HAMILTON — A woman accused of killing Miami University professor Sherry Lee Corbett has told authorities she also intended to kill other people who she believed were conspiring to harm her, law-enforcement sources said Wednesday.

Corbett

Ansley

        Three sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Tonda Lynn Ansley, 36, made a multi-page written statement acknowledging she shot Ms. Corbett. Further, the sources told The Enquirer, Ms. Ansley has indicated that she was somehow influenced by the 1999 Keanu Reeves movie, The Matrix, a science-fiction film that suggests reality may not be as it appears.

        Meanwhile, WCPO-TV, Channel 9, reported Wednesday that unnamed sources specified Ms. Ansley intended to strike three other victims: another MU professor and two Hamilton physicians.

        The reports shed some light in a case in which police haven't released a possible motive, fueling widespread speculation because of the slaying's unusual circumstances and Ms. Corbett's respected position in the community.

        In front of neighbors, including children, Ms. Corbett, 55, was shot to death Saturday in the historic Dayton Lane neighborhood where she led revitalization efforts. Most of the city's half-dozen annual homicides involve drug deals or domestic violence — and this crime, Police Chief Neil Ferdelman said, doesn't fit the usual pattern.

        “It was brazen,” he said. “There are certain crimes that are preventable, but premeditated murder is one of those that's very difficult to prevent, especially if a suspect doesn't share what his or her plans are.”

        Ms. Ansley, who is being held in the county jail without bond, is scheduled for a preliminary hearing this morning in Hamilton Municipal Court. Her court-appointed attorney, Melynda Cook-Reich, said she didn't know whether the hearing would actually be held or whether authorities would instead delay it and take the case directly to a grand jury. Ms. Cook-Reich declined Wednesday evening to comment on any additional intended victims on any connection to the Matrix film.

        Chief Ferdelman said he understands the public's desire to know why the slaying happened, but “the prosecutor's office does not want us to release anything related to motive.”

        However, to help quell prevalent rumors, the chief said that so far, “We don't have any information that there's any kind of improper or close relationship, or any kind of unusual relationship between the suspect and the victim.” Ms. Corbett had been Ms. Ansley's landlord and former part-time employer, but people who knew the women said they weren't aware of any friction in those roles.

        Butler County Prosecutor Robin Piper didn't comment about the information provided by sources, and said, “I don't think we're at a point where we can draw conclusions about anything. ...We don't want to be giving out partial facts so it feeds more speculation.”

        Mr. Piper said he realizes Ms. Corbett's death has sent ripples throughout the community because of the crime's atypical nature and because Ms. Corbett was so active in the community. “One person told me she always had people around her, so that type of loss always has a lot more resounding effect,” he said. “It also points to the heightened sensitivity to this crime.”

        Still, Mr. Piper said, “We can't commit ourselves to a position just for the sake of public demand...Sometimes these questions can't be answered quickly. Sometimes these questions can only be answered after a thorough, in-depth investigation.”

        Steve Eder and Jennifer Edwards contributed to this story.

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