MURDER
CASE #: 1963-4
Judith Eileen File
Status:
Open
Date of Offense:
Date of Offense:
Jurisdiction:
Offense Location:
Oklahoma City, OK
Summary:
The roommate later reported that Judith had stayed home, stating that she wasn’t feeling well. However, when the roommate and friend returned home around midnight, they discovered Judith dead in her bed. She had been brutally beaten and stabbed repeatedly in the chest and neck, raped, and then set on fire. The knife that was used to kill Judith was taken from her kitchen, and had been left behind. The back door to the apartment was found open, but there were no signs of forced entry.
Vital Statistics
Circumstances of Offense:
Then in January 1964, police reported to the media that they believed Judith’s murder might have been connected to the murder of a woman in Amarillo. The Amarillo police even had a suspect for that murder, a 55 year old transient man. In fact, this man was even looked into as a suspect in the 1959 murder of Fern Romero in Lawton (a case that remains unsolved even today). Given that no other mention of Judith occurs in the papers until March 1965, this man apparently proved to be not the person who committed the crime. In the March 1965 article, we hear from Judith’s father- stating he had all but ruined himself in pursuit of answers for his daughter’s murder. By December of the same year an article stated that while numerous suspects had been looked into, nothing had panned out. One Oklahoma City man had even confessed to the killing, but later told police he only did so to impress his wife. At this point, police state that Judith’s case had received more dedication and man hours than any other in recent city history. They also stated they had a composite of a man that was seen in the vicinity of the apartment complex on the night of the killing, This composite was never made public as far as I can tell. Eventually, a man named Charles Autry would be charged in Judith’s murder, however he would be found not guilty of the murder in 1969.
Case Last Updated:
Timeline of Events
Charles Autry would be charged in Judith’s murder, however he would be found not guilty of the murder
An article was released about that while numerous suspects had been looked into, nothing had panned out
Article from Judith's father was released. He discussed the effort they were putting in to find the person responsible
Police reported that they believed Judith’s murder might have been connected to the murder of a woman in Amarillo (later proved he wasn't the person)
Judith was discovered
Her mother knocked on the door but there was no answer
Last seen before her roommate left
Associated Persons
Echo H. (Friend) - Living
Jerry C. (Friend) - Living
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