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.[3][4]

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.[5]

After serving 11 years of his sentence, Jennings was exonerated and freed from prison.[5][6] 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: (1) Jennings uniform tested negative for gunshot residue; (2) 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; (3) 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.[6][7]