Even after detectives got the lead through genealogical DNA, investigators needed to a secure a sample from Neal, Spitzer said. "I never really thought that they would actually ever find the individual responsible," Cindy Borgeson, a sister of Linda OKeefe, told ABC News. Finally, in September 1965, he was arrested for yet another burglary but the charge was reduced to petty theft and ultimately dismissed. 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. "He lived here in the 1970s," Spitzer said. A day later, her body was found in a ditch, and she had been sexually assaulted. 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. 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James Alan Neal, 72, was arrested in Colorado Tuesday for allegedly killing Linda O'Keefe, 11, and leaving her body in a ditch. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. "My hope is that this [case] brings hope to other families who haven't had closure yet.". Her body was found the next morning in a ditch in the area of Newport Beachs Back Bay. An undated photo of murder victim Linda O'Keefe and her family. 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. Their mother "carried that guilt the rest of her life," Borgeson said. Linda O'Keefe: DNA Leads to Arrest in 1973 Murder of Calif. Girl He was arrested in Colorado Springs on Feb. 19. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Neal was taken to a hospital on May 25 for an illness. 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. James Neal was arrested in 2019 after DNA submitted to a genealogical website linked him to the crime. "I hope that he has remorse. "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. 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. 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. "Generations of investigators worked on her case. 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. Parabon used the DNA from the crime scene to predict the suspect's eye color, hair color and skin color. Linda Ann O'Keefe's killing in 1973 in Newport Beach, California went unsolved for more than four decades. Only one person, a woman who did not know anything about a missing girl, was close enough to hear her, and by then it was too late. On one hand, we were grateful that we could have that conversation and provide some closure.". Linda O'Keefe fue asesinada en 1973 mientras caminaba a casa desde la escuela. After his arrest in 1966 for a burglary he committed earlier, his parole officer called him quite immature and psychologically unstable.. Today, we have a new message to share, and we are giving Linda a voice once more. 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. So, if youre curious to know more about James and what happened to him after his arrest, weve got you covered. 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. 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. The sketches depict what the suspect may have looked like at 25 years old as well as an age-progressed version. He pleaded not guilty to the murder and to allegations of lewd and lascivious acts on two girls under age 14 between 1995-2004. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? / CBS Colorado. It was our intention to see James Alan Neal stand trial and answer for the murder of Linda Ann OKeefe, Newport Beach Police Chief Jon Lewis said. A man was arrested this week in the decades-old killing of Linda OKeefe, 11. It was our intention to see James Alan Neal stand trial and answer for the murder of Linda An OKeefe, Newport Beach police Chief Jon Lewis said. Neal was arrested on February 19, 2019 in Monument, Colorado where he had been living with his family for three years. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Linda never made it home that afternoon., For 45 years, the Newport Beach Police Department continued to search for Lindas killer," Lewis said. Blashaw did not explain what this sickness was but elaborated that the inmate did not have COVID-19 symptoms. 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. Photo Source. Man charged with killing 11-year-old Linda O'Keefe in 1973 cold-case Or to keep it anonymous, click here. 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. . It was our intention to see James Alan Neal stand trial and answer for the murder of Linda Ann OKeefe. Nothing he said made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. MURDERED: Linda O'Keefe | Crime Junkie Podcast Neal, who was living at the YMCA in Santa Ana at the time, surrendered to police four days later and ratted out the other burglars. Police also want to know if Neal could be linked to other crimes. All Rights Reserved. Man Accused of Killing 11-Year-Old Linda O'Keefe in Newport Beach Dies OKeefe, 11, was abducted on July 6, 1973, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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. 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. Police hoped that retelling the girl's story through the modern-day medium would help people from a different generation form an emotional attachment to the case. Through genealogical DNA, though, investigators corroborated the DNA from O'Keefe's body and the DNA obtained from the suspect, according to Spitzer. "My office will never forget about cold cases," Spitzer said in a statement. Generations of investigators worked on her case, said Lewis. 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. 