Saturday, March 13, 2021

List Series: No Body Convictions Vol. II

As explained in the original 'No Body Convictions' list, many missing persons cases have prime suspects that do not get charged for many different reasons. One of the most common reasons that suspects do not get charged in missing persons cases is because the potential victim is classified as 'missing'--rather than 'deceased'--therefore it is difficult to prove that the person is not alive. When investigators do decide to pursue charges without a body, they have to go the extra mile to prove that their suspect is guilty. Below is a list of 5 more such cases.


Joshua Keadle: Convicted for the Murder of Tyler Thomas

Tyler Marie Thomas vanished at the age of 19 on December 3rd, 2010. At the time of her disappearance, Tyler was a student at Peru State College in Peru, Nebraska. She vanished while walking back to campus after attending an off-campus party. Tyler never made it back into the building. Her friends were immediately concerned when she did not return--not only because she was intoxicated, but also because it was frigidly cold outside and Tyler was not wearing a coat. She was reported missing by 3am--just an hour and a half after she was last seen. 

Throughout the investigation, another Peru student named Joshua Keadle was identified as a person of interest. Joshua and Tyler had gone on a date at some point before her disappearance, but afterwards Tyler told her friends that she was not interested in him. Just days after Tyler's disappearance, Joshua was arrested for providing false information to police. After his arrest, two other young girls came forward and said that Joshua had sexually assaulted them. He was charged with rape for those cases and was sentenced to 15-20 years in prison during March 2012--with a parole eligibility after 8 years.

Meanwhile, Tyler remained missing--and many believed that Joshua had murdered her. 
 Still, investigators did not have a body and enough evidence or witnesses to prosecute. Joshua remained behind bars on his other conviction, but his 2020 parole eligibility was quickly approaching. Finally, in October 2017, Joshua was charged with first-degree murder. He pleaded not guilty and went to trial in early 2020. The jury ultimately convicted him of the lesser charge of second-degree murder and he was sentenced to 71 years in prison. To this day, Joshua maintains his innocence and has not revealed the location of Tyler's body. [read more]

Jeremy Thornburg & Lajuana Long: Convicted for the Murder of Candice Shields

Candice Shields was last seen by her loved ones on the evening of December 10th, 2011. At the time, the 20 year-old woman was at her grandparents' home in Graham, Texas. The following morning, Candice's personal belongings were still at the house--but Candice herself was nowhere to be found. She left behind a one year-old son, which was uncharacteristic of her--and she was also pregnant with her second child. Candice's family finally reported her missing on December 15th, 2011.

Candice's boyfriend/father of her unborn child, Jeremy Thornburg (pictured left) quickly became a person of interest in her disappearance. The two had a rocky relationship--Jeremy reportedly believed that Candice was seeing other men--and Jeremy himself was seeing another woman named Lajuana Long (pictured right). Lajuana was reportedly jealous of Candice and threatened her in the past. 

In February 2013--over a year after Candice's disappearance--Jeremy was finally arrested and charged with Candice's murder. Just days later, Lajuana was arrested and charged with murder as well. Lajuana eventually pleaded guilty to the murder charges and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. As part of her plea deal, Lajuana agreed to testify against Jeremy at his trial. During her testimony, she stated that Jeremy had asked Candice to meet up with him on the evening of her disappearance. The two then went to a field located between Graham and Breckenridge, where Jeremy shot Candice to death. Lajuana then testified that she had helped Jeremy pour bleach over Candice's body to destroy evidence. 

A jury convicted Jeremy of murder in October 2014. He was subsequently sent to life in prison. Though there have been several searches, Candice's body has still not been found. [read more]

Christopher Revill: Convicted for the Kidnapping of Typhenie Johnson

Typhenie Johnson has been missing since October 10th, 2016. She was last seen at her apartment complex in Fort Worth, Texas, with her on-again, off-again boyfriend Christopher Revill. The two were in an argument, and Typhenie was apparently heard telling Christopher that “it was over” around 9pm. After a few minutes of silence, Typhenie’s brother Asher Johnson went outside to look for his sister. Asher couldn’t find Typhenie, but he did witness Christopher slamming the trunk of his car shut and then driving off. On the ground where Christopher was parked, Asher found Typhenie’s sock and cellphone. He immediately called the police.

