james neal linda o'keefe

11-year-old Linda O'Keefe was kidnapped on her way back from home in July 1973. We never gave up.. Neal moved to Southern California from Chicago before the murder and relocated to Florida after the girl's slaying, authorities said. Through the tireless efforts of generations of our investigators, we hope we have been able to bring a measure of closure to Lindas family, friends, and loved ones.. Man Accused of Killing 11-Year-Old Linda O'Keefe in Newport Beach Dies The defendants conscience began to bother him, so he walked off a job he had obtained in Inglewood, returned to Santa Ana and contacted an officer of the Santa Ana Police Department, McMillan wrote in the report. This photo shows a poster of James Neal during a news conference at the Orange County District Attorney's office in Santa Ana, Calif., Feb. 20, 2019. She doesn't know that I'm missing. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. People in the city of Newport Beach have been following this case for literally 45 years, Spitzer said. I dont have any friends because Ive always been afraid to make any because I just figured they would only see me as everyone else has in the past.. Since April 2018, genetic genealogy has helped identify more than three dozen suspects, said CeCe Moore, chief genetic genealogist with Parabon NanoLabs. Linda O'Keefe Murder: How Did She Die? Who Killed Her? James Alan Neal fue arrestado el 19 de febrero de 2019, en relacin con su muerte, segn anunciaron los fiscales en una conferencia de prensa. ', " As 'Linda' noted in the tweets in July, her case would generate numerous theories and a sketch of a 'person of interest' but ultimately grow cold.". Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer announced the arrest of James Alan Neal in the 1973 murder of 11-year-old Linda Ann O'Keefe during a press conderence on Wednesday, February 20, 2019. The 11-year-old was taken while she walked back from school in California, with witnesses reporting Linda talking to a white male in a van. On Tuesday, nearly 46 years after O'Keefe's life ended, authorities arrested a man they say is suspected of being her killer: a 72-year-old living in Colorado named James Neal. Using details from the investigator's decades-old case files, police relayed O'Keefe's last hours, as well as her family's frantic search for her, as if they were unfolding in real time, as The Washington Post's Meagan Flynn reported: "At 6:42 p.m., six hours since her mother had last heard from her, O'Keefe's parents reported her missing to the Newport Beach Police Department, convinced by then O'Keefe was not simply running off with friends to retaliate for not getting a ride. The lead bringing officials to Neal came after these sketches were released, authorities said Wednesday. An undated photo of murder victim Linda O'Keefe and her family. US Man James Neal Arrested After Police Tweet Re-Creation Of Girl Beware of scams, Denver police searching for missing 14-year-old. He could be brought to California sometime this week if he waives extradition, Spitzer said. "Just before midnight, 'a lady in the bluffs above Back Bay hears a female voice outside, screaming "Stop, you're hurting me," ' the police tweeted in O'Keefe's name. James Allen Neal. IE 11 is not supported. Police also urged the public to share details about O'Keefe's disappearance on social media with the hashtag #Lindastory. A true-crime retelling of Linda O'Keefe's 1973 abduction & killing led police to James Alan Neal, ID'd through DNA as the primary suspect. James Neal, 72, was arrested in Colorado Springs, Colo., and charged with murder with special circumstances in the death of Linda O'Keefe, who was found strangled in 1973, a case that has long shaken the seaside community of Newport Beach, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said. After the burglary sentencing, James moved to Denver, Colorado, where he was accused of stealing from the gas station he worked at. DNA leads to arrest in half century-old cold case murder of 11-year-old Newport Beach police said last year they were taking a fresh look at the slaying of Linda O'Keefe, who lived in the Corona del Mar neighborhood and was last seen alive July 6, 1973, as she walked home from summer school. He was released on parole in July 1971, and about two years later, the authorities believed he killed Linda. Paul Bersebach/The Orange County Register via AP. "He seemed like a good guy," Neal's landlord, Michael Thulson,. "It is bittersweet to hear that, yes, this case has been resolved. IE 11 is