Linda was last seen talking to a stranger in a van, Newport Beach Police Chief Jon Lewis said Wednesday. It was a difficult conversation . The child disappeared while walking home from summer. ( Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. It wasnt long before Neal was in trouble again. "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.". ORANGE COUNTY, Colo. (KKTV) - The suspect in a decades-old cold case died Wednesday while awaiting trial. But when night fell and her whereabouts were still unknown, her parents called police and desperately combed the neighborhood, to no avail. 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. The detectives dogged this case. "I had closure when they found her body," Borgeson said about the fateful day 46 years ago. 11-year-old Linda OKeefe was kidnapped on her way back from home in July 1973. 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. When O'Keefe didn't return home right away, there was little concern at first. Neal was pronounced dead at. He was released on parole in July 1971, and about two years later, the authorities believed he killed Linda. 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. Linda never made it home that afternoon., For 45 years, the Newport Beach Police Department continued to search for Lindas killer," Lewis said. His earliest crimes were breaking into homes when he was around 12-years-old. "I'll get to be with them again," she added. She doesn't know that I'm missing. Police also want to know if Neal could be linked to other crimes. OKeefe, 11, was abducted on July 6, 1973, as she walked home from summer school, the Newport Beach, California, Police Department 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. According to later reports, James didnt get along with his family, and his parents were physically and psychologically cruel to him and his siblings. So, if youre curious to know more about James and what happened to him after his arrest, weve got you covered. [Mugshot via Newport Beach Police Department], Have a tip we should know? ABC News' Kayna Whitworth contributed to this report. 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. US Man James Neal Arrested After Police Tweet Re-Creation Of Girl Lindas story deeply touched the hearts of our community, said Newport Beach Police Chief Jon Lewis. But that day, she was dropped off. IE 11 is not supported. Neal currently lives in Colorado, but investigators were able to confirm that he lived in California in the 1970s, when Linda was murdered, Spitzer said. Linda O'Keefe fue asesinada en 1973 mientras caminaba a casa desde la escuela. DNA leads to man's arrest 46 years after murder of 11-year-old Linda O . Linda Ann O'Keefe's killing in 1973 in Newport Beach, California went unsolved for more than four decades. He had a connection to southern California, which has been corroborated, he said. 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 . "Individuals who engage in sexual activity against minors tend to have certain indicators of a predatory nature," Spitzer said. He was released from the penitentiary in July 1971. She makes a lot of my clothes, and my sisters clothes. (Newport Beach Police Department) James Alan Neal, 73, who. Three weeks later, he pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary, was sentenced to 40 days in jail with credit for time served and placed on probation against McMillans recommendation that he should instead be sent to Vacaville Prison in Northern California. . She had been strangled. Her strangled body was found the next day. OKeefes 1973 rape and murder went unsolved for decades. James Alan Neal was born James Albert Layton Jr. in Chicago, Illinois, in July 1946. 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. Prosecutors are considering seeking the death penalty against Neal. 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. While their parents did not live to see an arrest, Borgeson said, "I'm sure she [O'Keefe] and my parents are rejoicing.". The 11-year-old was taken while she walked back from school in California, with witnesses reporting Linda talking to a white male in a van. Linda O'Keefe was last seen alive in Corona Del Mar, California, in July 1973. On the day Linda Ann O'Keefe died, it was a cooler-than-normal July morning in Newport Beach, California. An eight-page report prepared by McMillan offers for the first time clues about what may have driven his criminal behavior. A native of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., he was previously a breaking news and multimedia reporter for the Ogden, Utah, Standard-Examiner. 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.. 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 . After following and obtaining a DNA sample from Neal himself, police were confident enough to make an arrest, he added. 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. March 29, 2019 / 6:44 PM . James Alan Neal was arrested in Monument in 2019. James Alan Neal, 72, of Monument, Colorado, who was arrested for allegedly murdering Linda O'Keefe in Newport Beach, California, in 1973. "He seemed like a good guy," Neal's landlord, Michael Thulson,. 