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.. The case stumped investigators for more than four decades before DNA evidence from the genealogical website FamilyTreeDNA tied Neal to the case. O'Keefe was a schoolgirl from California who went missing on July 6, 1973, and was found dead the next morning. 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. Photo Source. 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 . 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. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Linda Ann O'Keefe cold case: Before James Neal's arrest, he had a Seven years before James Alan Neal allegedly kidnapped, sexually assaulted and strangled 11-year-old Linda Ann OKeefe in Newport Beach, he sat in an Orange County jail cell lamenting his miserable life and long rap sheet. Authorities did not elaborate on his death but said he was not exhibiting Covid-19 symptoms. Have a tip or story idea? Jeffrey Malecki, 55, who lived next door to Neal for five years, said Friday his neighbor mentioned having served time in jail but never elaborated. According to later reports, James didnt get along with his family, and his parents were physically and psychologically cruel to him and his siblings. The database was Family Tree DNA. While their parents did not live to see an arrest, Borgeson said, "I'm sure she [O'Keefe] and my parents are rejoicing.". 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. James Neal, who was charged with sexually assaulting and killing Linda O'Keefe, died on Wednesday (Picture: AP) An man arrested for a series of cold case sex crimes against children died. He was the second of three children but had a difficult upbringing. So, if youre curious to know more about James and what happened to him after his arrest, weve got you covered. That I'll be dead by morning. Here at this jail, people want to give me a bad time. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. Suspect in Linda O'Keefe cold-case homicide described as habitual Armed with DNA and a family tree, police arrested a Colorado man in connection to the 1973 slaying of a Southern California girl, authorities said Wednesday. Suspect in 1973 California rape and murder dies before trial | 9news.com Neals education was terminated early and his work history was spotty, McMillan reported. Yet for 45 years the Newport Beach Police Department never gave up. Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer also called the arrest "bittersweet," noting that he had been 12 years old when the 11-year-old was killed. Those alleged crimes happened between 1995 and 2004 in Riverside County east of Los Angeles. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. 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. A native of Chicago, Neal began getting into trouble soon after he moved with his family to Anaheim in 1956. 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., Orange County District AttorneyTodd Spitzerput Neals death in more bitter terms, saying the new development robbed the OKeefe family of the justice they so deserve and deprives the law enforcement officers of the satisfaction that they finally got their culprit.. 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. ABC News' Kayna Whitworth contributed to this report. Photo Source. Neal said that despite his recidivism, he was confident he could become successful. While waiting to use the school phone, O'Keefe went outside. Linda O'Keefe Murder: How Did She Die? Who Killed Her? latest news, feel-good stories, analysis and more, Doomsday mum unfazed by photos of daughters dismembered body shown to court, Five people including boy, 8, killed in execution-style shootings in Texas, Drunk woman fatally runs over man on a first date, Moment bear falls from tree onto tarp held by firefighters, Do not sell or share my personal information. Linda Ann O'Keefe's killing in 1973 in Newport Beach, California went unsolved for more than four decades. When O'Keefe didn't return home right away, there was little concern at first. James Neal was arrested in February 2019 and charged with raping and killing Linda Ann OKeefe. Since April 2018, genetic genealogy has helped identify more than three dozen suspects, said CeCe Moore, chief genetic genealogist with Parabon NanoLabs. 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. Neal is being held in the El Paso County Jail in Colorado. 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 . But O'Keefe never came home. "The hit on the genealogical DNA came back and hit in January so it was very recent," Spitzer said. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. The community made sure that justice would be secured, he said. 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Her friend later told police a turquoise van stopped next to O'Keefe a few times as she walked. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Neal then moved back to California, where he lived until 2014 at six addresses in Riverside, Hemet and Winchester, public records show. His earliest crimes were breaking into homes when he was around 12-years-old. As a result of that genealogical submission, they got an indication that James Alan Neal may be the suspect. . After the burglary sentencing, James moved to Denver, Colorado, where he was accused of stealing from the gas station he worked at. 