By Kelli Gauthier
Staff Writer
Despite a criminal investigation that names Brian Travers as a person of interest in the death of a 22-year-old TV news reporter in Texas, members of the victim's family said they are sure the WRCB TV Channel 3 weekend meteorologist is innocent.
"I'm positive that Brian had nothing to do with Jen's murder," said Sherry Abel, mother of victim Jennifer Servo. "He loved her, and he was a good friend to her, as she was to him. I know she wouldn't want him to be scrutinized like this."
The unsolved case received renewed attention last week after ABC aired a "Primetime" special about the 2002 bludgeoning and strangling death in Abilene, Texas.
Police there said even though Mr. Travers has been very cooperative throughout the five-year investigation, they cannot remove him from the list of people of interest becausee he was one of the last people to see Ms. Servo alive.
Mrs. Abel said she remains in contact with Mr. Travers through e-mail.
Despite the fact that her daughter previously had been romantically involved with Mr. Travers, Mrs. Abel said she is sure he was not her daughter's killer.
"Brian is a sweet young man, and I wish nothing but the best for him," she said.
Ms. Servo's sister, Christa Slaten, echoed her mother's sentiments, saying that Mr. Travers offered at one point to take a polygraph test, but police declined, calling it unnecessary.
"Brian's actions have shown me that he is innocent," she said.
Mr. Travers said the support he has received from Ms. Servo's family has been incredible. Sunday marked exactly five years since Ms. Servo's death, and Mr. Travers said he keeps in contact with Mrs. Abel especially during the month of September.
"She likes to see how Jen's friends in the media, how their careers are progressing," he said. "I think it's soothing or healing for Sherry to see that we're not letting what happened completely ruin our lives."
Since the "Primetime" special aired, Abilene Police Detective Jeff Bell said the criminal investigations unit has not received any additional evidence on the case. The slaying has been featured on "America's Most Wanted" three times, he said, yielding few promising leads.
"I'm not going to sit here and tell you we're going to solve this case because of the show," he said. "We've been shot down before, so we don't get very excited until we actually see something."
But solving the 5-year-old case remains a real possibility, said Dr. Roger Thompson, a criminal justice professor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. All it would take is one crucial piece of evidence to bring it all together, he said.
"I'd say if the (victim's) family stays active and involved, and also they find the evidence they're waiting for, it could happen," he said.
Mrs. Abel, who lives in Kalispell, Mont., said she hopes one day her daughter's killer will "slip and tell somebody" what he has done.
"I won't give up until it's solved," she said. "It will be solved."
E-mail Kelli Gauthier at kgauthier@timesfreepress.com
