that runs samples regularly. One morning, Megan Ashton discovers a hit on this case and links it to someone arrested on a felony marijuana charge. Ronald Dwight Tipton lives in White Sulphur Springs, about an hour from Linda.
EP 3: The Test
Evidence that could have been destroyed from a trial in 1987 is instead discovered sealed in the basement of the Yellowstone County Courthouse. But in 2002, there aren’t many labs that will test it, and it’s expensive. After a donor comes forward, the results prove conclusively that Jimmy Bromgard is not a match.
EP 2: The Arrest
A police sketch leads police to Jimmy Ray Bromgard, a senior at Billings Senior High. They get him in a lineup in front of Linda, the victim, who visibly reacts. The founder of the crime lab compares hairs in Linda’s bedroom to Jimmy’s, leading to an arrest in front of his house.
