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Thousands honor slain IU student in 2 vigils

Michael Anthony Adams, Jill Disis, and Cara Anthony
Indiana
Friends and family member of slain IU student Hannah Wilson are overcome with emotion during a vigil at the Indiana Elite cheerleading academy in Noblesville on April 25, 2015, in her memory. Hundreds of friends, cheer and gymnastic teammates joined family members of Wilson, 22, whose body was found early Friday in Brown County.

Thousands gathered Saturday in two emotional vigils to remember slain Indiana University student Hannah Wilson.

More than 1,500 classmates of Wilson's embraced each other, offering words of comfort and trying to hold back tears in a somber ceremony at 5 p.m. at Alumni Hall on the Bloomington campus. Her sorority sisters at Gamma Phi Beta released green and purple balloons in her memory on the deck of the solarium.

Several hundred more, including some of her teammates, also gathered at 5 p.m. at the Indiana Elite Cheer Center cheerleading gym in Noblesville to pay their respects to Wilson, who competed there for six years before leaving for college. They released at least 400 balloons at the end of their vigil.

Hannah Wilson, 22, a senior at Indiana University-Bloomington, was found slain Friday, April 24, 2015, in Brown County.

"She was the committed one, the focused one but also the light-hearted one who made them laugh and brought them together," Bethe Beaver, co-owner of the gym, said of Wilson, a Fishers native and graduate of Hamilton Southeastern High School.

Wilson was found dead Friday night in Brown County. Indiana State Police have arrested Daniel E. Messel, 49, of Bloomington, on a preliminary charge of murder.

Wilson, a 22-year-old senior from Fishers, was killed by blunt-force trauma to the head, Brown County coroner Earl Piper said Saturday.

Piper said there were some scrapes and bruises on Wilson's body. There was no weapon left at the scene, the coroner said.

"This is a tragedy by any stretch, so I think what we're trying to do is to make sure people have support," Dean of Students Harold "Pete" Goldsmith told The Indianapolis Star at the vigil in Bloomington. "It's obvious that this is a caring community. I think people cared about her, and showed up in great numbers. I think it speaks to the Greek community and how they care for each other."

Memories shared

An official from the university's Panhellenic Council offered a few words to begin the vigil, then members of Wilson's sorority shared stories and memories of their slain sister, before releasing dozens of balloons outside in the rain on the porch of the solarium.

Annie Sarno, Maggie Hadley and Delaney Riddle, Wilson's former Indiana Elite teammates, showed up a few hours before the vigil in Noblesville to blow up the 400 balloons released there in their friend's memory.

Rain clouds hung over their practice gym where hundreds of Indiana Elite cheerleaders, parents, friends and alumni showed up to pay their respects.

Wilson's mother and sister also attended the vigil.

They were shielded by family and friends who shared fond memories of Hannah.

"She was the kind of girl who made everybody feel special," Hadley said, standing with her arms linked around her teammates.

Sarno and Hadley both attended Indiana University and said they would see Wilson on campus often. Riddle is a student at Purdue University.

The former teammates pointed out photos of Wilson scattered throughout the gym.

"It's a tragedy this happened," Riddle said. "No one deserves any of this."

A violent past

Piper, the Brown County coroner, estimated that Wilson, who was first reported missing Friday, had been dead four to seven hours when law enforcement was notified. That would mean between 1:30 and 4:30 a.m. Friday.

A State Police spokesman said Saturday that no new details on the case will be released until a probable cause affidavit is submitted to the Brown County prosecutor. The spokesman said the investigation is ongoing and that anyone with information about Wilson's "activities prior to being reported missing" should call the State Police at 812-332-4411.

Messel has had a violent criminal past, including arrests for battery.

He was sentenced to eight years in prison in 1996, after pleading guilty to battery with a deadly weapon and battery causing serious bodily injury.

Messel also pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in 2006. In separate incidents in 1994, he pleaded guilty to operating while intoxicated and leaving the scene of an accident.

The Bloomington Herald-Times reported that in 1991, Messel was arrested on charges of confinement and domestic battery after a girlfriend made a report to police. In 1989, the newspaper said Messel was arrested after battering his grandmother and breaking a bone in her face.

Messel also filed for bankruptcy in 2013, citing more than $47,000 in debt.

State Rep. Christina Hale, D-Indianapolis, said she has fielded calls from constituents about a possible connection between Wilson's disappearance and the Uber ride-sharing service, which had been holding a free promotion on the IU campus.

However, Uber spokeswoman Brooke Anderson said Messel has never been employed by the company and that Wilson hasn't taken an Uber ride since Monday night.

The news of Wilson's death had an immediate effect on the IU community.

Impact on campus

Little 500 activities planned for the weekend were canceled Friday night, and IU basketball player Yogi Ferrell announced Saturday that he had postponed his news conference to announce whether he would enter the NBA draft.

Students planning to participate in the Little 500 bicycle race on Sunday will have purple and green ribbons tied to their bike frames in memory of Wilson.

The IU-Bloomington community has faced other student disappearances and tragedies in the past.

IU student Lauren Spierer, 20, of Greenburgh, N.Y., disappeared in June 2011 after a night out with friends in downtown Bloomington and is still missing.

Jill Berhman, 19, also an IU student, vanished during a bicycle ride in Bloomington in May 2000. Her remains were found in 2003 in a remote Morgan County location. John R. Myers II is serving a 65-year sentence for her slaying.

Star reporters Mark Alesia, Cathy Knapp and Zach Osterman contributed to this story.

Call Star reporter Michael Anthony Adams at (317) 444-6123. Follow him on Twitter: @michaeladams317.