Neal moved to Southern California from Chicago before the murder and relocated to Florida after the girl's slaying, authorities said. Please see the press release for more information. 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. O'Keefe disappeared while she was walking home from summer school. His earliest crimes were breaking into homes when he was around 12-years-old. The next day she was found strangled, her. That I'll be found a couple hundred yards from her home. 1966 probation report describes man suspected of killing 11-year-old Powered by WordPress.com VIP. "We have never forgotten Linda," Newport Beach Police Chief Jon Lewis said at the news conference. Colorado man charged in 1973 Orange County cold case dies awaiting trial 11-year-old Linda OKeefe was kidnapped on her way back from home in July 1973. The database was Family Tree DNA. She had been strangled and sexually assaulted. Linda Ann O'Keefe's killing in 1973 in Newport Beach, California went unsolved for more than four decades. James Neal Now: Is Linda O'Keefe's Alleged Killer Dead or Alive? Update 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. Neal was taken to a hospital on May 25 for an illness. 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. 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. There is no record of Neal ever having been incarcerated in a California prison, according to state officials. 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. James Neal (left) and Linda O'Keefe (right) (credit: CBS). 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. Police also urged the public to share details about O'Keefe's disappearance on social media with the hashtag #Lindastory. Linda O'Keefe, 11, vanished in July 1973 when she was heading home from school in Newport Beach. Lindas story deeply touched the hearts of our community. Man charged with killing 11-year-old Linda O'Keefe in 1973 cold-case 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 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. 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. 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. An eight-page report prepared by McMillan offers for the first time clues about what may have driven his criminal behavior. Join our Fan Club to listen to this episode and more! Teen Was Murdered After Coming Home from Grocery Store in 1975, Coffee Cup Leads to Arrest, Calif. 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. Here at this jail, people want to give me a bad time. He was being held at the Theo Lacy maximum-security jail in Orange. James Alan Neal has been arrested in the July 1973 murder of 11-year-old Linda Ann O'Keefe in Newport Beach. ), First published on March 29, 2019 / 6:44 PM. 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. Last year, 45 years after O'Keefe's body was found, police released these sketches of her suspected killer. However, the case remained unsolved for about 46 years before the investigators found the killer. The genealogical hit came in January, officials said. "After all this time, finding out there is a face and a namejust brings additional closure.". The child disappeared while walking home from summer school, and her body was found strangled in a ditch the next day. 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. 'She listens, but hears nothing more. Her family called the police and officers then joined the search for the 4-foot-tall girl with long brown hair and blue eyes. 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. Linda never made it home that afternoon, he said. The sketches depict what the suspect may have looked like at 25 years old as well as an age-progressed version. [emailprotected]. Neal is being held in the El Paso County Jail in Colorado. After the slaying, Neal moved to Florida, where some sort of incident prompted him to change his name from James Albert Layton to James Alan Neal, authorities have said, declining to give specifics. Photo Source. Linda Ann O'Keefe was killed in July 1973 -- and decades went by without leads. Have a tip or story idea? Monument man mulls extradition in 1973 rape and murder of California 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. He was always getting into fights and was always afraid to tell anyone how I really felt. . As for her sister's suspected killer, Borgeson said, "because of my profound faith, I've been able to forgive the individual. So, if youre curious to know more about James and what happened to him after his arrest, weve got you covered. Cold Case Suspect In Newport Beach Child Death Dies Before Trial Suspect in 1973 California rape and murder dies before trial | 9news.com James Alan Neal, 72, of Monument, Colorado, who was arrested for allegedly murdering Linda O'Keefe in Newport Beach, California, in 1973. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. In July 1973, 11-year-old Linda Ann O'Keefe was murdered. Newport Beach police in July released a sketch of a man, the possible suspect, based on DNA collected at the scene. . "My hope is that this [case] brings hope to other families who haven't had closure yet.". 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. 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. Although Linda died almost half a century ago, her family, the community and members of law enforcement never stopped thinking of her or hoping her killer would be brought to justice, Spitzer said. 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. The victim was found dead during a search. Beware of scams, Denver police searching for missing 14-year-old. Trouble followed James everywhere, and he was sentenced to 3-10 years for fraud in Colorado. "They probably are so shocked," she said. 