Maloney appeal: Mystery of phone call highlights possible deception

Hellenbrand's brother was at the interview where she made a mistake

By Melanie Fonder
News-Chronicle

Of all the inconsistencies John Maloney's defense attorneys have raised about Tracy Hellenbrand's testimony and statements to investigators, one of the most glaring was her knowledge about one telephone call.

The call was placed from Madison Avenue Hair Designers, 413 S. Madison St., to Sandy Maloney's residence the morning of the murder.

During an interview in May 1998, Hellenbrand told investigators more about the phone call than they thought she should have known. Special agents told Hellenbrand John Maloney made a phone call to his wife's residence on Feb. 10, 1998.

"I don't recall hearing him say he talked to her that day, that Tuesday morning," Hellenbrand told investigators.

The agents asked Hellenbrand why she thought the call was placed in the morning. She said she guessed it was placed at 9 a.m. because investigators had once asked Maloney about the hair salon and the location of his attorney's office.

The agents told Hellenbrand they never told her the call was made from Madison Avenue Hair Designers - or that it was made at 9 a.m. They had never asked John Maloney about it, either.

Hellenbrand said she knew that because they had just told her. Todd Hellenbrand, Tracy's brother, was in the room, and the agents asked him if he had heard them say anything about the time or place of the phone call. Todd told his sister they had not given her any details.

Tracy changed her story and said she knew the information because John Maloney had Sandra Maloney's phone toll records. At the end of the interview, she admitted her statement about the toll records was not true.

But who exactly made the phone call - and how Hellenbrand knew specific details about the time and location of the call - were not revealed during the trial.