Here are some highlights from the article:
“On December 2, 1972, the annual carnival held in the field had just left town, and a group of boys was looking around at what was left behind. What they found was Karen’s body. Police say Karen had been beaten and died from blunt force trauma to her upper body. But FOX 5 has learned what happened to Karen was far worse. Police requested specific details of the crime not be revealed because those are details only certain people would know, like the killer and those the killer may have confided in.”
“Thomas Spencer, Karen’s older brother, still lives in the family home where Karen was last seen three days before her body was found. Police say Karen’s family never reported her missing. Still, Spencer says his mother was beside herself when his sister disappeared. ‘I heard that she stayed up every night, all night,’ Spencer said. ‘And when it was found out on Saturday that they found her, a priest came and gave her sedatives and blessings.’”
“In the weeks that followed, police gave polygraph tests to some young people in the neighborhood and identified several persons of interest. One of them was Karen’s 16-year-old boyfriend, James “Jimmy” Edwards. Police say information they received at the time indicated the pair may have broken up prior to Karen’s death. Police say Edwards maintained he had nothing to do with the murder. He died in 1997. Decades later, police haven’t given up, and are now in the process of doing new testing on clothing and other items from the crime scene.”
“Police want to talk to anyone who knew James Edwards at the time of the murder or in his adult years. They would also like to speak to those who lived in the Fairhaven area in 1972, especially if they hung out with Karen and her friends. She was known to frequent the Fairhaven 7-11 that still remains on Fairhaven Ave. now. Police also want to know where Karen was in her final days after she left home on Nov. 29.”
Though 16-year-old boys are definitely capable of inflicting this type of blunt force and beating trauma to someone, to me, hearing the extreme level of brutality inflicted on Karen’s body I’d probably look more seriously at adult males as my first suspects rather than a 16-year-old boy. The police may have very well done that and come to the conclusion that Jimmy was their best suspect, though. Beyond the physical aspect, I would also think it would be harder for a 16-year-old boy to commit a murder like this and get away with it for 50 years. To not leave any evidence behind (not talking DNA, just normal forensic or physical evidence) or say anything incriminating to others may be a bit above a 16-year-old boy’s sophistication level. Jimmy very well could have done this but I’m a little scheptical. MOO
I do find it interesting that the carnival had just left town right when Karen was likely murdered, and that she was left in the field that they were in.
Rewind To The Crime: Police look for new clues in murder of 12-year-old Karen Spencer
