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Nebraska I-back
Lawrence Phillips
is hungry for
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Today, partly sunny
and humid. Friday,
mostly sunny and
hot
Vol. 93 No. 5
Judge rejects sealing of Bjorklund letter
Defendant asked
Harms’ parents
for forgiveness
By Jeff Zeleny
Senior Editor
A Christmas Eve letter from
Roger Bjorklund to the par
ents of slain UNL student
Candice Harms asks not for pity, but
forgiveness.
The letter, introduced Wednesday
during the fourth day of suppression
hearings in Bjorklund’s first-degree
murder case, was mailed last Decem
ber to Stan and Pat Harms from the
Lancaster County Jail.
“I hope some day you can forgive
me," he wrote in the letter.
The handwritten letter was received
by Lancaster County District Judge
Donald Endacott despite motions from
T«ct of Bforidund tetter on pag« •
Bjorklund’s defense attorneys, who
requested tire hearing be closed and
the exhibit sealed.
The third motion to close the court
to the press was rejected by Endacott,
and the document was not sealed.
Bjorklund sat in the courtroom in a
blue, jail-issued jumpsuit with his legs
shackled during the hearing.
In his letter to Harms’ parents, he
said God would help him.
“I am prepared by the grace of God
to accept the full weight of the law in
my life,” he wrote. “I am not interest
ed in any deals, any plea bargains, life
is of much more value than that.”
In the letter, Bjorklund said he was
raised as a Christian and felt God’s
call to preach. He said he attended
Union College and was a student pas
tor of a Falls City church.
“I thought I was saved, looking
back I was not,” he wrote.
Because of Stan and Pat Harms’
Christian attitude, Bjorklund said he
thought they were fair people.
“From what I have seen and heard
of you, I would be happy to have you
on my jury, I can see you are fair and
loving people,” he wrote. “I hope to
meet you in heaven.”
In the letter, Bjorklund said it was
not fair that the Harms’ child was
taken from them.
.. oh how I wish I could change
places with her.” he wrote.
The letter was introduced by
Lancaster County Attorney Gary
Lacey. Lacey called the former acting
director of the Lancaster County Cor
rections Department James McKinney
to the stand. McKinney, now with the
Iowa Department of Corrections, said
he became aware of the letter Dec. 28.
All mail from Bjorklund was re
viewed by McKinney, in accordance
with correction center policy, ne saia.
Under cross-examination by Chief
Lancaster County Public Defender
Scott Helvie, McKinney said he didn’t
review Bjorklund’s mail until the first
degree murder charge was entered
Dec. 14.
Bjorklund, 31, and Scott Barney,
24, were arrested Dec. 2 in connection
with seven Lincoln robberies com
mitted last fall. Police say Barney
later told authorities he and Bjorklund
were involved in the Harms murder
case.
Harms was reported missing Sept.
22. Her whereabouts were unknown
See BJORKLUND on 10
iravts Meying/UN
The heat is on
Nebraska comerback John Reece cools himself off during a break in practice Wednesday afternoon.
Hot classrooms have professor boiling
By Dionne Searcey
Senior Report*___
Students in Raphael Zariski’s 10:30
a.m. class fanned themselves Mon
day as sweat dripped from their
faces. The windows were open in the room,
but the still air didn’t offer much relief from
the humid summer morning.
’This is just unspeakable,” said Zariski,
a UNL political science professor, after
lecturing for more than 30 minutes.
“The first two weeks are going to be
deadly,” he said.
The best is on in some classes at the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln and stu
dents and instructors are just grinning and
bearing it. Temperatures are expected to be
in the upper 80s and low 90s through Wednes
day.
The temperature outside was 83 degrees
during Zariski's morning class in room 205
of the Military and Naval Science building.
A National Weather Service official Mid
that the temperature inside the un-air-condi
tioned room might have been at least 10
degrees higher.
Students sighed with relief as they left the
classroom while more filed in for the next
C &“Look at these students,” Zariski said.