The following day, police arrested Christopher and charged him with aggravated kidnapping with intent to terrorize in Typhenie’s case. The charge was later upgraded to kidnapping with intent to kill. Christopher denied involvement in Typhenie's disappearance. He told police that he and Typhenie got into an argument and she got into a vehicle driven by someone he didn’t know and rode away. As it turns out, Christopher told a very similar story over 10 years earlier, when his previous girlfriend/mother of his child Taalibah Islam vanished in January 2006. Taalibah also remains missing today, and Christopher remains the only person of interest.

Christopher was convicted of kidnapping Typhenie Johnson in 2019. During his trial, it was revealed that his footprints were found in his parent's backyard next to a a shirt, a torn bra, and a broken fitness tracker that all belonged to Typhenie. Christopher was sentenced to life in prison. Both Typhenie and Taalibah still remain missing. [more about Typhenie's case] [more about Taalibah's case]

Patrick Frazee: Convicted for the Murder of Kelsey Berreth

29 year-old Kelsey Berreth vanished on November 22nd, 2018. It was Thanksgiving on the day the young mother disappeared, and early on she was seen at a Safeway grocery store near her home in Woodland Park, Colorado. Surveillance footage captured Kelsey at the store with her one year-old daughter. At some point later that day, Kelsey met with her fiancé/father of her child, Patrick Frazee, so he could pick up their daughter. Kelsey was seen never seen again by her family and friends.

After Kelsey's family members reported her missing, it did not take long for Patrick Frazee to be identified as a person of interest. Investigators searched Patrick's home and workplace on numerous occasions but did not initially disclose what was found. Then, just a few months after Kelsey's disappearance, Patrick was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and solicitation for first-degree murder in connection with the death of Kelsey Berreth. By February 2019, it was publicly revealed that Patrick's mistress, Krystal Lee Kenney, was also involved in Kelsey's disappearance. In fact, on February 5th, 2019, Krystal was charged with one felony count of tampering with physical evidence in the case. Just three days later, Krystal pleaded guilty to the charge and also agreed to testify against Patrick Frazee at his trial.

By Krystal's account, on the day of Kelsey's disappearance, Patrick blindfolded Kelsey to have her smell different scented candles and guess their scent. When she was distracted, Patrick smashed Kelsey in the face with a baseball bat and subsequently beat her to death. Krystal told investigators that she later helped Patrick burn Kelsey’s body and other evidence taken from the apartment. Patrick then asked Krystal to dispose of Kelsey’s remains, but she refused. She reportedly does not know where Patrick ended up disposing of them. 

Patrick was found guilty of Kelsey's murder in November 2019. He was sentenced to life in prison plus an additional 156 years. [read more]


Donthe Lucas: Convicted for the Murder of Kelsie Schelling

21 year-old Kelsie Schelling had just recently learned she was pregnant when she disappeared from Pueblo, Colorado on February 5th, 2013. On the previous day, Kelsie went to a doctor’s appointment near her home in Denver where she got her first ultrasound. After the appointment, she sent a picture of the ultrasound to her boyfriend/father of her child, Donthe Lucas. Donthe urged Kelsie to go visit him in Pueblo, which is two hours from where Kelsie was living. Kelsie left around 8:30pm that night to make the drive to see Donthe and arrived at a Wal-Mart that they agreed to meet at around 11pm. Kelsie never returned home and has never been seen or heard from again.

Surveillance cameras from various places around Pueblo captured Donthe driving Kelsie's car to several different locations between the dates of February 5th and February 7th. He was also captured using Kelsie's ATM card. Donthe would later tell investigators that he was accompanied by Kelsie and had permission to use her ATM card, however the surveillance footage does not show Kelsie in the car with him at any location.

Donthe was finally charged with Kelsie's murder in 2017.  He pleaded not guilty and went to trial during February 2021. At the trial, it was revealed that Donthe's phone pinged near a landfill the night after Kelsie's disappearance. He also reportedly sent texts from Kelsie's phone, impersonating her, stating that she had a miscarriage. A jury found Donthe guilty of murder during March 2021. He still denies involvement and has not revealed the location of Kelsie's body. [read more]

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