Morgan Harrington’s Parents Say Killer Will Be Found

Dan and Gil Harrington, the parents of murdered Metallica fan Morgan Harrington, held a brief press conference on Feb. 18 at Charlottesville, Va.'s Copeley Bridge, where Morgan was last seen after disappearing from a Metallica concert at nearby John Paul Jones Arena, to warn the perpetrators that they will be caught. Its just a matter of time, they said.

The Harringtons, according to reports, met with police this week to get an update on their daughter's case and told reporters that DNA tests conducted on her remains will likely take five to six months before they provide information about her death. The Harringtons say they will not give up until their daughter's killers are behind bars.

During the press conference, Gil Harrington distributed cards from her daughter's memorial service along with copies of a poem called 'Morgan, Music Fan.' Lines from the poem include: "He was checking the scene, planning a murder" and "Now I have felt the heft of her skull in my palm."

Police, the Harringtons said, are convinced the killer or killers live close to where Morgan's body was found, just 10 miles south of where she disappeared, and they're convinced justice will be meted out. "There is a bad guy here in Charlottesville," Dan Harrington said. "Students and citizens need to be aware of their surroundings and not make themselves unsafe."

Richmond's medical examiner has ruled Morgan's death a homicide, and now, the Harringtons know more specifically how their daughter died. Asked if police had shared her cause of death, the Harringtons paused and looked at each other before replying. "That," said Dan, "you'd need to get from the police." State Police spokesperson Corinne Geller declined comment, citing toxicology tests results which have not been returned.

During the press conference, Dan Harrington reflected on the senselessness of the crime, noting how his daughter wasn't even robbed. "He didn't even want her jewelry," he said, adding his belief that Morgan's death was a sexual assault that "ended up in her murder." Gil Harrington now wears the silver bracelet her daughter Morgan was wearing when she died, which was recovered from the scene where her remains were discovered, in a desolate hay field.

"Her killer is to blame," the Harringtons said. "This ain't going to end until Morgan finds justice."