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. All rights reserved. Now a Suspect Has Been Arrested, JonBent Ramsey's Father Is Optimistic DNA Advances Will Catch Daughter's Killer, Slams Boulder Police, DNA Taken from Truck's Door Handle in Washington Leads to Arrest 34 Years After Wisconsin Mom's Killing, Pa. He later changed his name, officials 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., 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 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 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. On Tuesday, 45 years after Lindas brutal murder, authorities arrested the man that DNA evidence from a genealogy site allegedly points to as her killer: James Alan Neal, 72, of Monument, Colorado, officials announced at a press conference Wednesday. Suspect in Linda O'Keefe cold-case homicide described as habitual Photo Source. Linda O'Keefe: DNA Leads to Arrest in 1973 Murder of Calif. Girl A day later, her body was found in a ditch, and she had been sexually assaulted. 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. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Later he moved to Colorado, where he was living when he was arrested, he said. OKeefes 1973 rape and murder went unsolved for decades. Colorado man charged in 1973 Orange County cold case dies awaiting trial. "The hit on the genealogical DNA came back and hit in January so it was very recent," Spitzer said. Monument man mulls extradition in 1973 rape and murder of California Authorities did not provide details on Neal's illness. "As you can imagine, this was difficult news to receive," Lewis said. 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. 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. So, if youre curious to know more about James and what happened to him after his arrest, weve got you covered. But when night fell and her whereabouts were still unknown, her parents called police and desperately combed the neighborhood, to no avail. After following and obtaining a DNA sample from Neal himself, police were confident enough to make an arrest, he added. Track Latest News and Karnataka Elections 2023 Coverage Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world. "That sample remained in the system for a long period of time," Spitzer said. 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 O'Keefe Murder Defendant James Alan Neal Is Dead | Law & Crime Paul Bersebach/The Orange County Register via AP, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. [Mugshot via Newport Beach Police Department], Have a tip we should know? Those alleged crimes happened between 1995 and 2004 in Riverside County east of Los Angeles. 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. We never gave up.". On the day Linda Ann O'Keefe died, it was a cooler-than-normal July morning in Newport . James lived in the area around the time and worked in construction. "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 moved to. Linda O'Keefe murder: James Neal DNA match leads to arrest for 1973 Neal was pronounced dead at. 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Teen Was Murdered After Coming Home from Grocery Store in 1975, Coffee Cup Leads to Arrest, Calif. The 11-year-old was described as a gentle, lovely soul. "I had closure when they found her body," Borgeson said about the fateful day 46 years ago. As for her sister's suspected killer, Borgeson said, "because of my profound faith, I've been able to forgive the individual. 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. Spitzer refused to elaborate on how they were able to track down Neal and identify him as a suspect after 45 years, but he said police had received a "pointer notification through genealogical DNA" - perhaps suggesting that authorities had come upon DNA from someone related to Neal that would have implicated him as a possible match. Linda O'Keefe, 11, vanished in July 1973 when she was heading home from school in Newport Beach. "Our hearts go out to the victim and the victim's family in this case, having to endure decades without answers. The Twitter campaign did not lead to the suspect's identification, but it did create an emphasis on the case and opened doors for the case to be pursued with renewed efforts, officials said. James Neal, 73, was arrested last year in Monument for the 1973 murder of 11-year-old Linda O'Keefe in Newport Beach, California. 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. Linda O'Keefe murder: Police Twitter campaign helps lay a trap for the He was released on parole in July 1971, and about two years later, the authorities believed he killed Linda. 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. She had been strangled and sexually assaulted. But O'Keefe never came home. As a result of that genealogical submission, they got an indication that James Alan Neal may be the suspect. ", Borgeson said, if she gets a chance to speak to Neal, she would "let him know that I've been praying for him.". That I'll be found a couple hundred yards from her home. Lindas story deeply touched the hearts of our community, said Newport Beach Police Chief Jon Lewis. He is awaiting extradition from Colorado Springs to Orange County. However, the case remained unsolved for about 46 years before the investigators found the killer. According to police, O'Keefe normally rode her bike to summer school. 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. Have a tip or story idea? "I'm sure they're going through a lot of grieving of their own.". 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. People in the city of Newport Beach have been following this case for literally 45 years, Spitzer said. That DNA "hit" came in January, Spitzer said. We never gave up.. SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) A Colorado man has pleaded not guilty to murder in the 1973 death of an 11-year-old California girl. That I'll be dead by morning. He has not been able to relate well with other students, family members or inmates. On one hand, we were grateful that we could have that conversation and provide some closure.". Colorado Man Pleads Not Guilty In California Cold Case Death The sketches depict what the suspect may have looked like at 25 years old as well as an age-progressed version. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. Anyone with additional information about the OKeefe case or who believes they may be a victim of Neal is asked to call the NBPD Cold Case Tip Line at 949-644-3669.. An eight-page report prepared by McMillan offers for the first time clues about what may have driven his criminal behavior. Finally, in September 1965, he was arrested for yet another burglary but the charge was reduced to petty theft and ultimately dismissed. She makes a lot of my clothes, and my sisters clothes. Trouble followed James everywhere, and he was sentenced to 3-10 years for fraud in Colorado. Reportedly, Colorado resident James Alan Neal was arrested in 2019 after a DNA report linked him to Linda O'Keefe's 1973 cold murder case. DNA leads to man's arrest 46 years after murder of 11-year-old Linda O Man Accused Of Killing Newport Beach Girl Nearly 50 Years - CBS News 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. The lead bringing officials to Neal came after these sketches were released, authorities said Wednesday. 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. 