Murder of Michelle O'Keefe
 | The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia's notability guideline for biographies. (July 2020) |
Michelle O'Keefe | |
|---|---|
| Born | Michelle Therese O'Keefe October 11, 1981[1] |
| Died | February 22, 2000 (aged 18) Palmdale, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Gunshot wounds |
| Known for | Murder victim |
| Parents |
|
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.
In their filings to the court supporting Jennings' innocence claim and requesting his release, the DA's office revealed that they believed the killing to be gang-related. Driving a car that had been in the parking lot at the time of O'Keefe's murder, was Victoria Richardson—a 17-year-old black female who, like her 18-year-old black Andrew Stewart boyfriend, was a Bloods Gang member. In the months following O'Keefe's murder, Andrew Stewart perpetrated a series of home invasions and carjackings, including the gunpoint theft of a Ford Mustang, for which he was sentenced to 31 years in prison. When arrested, he was wearing an earring that matched one of O'Keefe's, and was found to have been missing from her corpse. Ballistics evidence suggested that the 9mm weapon used to kill her was the same as one he and/or other Flushing Fifties gang members had used in recent shootings.[8][9]
Sgt. Ray Jennings was found
See also
- List of unsolved murders
References
- ^ "Case Detail: Michelle O'Keefe". Los Angeles, California, Coroner's Inquest Index, 1992-2016. Los Angeles County. 28 June 2023.
- ^ U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007
- ^ "Man accused of murdering college student is freed after 11 years: How the case against him unraveled". Los Angeles Times. June 25, 2016.
- ^ Morrison, Keith (April 7, 2014). "The Girl with the Blue Mustang". Dateline. NBC News. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Ray Jennings letter to the Convictioin Review Unit (CRU)" (PDF). Erlich Law Firm. Oct 2, 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2022-03-08.
- ^ a b "A judge declares Raymond Lee Jennings factually innocent in the 2000 slaying of Michelle O'Keefe". Los Angeles Times. 7 July 2017. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
- ^ ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
- ^ "In this letter to a judge, a top prosecutor details the new evidence casting doubt on Raymond Lee Jennings' guilt". Los Angeles Times. 2016-06-22. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-03-08. Retrieved 2022-03-08.