Timeline of Significant Events

1993 - 1996     Barton McNeil married to Tita Libres McNeil.

01.11.1995     Christina M. McNeil is born to Tita and Barton McNeil.

01.11.1995     Bart separated from wife and became involved with Misook Nowlin (nee Kim) who was married to Andy Nowlin at the time. Misook and Andy Nowlin were the parents of nine year old Michelle Nowlin.

04.20.1995     Bart and Misook shared an apartment (1412 Croxton 7A, Bloomington, Illinois) for three years ending on April 15, 1998.

01.1996     First time Bloomington Police were dispatched to apartment due to Misook's violent actions.

11.1996     Second time Bloomington Police were dispatched to apartment due to Misook threatening Bart and Christina at knifepoint.

11.18.1996     Misook received anger management domestic violence counseling by AVERT at the urging of the State's Attorney office.

12.29.1996     Misook also began weekly psychological counseling sessions at the McLean County Center for Human Services at Bart's insistence.

08.20.1997     Misook assaulted Bart and 2 year old Christina McNeil and was arrested for domestic battery. Bart testified for Prosecutor Assistant State's Attorney Stephanie Wong at Misook's bench trial for the domestic battery case, which resulted in Misook's conviction. Bart received a request from the State's Attorney office to write a Victim Impact Statement to be presented to the Court at Misook's sentencing hearing.

04.15.1998     Bart ended his relationship with Misook and moved out of the Croxton Street apartment he shared with her and moved into his own apartment on North Evans Street in Bloomington, Illinois.

04.1998     Misook's divorce from Andy Nowlin became final.

Three months before Christina's death, matters get worse and intolerable, as Misook continues her stalking and threats.

04.1998 - 06.16.1998     Misook repeatedly made harassing phone calls to Bart at home and work, and began stalking him and his ex-wife.

05.1998     Misook's scheduled domestic battery sentencing date was rescheduled for June 17, 1998 at 3:30pm. (Note: Christina was murdered on June 16, coincidentally the day before)

06.04.1998     Misook phoned Bart several times during the day demanding he see her because she was upset about their relationship. Later that evening, Misook's friends (unnamed) made a threatening phone call to Bart.

06.07.1998     Bart was hired by Applebee's Restaurant to start working at their Pekin restaurant on July 1, 1998. He had been working as a manager at the Red Lobster. Bart requested from the placement company not to inform Misook, should she inquire.

06.08.1998     An unnamed friend of Misook's revealed to Bart that a phone call on June 6, 1998 was actually a three way call with Misook's home phone being the silent third party. That during the entirety of the conversation Misook and her friends heard how Bart intended to get back with his former wife, Tita. Misook's friends expressed a threat to get revenge on Bart.

06.09.1998     Nevertheless, the unsuspecting Bart allowed Misook to spend the night at his apartment. He awoke to find her snooping on his computer, at which time he asked her to leave the apartment.

06.10.1998     In the early morning hours, Bart stated Misook showed up on his doorstep demanding entry. Although Bart never gave her an apartment key, she had somehow obtained one without his knowledge or permission. Bart physically blockaded the door to prevent her entry and she then repeatedly phoned him using her cell phone. She yelled, pounded, and
kicked at the front door. Then she went to Christina's open ground-floor bedroom window and yelled at him through it.

06.13.1998     Bart spent the night at Misook's apartment due to her suicidal threats.

06.14.1998     Bart was visiting with Tita at her apartment and neighbors stated that they had seen one or more prowlers directly outside Tita's apartment in the bushes. The neighbors had called Police but by the time they had arrived, the prowlers were no longer there.

06.15.1998     Dramatic break-up at Avanti's Restaurant in which staff witnessed fighting between Misook and Bart.

06.15/16.1998     Night of Christina's murder.

06.15.1998     Misook could not account for her whereabouts after 11 PM the evening of Christina's murder. Bart maintains he was at home with his daughter Christina. He had taken her out for a McDonald's Happy Meal earlier. She went to bed around 10 PM, and he spent the evening on his computer. Several emails were sent to friends of his. Furthermore, there was a thunderstorm that evening. At midnight, his daughter called out and he went to check on her. She went back to sleep. He fell asleep in the living room. At 7:00am Bart discovered Christina unresponsive in her bedroom of their home at 1106 North Evans Street, Number 2, Bloomington, Illinois.

06.16.1998     Hours after examination of the scene by investigators, who at that time believed Christina died of natural causes, Bart called police detectives back to scene after he discovered tampering of his daughter's ground floor bedroom window.

06.16.1998     Bart gave detectives a detailed account of events that pertained to a pattern of stalking and violence directed at him and his daughter, by his estranged girlfriend, Misook Nowlin.

06.17.1998     Misook's sentencing hearing - Bart was to give victim impact testimony for the assault Misook was convicted of against Bart and Christina McNeil in 1997. At this hearing, Misook was expected to be given jail time due to her having a prior arrest record. Instead, ironically on this day, Bart was arrested for the murder of his own daughter and no testimony was able to be given.

06.17.98     Bart was charged with two counts of first degree murder in connection with his daughter's death.  At the time of arrest, no significant investigation by detectives had yet occurred, but instead the entire investigation took place in the weeks and months following his arrest.

06.19.1998     Judge Dozier granted a Court Order to preserve the body of Christina McNeil until examined by a defense pathologist, Dr. Kirshner, which was slated to take place on June 27, 1998.

06.23.1998     Judge Dozier's June 19, 1998 order to preserve the body of Christina McNeil's body was replaced by a June 23, 1998 order signed by Judge Prall and jointly approved by Assistant State's Attorney Griffin and McLean County Defender Amy Davis.

06.17.1998     Autopsy (State did not disclose time of death until 03.1999).

The following is a summary timeline of an affidavit signed by Barton McNeil that was made a part of his September 2005 post-conviction appeal.