1 dead, 1 rescued by firefighters after speeding car crashed into tree in Colorado Springs, Voice of the consumer: Looking for a job? James Neal, 72, was arrested in Colorado Springs on Tuesday and charged with murder with special circumstances, Spitzer said. Track Latest News and Karnataka Elections 2023 Coverage Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world. James spent time in juvenile prison and later dropped out of school in 1963. After Lindas death, Neal moved to Florida, where he changed his name to James Alan George Leyton, Spitzer said. 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. The DNA sample from her dress was entered into the CODIS system in 2001 but came up empty, he said. We never gave up.". James Neal had been living in California at the time of the girl's murder 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. CBS 48 Hours: Lindas Story delves into the work put in to arrest James Neal in relation to Lindas rape and murder. 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. 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. Linda O'Keefe murder: Police Twitter campaign helps lay a trap for the Police also urged the public to share details about O'Keefe's disappearance on social media with the hashtag #Lindastory. 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. Parabon has worked on the majority of the cold cases cracked through genetic genealogy, including O'Keefe's case. "The tweets extend the period of time that Linda's story can be out there for people to relate to," Manzella said in July. Her body was found the next day -- but decades went by without an arrest. Parabon used the DNA from the crime scene to predict the suspect's eye color, hair color and skin color. "After all this time, finding out there is a face and a namejust brings additional closure.". Or to keep it anonymous, click here. 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. 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. Colorado man charged in 1973 Orange County cold case dies awaiting trial. 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. "He lived here in the 1970s," Spitzer said. He's now the suspect in the 1973 murder of 11-year-old Linda Ann O'Keefe. 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. 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The case stumped investigators for more than four decades before DNA evidence from the genealogical website FamilyTreeDNA tied Neal to the case. 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. 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. But O'Keefe never came home. 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. 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. Newport Beach Police Neal is being held in the. "We have never forgotten Linda," Newport Beach Police Chief Jon Lewis said at the news conference. 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. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? But again, it's a reminder of what happened. 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. Scott Schwebke is an investigative reporter for the Orange County Register and the Southern California News Group. 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. Borgeson said she also prayed for Neal's family as his arrest was announced. But Spitzer admitted that it is a murky legal decision because capital punishment was not an option when the 11-year-old was killed. 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. 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. James Neal Now: Is Linda O'Keefe's Alleged Killer Dead or Alive? Update Colorado man charged in 1973 Orange County cold case dies awaiting trial Even after detectives got the lead through genealogical DNA, investigators needed to a secure a sample from Neal, Spitzer said. 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. Then her mother made that call that every parent dreads and told police her daughter was missing, he said. About a month later, the police brought additional charges of sexual assault against a child younger than 14. Her body was found strangled in a ditch the next day. Linda O'Keefe, 11, vanished in July 1973 when she was heading home from school in Newport Beach. "I hope that he has remorse. The database was Family Tree DNA. 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. He has not been able to relate well with other students, family members or inmates. People in the city of Newport Beach have been following this case for literally 45 years, Spitzer said. 5 facts about the Linda O'Keefe murder case - Sportskeeda The child disappeared while walking home from summer school, and her body was found strangled in a ditch the next day. 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. As for her sister's suspected killer, Borgeson said, "because of my profound faith, I've been able to forgive the individual. Newport Beach police launched a new PR campaign in 2018 using Tweets written in Lindas voice. 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. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. "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, 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. 