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. On the day Linda Ann O'Keefe died, it was a cooler-than-normal July morning in Newport Beach, California. After Lindas death, Neal moved to Florida, where he changed his name to James Alan George Leyton, Spitzer said. Their mother "carried that guilt the rest of her life," Borgeson said. 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 then moved back to California, where he lived until 2014 at six addresses in Riverside, Hemet and Winchester, public records show. 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. Police and prosecutors on Wednesday said they put Neal under surveillance and eventually got his DNA though they did not detail exactly how. . "Linda's face and her memory has been with us since the day this happened," he said. All Rights Reserved. PRESS RELEASE: Linda OKeefe Homicide https://t.co/sSg9rjwXgH, Starting tomorrow at 7:45 am, #LindasStory will be told here, through our Twitter account. However, the case remained unsolved for about 46 years before the investigators found the killer. He worked odd jobs as a cook, factory worker, a floral delivery person, etc., but could never consistently hold down a job. Paul Bersebach/The Orange County Register via AP. and opened doors for us to have this case pursued with renewed effort.". While their parents did not live to see an arrest, Borgeson said, "I'm sure she [O'Keefe] and my parents are rejoicing.". "I had closure when they found her body," Borgeson said about the fateful day 46 years ago. Linda O'Keefe. We never gave up.". 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.. The DNA sample from her dress was entered into the CODIS system in 2001 but came up empty, he said. 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. Nothing he said made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Or to keep it anonymous, click here. He has not been able to relate well with other students, family members or inmates. OKeefes 1973 rape and murder went unsolved for decades. Through genealogical DNA, though, investigators corroborated the DNA from O'Keefe's body and the DNA obtained from the suspect, according to Spitzer. James Alan Neal fell ill and died while awaiting trial for the . Photo Source. He was rushed to a local hospital about a month before that. 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. Detectives from the Newport Beach Police Department kept investigating. 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, Linda O'Keefe Suspect: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know / CBS Colorado. Based on a witness statement, it was believed a man in a van kidnapped Linda. A day later, her body was found in a ditch, and she had been sexually assaulted. A man was arrested this week in the decades-old killing of Linda OKeefe, 11. Through surveillance, a sample of Neal's DNA was obtained - one that ultimately matched a sample taken from O'Keefe's body in 1973. On the day Linda disappeared, she was last seen talking to a stranger in a van, Lewis said. According to later reports, James didnt get along with his family, and his parents were physically and psychologically cruel to him and his siblings. 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 . The key moment arrived with the February 19, 2019 arrest of Neal in Colorado Springs, Colorado. A native of Chicago, Neal began getting into trouble soon after he moved with his family to Anaheim in 1956. "That sample remained in the system for a long period of time," Spitzer said. O'Keefe was last seen alive on July 6, 1973, as she walked home from summer school, the Newport Beach Police Department said. They dont understand me or why I am the way I am. He later changed his name, officials said. 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. "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.". 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. ORANGE COUNTY, Colo. (KKTV) - The suspect in a decades-old cold case died Wednesday while awaiting trial. Feb. 20, 2019. "The tweets extend the period of time that Linda's story can be out there for people to relate to," Manzella said in July. DNA leads to arrest in half century-old cold case murder of 11-year-old Neal was arrested on February 19, 2019 in Monument, Colorado where he had been living with his family for three years. As a result of that genealogical submission, they got an indication that James Alan Neal may be the suspect. James Neal was arrested in February 2019 and charged with raping and killing Linda Ann OKeefe. 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.. 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Over 45 years ago, Linda went missing while. "As you can imagine, this was difficult news to receive," Lewis said. He's now the suspect in the 1973 murder of 11-year-old Linda Ann O'Keefe. James Neal es el sospechoso del caso de Linda O'Keefe: 5 Datos Neal said that despite his recidivism, he was confident he could become successful. 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. Neal moved to. Linda Ann O'Keefe was the middle child in a family of five. 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. 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. 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. It was not clear from records if he was convicted for those offenses. According to police, O'Keefe normally rode her bike to 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. 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. [Mugshot via Newport Beach Police Department], Have a tip we should know? A poster of James Alan Neal during the Newport Beach police and Orange County prosecutors news conference on Feb. 20, 2019. Authorities did not provide details on Neal's illness. He could be brought to California sometime this week if he waives extradition, Spitzer said. O'Keefe's parents have since died, Spitzer said, but her sisters have been notified about the arrest. 