Bloodlines: The Death of Chicago Dermatologist David Cornbleet
After dermatologist David Cornbleet was murdered in his Michigan Avenue office, his son, Jonathan, devoted himself to finding the killer. Now a shy and troubled young man—a former patient of Dr. Cornbleet’s—has confessed. But that man’s anguished father is arguing that a drug prescribed by the slain doctor may have contributed to the killing.
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Gathering together a few days after the funeral, the Cornbleet family formulated a strategy. The son would handle the media—the more publicity, the better the chance that someone would step forward. Next, the Cornbleets decided on the best way to reach people who might know the killer, a young man. "We [felt that we] needed to come up with a way to attract someone who's in their 20s or 30s," says Jocelyn. "So we asked ourselves, 'How do they communicate? How do they actually talk to one another?'"
Recalling that another family had used YouTube to solicit tips after an accident, Jocelyn suggested putting the surveillance tape on the video-sharing site. Meanwhile, the daughter's fiancé, Dan Drucker, turned to MySpace. "He said, 'We gotta hit the Internet, because the guy's young; his friends are going to be young.'"
Over the next several months, Jon devoted his life to the case. He spent hours in his home office soliciting MySpace "friends." He updated the Web site Drucker had created with any new development. Trudging downtown in the winter cold, he papered the Loop with fliers.
The plan worked. The Web site attracted thousands of hits. Tips poured in. The case landed on numerous TV programs, everything from The Today Show to Inside Edition. Geraldo Rivera devoted a segment to the investigation. The family passed its information to detectives. Jon offered a $25,000 reward.
After an initial flurry, however, the case seemed to stall. Then, last February, a video surfaced. A young man shopping at the Home Depot on North Halsted Street was captured buying an unusual item that had been found at the murder scene. The object, which detectives have not revealed, had been bought on September 30, 2006, more than three weeks before the murder.
At the family's expense and with the blessing of police, Jon turned to a Virginia research firm used by the FBI to enhance the surveillance tapes from Home Depot and 30 North Michigan. The family's hopes soared. Then police gave them the bad news. The young man in the Home Depot video was not the killer. His alibi was airtight.
"We were extremely disappointed," says Jocelyn. "At first, you get a whole lot of hits, a lot of people who view the Web site and give you information. Then all of a sudden it stops. You find DNA at the scene and look through the database and it doesn't match. You have all these leads that didn't go anywhere."
Winter became spring. No new leads, no promising developments.
* * *
Then, one night, 24 weeks after his father's murder, Jon Cornbleet received a message on MySpace from the marine friend of Hans's former roommate. In it, the 25-year-old marine passed along the concerns expressed to him by the roommate and the name of the person the marine believed had killed David Cornbleet: "Hans Rudolph Peterson." Jon called police and then his sister. "This is the one," he told her. "This is the person. It checks out."
Police began to match evidence from the scene to Hans Peterson. "My dad had a card for [him], one of his patient cards, including the date he came in and the prescription my father wrote," the daughter says. While the family waited, fearful that the suspect would somehow elude arrest, detectives assembled the case. They secured a warrant to search Peterson's former New York apartment. They matched DNA found on a cigarette butt to the DNA found at the murder scene.
Jon Cornbleet returned to his father's burial site on June 17th—Father's Day. The weather was warm and humid. Yes, he now knew who the killer was, but the suspect still walked a free man. Jon wept as he once again addressed his father. "I stared at his grave with disgust for myself," he says. "I had promised him the last time that if he gave me the strength that I would bring him justice. . . . I had to tell him, 'I'm doing everything I can, but it's not enough. I'm not getting the job done.' It was horrible."
Eventually investigators located Peterson through a forwarding address provided to them by the marine. On St. Martin, in early July, Hans learned authorities were closing in. He called his mother, Tom Peterson says. "He said, 'Mom, I need you to come down here.'" Then Hans turned himself in. Jackie Peterson, in turn, called her ex-husband. "Hans is in a French prison," she said, "and he confessed to murdering the dermatologist who gave him the Accutane."