“They’re all fanning themselves, and class
hasn’t even started yet.”
The high temperature Monday was 88,
the National Weather Service reported. Tues
day’s high was 91. Humidity was 55 percent
both days.
After teaching in the seemingly tropical
climate, Zariski asked political science staff
assistant Helen Sexton to try to remedy the
situation.
See HEAT on 9
Nelson praises
his appointment
for Hohenstein
By Steve Smith
Senior Reporter __
Admitting his inexperience, but saying
he’s willing to work and to learn, new
State Senator Leo “Pat” Engel took his
first step into the public eye Wednesday on the
north steps of the State Capitol Building.
Gov. Ben Nelson announced Engel’s ap
pointment to the Nebraska Legislature at the
governor’s weekly press conference Wednes
day morning.
Engel, 61, will occupy the Legislature’s
17th District seat, left vacant by the resignation
of Dakota City’s Kurt Hohenstein.
Hohenstein, who relinquished his Legisla
ture seat Aug. 10, was convicted of a felony
thefi charge in Dakota County on the heels of a
four-month state investigation. A federal probe
into alleged wrongdoing by the former county
attorney continues. At present, Hohenstein is
awaiting sentencing.
“It’s very regrettable that (Hohenstein) got
himself in the position he’s in,” Engel said.
“His actions were very reprehensible, and I feel
sorry for his family and his friends.”
However, Engel said, there would be no
time to dwell on Hohenstein’s personal prob
lems— the state’s interests takes top priority.
“I’d like to put that in the past,” he said. “I
want to look forward into the future and see how
we can make Nebraska a better place to live.”
Engel ’ sdistrict includes Dakota and Thurston
counties and parts of Burt, Cuming, Dixon and
Wayne counties.
Nelson touted the appointment by talking
about Engel’s experience as a South Sioux City
businessman.
“Pat brings a wealth of experience to his new
post,” the governor said. “I have every confi
dence he will make an excellent representative
for the people of the 17 th Legislative District.”
Engel is a 1954 graduate of the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln and has been a State Farm
Insurance agent for 34 years.
Nelson said Engel also served on the Dakota
County Board of Commissioners and was a
school board member.
“I’m sure the legislature and the 17th Dis
See NELSON on 9
Athletes outpace foes in academics
By Jeff Singer
Senior Editor _
m'm 7 hile Nebraska athletes have
wW excelled on the playing field
▼ ▼ foryears,latelythey’vebeen
leading the pack in the classroom too.
The Cornhusker athletic program
raised its total of GTE All-Americans
to 107, a national best and 33 more
than second-place Illinois Wesleyan,
according to the most recent figures.
Nebraska also leads the way in aca
demic All-Big Eight honorees aim
Top Six Award winners.
Of Husker student-athletes, 148
have been named to the Academic
All-Big Eight list, twice the number
of athletes named to the list at any of
the other schools in the conference.
But Nebraska’s biggest honor
might be its nine Top Six Award
recipients. The Top Six Award is the
highest award a student-athlete can
receive, based on both academic and
athletic success. The most recent re
cipient was volleyball player Janet
Kruse, who won in 1992.
“From a chancellor’s perspective,
it’s wonderful to have such strong
student-athletes,” UNL Chancellor
Graham Spanier said.
’’Nationally, there are so many
schools that <k> well on the field, but
not academically — I think this re
flects well upon the university and on
the state.”
The Nebraska football team leads
all individual sport academic 1 ists with
a total of 46 academic All-Ameri
cans. The team also has had five ath
letes win the Top Six Award. The last
recipient was linebacker Pat Tyrance
in 1991.
Nebraska football coach Tom
Osborne said his team’s high academ
ic success was one of the proudest
facets in his 21-year head coaching
See ACADEMIC on 9
Nebraska leads the i
way in Academic p
All-Americans L
1. Nebraska
2. Illinois Wesleyan
3. Bucknell
4. Notre Dame
5. Millikin
DN graphic