Horror in the Graveyard: The Murder of Jessica Keen
The killing of this spirited young cheerleader could have come straight from a teen slasher movie.
Jessica Lyn Keen from the city of Columbus in Ohio was a 15-year-old honour student in the spring of 1991. A cheerleader at her local high school, she loved animals and had high hopes of becoming a zoologist.
But as she waited for a bus one day, she fell prey to a cruel and sadistic predator. Her violent murder would remain unsolved for almost two decades — until a chance DNA hit by determined detectives finally put her killer away for good.
Expressing her rebellious side
It was March 1991, and Jessica Keen and her mother Rebecca Smitley were clashing over the teenager’s love life. Jessica had become smitten with an 18-year-old named Shawn and — like most protective parents — Rebecca thought he was too old for her.
Not only that, but the budding relationship was taking its toll on Jessica’s academic life. Her grades were slipping and she even quit the cheer squad in a bid to spend more time with the object of her affection.
Fearing their daughter’s declining grade average would prevent her from going to college, her parents made a serious decision…
