Philadelphia Inquirer
Friday, February 20, 2004

Timoney to testify today in Schiebers' police lawsuit

Former Philadelphia Police Commissioner John F. Timoney is set to testify today in a federal lawsuit accusing the city of police mistakes in the investigation of a serial rapist who killed Shannon Schieber, 23, a doctoral candidate at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Timoney, now Miami's police chief, took over as head of the Philadelphia Police Department shortly before Troy Graves, known as the Center City rapist, killed Schieber in 1998.

Timoney overhauled the Philadelphia sex-crimes unit, demanding an audit of 2,503 cases. In their lawsuit against the city, Schieber's parents charge that police complacency contributed to their daughter's death. Jury deliberations in the weeklong trial are expected to begin early next week.