Tom Peterson says he didn't believe it. "I thought, Maybe he imagined he murdered the doctor. Then I did a Google search: Chicago, murder, dermatologist. And I watched the videotape of the guy walking into the building. And I thought, 'That's his walk.'"
* * *
This article appears in the December 2007 issue of Chicago magazine.
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My heart really goes out to Jon Cornbleet. He is a real hero and something should be done to grant him the justice he so badly has worked so hard for. He is somebody I greatly admire and respect. I think that Jon Cornbleet is the next John Walsh.
I really hate France for making this nightmare continue for him.
This is an excellent article. I am very impressed with the class and respect that Jon Cornbleet always shows.
Jon Cornbleet is a real life hero and somebody we should all aspire to be. I sit here and can not believe not only how strong a person he is, but how wonderful a son he is to his father. Jon's pursuit of justice is so admirable.
This is such a sad tragedy. Hans Peterson is a scum and shame on France for not extraditing this guy.
Why is France not extraditing him? He visited France a dozen or so times and thus he is protected under their laws? No wonder EVERYBODY hates the French. I think that what they are doing is criminal and I hold France personally responsible for aiding and abedding a confessed murderer.
I am very touched by the dedication and determination of Dr. Cornbleet's son. I think that all of us inside wish that we had the heart and courage that he does.
I have been following this sad tragedy since it happened. I think that John's persistency and determination is so honorable and such an ode to his love of his father. He shows a lot of class toward the Peterson family which is admirable.
Shame on France. I thought that the new President wanted to be different yet it is the same old song and dance with France. I will never visit or support those jerks.
who ever came up with the website/myspace idea was a genius
Excellent article. I never thought about the impact on the Peterson family. I now feel a great deal of sympathy for them (excepting Hans) as well.
Hans Peterson should be extradited and face his crime. You cannot tell me that in 4 years, he did not have one single lucid moment where he could have expressed and sought help for his feelings of anger. There are many medications that will help a psychotic individual function in society without murdering others.
Excellent article. I am saddened by the tragedy of Dr Cornbleet. He was the greatest doctor that I was ever fortunate to know. I miss his wisdom and humor tremendously.
Kudos have to be given to the son of Dr Cornbleet who has become a real life hero.
I can assure you that I or nobody that I know will ever support the French again. I think that they are obstructing justice and should be ashamed of themselves for not extraditing an American citizen.
It would appear that no one is addressing the issue that Hans only took this drug twice, from his own fathers' admission. Unless I missed it somewhere!? How about having someone, who is qualified to do so, evaluate the effects it can have on a person: same height, weight and gender, as Hans, having only taken the drug twice as well as compared to those mentioned in the article that the drug had a psychotic effect on (in terms of how long, etc., they took it). Let's get some conclusive evidence that it was the drug FIRST. In addition, someone else said it, he had more than enough time, Hans and his father, to seek help (or intervene on behalf of his son) before this happened. This is an unforgiveable crime, and he should pay. And ditto, SHAME ON FRANCE for even becoming involved: whether he was there once or a dozen times, in my opinion, it does not matter - he didn't live there!
Just a horrible crime and plan by Tom Peterson to distract attention from a first degree murder to two pills of vitamin a. Not to say that I wouldn’t do the same if this was my son, but it is clear that the Peterson family feels so much shame that they will do anything to transfer the blame. They are loosing a son in all of this, so it is OK to feel sympathy for them, but if one really reads between the lines of this story, Tom Ps previous comments, and even Hans’ posting on the Asberg blog, it is clear that Hans was an unguided child from the start. It seems that Top P may never really have known Hans, and only now is getting involved in his life by starting a crusade against accutatne. Perhaps this is noble cause or just a way for him to make up for lost time. Either way if wants to build support for his cause he should do everything in his power to get his son back to the US, including hitting the media in the same format and volume that the Cornbleets did.
I think it is time for France to update their law of 1927.
