Who is Jeff Pelley and why is he famous?
Jeff Pelley is known for "The Prom Night Murders." He was convicted in 2006 for killing his four family members in 1989, and he is still trying to prove himself innocent. Who is Jeff Pelley?
Was Jeff Pelley's dad behind the'Prom Night murders'?
Was Jeff Pelley Really Behind the 'Prom Night Murders'? Podcast Questions Son's Role in Family's 1989 Killing While Jeff Pelley was found guilty of killing four members of his family on his prom night, potential new information is pointing the finger at his dad Rev. Robert Pelley and his ties to a South Florida cartel at the time of his murder.
Who is Jeff Pelley's dad?
Podcast Questions Son's Role in Family's 1989 Killing While Jeff Pelley was found guilty of killing four members of his family on his prom night, potential new information is pointing the finger at his dad Rev. Robert Pelley and his ties to a South Florida cartel at the time of his murder.
When will the Pelley case drop on counterclock podcast?
April 29, 2021 - CounterClock Podcast will drop all 20 episodes regarding the Pelley family murder. Listen to it on Spotify or Apple Podcast. June 25, 2021 - Status Hearing -Rescheduled. On a side note, we are well aware of books being published and interviews being conducted.
How long did the Pelley murders last?
The case went cold until 2002, when Pelley – who was a 34-year-old married father working for IBM at the time – was arrested for the crime and later convicted of four counts of murder and sentenced to 160 years in prison.
How old are Dawn and Jolene?
The bodies of his father, his father’s wife Dawn, and Dawn’s 6-year-old daughter Jolene and 8-year-old daughter Janel were found shot at close range the following morning by parishioners of a nearby church, the New York Post reported.
Where did Bob Pelley live?
Bob Pelley had previously lived in Fort Myers, and oversaw a significant division of a bank that was later discovered to have ties to cocaine trafficking and money laundering with cartels in South America, the podcast reported.
Who killed the Pelley family?
While Jeff Pelley was found guilty of killing four members of his family on his prom night, potential new information is pointing the finger at his dad Rev. Robert Pelley and his ties to a South Florida cartel at the time of his murder. When the Pelley family was found massacred in their Indiana home 32 years ago in what was later dubbed “The Prom ...
Was Pelley wrongfully convicted?
While D’Ambra makes no conclusions as to whether Pelley was wrongfully convicted, she told the New York Daily News she hopes their investigation on Counterclock “lays out all of the acts and information that were not previously known."
When was the Lakeview murder?
A new podcast, Counterclock, re-examined the April 29, 1989 murders that shook the small Lakeview community.
Who is the father of the counterclock?
But Counterclock is now taking a closer look at his father, Bob Pelley, and his potential role in the murders after D’Ambria spent a year diving into documents and re-interviewing those close to the case.
How long did the state have to respond to the PCR?
Despite the fact the state should have had only 30 days to respond to the PCR brief filed 14 months prior, the judge gave the new prosecutor another 30 days to respond. The state was also given another 60 days to find and turn over evidence that the defense has repeatedly asked for. .
Where was Bob Pelley killed?
Bob Pelley, his wife Dawn and two of their children were gunned down in their home in Lakeville, Indiana.
When was Jeff's conviction reversed?
April 8, 2008 - The Indiana Court of Appeals "Reversed and Remanded" Jeff's Conviction.
Who told police that Jeff would be at Great America?
Jessica was in fact the one who told police that her mom told her Jeff would be at Great America. (Despite what she now claims, she testified to that in court as well.) So if you have helpful information, we would love to hear from you but if you just want to send hate mail keep moving. Contact Justice for Jeff at:
What evidence did Bob Pelley give to the jury?
The most compelling evidence offered to the jury, according to the podcast, was witness testimony from neighbors and church members who said that Bob Pelley told them that the only way Jeff could attend the prom was if he drove him and that he wasn’t going to allow him to go to after-prom activities.
Why did Bob Pelley leave Florida?
