Murder of Michelle O'Keefe


Michelle O'Keefe was an 18-year-old American college student and aspiring actress who was murdered in Palmdale, California on her way home from appearing in a Kid Rock music video. The case has attracted significant media national attention, including episodes of America's Most Wanted and Dateline NBC.
In 2005, Iraq-war veteran Sgt. Raymond Lee Jennings was arrested for the murder, and after three trials he was sentenced to life in prison.
After serving 11 years of his sentence, Jennings was exonerated and freed from prison. The Los Angeles District Attorney was persuaded of Jennings' innocence after a law student, Clinton Ehrlich, saw the case on television and began an investigation with his father, attorney Jeffrey Ehrlich. Among other points, Clinton and Jeffrey Ehrlich state that: Jennings uniform tested negative for gunshot residue; his DNA did not match the visible blood found under the victim's fingernails, which the prosecuting attorney misled the jury as being mere random blood contamination; and the detectives on the case had not followed through on leads of other people at the Park-and-Ride at the time of the murder, including a white male observed driving out of the parking lot immediately after the shooting.