Ellis slaying details emerge

A gun that authorities believe was used in the slaying of Midlothian teenager Allen "Chip" Ellis contained DNA evidence belonging to a former classmate accused of killing Ellis.

State forensic scientists obtained a DNA profile mixture that included the DNA of suspect Louis Shawn Lindenfeld from inside the gun's barrel, according to the Department of Forensic Science report, which also included an analysis of several items.

The report, filed with other documents in Henrico County Circuit Court late last week, says Lindenfeld cannot be eliminated as a contributor to this DNA mixture.

The likelihood that the DNA sample belonged to someone other than Lindenfeld is 1 in 720,000 in the Caucasian population and 1 in 7.3 million in the black population taken at random, the report says. Lindenfeld has a white father and a black mother. He is listed in court records as being black.

According to the documents, police recovered two guns in the case.

A .38-caliber Military & Police Smith & Wesson was taken from a lockbox in the Lindenfeld family's home in the 1300 block of Queens Place in Midlothian. A .38-caliber Colt detective special was given to an investigator May 26 by an apparent acquaintance of Lindenfeld's who was questioned by police.

Investigators took swabs of material from both weapons. The DNA sample was found in the Colt pistol.

Lindenfeld's DNA was also found on a bloody gray tank top recovered by investigators.

The man who gave police the second gun was eliminated as a contributor to the DNA samples found in the weapon and on the tank top, as was Ellis.

The DNA evidence will likely figure prominently in Lindenfeld's capital-murder trial, scheduled to begin Nov. 27 in Henrico Circuit Court.

One of Lindenfeld's attorneys, Craig Cooley, could not be reached immediately yesterday.

Lindenfeld, 18, who attended Midlothian High, is charged with murder, robbery and two felony firearm counts. He is accused of killing Ellis after robbing him of his 2005 Nissan Sentra.

Ellis, an 18-year-old Midlothian senior, disappeared May 22 after driving from his family's home in the Queensmill subdivision to drop off DVDs at the Midlo- thian Library at 521 Coalfield Road.

Authorities believe he met Lindenfeld there and offered him a ride. Ellis was carjacked and killed sometime after the two left the library. Ellis' body was found three days later in the trunk of his car in woods off a dead-end road in eastern Henrico.

According to a copy of the final autopsy report filed in Henrico Circuit Court, Ellis was shot once in each side of the head and once in the face. No bullets or fragments were recovered from the first two wounds. A medium-caliber bullet was recovered from the third wound.

There was no evidence any of the shots were fired at close range, according to the report.

When he was found, Ellis was wearing a T-shirt and jeans and had burns on his left rear thigh and left rear calf, as well as on his socks and sneakers. Police believe the killer tried to set the car on fire in an apparent attempt to destroy evidence.

Other items found with the body included a paper napkin, a bloody straw wrapper, $3.36 in change and a receipt from a formalwear store. Ellis had attended his high school prom the previous weekend.

According to Henrico Commonwealth's Attorney Wade Kizer's response to the defendant's motion for discovery, a potential witness for the prosecution admitted she lied when she initially told police she had picked up Lindenfeld near Ratcliffe Elementary School in Henrico between 7:30 and 8 p.m. the day Ellis disappeared and drove him to his mother's home in Church Hill.

She later told police that Lindenfeld asked her to lie about having picked him up.

Investigators have obtained more than 80 items belonging to Ellis, his family and the Midlothian Library from several locations.

Items found in a trash bin in an alley behind 5325 Bolling Road included a DVD from the library; a Theater IV "Beauty and the Beast" program book; papers of Chip's sister, Ashley; a black book labeled "Chip Ellis 2nd Period"; and a John Tyler Community College catalog. Ellis had planned to attend the school this fall.

Investigators also recovered 147 CDs, five from the library, in another trash bin behind 3417 Howard Road.

The trash containers on Bolling and Howard roads are not far from where Ellis' body was found in the trunk of his car beyond the dead end of Cedar Fork Road, an extension of Harvie Road.

Lindenfeld has not made any written or recorded statements to investigators about any involvement in the slaying, Kizer said in court documents. However, Lindenfeld may have said something to one or more inmates with whom he was incarcerated, the documents said.

One potential witness who is awaiting trial in Richmond has entered into a "memorandum of understanding" with prosecutors and could be called to testify at Lindenfeld's trial, court records show.