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 left California after the alleged killing and went to Florida where he changed his name, officials said. Her death would go unsolved for more than four decades. O'Keefe was last seen alive on July 6, 1973, as she walked home from summer school, the Newport Beach Police Department said. Since April 2018, genetic genealogy has helped identify more than three dozen suspects, said CeCe Moore, chief genetic genealogist with Parabon NanoLabs. He was rushed to a local hospital about a month before that. Neal was arrested on February 19, 2019 in Monument, Colorado where he had been living with his family for three years. Neal was arrested for burglaries in August and October 1959 and was committed to the California Youth Authority in December 1960. Trouble followed James everywhere, and he was sentenced to 3-10 years for fraud in Colorado. Beware of scams, Denver police searching for missing 14-year-old. 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. 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. On the day Linda disappeared, she was last seen talking to a stranger in a van, Lewis said. 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. Neal was taken to a hospital on May 25 for an illness. Combining the latest in DNA technology with old-fashioned detective work led investigators to Neal, Lewis said. James Allen Neal. Investigators would later learn that the girl had last been seen at an intersection, talking to a stranger in a turquoise van. In July 2018, her story touched millions of people through #LindasStory (https://t.co/yxv1fLFIZp). Her body was found the next day in a nature preserve. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Cold Case Suspect In Newport Beach Child Death Dies Before Trial 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. It was our intention to see James Alan Neal stand trial and answer for the murder of Linda Ann OKeefe. For more than 45 years the case went cold -- until DNA was submitted to an ancestry website. As a result of that genealogical submission, they got an indication that James Alan Neal may be the suspect. SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) A Colorado man has pleaded not guilty to murder in the 1973 death of an 11-year-old California girl. After the burglary sentencing, James moved to Denver, Colorado, where he was accused of stealing from the gas station he worked at. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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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. Linda O'Keefe Murder: How Did She Die? Who Killed Her? Her body was found the next morning in a ditch in the area of Newport Beachs Back Bay. Copyright 2020 KKTV. 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. He will ultimately benefit more from a state prison sentence.. 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. Neal then moved back to California, where he lived until 2014 at six addresses in Riverside, Hemet and Winchester, public records show. That night, a woman who lives in the bluffs above Back Bay heard a voice scream, "Stop, youre hurting me," police said. After a move to California in 1956, James started getting into trouble. Man Accused Of Killing Newport Beach Girl Nearly 50 Years - CBS News He was arrested in Colorado Springs on Feb. 19. We will make sure that the defendant is fairly and justly held accountable in a court of law.". In August 1969, he was convicted of fraud in Denver and sentenced to three to 10 year at Colorados Territorial Correctional Facility. The following morning, O'Keefe's body was found in a ditch. He was on parole from Colorado's prison system when Linda Ann O'Keefe was killed. Photo Source. 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. Their mother "carried that guilt the rest of her life," Borgeson said. A day later, her body was found in a ditch, and she had been sexually assaulted. NDTV Public Opinion: Will Tipu Sultan Controversy Impact Karnataka Votes? Man Accused of Killing 11-Year-Old Linda O'Keefe in Newport Beach Dies 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. Over 45 years ago, Linda went missing while. Finally, in September 1965, he was arrested for yet another burglary but the charge was reduced to petty theft and ultimately dismissed. O'Keefe then called her mother from the school office, and her mother told her she was busy sewing and that she should walk home, police said. He then moved to Florida, and then, a criminal incident prompted him to change his name to James Alan Neal. 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. James Alan Neal fell ill and died while awaiting trial for the . 'She listens, but hears nothing more. A native of Chicago, Neal began getting into trouble soon after he moved with his family to Anaheim in 1956. Lindas story deeply touched the hearts of our community. He was transferred to a local. 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 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. Have a tip or story idea? On one hand, we were grateful that we could have that conversation and provide some closure.". Neal was arrested Tuesday "without incident" in Colorado Springs, Newport Beach Police Chief Jon Lewis said at a news conference Wednesday. James was in and out of prison throughout his younger life, with arrest records in California, Florida, and Colorado between 1959 and 1974. Neal was taken to a hospital on May 25 for an illness. Neal was living in Monument at the time of his arrest and was extradited to Orange County, California, where he has remained since. After his arrest in 1966 for a burglary he committed earlier, his parole officer called him quite immature and psychologically unstable..
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