not supported. Girl Was Stabbed 59 Times After Parting Ways with Boyfriend in 1982 and Suspect Was Just Arrested, to recount the story of Lindas life, mysterious disappearance and death. Linda Ann O'Keefe was the middle child in a family of five. On July 6, 1973, 11-year-old Linda OKeefe disappeared while walking home from summer school in the southern California beachside town of Corona del Mar. OKeefes 1973 rape and murder went unsolved for decades. MURDERED: Linda O'Keefe | Crime Junkie Podcast Combining the latest in DNA technology with old-fashioned detective work led investigators to Neal, Lewis said. Linda O'Keefe. Phone calls to Newport Beach police were not returned, but the Orange County District Attorneys Office said it is seeking other potential victims of Neal. McMillan went on to say that Neals father, who designed drugstores, and his mother, who was a bookkeeper, were described as extremely neurotic people who were both physically and psychologically cruel to their children. They are reported to be detached emotionally and narcissistic, he added. Linda was last seen talking to a stranger in a van, Newport Beach Police Chief Jon Lewis said Wednesday. Linda Ann O'Keefe cold case: Before James Neal's arrest, he had a Today, we have a new message to share, and we are giving Linda a voice once more. James Neal Now: Is Linda O'Keefe's Alleged Killer Dead or Alive? Update Generations of investigators worked on her case, said Lewis. Then, after he was paroled again in August 1963, he was arrested a year later for burglary and sentenced to nine months in the Orange County jail. Her family called the police and officers then joined the search for the 4-foot-tall girl with long brown hair and blue eyes. She makes a lot of my clothes, and my sisters clothes. Records reveal Neal was arrested on Sept. 9, 1973, in Marion County, Florida, on a fraud charge for writing a bad check and unauthorized use of a vehicle. Newport Beach police launched a new PR campaign in 2018 using Tweets written in Lindas voice. James Alan Neal, 73, was transferred to a local hospital May 25 for treatment of an illness and died there at about 5:15 a.m. Wednesday, according to Orange County sheriff's officials. About a month later, the police brought additional charges of sexual assault against a child younger than 14. ABC News' Jenna Harrison contributed to this report. Here at this jail, people want to give me a bad time. But again, it's a reminder of what happened. Records show that from 1963 to 1966, Neal was employed as cook, furniture mover, iron worker, factory worker, and a floral deliveryman but didnt hold a job longer than five months. Sister of victim in 1973 cold case murder speaks out after suspect 72-year-old arrested in connection with 1973 murder of 11-year-old girl, Linda O'Keefe, who lived in the Corona del Mar neighborhood and was last seen alive July 6, 1973, as she walked home from summer school. He has also accompanied police on undercover drug buys and also provided an award winning, eyewitness account of the execution of a North Carolina death row inmate. That night, a woman who lives in the bluffs above Back Bay heard a voice scream, "Stop, youre hurting me," police said. And at the time of his arrest Neal had no income, savings or property except for a car that had been stolen in Springfield, Illinois, McMillan said. If he pursues these goals conscientiously and stays away from downtown Santa Ana where associates congregate, he feels he will never again become involved in difficulty, the probation officer wrote. DNA recovered from O'Keefe shortly after her death was put into the Combined DNA Index System -- the law enforcement database known as CODIS -- but there was no hit, Spitzer said. Track Latest News and Karnataka Elections 2023 Coverage Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world. . Neal was taken to a hospital on May 25 for an illness. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Photo Source. The detectives dogged this case. "Her picture hangs in our detective division, where our folks see it every day as a reminder of her and why we continue to pursue these cases.". Her parents checked with friends and searched the neighborhood and the path she took home to no avail, Lewis said. Police were tight-lipped about exactly how they solved the case but said they received a lead in January that prompted them to begin investigating Neal, who had been living in Orange County at the time of O'Keefe's killing but had since moved to Colorado. ", "I couldn't carry that burden in my heart of hating an individual even though he committed this horrible crime," she said. Colorado man charged in 1973 Orange County cold case dies awaiting trial. In July, on the 45th anniversary of O'Keefe's death, the Newport Beach Police Department "live-tweeted" Linda's story - in her voice, from the perspective of her last day - in the hope of raising awareness about her cold case and shaking forth any new clues about her killer. Three weeks later, he pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary, was sentenced to 40 days in jail with credit for time served and placed on probation against McMillans recommendation that he should instead be sent to Vacaville Prison in Northern California. Photo Source. "We want as many sets of eyes on that sketch as possible, so somebody can recognize the face of a killer so we can get justice.". Lindas story deeply touched the hearts of our community, said Newport Beach Police Chief Jon Lewis. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Have a tip or story idea? But when night fell and her whereabouts were still unknown, her parents called police and desperately combed the neighborhood, to no avail. Detectives from the Newport Beach Police Department kept investigating. "It didn't necessarily lead to the identification (of the suspect)," he said. OKeefe, 11, was abducted on July 6, 1973, as she walked home from summer school, the Newport Beach, California, Police Department said. As for her sister's suspected killer, Borgeson said, "because of my profound faith, I've been able to forgive the individual. The genealogical hit came in January, officials said. James Alan Neal, 72, was picked up in Colorado on Tuesday and charged with the murder of 11-year-old Linda O'Keefe in 1973. A man has been arrested through DNA and genetic genealogy in the decades-old cold case killing of 11-year-old Linda Ann OKeefe, who was strangled to death in Southern California in 1973, authorities said. Neal denied all charges and faced up to 82 years in prison if he was convicted on all charges. After following and obtaining a DNA sample from Neal himself, police were confident enough to make an arrest, he added. Authorities did not elaborate on his death but said he was not exhibiting Covid-19 symptoms. Anyone who may have any information on this unsolved crime is asked to call the Newport Beach Police Cold Case Tip Line at 949-644-3669. Records obtained by the Southern California News Group show that Neal was arrested more than a dozen times in California, Florida and Colorado from 1959 to 1974. Suspect in Linda O'Keefe cold-case homicide described as habitual These were in relation to him committing lewd acts to a child in Riverside County, California, between July 1995 and July 2000 and then to another child between March 2002 and March 2004. The investigation into the homicide remained cold for 45 years until Virginia-based Parabon NanoLabs used DNA to identify Neal as a suspect in the killing, leading to his arrest last month in Colorado. "We have heard from a number of her friends from when she was in school, and her death has touched so many people," Newport Beach police spokeswoman Jennifer Manzella said at the time. In spite of rehabilitative attempts through California Youth Authority and Orange County Jail sentences (it) seems to negate any desire or ability (by Neal) to follow through.. Then in January, CeCe Moore of San Clemente, who heads Parabons genetic genealogy unit matched DNA evidence gathered in the OKeefe investigation to a sample provided to genealogy website FamilyTreeDNA.com leading authorities to identify Neal, now 72, as a suspect. He is awaiting extradition from Colorado Springs to Orange County. pic.twitter.com/47pA4FhBmG, Newport Beach Police (@NewportBeachPD) July 5, 2018, Im wearing a dress today Its white, with light blue flowers on it, and dark blue trim. This defendant seems quite emotionally immature and psychologically unstable, McMillan wrote in his report. (Newport Beach Police Department) James Alan Neal, 73, who. For nearly 45 years, the murder of 11-year-old Linda O'Keefe haunted the Newport Beach Police Department in California. Photo Source. Two years later, he began burglarizing homes for fun, according to McMillan. He then moved to Florida, and then, a criminal incident prompted him to change his name to James Alan Neal. O'Keefe, who was seven years younger than Borgeson, was "an old soul" with a "go with the flow" personality, Borgeson said. James Neal, 72, who lived in Southern California and worked in construction in the 1970s, was arrested