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 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) A Colorado man has pleaded not guilty to murder in the 1973 death of an 11-year-old California girl. He was released on parole in July 1971, and about two years later, the authorities believed he killed Linda. James Alan Neal, 72, of Monument, Colorado, who was arrested for allegedly murdering Linda OKeefe in Newport Beach, California, in 1973. 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. Specifics on how Neal died have not been released, but 11 News is told he was hospitalized at the end of May. 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. James Alan Neal, the 73-year-old charged in the 1973 cold case murder of 11-year-old Linda O'Keefe, died on Wednesday at about 5:15 a.m. That's according to Orange County Sheriff's Department spokesperson Jaimee Blashaw in an NBC Los Angeles report. Having spent two years living in England including Liverpool, he is an avid Beatles fan and memorabilia collector. 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 day later, her body was found in a ditch, and she had been sexually assaulted. Composite sketch of the driver. The case stumped investigators for more than four decades before DNA evidence from the genealogical website FamilyTreeDNA tied Neal to the case. Colorado man arrested in case murder of 11-year-old girl - The Denver Post This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. At the time of the murder, Neal was using the name James Allen George Layton, prosecutors said. ABC News' Kayna Whitworth contributed to this report. Linda was last seen talking to a stranger in a van, Newport Beach Police Chief Jon Lewis said Wednesday. Neal was taken to a hospital on May 25 for an illness. OKeefe, 11, was abducted on July 6, 1973, as she walked home from summer school, the Newport Beach, California, Police Department said. An undated photo of murder victim Linda O'Keefe and her family. 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. But when night fell and her whereabouts were still unknown, her parents called police and desperately combed the neighborhood, to no avail. Linda never made it home that afternoon., For 45 years, the Newport Beach Police Department continued to search for Lindas killer," Lewis said. 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. It was our intention to see James Alan Neal stand trial and answer for the murder of Linda Ann OKeefe. James Neal had been living in California at the time of the girl's murder but had since moved to Colorado. After the burglary sentencing, James moved to Denver, Colorado, where he was accused of stealing from the gas station he worked at. "I hope that he has remorse. Spitzer lauded noted DNA investigator CeCe Moore for helping police develop a "pointer" toward Neal. "I never really thought that they would actually ever find the individual responsible," Cindy Borgeson, a sister of Linda OKeefe, told ABC News. After his arrest in 1966 for a burglary he committed earlier, his parole officer called him quite immature and psychologically unstable.. "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 Alan Neal fue arrestado el 19 de febrero de 2019, en relacin con su muerte, segn anunciaron los fiscales en una conferencia de prensa. US Man James Neal Arrested After Police Tweet Re-Creation Of Girl James Alan Neal was born James Albert Layton Jr. in Chicago, Illinois, in July 1946. 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. Authorities did not elaborate on his death but said he was not exhibiting Covid-19 symptoms. 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. 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. Shortly after Lindas murder, investigators recovered DNA evidence from her remains, Spitzer said. "Technology has caught up with the law," Spitzer said Wednesday. Her image hung among the faces of other unsolved cases, reminding each. Linda O'Keefe. James then escaped from a work project where he was sentenced to and was arrested yet again in April 1967. He was arrested in Colorado Springs on Feb. 19. Neal was pronounced dead at. 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. 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. In August 1969, he was convicted of fraud in Denver and sentenced to three to 10 year at Colorados Territorial Correctional Facility. Blashaw did not explain what this sickness was but elaborated that the inmate did not have COVID-19 symptoms. Investigators identified Neal as a suspect using genealogical DNA. ", Borgeson said, if she gets a chance to speak to Neal, she would "let him know that I've been praying for him.". It was a difficult conversation . 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. James Alan Neal was arrested February 19, 2019, in connection to her death, prosecutors announced at a press conference.. Photo Source. Neal told McMillan he was the second of three children, never got along with his siblings, rebelled against his parents and was an emotionally disturbed child. All my life up to this day has been going in circles, Neal said. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. For more than 45 years the case went cold -- until DNA was submitted to an ancestry website. But he praised Newport Beach police for persisting through the decades. James Neal, 73, was arrested last year in Monument for the 1973 murder of 11-year-old Linda OKeefe in Newport Beach, California. Photo Source. Man Accused Of Killing Newport Beach Girl Nearly 50 Years - CBS News James Allen Neal. It is not clear if Neal, 72, will waive extradition, Spitzer said. 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. 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. My mom made it. She had been strangled. 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. 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.