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 is being held in Colorado, and if he waives extradition, could be moved to California before the end of the week, officials said. He left California after the alleged killing and went to Florida where he changed his name, officials said. Shes really good at sewing, and we dont have a lot of money for fancy store outfits anyhow. #LindasStory pic.twitter.com/9sucqJsnGg, Newport Beach Police (@NewportBeachPD) July 6, 2018. But when night fell and her whereabouts were still unknown, her parents called police and desperately combed the neighborhood, to no avail. In July 1973, 11-year-old Linda Ann O'Keefe was murdered. 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 leads to man's arrest 46 years after murder of 11-year-old Linda O 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. He was transferred to a local. O'Keefe's parents have since died, Spitzer said, but her sisters have been notified about the arrest. Copyright 2020 KKTV. Linda O'Keefe. 5 facts about the Linda O'Keefe murder case - Sportskeeda IE 11 is not supported. Trouble followed James everywhere, and he was sentenced to 3-10 years for fraud in Colorado. "He seemed like a good guy," Neal's landlord, Michael Thulson,. 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. Colorado Man Arrested in 1973 Killing of 11-Year-Old Girl Featured in A poster of James Alan Neal during the Newport Beach police and Orange County prosecutors news conference on Feb. 20, 2019. Man Accused Of Killing Newport Beach Girl Nearly 50 Years - CBS News Lindas story deeply touched the hearts of our community. Watch: Aurora Dazzles Ladakh Skies As Geomagnetic Storm Hits Earth, This website follows the DNPA Code of Ethics. James Neal had been living in California at the time of the girl's murder but had since moved to Colorado. Join our Fan Club to listen to this episode and more! According to police, O'Keefe normally rode her bike to summer school. James Alan Neal was arrested in Monument in 2019. 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 authorities confirmed that the 73-year-old showed no symptoms of COVID-19 and that his death was not considered suspicious. James Alan Neal was known as James Albert Layton Jr. when he was born in 1946. Neal became a suspect in the slaying through "genealogical DNA," Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said. Paul Bersebach/The Orange County Register via AP. (Newport Beach Police Department) James Alan Neal, 73, who. "As you can imagine, this was difficult news to receive," Lewis said. Parabon has worked on the majority of the cold cases cracked through genetic genealogy, including O'Keefe's case. Linda O'Keefe was killed in 1973 while walking home from school. Prosecutors are considering seeking the death penalty against Neal. [Mugshot via Newport Beach Police Department], Have a tip we should know? Two years later, he began burglarizing homes for fun, according to McMillan. 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. Detectives from the Newport Beach Police Department kept investigating. 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. "I want to know if there are any other victims.". 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For an optimal experience visit our site on . Shortly after Lindas murder, investigators recovered DNA evidence from her remains, Spitzer said. About a month later, the police brought additional charges of sexual assault against a child younger than 14. Then her mother made that call that every parent dreads and told police her daughter was missing, he 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. Based on a witness statement, it was believed a man in a van kidnapped Linda. His next court appearance is set for June 14. Neal was pronounced dead at. Colorado man arrested in case murder of 11-year-old girl - The Denver Post Photo Source. The 11-year-old was described as a gentle, lovely soul. 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. Neal was taken to a hospital on May 25 for an illness. James was in and out of prison throughout his younger life, with arrest records in California, Florida, and Colorado between 1959 and 1974. Having spent two years living in England including Liverpool, he is an avid Beatles fan and memorabilia collector. He said he was glad he had all that stuff behind him but never mentioned what he had done, Malecki recalled. Taking advantage of the latest in crime-solving techniques, in January, Spitzer said, they received a pointer indication through genealogical DNA.. The following morning, O'Keefe's body was found in a ditch. He was released on parole in July 1971, and about two years later, the authorities believed he killed Linda. 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. 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. 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. Lindas story deeply touched the hearts of our community. In July 2018, her story touched millions of people through #LindasStory (https://t.co/yxv1fLFIZp). He could be brought to California sometime this week if he waives extradition, Spitzer said. They dont understand me or why I am the way I am. More than 45. "I had closure when they found her body," Borgeson said about the fateful day 46 years ago. Investigators would later learn that the girl had last been seen at an intersection, talking to a stranger in a turquoise van. An eight-page report prepared by McMillan offers for the first time clues about what may have driven his criminal behavior. US Man James Neal Arrested After Police Tweet Re-Creation Of Girl 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. O'Keefe disappeared while she was walking home from summer school. 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.
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