"He seemed like a good guy," Neal's landlord, Michael Thulson,. "I'll get to be with them again," she added. The 11-year-old was described as a gentle, lovely soul. He is being held in Colorado, and if he waives extradition, could be moved to California before the end of the week, officials said. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? His earliest crimes were breaking into homes when he was around 12-years-old. Borgeson said she also prayed for Neal's family as his arrest was announced. [emailprotected]. Photo Source. My mom made it. The following morning, O'Keefe's body was found in a ditch. 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. Linda Ann O'Keefe's killing in 1973 in Newport Beach, California went unsolved for more than four decades. 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. 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. 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. Detectives from Newport Beach arrested Neal at 6:29 a.m. in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Newport Beach Police Chief Jon Lewis said at the press conference. 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. 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. Linda Ann O'Keefe was killed in July 1973 -- and decades went by without leads. 48 Hours: Lindas Story delves into the work put in to arrest James Neal in relation to Lindas rape and murder. Linda Ann O'Keefe was the middle child in a family of five. Colorado man charged in 1973 Orange County cold case dies awaiting trial. Investigators identified Neal as a suspect using genealogical DNA. Newport Beach police in July released a sketch of a man, the possible suspect, based on DNA collected at the scene. It wasnt long before Neal was in trouble again. SANTA ANA, CA Officials in California say James Alan Neal, who was arrested last year in Monument for the rape and murder of 11-year-old Linda O'Keefe, has died. O'Keefe, who was seven years younger than Borgeson, was "an old soul" with a "go with the flow" personality, Borgeson said. Photo Source. "Individuals who engage in sexual activity against minors tend to have certain indicators of a predatory nature," Spitzer said. "Technology has caught up with the law," Spitzer said Wednesday. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Her body was found the next morning in a ditch in the area of Newport Beachs Back Bay. Newport Beach police released this undated image of Linda O'Keefe in an effort to get assistance from the public to help solve her murder in Southern California in July 1973. Neal was arrested for burglaries in August and October 1959 and was committed to the California Youth Authority in December 1960. According to police, O'Keefe normally rode her bike to summer school. / CBS Colorado. Police and prosecutors on Wednesday said they put Neal under surveillance and eventually got his DNA though they did not detail exactly how. Based on a witness statement, it was believed a man in a van kidnapped Linda. Detectives from the Newport Beach Police Department kept investigating. After the burglary sentencing, James moved to Denver, Colorado, where he was accused of stealing from the gas station he worked at. "Generations of investigators worked on her case. ), First published on March 29, 2019 / 6:44 PM. Newport Beach police launched a new PR campaign in 2018 using Tweets written in Lindas voice. Photo Source. WATCH LIVE: Retrial for Florida man Eric Robinson accused of brutal love triangle murder, Law&Crime Looks Ahead to 10 Remarkable Criminal Trials Scheduled for the First Half of 2023, 9 Shocking Times Defendants Testified at Trial, 10 Most Memorable Law&Crime Network Trials, Man busted after $3M worth of drugs mysteriously showed up to restaurant, Police officer who did not show up for work found shot to death in his house along with his newlywed wife, Justice for Katelyn. Linda O'Keefe was last seen alive in Corona Del Mar, California, in July 1973. The police department last year also "live-tweeted" O'Keefe's story from her perspective, narrating the final day of her life in real-time, exactly 45 years later. Scott has also worked at newspapers in Utah, Colorado, North Carolina and Virginia covering everything from methamphetamine trafficking cops to hurricanes. O'Keefe's suspected killer, James Neal, who lived in Southern California in the 1970s, was arrested this week in Colorado where he had been living, said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer, who was 12 himself at the time of the murder, at a Wednesday news conference. James Neal of Monument, Colorado also pleaded not guilty in an Orange County courtroom Friday to lewd and lascivious acts on two girls under the age of 14. Years later, the authorities developed a DNA profile from the biological evidence recovered from Linda, and that was eventually matched to James in January 2019. Yet for 45 years the Newport Beach Police Department never gave up. James Alan Neal, 72, was picked up in Colorado Springs on Tuesday and charged with the murder of 11-year-old Linda O'Keefe, Newport Beach police and Orange County prosecutors said. 1 dead, 1 rescued by firefighters after speeding car crashed into tree in Colorado Springs, Voice of the consumer: Looking for a job? O'Keefe was a schoolgirl from California who went missing on July 6, 1973, and was found dead the next morning. 