40 Years After A Rock Star’s Wife’s Untimely Demise, DNA Evidence Revealed Her Real Killer
A career criminal breaks into a California house. He starts sniffing around for things to steal. But the home belongs to Karen Klaas – the ex-wife of rock star Bill Medley. And when Klaas returns from dropping off her son, the dangerous man lashes out in a cold-blooded attack. He beats Klaas, strangling her with pantyhose, and leaves her for dead. The murderer then slips away through the front door – and escapes justice for over 40 years. Yet now, thanks to advances in DNA evidence, police can finally reveal who he really is.
The day of the crime
This horrific crime took place on January 30, 1976. According to Detective Tom Harris, who spoke to True Crime Daily in 2017, the morning of that day was meant to have been a pretty normal one for Klaas. Harris told the website, “[Klaas] was supposed to go to coffee with her neighbors after she took her child to school.” But that is a long way from what took place on this tragic day.
No show
The 32-year-old mother of two never made it to the meeting with her neighbors. And after her friends became worried, they decided to go to her Hermosa Beach home to make sure that everything was okay. Then, when the group arrived at Klaas’ house, they could tell something was amiss before they went inside.
Strange cry
Harris explained, “They get to the back sliding door, [and] it was open a little bit.” So, Klaas’ buddies called out for the former Mrs. Medley – and they heard a very faint response from inside the house. It could have been nothing – but it could also have been a cry for help. But whatever it was, the friends knew they could not ignore it.
Stranger in the house
Klaas’ friends knew that something was seriously wrong. And upon hearing the muffled sound, they ran for help from the back of her house toward the front. As the group turned the corner, though, they found themselves in even more shock when they saw someone emerging from the front door of Klaas’ house.
