Murder of Michelle O'Keefe

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Michelle O'Keefe
Born
Michelle Therese O'Keefe

October 11, 1981[1]
Hanford, California[2]
DiedFebruary 22, 2000 (aged 18)
Palmdale, California, U.S.
Cause of deathGunshot wounds
Known forMurder victim
Parents
  • Michael O'Keefe (father)
  • Patricia O'Keefe (mother)

Michelle O'Keefe was an 18-year-old American college student and aspiring actress who was murdered in Palmdale, California on her way home from appearing in a Kid Rock music video. The case has attracted significant media national attention, including episodes of America's Most Wanted and Dateline NBC.[3][4]

In 2005, Iraq-war veteran Sgt. Raymond Lee Jennings was arrested for the murder, and after three trials he was sentenced to life in prison.[5]

After serving 11 years of his sentence, Jennings was exonerated and freed from prison.[5] The Los Angeles District Attorney was persuaded of Jennings' innocence after a law student, Clinton Ehrlich, saw the case on television and began an investigation with his father, attorney Jeffrey Ehrlich. Among other points, Clinton and Jeffrey Ehrlich state that: (1) Jennings uniform tested negative for gunshot residue; (2) his DNA did not match the visible blood found under the victim's fingernails, which the prosecuting attorney misled the jury as being mere random blood contamination; (3) and the detectives on the case had not followed through on leads of other people at the Park-and-Ride at the time of the murder, including a white male observed driving out of the parking lot immediately after the shooting.[6]

See also[]

  • List of unsolved murders

References[]

  1. ^ "Case Detail: Michelle O'Keefe". Los Angeles, California, Coroner's Inquest Index, 1992-2016. Los Angeles County.
  2. ^ U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
  3. ^ "Man accused of murdering college student is freed after 11 years: How the case against him unraveled". Los Angeles Times. June 25, 2016.
  4. ^ Morrison, Keith (April 7, 2014). "The Girl with the Blue Mustang". Dateline. NBC News. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013.
  5. ^ a b "After a man convicted of murdering a woman goes free, questions linger over why he was charged in first place". Los Angeles Times. Sep 11, 2016.
  6. ^ "Ray Jennings letter to the Convictioin Review Unit (CRU)" (PDF). Erlich Law Firm. Oct 2, 2015.
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