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 hit on the genealogical DNA came back and hit in January so it was very recent," Spitzer said. "He lived here in the 1970s," Spitzer said. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. 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., However, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said Neals death robvs the OKeefe family of the justice they so deserve and deprives the law enforcement officers of the satisfaction that they finally got their culprit., Get in touch with our news team by emailing us atwebnews@metro.co.uk, For more stories like this,check our news page, Get your need-to-know 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. However, the case remained unsolved for about 46 years before the investigators found the killer. Neal was arrested last year and charged with the sex assault and murder of 11-year-old Linda Ann OKeefe, who was abducted while walking home from school in the summer of 1973. ', " 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.". Neal became a suspect in the slaying through "genealogical DNA," Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said. To her familys horror, her dead body was found the next day in a ditch, still wearing the dress her mother had made for her. Teacher 52 Years Later, Hiding in Plain Sight: DNA Allegedly Links Calif. Karate Instructor to 1981 Rapes, Murders of 2 Women, 2 Women Were Found Slain, Sexually Assaulted Within Months of Each Other in 1983: How DNA Led to Arrest, Teen Was Killed with Ax After Meeting Man on Phone Chat Line in 1998. 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, said Spitzer. Scott Schwebke is an investigative reporter for the Orange County Register and the Southern California News Group. Lindas story deeply touched the hearts of our community. "I hope that he has remorse. O'Keefe's parents have since died, Spitzer said, but her sisters have been notified about the arrest. But that day, she was dropped off. Police and prosecutors in Southern California thanked the FBI, the Colorado Springs Police Department and the El Paso County Sheriffs Department in Colorado for their assistance. In July 1973, 11-year-old Linda Ann O'Keefe was murdered. But again, it's a reminder of what happened. 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. James lived in the area around the time and worked in construction. He will ultimately benefit more from a state prison sentence.. James Alan Neal was born James Albert Layton Jr. in Chicago, Illinois, in July 1946. "As you can imagine, this was difficult news to receive," Lewis said. Linda O'Keefe, 11, vanished in July 1973 when she was heading home from school in Newport Beach. In addition to the count of murder while committing lewd acts on a child, Neal was also accused of lewd acts against two other girls under the age of 14 in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Then her mother made that call that every parent dreads and told police her daughter was missing, he said. More than 45. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. "I never really thought that they would actually ever find the individual responsible," Cindy Borgeson, a sister of Linda OKeefe, told ABC News. 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. He was rushed to a local hospital about a month before that. That night, a woman who lives in the bluffs above Back Bay heard a voice scream, "Stop, youre hurting me," police said. He's now the suspect in the 1973 murder of 11-year-old Linda Ann O'Keefe. The brown-haired, blue-eyed 11-year-old got a ride to summer school - about half a mile away - but had to walk home in the afternoon. He was released from the penitentiary in July 1971. James Neal, 72, was arrested in Colorado Springs on Tuesday and charged with murder with special circumstances, Spitzer said. Her death would go unsolved for more than four decades. At the time, Linda attended summer school at Lincoln Intermediate School in Corona Del Mar, California. 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. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. 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. Finally, in September 1965, he was arrested for yet another burglary but the charge was reduced to petty theft and ultimately dismissed. 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. He was arrested in Colorado Springs on Feb. 19. The 11-year-old was last seen on this street talking to a stranger in a van. She doesn't know that I'm missing. O'Keefe was last seen alive on July 6, 1973, as she walked home from summer school, the Newport Beach Police Department said. 