How did the Prom Night murders come to be?
While what some dubbed 'the prom night murders' has been covered extensively in the press, there has been less focus on how the blended family came to be. The relationship between Jeff and his father as well as with his stepmother, Dawn, was 'a huge part of investigation into the crime,' D'Ambra explained.
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.
What happened to Jeff Pelley at prom?
Above, Jeff Pelley at the LaVille High School prom on the night of Saturday, April 29, 1989 Alan Baum, Jeff Pelley's defense attorney during his trial in 2006, pointed out that there was nothing that indicated Jeff acted differently at prom.
Did Jeff really have fun at prom?
Baum also pointed out that there was nothing that indicated Jeff acted differently at prom. 'To think he could spend that whole evening doing all of the things they did and just having fun like a kid after murdering his family is preposterous,' he told 48 Hours.
Who killed his pastor father and stepmother?
For 32 years, most people have thought the sullen Lakeville , Ind., teenager killed his pastor father, stepmother and two little half-sisters in the grisly tragedy known as “The Prom Night Murders.”.
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.
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.
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.
When was the Pelley family shot?
Robert Pelley, his wife Dawn, and Dawn’s daughters Janel and Jolene, ages 8 and 6 respectively, were found shot at close range with what was believed to be the family shotgun on the night of April 29, 1989.
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How many murders took place at Pastor Bob's home in 1989?
According to the prosecution, the four murders took place between 5 and before 5:30, when visitors who came by found the home locked.
Who killed the pastor in the movie?
Jeff Pelley , 17, was so angry that his father, Bob, wouldn't let him go to the dance's before and after events – a dinner, a party and a trip to an amusement park – that he shot the pastor. Jeff had to kill his stepmother, Dawn, and his two stepsisters, Janel and Jolene, to leave no witnesses, according to prosecutors.
Why was Bob Pelley murdered?
Murdered for the 'perfect' prom: New podcast details how 17-year-old slaughtered his pastor father, his stepmother and two young stepsisters in 1989 because he was banned from driving to the dance. Pastor Bob Pelley, his wife Dawn, and her daughters, Janel, eight, and Jolene, six, were found murdered at their home on April 30, ...
How did Dawn die?
While working on a car in their garage, the 27-year-old was believed to have accidentally died from inhaling exhaust. Dawn was a widow at 28 with three young daughters: Jessica, five, Janel, four, and Jolene, two. Jessica remembered her relationship with her father as being good.
Who is the detective in the Plymouth murder?
On the left is former St. Joseph County Detective John Botich and on the right is former State Indiana Police detective Mark Senter now mayor of Plymouth, Indiana. On April 30, 1989, after the bodies were discovered, the two detectives arrived on the scene.
Who investigated the quadruple murder?
'I saw something that day that nobody should ever have to see,' John Botich, the detective who investigated the quadruple homicide, said on a new podcast.
Who was the pastor of Olive Branch United Brethren Church in 1989?
On April 30, 1989, members of the Olive Branch United Brethren Church wondered why their pastor, Bob Pelley, was running late for Sunday service. Bob and his family lived at the home near the church and parishioners went over to check on them.
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.
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.
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 ...
Season Three
Delia D’Ambra sets out to re-examine the facts of the case that led to Jeff Pelley’s conviction and follow leads that connect the victims to unsolved crimes in South Florida.
Season One
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Season Two
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