this week in Colorado, where he had been living, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said at a Wednesday news conference. He pleaded not guilty to the murder and to allegations of lewd and lascivious acts on two girls under age 14 between 1995-2004. Later he moved to Colorado, where he was living when he was arrested, he said. The genealogical hit came in January, officials said. But Spitzer admitted that it is a murky legal decision because capital punishment was not an option when the 11-year-old was killed. A native of Chicago, Neal began getting into trouble soon after he moved with his family to Anaheim in 1956. Lindas story deeply touched the hearts of our community. Man Accused Of Killing Newport Beach Girl Nearly 50 Years - CBS News James Alan Neal, the 73-year-old charged in the 1973 cold case murder of 11-year-oldLinda OKeefe, died on Wednesday at about 5:15 a.m. Thats according to Orange County Sheriffs Department spokesperson Jaimee Blashaw in an NBC Los Angeles report. "I want to know if there are any other victims.". The arrest seemed to signal an end to an infamous cold case that had both haunted and motivated "generations of investigators" at the Newport Beach Police Department, Lewis said. James Alan Neal has been arrested in the July 1973 murder of 11-year-old Linda Ann O'Keefe in Newport Beach. 'She listens, but hears nothing more. His next court appearance is set for June 14. Linda never made it home that afternoon, he said. Spitzer said a DNA sample was recovered from O'Keefe after her body was found and uploaded to a database, where it never matched others. More than 45. Authorities suspect that Neal, while on parole in the Colorado case, snatched OKeefe, who lived in Corona del Mar, from the street on July 6, 1973, as she walked home from summer school. "He lived here in the 1970s," Spitzer said. Newport Beach police in July released a sketch of a man, the possible suspect, based on DNA collected at the scene. My mom made it. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. As a result of that genealogical submission, they got an indication that James Alan Neal may be the suspect. Linda O'Keefe. Her body was found the next day -- but decades went by without an arrest. Monument man mulls extradition in 1973 rape and murder of California Then, in 1974, he was sent back to prison in Colorado for a parole violation and released three years later. Linda Ann O'Keefe cold case: Murder, sexual assault suspect dies in He was paroled in July 1961 but returned to the Youth Authority in October 1962. Lindas story deeply touched the hearts of our community. Investigators would later learn that the girl had last been seen at an intersection, talking to a stranger in a turquoise van. The following morning, O'Keefe's body was found in a ditch. He also teamed up with reporter Joe Nelson in 2019 on Bad Apples, an award winning investigation that exposed years of sex abuse cover up in the Redlands Unified School District. Linda O'Keefe fue asesinada en 1973 mientras caminaba a casa desde la escuela. Linda O'Keefe Murder Defendant James Alan Neal Is Dead | Law & Crime Scott was part of the OC Registers investigative team that in 2017 produced the year-long, award winning Rehab Riviera series, examining problems in Southern Californias drug rehabilitation industry. The 11-year-old was last seen on this street talking to a stranger in a van. "The hit on the genealogical DNA came back and hit in January so it was very recent," Spitzer said. Shortly after Lindas murder, investigators recovered DNA evidence from her remains, Spitzer said. "My office will never forget about cold cases," Spitzer said in a statement. She had been strangled. James Neal (left) and Linda O'Keefe (right) (credit: CBS) The 72-year-old Neal was extradited to California from Colorado after he was charged with murder in the death of 11-year-old Linda O'Keefe . Neal currently lives in Colorado, but investigators were able to confirm that he lived in California in the 1970s, when Linda was murdered, Spitzer said. "Generations of investigators worked on her case. He was arrested in Colorado Springs on Feb. 19. March 29, 2019 / 6:44 PM James Alan Neal, 73, was an inmate at the maximum-security Theo Lacy jail in Orange for the 1973 sexual assault and strangling death of Linda O'Keefe, 11. A woman later told police she saw O'Keefe standing next to a turquoise van and talking to the driver -- a white man in his mid-20s or early 30s. Investigators identified Neal as a suspect using genealogical DNA. She was raped and then strangled to death. For more than 45 years the case went cold -- until DNA was submitted to an ancestry website. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. James Alan Neal was born James Albert Layton Jr. in Chicago, Illinois, in July 1946. O'Keefe's parents have since died, Spitzer said, but her sisters have been notified about the arrest. He was transferred to a local. That I'll be dead by morning. Linda O'Keefe. 'Serial child sex predator' dies in police custody before he faces However, the case remained unsolved for about 46 years before the investigators found the killer. James Alan Neal, who was 73, was taken to an area hospital on May 25 due to an undisclosed illness, said Jaimee Blashaw of the Orange County Sheriff's Department. An eight-page report prepared by McMillan offers for the first time clues about what may have driven his criminal behavior. Linda O'Keefe murder: James Neal DNA match leads to arrest for 1973 "As you can imagine, this was difficult news to receive," Lewis said. Linda O'Keefe murder: Police Twitter campaign helps lay a trap for the He was apprehended in February after DNA analysis identified him as a suspect in OKeefes slaying. So, if youre curious to know more about James and what happened to him after his arrest, weve got you covered. Colorado man charged in 1973 Orange County cold case dies awaiting trial Neal appears gaunt and stoic in a black-and white prison photo. However, the case remained unsolved for about 46 years before the investigators found the killer. James Neal, 73, was arrested last year in Monument for the 1973 murder of 11-year-old Linda OKeefe in Newport Beach, California. Man who served 15 years for murder his brother confessed to awarded $7,500,000, Woman 'sold 20 boxes of fetuses, hearts, genitalia and brains on Facebook', One killed after plane crashes into Los Angeles neighborhood. His last address was in San Jacinto, where his home on East Evans Street was just a few blocks away from North Mountain Middle School and Jose Antonio Estudillo Elementary. 5 facts about the Linda O'Keefe murder case - Sportskeeda However, James was never brought to justice because he died of an unspecified illness on July 22, 2020. Based on a witness statement, it was believed a man in a van kidnapped Linda. . James Alan Neal, 72, of Monument, Colorado, who was arrested for allegedly murdering Linda OKeefe in Newport Beach, California, in 1973. A day later, her body was found in a ditch, and she had been sexually assaulted. Authorities did not provide details on Neal's illness. Linda O'Keefe: DNA Leads to Arrest in 1973 Murder of Calif. Girl Suspect Changed His Name After Lindas Death, Colo. Dentist Accused of Poisoning His Wife in 'Complex and Calculated Murder': Police, Cold Cases Heat Up: How Advances in DNA Technology Are Helping to Bring Justice for Victims, 'Granby Girl' Shot Dead in 1978 Killing Identified by DNA: 'It's Satisfying to Finally Know', Rape Kit from 1994 Leads to Arrest in 1979 Slaying of Woman Found Near Lake Tahoe, Mysterious 'Lady in the Fridge' Murder Victim Identified After 27 Years, DNA Allegedly Links Indiana Man to Georgia Woman's Murder 33 Years Ago, Missing Woman Found Possibly Dismembered in Texas; Suspect Allegedly Searched 'How to Be a Serial Killer', Inside the Hunt for San Francisco's Notorious Doodler Serial Killer: 'His Victims Deserve Justice', DNA on Discarded Cigarette Butt Reveals Killer of Vt. Neal worked in construction at the time of the crime, officials said. 11-year-old Linda OKeefe was kidnapped on her way back from home in July 1973. He was always getting into fights and was always afraid to tell anyone how I really felt. . The burglary that landed Neal behind bars in 1966 occurred a year earlier when he and two accomplices broke into a Santa Ana business, stealing $44.97 in cash and a portable television set valued at $90, Orange County Superior Court records show. Composite sketch of the driver. The sister of a little girl who was strangled to death in 1973 didn't expect to see a conclusion to the mysterious cold case, she told ABC News hours after a man's arrest was announced on Wednesday. Suspect in 1973 California rape and murder dies before trial | 9news.com James Neal, Linda O'Keefe Suspect: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know An undated photo of Linda OKeefe who was killed in Southern California in July 1973. [Mugshot via Newport Beach Police Department], Have a tip we should know? Neal is being held in the El Paso County Jail in Colorado.

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