Jane Mixer: The Controversial Conviction

Moms and Mysteries: A True Crime Podcast

Moms got ya covered-feed

True Crime

4.6 • 8.8K Ratings

🗓️ 11 November 2025

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In 1969, Jane Louise Mixer, a 23-year-old law student at the University of Michigan, was trying to catch a ride home to tell her parents she was engaged to her boyfriend Phil. Jane was an exceptional student—top 10% of her high school class, honor student, debate team member, cheerleader, and voted "best all around girl." She graduated from the University of Michigan in 1968 and enrolled in law school, where she was one of the only female students in the entire program. But Jane never made it home that day. She was found shot and strangled in a cemetery, her belongings eerily arranged beside her.For over 30 years, Jane's case sat frozen in time. Many believed John Norman Collins, a serial killer convicted of murdering another Michigan student, was responsible.But in 2001, DNA testing pointed to a different man: Gary Leiterman, a 62-year-old former nurse.In 2005, Gary was convicted of Jane's murder based on DNA evidence, handwriting analysis, and the fact that he owned a .22 caliber gun. But the conviction was highly controversial. Three scientists later argued that the DNA evidence was likely the result of lab contamination. Gary maintained his innocence until his death in prison on July 4, 2019, at age 76. Was Gary Leiterman truly guilty? Or was Jane Mixer's real killer never caught? New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday! Follow us on Instagram: @momsandmysteries Join our Patreon: patreon.com/momsandmysteries Visit our website: momsandmysteries.com #TrueCrime #Podcast #FloridaMoms #JaneMixer #Michigan #UniversityOfMichigan #DNAEvidence #WrongfulConviction #ColdCase Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	In 1969, 23-year-old law student Jane Mixer thought she was catching a simple ride home to tell her parents she was engaged.
0:08.5	Instead, she became one of Michigan's most haunting murder mysteries.
0:13.2	She was found shot and strangled in a cemetery, her belongings eerily arranged beside her.
0:19.2	For decades, her case sat frozen in time until DNA testing
0:23.5	promised answers. Instead, it delivered chaos because when the evidence pointed to a four-year-old
0:30.3	boy, things got weird and fast.
0:55.9	Hey guys, and welcome to the Moms and Mysteries podcast, a true crime podcast featuring myself, Mandy, and my dear friend Melissa. Hi, Melissa. Hi, Mandy. How are you? I am doing well, enjoying the beautiful, crisp autumn weather we are having lately.
0:59.4	And, you know, weather talk makes both of us happy.
1:03.4	But I think it makes us even happier when we're talking about how much we love the weather.
1:05.1	Yeah, so gorgeous.
1:10.5	10 out of 10, those listening overseas that always want to know what our weather is. It's imagine your perfect day,
1:12.6	and that's what we're having right now. It's gorgeous. Absolutely. Absolutely. So we'll get right
1:18.0	into the story for this week. Jane Louise Mixer was born on February 23rd, 1946 in Michigan,
1:25.7	two parents Marion and Dan. Her dad was a pretty prominent dentist in the area,
1:31.8	and Jane grew up alongside two siblings named Dan and Barbara. She was the kind of student that
1:38.0	every teacher really dreams of having. When she graduated from high school in 1964,
1:43.5	she was right up there in the top 10% of her class and an honor student.
1:48.9	This girl was busy.
1:51.2	She was on the debate team.
1:52.7	She was a cheerleader.
1:54.0	And she was so well liked that she was one of only two students selected to deliver a commencement address.
2:00.6	And for the ultimate stamp of approval,
	...

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