Detective Sgt. Doug Heslip of the Marquette City Police Department in September 2018 points to the area at Presque Isle Park in Marquette where Paul Girard was found murdered in September 1988. (Journal file photo)
At right, investigative journalist Delia D’Ambra has written a podcast, “The Isle,” which focuses on the Girard case. The murder of Girard, whose body was found at Presque Isle Park, remains unsolved. (Photo courtesy of Delia D’Ambra)
MARQUETTE — An unsolved Marquette murder case from over three decades ago is the subject of a new podcast that sheds more light on one of the area’s biggest mysteries — and might even be a catalyst to solving it.
What happened to Paul Girard at Presque Isle Park in September 1988 and who killed him?
That’s what investigative journalist Delia D’Ambra is exploring in Season 2 of audiochuck’s top-rated podcast, “Park Predators.”
The tagline on its website, parkpredators.com, reads, “Sometimes the most beautiful places hide the darkest secrets.”
One of those secrets involves the Girard case.
- Detective Sgt. Doug Heslip of the Marquette City Police Department in September 2018 points to the area at Presque Isle Park in Marquette where Paul Girard was found murdered in September 1988. (Journal file photo)
- At right, investigative journalist Delia D’Ambra has written a podcast, “The Isle,” which focuses on the Girard case. The murder of Girard, whose body was found at Presque Isle Park, remains unsolved. (Photo courtesy of Delia D’Ambra)
The episode that was released on Tuesday, “The Isle,” features details and new discoveries from the homicide detective working this cold case.
On Sept. 30, 1988, 34-year-old Marquette resident Girard was discovered near Chief Kawbawgam’s grave in Presque Isle Park just after 10 a.m. by two people who were walking around the park. Shortly after, police were called to the scene where they found Girard had suffered dozens of stab wounds at the hands of an assailant.
In 2020, Marquette City Police released a sketch of a person of interest in connection to the Girard case, but no arrests have been made.
However, the Girard murder still is on people’s radar.
“It really feels like people there are talking a lot, so the real intent of putting it on such a big platform like ‘Park Predators’ is to kind of beat that drum again,” D’Ambra said.
Although the Girard murder is locally well known, that’s not necessarily true on a national scale.
D’Ambra said finding cases that have been less publicized was a focus for her as she worked on Season 2.
“Paul’s case just really struck me because there was such little information out there on it, and it just seemed like there could be potential for resolution just based on the information I was able to find,” D’Ambra said.
Once she contacted the Marquette Police Department, it was apparent to her that she had to do the story because the department was so welcoming and wanted to get out the information in an effort to determine who killed Girard.
“It really seemed like they do have this narrow pool, but they’re kind of just waiting for that break,” D’Ambra said.
She believes the case is close to being solved, or at least closer to gaining a more detailed profile of a person of interest.
D’Ambra spoke with Detective Sgt. Doug Heslip of the MPD regarding the case.
“The podcast on the whole was good,” Heslip told The Mining Journal.
However, he acknowledged that getting DNA evidence is “still a ways down the road yet” and won’t be available this summer.
“We’re going to see how technology evolves,” Heslip said.
Heslip noted he does have a No. 1 suspect, but is waiting for one piece of what he said is a puzzle in a case with moving parts.
He also has more people with whom he needs to speak.
“It’s so interesting,” Heslip said. “It’s a wild ride.”
D’Ambra called the Girard case “the epitome” of a law enforcement agency — in this case, the “determined” and “enthusiastic” MPD — doing everything possible to resolve a case and get information.
“I think that was just what made this case so compelling, and I know the listener feedback we’ve gotten is like, ‘Oh, my goodness. I didn’t even know this existed,'” D’Ambra said.
D’Ambra said it takes about one business week to create a full episode of “Park Predators.”
She has had plenty of experience in the broadcast industry, working for local NBC affiliate stations in Fort Myers, Florida, and Charlottesville, Virginia. She is currently a producer and host for audiochuck.
D’Ambra specializes in reinvestigating cold case homicides and unsolved crimes but she also is an outdoors enthusiast who is on a mission to visit every national park in North America.
Other “Park Predators” episodes include “The Local,” released on June 1, whose description reads: “A Tennessee man who knew the Great Smoky Mountains National Park like the back of his hand disappears into the forestland that surrounds his 100-acre property. The only clue left behind is an idle ATV, indicating he stumbled upon something sinister and never saw the light of day again.”
Set to be released on Tuesday is “The Housewives,” which has this description: “In 1960, three housewives from Chicago never make it out of Starved Rock State Park alive and police in Illinois quickly realize a piece of nature itself is the murder weapon. The investigation zeros in on a predator who was hiding in plain sight.”
D’Ambra said when cases are laid out in a podcast in a linear fashion, people get a fuller understanding of the story and obtain a timeline of events, especially with older cases.
After all, the criminal justice system has changed over the decades.
“That’s always something I look at when I write these episodes,” D’Ambra.
The podcasts are set to run through August.
Christie Mastric can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 250. Her email address is cbleck@miningjournal.net
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