“There are witnesses who have come forward to say that Bob Pelley left Florida because he was afraid of people there related to activities going on at the bank,” D’Ambra told the Post. “He moved from Florida to Indiana very abruptly in 1986.”.
What evidence did Watson ask prosecutors for?
Watson has asked prosecutors for items of evidence that were taken from the crime scene in 1989 that Jeff’s trial attorney in 2006 was never given. Watson especially wants them to turn over Bob Pelley’s camera, which she believes contain photos taken them on prom night.
Why is Jeff Pelley's trial a botched trial?
D’Ambra said she believes Jeff Pelley’s trial was “botched” because evidence and information involving Bob Pelley’s past was never investigated. Pelley’s stepsister, Jessica, wrote a memoir in 2019 called “ I Am Jessica ” describing how she was bullied by Jeff after her widowed mother, Dawn, married Bob Pelley.
How old was Jeff when he was arrested?
He was finally arrested in 2002 at the age of 34 , married with a child and working for IBM. Prosecutors at the time claimed the then-17-year-old Jeff was angry that his father, as punishment for bad behavior, forbid him from driving to the dance and from going to after-prom activities.
Who is Jessica Pelley?
The podcast host and producer, investigative reporter Delia D’Ambra, spent a year looking into the murders, including hours visiting people familiar with the case in Lakeville and poring over more than 6,000 documents. Jessica Pelley (now Jessi Taronjo) with her family in Michigan.
Was Jeff Pelley convicted of murder?
But Jeff Pelley was convicted on purely circumstantial evidence. The murder weapon was never found, nor were there any shell casings found at the scene.
Episode Summary
In 1989 the small town of Lakeville, Indiana was rocked but the massacre of a pastor and his family. The pastor’s only surviving son was ultimately convicted of this infamous crime but there is more to this twisted story then has ever been told before.
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For our friends in the Deaf and Signing community, you can view an ASL version of this episode HERE.
Who is Jeff Pelley?
Jeff Pelley was only 17 years old when his father Bob Pelley , stepmother Dawn, and young stepsisters Janel and Jolene were brutally killed at their home in Lakeville, Indiana, in 1989. Taking into account the events that happened before the murder — when Jeff's father grounded him and not allowed him to attend the prom and after prom activities — Jeff was initially suspected of killing his father and surviving witnesses. But with the lack of evidence, the case was declined in 1989. But a new prosecutor reopened the case in 2002. Jeff was then convicted of the four murders in 2006 and sentenced to 160 years in prison. Jeff is still fighting to prove himself innocent. His biological sister, Jacque, has also been supporting Jeff for his release.
Why was Jeff Pelley arrested?
Jeff Pelley was initially considered a prime suspect in connection with the murder of his father, stepmother, and two stepsisters, and was discharged from the case due to a lack of evidence. The case was reopened by the new prosecutor in 2006, and Jeff was arrested. He was convicted and was sentenced to 160 years in prison.
Why did Bob ground Jeff?
Upon interrogation, it was discovered that Bob had grounded Jeff before prom for stealing CDs and money from the house. Jeff was also not allowed to go to the prom and after-prom activities. The police then theorized that Jeff might have been angry over the grounding and killed his father, stepmother, and stepsisters to leave no witnesses to his crime. Due to lack of evidence, prosecutors declined to charge him at that time. He then went to Florida, worked at IBM, got married to a woman, and had one son.
How old was Jeff Pelley when he was arrested?
Jeff Pelley was arrested for four counts of first-degree murder. 13 years after the crime. Craig and a swat team had surrounded Jeff’s home in Florida, but he wasn’t there. Jeff, now 30 years old, was actually in Los Angeles, California, coming back from an international work trip.
What was Craig's belief in the clothing in the Pelley's bag?
Though that was never noted explicitly in any reports. Craig believed the clothing was what Jeff had worn to murder his family.
Why did Craig leave the money in the pocket?
Craig believes the money and receipt were left in the pocket because Jeff wore them to murder his family then was in such a rush to take them off and wash them… he forgot to remove the change.
Who were Jeff's sisters?
