The Pauline Storment Story!

Who was Pauline Storment?

 Pauline, was an All-American girl,  born on to Paul Storment and Lillian Elam on April 3, 1944, in Ozark, Arkansas.  

She was also the granddaughter of former Monterey County, California Sheriff's Deputy Benjamin W. Storment.

 

At Ozark High School, she served as the President of the Freshman Class, as seen in the picture above.

Her closest friends describe her as a kind gentle soul who was very studious and didn't have time for what was called tom-foolery.

After attending two years at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, she would eventually marry Charles Joseph Pate in June of 1965 in Booneville, Arkansas. The marriage would only last a year based on an Arkansas State Police multi-state investigation into her death between Memphis, Tennessee and Atlanta, Georgia though , if there ever was an official divorce certificate by 2022, no record can be found.

It was also, discovered by the Arkansas State Police via a statement from, Iris Fletcher, a former roommate from her time out of state that Pauline, had told Iris that she (Pauline) was "Deathly afraid of her ex-husband". 

After marriage to Chuck, Pauline would be found living in Memphis, Tennessee, where she worked as a member of the Shelby County Sheriff's Department Emergency Team (First Aid) as well as teaching First Aid during the years of 1968-1969 for the American Red Cross.

After bouncing around for six years Pauline chose to re-enroll in college only this time at the Uniiversity of Arkansas in Fayetteville where she would be a roommate with Pat Murphy at 102 South Duncan. 

 

Ms. Murphy told investigators that she  had never seen Pauline dating anyone. Although, she did state that one day around 2:00 PM. an unidentified white male came to the apartment and asked the girls if they wanted to go out and get drinks. Pauline and her roommate declined the offer. The two males allegedly exited the apartment and made their way back to Gordon Cummings' place, according to Ms. Murphy. It is unclear if investigators inquired about the sudden jump from one man to two men leaving for Gordon Cummings place, and we likely will never know because the city of Fayetteville not only misplaced or lost the DNA evidence of the case it's own case documents have also vanished.  

 

Pauline's roommate Ms. Murphy would go on to say that  two or three evenings after being asked out for drinks Pauline received a phone call from a caller who asked Pauline about the night they had taken drugs. Pauline reportedly lost her cool and hung up on the caller after he refused to identify himself. 

 

Pat Murphy would also state that she could not think of anyone who would want to hurt Pauline. 

 

Flash forward to April 12, 1971, and Pauline Storment's story would begin at the University of Arkansas in the ROTC center at 7:30 pm, where she worked as a part time secretary. A coworker by the name of Terry stated she asked Pauline if she would attend a Black Gospel Music Concert that began at 8 pm at the Union Ballroom. Pauline stated she couldn't participate because of a class. Terry also stated she didn't know of anyone Pauline would be dating but did state that Pauline was introduced to Gordon Cummings.

 

Was Gordon Cummings one of the two men who came to the apartment with an unknown man? Now, bare in mind, Gordon Cummings was the son of Circuit Judge Maupin Cummings who would ironically preside of the pretrial hearings for the man accused of murdering Pauline. 

 

Also Gordon Cummings would later in life become an attorney and become friends with young William Jefferson Clinton.

 

The Fayetteville Police investigation would reveal that Pauline possibly did attend the concert and at its conclusion would walk to the university library to study for about thirty minutes to an hour before leaving for home.

 

Pauline would arrive at the top of South Duncan, cross Dickson Street, and begin her trek home.

 

Mike Adair would be the first to see Pauline that night as she was walking home just about the time she crossed Duncan and Center Street, where he noticed a man following her. Mike would then pull in behind his apartment building at 16 South Duncan. Moments later, and further south along the road Gary Gammil turned off Duncan and right onto West Treadwell, stating that he saw a couple walking along the street and Pauline with an arm full of books and about 20ft behind her was a man, probably 5'10' to 6' with unkempt blonde or sandy hair more to the side and wearing a brown sports coat with glasses who appeared to be following her.  The next person to see Pauline that ill-fated night was Joe Clifton. Joe must not have been too far behind Gary,  because as Joe turned right onto West Treadwell, he stated that he considered offering Pauline a ride but he chose not too.

 

After a few more seconds Gary and Joe turned to the right and into the Summit Terrace Apartment parking lot. About the time Joe and Gary were pulling into the parking Mike Adair was getting out of his vehicle, and the three heard Pauline scream. 

 

At first, Joe thought the scream sounded playful, like a woman having a good time and it was at this moment that Jack Huff who also lived at Summit Terrace heard the scream from his apartment. They all ran to the the scream which transitioned into an audible yell for "HHHEEELLLPPP"

 

Joe also stated as he ran he saw another person running across the parking lot and as he approached the northwest embankment of the parking lot he looked around but didn't see an attacker except for Pauline, who is lying half in the road and half in the grass at the northwest corner of Duncan and Treadwell wearing a now blood-soaked white skirt. Mike Adair recalls Pauline saying her attacker fled toward the university.

 

Pauline Storment 

April 3, 1944 - April 12, 1971