Brand-New Evidence Emerges In The Case Of Tonya Harding Attacking Nancy Kerrigan

Seven weeks before the 1994 Olympic Winter Games, figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was attacked at a Detroit ice rink, severely damaging her knee and compromising the athlete’s expected Olympic performance. All signs pointed to rival Tonya Harding being behind the attack, conspiring with her husband, aiming to ensure her victory at the Olympics. Unfortunately for Harding, she sealed her own fate with an envelope filled with doodles.

When an employee of Dockside Restaurant and Saloon was investigating trash left in their dumpster, she recognized that some paperwork had Tonya Harding’s name on it. Looking deeper, an envelope covered in doodles and notes caught the employees eyes, and this ended up being one of the most important pieces of evidence to tie Harding to the assault.

Although the words “Tony Kent Arena” and the address “8 Gages Way, South Dennis” don’t automatically give away the crime, realizing that this is the name and address of Kerrigan’s frequent practice rink closely ties Harding to her rival.

Robert Peschka, a handwriting expert, testified that Harding was responsible for some of the notes, with her husband being responsible for the others. Harding was convicted of hindering the investigation, being granted parole on top of her 500 hours of community service and $160,000 fine.

Ultimately, it was this simple piece of paper that proved the most important piece of evidence in connecting the rival skaters. Kerrigan went on win the silver medal at the Olympics.

[H/T PEOPLE]