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 in the seaside community of Newport Beach. At the least, prosecutors will ask for life without the possibility of parole if Neal is convicted, the district attorney said. Parabon has worked on the majority of the cold cases cracked through genetic genealogy, including O'Keefe's case. On the day Linda disappeared, she was last seen talking to a stranger in a van, Lewis 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. An undated photo of Linda OKeefe who was killed in Southern California in July 1973. The next day, a man visiting that area found O'Keefe's strangled body, police said. That night, family members, volunteers and police spread out to search for her. Last year, Spitzer said authorities used DNA thought to have been left by the killer and tracked down Neal using a public genealogy database. 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. He feels he has always been picked on and never given a chance to better himself or be equal to others, Neal wrote in the report. There is no record of Neal ever having been incarcerated in a California prison, according to state officials. Newport Beach police released this undated image of Linda O'Keefe in an effort to get assistance from the public to help solve her murder in Southern California in July 1973. After Lindas death, Neal moved to Florida, where he changed his name to James Alan George Leyton, Spitzer said. 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. "I want to know if there are any other victims.". I want to make up for all the hurt I have caused myself and my parents, especially my mother, Neal, who was 19 at the time and went by James Albert Layton Jr., told Orange County probation officer David R. McMillan in 1966 while awaiting sentencing for a burglary conviction. "That sample remained in the system for a long period of time," Spitzer said. Last year, 45 years after O'Keefe's body was found, police released these sketches of her suspected killer. 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. . 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. Linda Ann O'Keefe's killing in 1973 in Newport Beach, California went unsolved for more than four decades. Neal denied all charges and faced up to 82 years in prison if he was convicted on all charges. Lindas story deeply touched the hearts of our community, said Newport Beach Police Chief Jon Lewis. [Mugshot via Newport Beach Police Department], Have a tip we should know? Her body was found strangled in a ditch the next day. Neal was released from police custody on his own recognizance, fled California and was rearrested when he returned to the state on March 3, 1966. He was on parole from Colorado's prison system when Linda Ann O'Keefe was killed. He was paroled in July 1961 but returned to the Youth Authority in October 1962. They dont understand me or why I am the way I am. The novel investigative technique of genetic genealogy takes an unknown killer's DNA from a crime scene and identifies the suspect through his or her family members, who voluntarily submit their DNA to genealogy databases. The community made sure that justice would be secured, he said. James Alan Neal was known as James Albert Layton Jr. when he was born in 1946. . "I'm sure they're going through a lot of grieving of their own.". Neal has been charged with one count of murder with the special circumstances of kidnapping and committing lewd and lascivious acts upon a child younger than 14, Spitzer said. Neal was taken to a hospital on May 25 for an illness. Parabon used the DNA from the crime scene to predict the suspect's eye color, hair color and skin color. 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. Join our Fan Club to listen to this episode and more! After a move to California in 1956, James started getting into trouble. 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. Her body was found the next day -- but decades went by without an arrest. "They haven't forgotten about her and we haven't, either.". Those alleged crimes happened between 1995 and 2004 in Riverside County east of Los Angeles. ABC News' Jenna Harrison contributed to this report. The DNA researcher Moore has been on the forefront of linking cold cases to suspects through genetic material voluntarily offered by Americans doing ancestry research. James Neal, 73, was arrested last year in Monument for the 1973 murder of 11-year-old Linda O'Keefe in Newport Beach, California. That I'll be found a couple hundred yards from her home. James Neal (left) and Linda O'Keefe (right) (credit: CBS). 11-year-old Linda OKeefe was kidnapped on her way back from home in July 1973. As a result of surveillance and other traditional detective techniques, they were able to get additional DNA which resulted in the corroboration of the DNA from the victims body, to the DNA sample that the suspect left during a particular location during surveillance activities, the Orange County district attorney said after Neals arrest in February 2019.

Bach Invention 14 Analysis, Articles J

About the author