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. 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. 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. But that day, she was dropped off. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Linda Ann O'Keefe cold case: Murder, sexual assault suspect dies in James Alan Neal has been arrested in the July 1973 murder of 11-year-old Linda Ann O'Keefe in Newport Beach. 'Serial child sex predator' dies in police custody before he faces But again, it's a reminder of what happened. She had been strangled and was still wearing a blue-and-white floral print dress that her mother had sewn for her. First tweet from Newport Beach Police Department. The child disappeared while walking home from summer school, and her body was found strangled in a ditch the next day. Her body was found strangled in a ditch the next day. 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. He was arrested in Colorado Springs on Feb. 19. 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. 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.. Linda Ann O'Keefe's killing in 1973 in Newport Beach, California went unsolved for more than four decades. 1 dead, 1 rescued by firefighters after speeding car crashed into tree in Colorado Springs, Voice of the consumer: Looking for a job? 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. The next day, a man visiting that area found O'Keefe's strangled body, police 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 will ultimately benefit more from a state prison sentence.. It was a difficult conversation . 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. "We have never forgotten Linda," Newport Beach Police Chief Jon Lewis said at the news conference. She doesn't know that I'm missing. 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 had been strangled. The authorities confirmed that the 73-year-old showed no symptoms of COVID-19 and that his death was not considered suspicious. Neal became a suspect in the slaying through "genealogical DNA," Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said. 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. James Neal, 72, was arrested in Colorado Springs on Tuesday and charged with murder with special circumstances, Spitzer said. "He lived here in the 1970s," Spitzer said. Photo Source. 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. 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. Neal is charged with murder, kidnapping during the commission of murder and lewd and lascivious acts upon a child under 14 in the beachside town of Corona del Mar, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer 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. According to later reports, James didnt get along with his family, and his parents were physically and psychologically cruel to him and his siblings. An undated photo of murder victim Linda O'Keefe and her family. Suspect in 1973 Newport Beach child murder dies in custody After his arrest in 1966 for a burglary he committed earlier, his parole officer called him quite immature and psychologically unstable.. 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. 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. It was July 6, 1973, a Friday. Last year, Spitzer said authorities used DNA thought to have been left by the killer and tracked down Neal using a public genealogy database. 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.. James Neal (left) and Linda O'Keefe (right) (credit: CBS). Since April 2018, genetic genealogy has helped identify more than three dozen suspects, said CeCe Moore, chief genetic genealogist with Parabon NanoLabs. He was paroled in July 1961 but returned to the Youth Authority in October 1962. James Neal was arrested in 2019 after DNA submitted to a genealogical website linked him to the crime. 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. 48 Hours on ID: Who killed Linda O'Keefe and was he arrested? - Sportskeeda At the time, Linda attended summer school at Lincoln Intermediate School in Corona Del Mar, California. She was raped and then strangled to death. Neal said that despite his recidivism, he was confident he could become successful. Both of O'Keefe's parents have since died, but the girl was survived by two sisters, whom police had contacted with updates about Neal's arrest. Their mother "carried that guilt the rest of her life," Borgeson said. 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. 5 facts about the Linda O'Keefe murder case - Sportskeeda In July 1973, 11-year-old Linda Ann O'Keefe was murdered. Man arrested in Monument for 1973 murder dies in custody Linda O'Keefe. It was our intention to see James Alan Neal stand trial and answer for the murder of Linda Ann OKeefe. He left California after the alleged killing and went to Florida where he changed his name, officials said. March 29, 2019 / 6:44 PM In July 2018, her story touched millions of people through #LindasStory (https://t.co/yxv1fLFIZp). "He has a connection to Southern California.". 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. 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. Neal was living in Monument at the time of his arrest and was extradited to Orange County, California, where he has remained since. After a move to California in 1956, James started getting into trouble. OKeefe, 11, was abducted on July 6, 1973, as she walked home from summer school, the Newport Beach, California, Police Department said. While their parents did not live to see an arrest, Borgeson said, "I'm sure she [O'Keefe] and my parents are rejoicing.". James was in and out of prison throughout his younger life, with arrest records in California, Florida, and Colorado between 1959 and 1974. As part of an effort to renew interest in the case, the Newport Beach Police Department used their Twitter account to recount the story of Lindas life, mysterious disappearance and death. He was released from the penitentiary in July 1971. A native of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., he was previously a breaking news and multimedia reporter for the Ogden, Utah, Standard-Examiner. O'Keefe's parents have since died, Spitzer said, but her sisters have been notified about the arrest. "I never really thought that they would actually ever find the individual responsible," Cindy Borgeson, a sister of Linda OKeefe, told ABC News. A poster of James Alan Neal during the Newport Beach police and Orange County prosecutors news conference on Feb. 20, 2019. Here at this jail, people want to give me a bad time. Yet for 45 years the Newport Beach Police Department never gave up. "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.". McMillan remained skeptical. Neal is being held in the El Paso County Jail in Colorado. Linda Ann O'Keefe's killing in 1973 in Newport Beach, California went unsolved for more than four decades. 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. James Alan Neal fell ill and died while awaiting trial for the . Investigators identified Neal as a suspect using genealogical DNA. The database was Family Tree DNA. Newport Beach police launched a new PR campaign in 2018 using Tweets written in Lindas voice. 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. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. This undated booking photo provided by the El Paso County, Colo., Sheriff's Office shows James Neal.