1989-11-28

Jury Probes 20-Year-Old-Death

PANHANDLE - A 20-year-old unsolved murder got a second look from a Panhandle grand jury Monday, as it conducted a fact-finding investigation into the death of Elsa Nickel

"It's just being examined and the investigation is begin intensified in an effort to find out who the killer was, because of new methods that are coming along in law enforcement all the time, said Dan Self, sergeant investigator withTexas Department of Public Safety

Self was among the investigators who initially probed the slaying of Nickell, a 24-year-old legal secretary, who was killed July 13, 1969.

Nickell was found in the bedroom of her Panhandle home by her brother the next day. She had been smothered by a pillow held over her face.

No arrests have been made in connection with the slaying, but several polygraph tests were conducted after the incident.

Authorities never have determined the owner of a black, chrome-covered car parked in Nickell's driveway prior to the time the woman's body was discovered. Self said investigators have a suspect in the case.