It sounds like Peterson may be schizophrenic. Escalating social isolation in late adolescence with depression among other things. Accuatane probably had nothing to do with it. All the more reason we need to extradite this guy back to the US to have some court appointed experts (not ones chosen by the Petersons) weigh in and see what's up with this guy for sure.
The French are just reprehensible.
By the way, the French law doesn't allow them to extradite anyone to a country with a death penalty. Never mind that this happened in Chicago and Illinois is currently under a death penalty moratorium. That's one of the excuses the french are using - that Peterson might be executed.
Excellent article. I am blown away by the dedication and heroism of Dr Cornbleet's son, Jon. I have to say that I am not sure anybody else would have handled this with such honor and dignity. France should be ashamed of themselves and I for one will never give that country another dime.
I want to put my two cents into this as I have been following the case for months. The French just flat out suck as a country. They are the most corrupt government and never ever will the United States have a relationship with them when they pull monkey business like this. I think that France should be ashamed of themselves for their actions. I think that our government needs to intervene and get this to happen. No family should have to go through what the Cornbleets have to with this horrible monster who should be locked up forever and ever....
I think it is time for France to step up and be an ally to the United States as they claim they are.
I have never seen such injustice in my life. France should be ashamed of themselves and why on earth do they want this murderer as part of their country?
I have to applaud Cornbleet's son and all of his efforts. He is the silver lining in this horrible mess created by Hans Peterson. 2 pills caused murder 5 years later, give me a break!
Jabiru 2
... Le meurtrier, un autiste social depuis sa prime enfance ( Asperger Syndrome) est un garçon solitaire intelligent. Ses gains au poker On line sont facilités par les logiciels qu’il a lui-même créés. Avant d’arrivée à St Martin ( fwi) le 29 dec 06
Il a pensé à se suicider, il est allé pour ça au Mexique.
Il n’a pas confiance dans les institutions de son pays.
Il a choisi une pointe avancée de la France en Amérique
Pour s’y livrer après le meurtre.
L’affaire y sera jugée. 15 à 22 années de prison. Pas plus.
http://jabiru.blog.lemonde.fr
Jabiru 1
bon article de Bayan Smith, qui synthétise bien l’affaire une année après le meurtre
De mon point de vue , le profil psychologique du meurtrier
est la piste d’enquête actuellement la plus intéressante.
La question de l’extradition étant pliée,
comme d’habitude dans les commentaires boucs émissaires
« les frenchy sont des salauds de pas nous rendre le diable »
L’essentiel à mes yeux c’est le cocktail chimique Zolof / Accutane traitements chimiques incompatibles .
Avec Internet, nous disposons de la preuve irréfutable de l’évolution des faits en 2002
Oui, deux comprimés de 80g d’accutane ont flingué le mental
d’une jeune franco-amércain d’origine suédoise par sa branche paternelle. Tandis que les Cornbleet juifs allemands, ont quitté l’alllemagne Nazi en 1939 .
les généalogies parentales de ces deux familles blanches viennent de la vieille Europe, dont tous les pays ont aboli la peine de mort...
I have been following this case. I really would hope that France would send this guy back to the US. But we have laws that say we think it's okay for our government to kill people, so that goes against France's ethics and laws. I applaud France for holding firm. I have been a witness to murder and now my brother killer will also be set free after 25 years. Which is not far of the mark with what this guy would get in France.
I hope Jon that you and your family can rest in peace. And as far as Hans' family, get over it! Your son is the killer not the drugs!
For you anti-frenchy's- you are morons. I mean I don't love the French like I do many countries. But seriously..... you think this is bad, what about our own government? Get educated, get the facts!
Are these people Cornbleet's family? You guys are so disgusting...Hans is a real vicim here. Accutane is one of the worst drugs and if you guys suffer long term aacutane side effects, you will understand what I am talkinga about...
I am French and only heard about this tragedy over myspace. The French people had never heard about it so don't blame them please.
I, and the few people I could warn about this tragedy, are actually very sad and doing the little that we can to let the people know to have something done about it. The problem is that the information doesn't go across the country. The French who know about it support you and want the murderer to be in jail.