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. When O'Keefe didn't return home right away, there was little concern at first. Or to keep it anonymous, click here. Linda Ann O'Keefe's killing in 1973 in Newport Beach, California went unsolved for more than four decades. It was a difficult conversation . OKeefe, 11, was abducted on July 6, 1973, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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. Neals extensive criminal history and the circumstances of the 1973 sexual assault and murder of 11-year-old Linda OKeefe lead law enforcement to seek potential additional victims and witnesses. Neal was arrested Tuesday "without incident" in Colorado Springs, Newport Beach Police Chief Jon Lewis said at a news conference Wednesday. Those alleged crimes happened between 1995 and 2004 in Riverside County east of Los Angeles. Neal became a suspect in the slaying through "genealogical DNA," Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said. 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. Her friend later told police a turquoise van stopped next to O'Keefe a few times as she walked. 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. 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. 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. But she added that she was thankful for the "additional closure" brought to her by the investigators who never gave up, as well as the new technology, which made it possible to process the crime scene DNA. After following and obtaining a DNA sample from Neal himself, police were confident enough to make an arrest, he added. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Photo Source. 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. 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. Newport Beach Police Neal is being held in the. Beware of scams, Denver police searching for missing 14-year-old. 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. A man was arrested this week in the decades-old killing of Linda OKeefe, 11. Neal was taken to a hospital on May 25 for an illness. James Neal, 73, was arrested last year in Monument for the 1973 murder of 11-year-old Linda O'Keefe in Newport Beach, California. 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. Teen Was Murdered After Coming Home from Grocery Store in 1975, Coffee Cup Leads to Arrest, Calif. Last year, 45 years after O'Keefe's body was found, police released these sketches of her suspected killer. "I had closure when they found her body," Borgeson said about the fateful day 46 years ago. Investigators identified Neal as a suspect using genealogical DNA. That night, a woman who lives in the bluffs above Back Bay heard a voice scream, "Stop, youre hurting me," police said. McMillan remained skeptical. He was always getting into fights and was always afraid to tell anyone how I really felt. . 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. James Neal (left) and Linda O'Keefe (right) (credit: CBS). This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. ", Borgeson said, if she gets a chance to speak to Neal, she would "let him know that I've been praying for him.". (Courtesy of Newport Beach Police Department) Neal worked in construction at the time of the crime, officials said. O'Keefe was last seen alive on July 6, 1973, as she walked home from summer school, the Newport Beach Police Department said. He later changed his name, officials said. O'Keefe's parents have since died, Spitzer said, but her sisters have been notified about the arrest. 'She listens, but hears nothing more. Today, we have a new message to share, and we are giving Linda a voice once more. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? He then moved to Florida, and then, a criminal incident prompted him to change his name to James Alan Neal. An undated photo of Linda OKeefe who was killed in Southern California in July 1973. But he praised Newport Beach police for persisting through the decades. IE 11 is not supported. She had been strangled. The following morning, O'Keefe's body was found in a ditch. There is no record of Neal ever having been incarcerated in a California prison, according to state officials. Have a tip or story idea? "That sample remained in the system for a long period of time," Spitzer said. O'Keefe disappeared while she was walking home from summer school. Combining the latest in DNA technology with old-fashioned detective work led investigators to Neal, Lewis said. David K. Li is a senior breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital. But Spitzer admitted that it is a murky legal decision because capital punishment was not an option when the 11-year-old was killed. The community made sure that justice would be secured, he said. James spent time in juvenile prison and later dropped out of school in 1963. 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. Its amazing how you really dont know people.. James Neal was arrested in February 2019 and charged with raping and killing Linda Ann OKeefe. . 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. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Linda O'Keefe. More than 45. 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. In July 2018, her story touched millions of people through #LindasStory (https://t.co/yxv1fLFIZp). SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) A Colorado man has pleaded not guilty to murder in the 1973 death of an 11-year-old California girl. PRESS RELEASE: Linda OKeefe Homicide https://t.co/sSg9rjwXgH, Starting tomorrow at 7:45 am, #LindasStory will be told here, through our Twitter account. Please see the press release for more information. Linda Ann O'Keefe was killed in July 1973 -- and decades went by without leads. 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. Feb. 20, 2019. Paul Bersebach/The Orange County Register via AP, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. "He has a connection to Southern California.". 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. . His next court appearance is set for June 14. Her strangled body was found the next day. O'Keefe, who was seven years younger than Borgeson, was "an old soul" with a "go with the flow" personality, Borgeson said. Lindas story deeply touched the hearts of our community. Later he moved to Colorado, where he was living when he was arrested, he said. The next day, a man visiting that area found O'Keefe's strangled body, police said. 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. "As you can imagine, this was difficult news to receive," Lewis said. "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.". Borgeson said she also prayed for Neal's family as his arrest was announced. 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. Neal appears gaunt and stoic in a black-and white prison photo. That I'll be dead by morning. James Alan Neal, 73, died on Wednesday at a hospital where he had been transferred in May to be treated for an illness, according to the Orange County Sheriffs Office. 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. Her body was found the next day -- but decades went by without an arrest. Spitzer noted that the DNA lead police had obtained was wholly unrelated to the department's live-tweeting of O'Keefe's last day but said the exercise had served to revive the case in the public's mind. "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. The case stumped investigators for more than four decades before DNA evidence from the genealogical website FamilyTreeDNA tied Neal to the case. The 11-year-old was last seen on this street talking to a stranger in a van. 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. Based on a witness statement, it was believed a man in a van kidnapped Linda. March 29, 2019 / 6:44 PM It was July 6, 1973, a Friday. 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. "They haven't forgotten about her and we haven't, either.". James was in and out of prison throughout his younger life, with arrest records in California, Florida, and Colorado between 1959 and 1974. 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.. 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. Specifics on how Neal died have not been released, but 11 News is told he was hospitalized at the end of May. Photo Source. Watch: Aurora Dazzles Ladakh Skies As Geomagnetic Storm Hits Earth, This website follows the DNPA Code of Ethics. (Newport Beach Police Department) James Alan Neal, 73, who. An eight-page report prepared by McMillan offers for the first time clues about what may have driven his criminal behavior. Her body was found strangled in a ditch the next day. CBS 48 Hours: Lindas Story delves into the work put in to arrest James Neal in relation to Lindas rape and murder. 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. Her body was found the next day in a nature preserve. We never gave up.. 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. 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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. Join our Fan Club to listen to this episode and more! O'Keefe's parents have since died, but police said they keep her two surviving sisters updated on the investigation. The victim was found dead during a search. Generations of investigators worked on her case, said Lewis. 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.. For nearly 45 years, the murder of 11-year-old Linda O'Keefe haunted the Newport Beach Police Department in California. 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. 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Taking advantage of the latest in crime-solving techniques, in January, Spitzer said, they received a pointer indication through genealogical DNA.. 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. Linda never made it home that afternoon., For 45 years, the Newport Beach Police Department continued to search for Lindas killer," Lewis said. The genealogical hit came in January, officials said. He has not been able to relate well with other students, family members or inmates. IE 11 is not supported. Neal denied all charges and faced up to 82 years in prison if he was convicted on all charges. Investigators said he used to live in Southern California in the 1970s and was known as James Albert Layton Jr at the time, although he later moved to Florida and changed his name.
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