Delia D’Ambra: By summer 2002 Craig had done a lot of interviews…but none as important as the ones he conducted with Jaque Pelley and Jessica, Jeff’s two surviving sisters. Jessica had lived a hard life, bouncing in and out of foster care and struggling with substance use issues.
Who opened the Pelley family box?
In 2001, newly minted Saint Joseph County special crimes unit investigator Craig Whitfield began carefully opening up boxes. In them were pictures, interview transcripts and pieces of evidence, all related to the Pelley family murders. A crime that after 12 years, was still, puzzlingly, unsolved.
Did Jessi Toronjo know about Jeff's murder?
For years, she’d been told that Bob was responsible for a murder-suicide. Jessi Toronjo: I didn’t find out until I was in my 20s when the detectives came to my house.
Who is Craig Whitfield?
Craig Whitfield: Prosecutor, Chris Toth, was starting up a cold case squad.
Who is Jeff Pelley’s Wife?
Jeff Pelley was only 17 when the murders happened. Soon after, he had moved to Florida and got married to Kim in 1993. The two were divorced in 1997 but remarried just a couple of years later in 1999. Together, they have a son and, at the time, were living in Dade City. Jeff had a job with IBM before he was arrested. Jeff’s arrest was a result of the Pelleys’ murder investigation being reopened. He was considered a primary suspect at the time and was never really ruled out. A new prosecutor chose to take up the case and charged Jeff with the murders.
Where was Robert Pelley murdered?
Image Credit: CBS News, South Bend Tribune. Robert Pelley and his family were brutally murdered in April 1989 at their home. At the time, these killings left the small community in Lakeville, Indiana, stunned. What truly baffled the investigators was that there was no forensic evidence and nothing concrete enough to work on.
How long was Jeff in prison?
Jeff was sentenced to 160 years in prison. He has since been represented by Indiana University’s McKinney Wrongful Conviction Clinic, and a court date for a new evidentiary hearing is set in June this year.
Who was Jeff's father?
Image Credit: CBS News. It all started in April 1989. Jeff came from a big, blended family. His father, Robert, a minister, had married Dawn, who had three children of her own — Jessica, Janel, and Jolene.
Did Jeff get allowed to go to prom?
Jeff was not allowed to go to the events happening before and after prom either. The police theorized at the time that Jeff might have been angry over the grounding and killed Robert before killing the others as well. A shotgun from the home, which was believed to be the murder weapon, was missing.
What is the movie "The Night of Prom" about?
As the name suggests, it focuses on the murders that transpired on the night of prom. But, it’s not the story of a scorned lover taking someone’s life. Instead, it’s about how Jeff Pelley, then 17, killed his own family to make his 1989 prom perfect.
How long was Jeff in prison?
Nevertheless, as the six-day trial came to an end, the judge and jury found Jeff guilty of all charges and sentenced him to 160 years in prison – four consecutive 40-year sentences for each count. In 2009, the Indiana Supreme Court already upheld this conviction.
Was Jeff Pelley at his senior prom?
Jacque Pelley was out of town. And, Jeff Pelley was attending his senior prom, after which, he was with friends at Great America, an amusement park, as a part of their prom weekend activities.
When were Robert Pelley's bodies found?
It was on the morning of April 30, 1989, a Sunday, when the bodies of Reverend Robert Pelley, his wife Dawn, and Dawn’s daughters: Janel and Jolene, were discovered in their home, which was adjacent to the Olive Branch Church.
Where is the McKinney case?
Even though he is currently serving time at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility in Terre Haute, Indiana, his case is still in court. He has been appealing his conviction for years, and currently, The Indiana University McKinney Wrongful Conviction Clinic is representing him.
Is 48 hours a true crime?
CBS’s ’48 Hours’ is probably television’s most popular investigative true-crime series. Giving us the details of shocking cases and compelling real-life dramas, it has been a fan-favorite for ages. Therefore, it is genuinely no surprise that it has its own variations as well. ’48 Hours Live to Tell: Murder on Prom Night’ is an episode ...
