Concerned that police are not doing enough to get information that could help find their daughter's killer, the parents of slain UW-Madison student Brittany Zimmermann spent part of Saturday putting up reward posters in and around the Downtown neighborhood where she was killed April 2.

Jean and Kevin Zimmermann were joined by Lou Marino, whose 31-year-old son, Joel, was fatally stabbed Jan. 28 in his home on West Shore Drive, about a mile from the West Doty Street apartment where 21-year-old Brittany Zimmermann was killed.

The Zimmermanns and Marino, who met for the first time Saturday morning in Brittingham Park, have lived parallel experiences with one notable exception: Just shy of five months after Joel Marino was killed, police arrested the man they say killed him.

Now, more than six months after Brittany Zimmermann's death, her parents are asking the same question Marino voiced before an arrest was made in his son's case: Are police doing all they can to find the killer?

Dismayed that police have yet to distribute new fliers about a reward fund that has grown to just under $14,000, Brittany's parents, along with the parents of her fiance and other family members, drove to Madison from their homes in Marshfield with 500 of their own fliers.

They wore white T-shirts with the words "To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die ..." on the front, and "Forever alive in our hearts" and a photo of Brittany on the back.

Jean Zimmermann said police have told her that their fliers were "in the works." But, she said, "I'm done waiting. Now is the time to get these things out there."

Police also have told her they were making arrangements for donated billboard space, Jean Zimmermann said. But two billboards became one, and police were still negotiating when the space would be available, she said.

"That's just not good enough for me," she said. "We have to do this now."

She and other family members said they fear the more time that passes, the harder it will be for people to remember anything that might lead to a break in the case.

"Brittany was so let down by everybody," Jean Zimmermann said of her daughter, whose 911 call was mishandled. "We need to do everything we can. I can't just sit home anymore."

Her sister, Donna Beining, who helped distribute fliers on State Street, said the family could stay at home if they felt that everything possible was being done to find Brittany's killer. "That's not happening," she said.

Madison Police Central District Captain Mary Schauf said two detectives continue to work on the Zimmermann case full time, with others also assisting in following tips and leads.

Families who experience such tragedies "have a real profound need to be out there doing something," said Schauf, who said she is grateful for any efforts that might get more people to come forward with information.

Prior to Saturday, Beining had been in phone contact with Marino, who said he wants to do what he can to help the Zimmermann family.

Before an arrest was made in his son's case, Marino took his concerns about the investigation to the governor, the state attorney general and Madison Police Chief Noble Wray, who told him, "Give us time. Let's work together," Marino said.

"I gave them time," he said. "They certainly did something right."

Once his son's killer is convicted and sentenced, Marino said, "We can move on. But moving on doesn't mean the hole in your heart is going to go away."

In their first meeting, Marino and the Zimmermanns shared information about the children they both lost in apparently random acts of violence by strangers.

Standing in Brittingham Park, Marino pointed out where his son had lived a few blocks away, in a home overlooking Monona Bay.

"He always wanted to live by the lake," Marino said. "He loved it."

Later, as they walked down West Doty Street, Jean Zimmermann pointed out the green shingled two-flat where her daughter had lived with her fiance, UW-Madison student Jordan Gonnering.

Marino told the Zimmermanns his family was fortunate his son's neighbors had seen his suspected killer and found a hat he had left in the area. Police later said DNA on the hat matched DNA on the knife used to kill Joel Marino. They arrested 20-year-old Adam Peterson, a former UW-Madison student from Grant, Minn., after his DNA matched DNA from the crime scene.

Kevin Zimmermann, Brittany's father, said he still finds it hard to believe that Peterson, who had lived for a time in a building behind his daughter's apartment, is not also connected to her death "even though his DNA doesn't match."

Marino sighed deeply and said in a low voice, "Yeah."
But Schauf said, "There's nothing to believe the cases are linked."

Jean Zimmermann still can't believe nobody saw anything the day Brittany was killed. "Look at all the people," she said as she walked on West Doty Street. "I just don't het it.

What she and other family members did get on Saturday was visibility to remind people about Brittany and the growing reward fund. They also found support, from a pledge drive volunteer at WORT who took a flier to post from Brittany's parents said, "Sorry for your grief," and from a local business owner who stopped his car with his young daughter in the back seat to contribute the $44 he had in his pocket to the reward fund.

"We were overwhelmed," said Kim Heeg, also a sister of Jean Zimmermann. "It brings us a little bit of a sense of peace."

HOW TO HELP
Anyone with information about the Brittany Zimmermann homicide is asked to call Madison Area Crime Stoppers at 608-266-6014.
Contributions can be sent to: Brittany Zimmermann Reward Fund, C/O Marshfield Medical Center Credit Union, 302 West Upham St., Marshfield, WI 54449.