Jeffrey Crum trial: Verdict reached for Jennifer Odom’s accused killer
Jeffrey Crum found guilty on all charges
A man in Hernando County has been found guilty of a decades-old murder. It took a jury a little over five hours to convict Jeffrey Crum of the kidnapping, sexual battery and murder of 12-year-old Jennifer Odom. FOX 13's Kylie Jones reports.
BROOKSVILLE, Fla. - A jury reached a verdict in the Jeffrey Crum murder trial after several days of testimony from more than two dozen prosecution witnesses.
It took jurors more than five hours to find Crum guilty on all three counts, including murder, kidnapping and sexual battery.
The courtroom was silent as the verdict was read in court Thursday afternoon. Crum was immediately handcuffed and appeared emotionless after the verdict. Jennifer Odom's mother was in the front row crying and hugging family and friends.
Jeffrey Crum murder trial
What we know:
Prosecutors presented more than two dozen witnesses across two days before resting their case. The defense rested on Wednesday without calling any witnesses to the stand.
Jeffrey Crum Jr. testified for the state on Wednesday afternoon. He said his father confessed to the crimes decades ago during a night of drinking, telling him that one day his son would find out he was a monster. Crum Jr. also identified a clarinet and case shown in court, testifying his father gave him a similar instrument as a child that later disappeared.
Jeffrey Crum Jr. testifies against his father during his murder trial in Hernando County
An acquaintance who lived on the same property as Crum years ago also testified Wednesday that Crum confessed to killing Odom.
Unanswered questions in murder case
During cross-examination, Crum Jr. acknowledged his father never provided specific details during their conversations while drinking. The defense highlighted that Crum Jr. never contacted law enforcement about his father's statements.
"No time in between the time that you say that your father made these admissions to you did you ever contact law enforcement?" the defense asked. "No ma'am," Crum Jr. answered.
Jeffrey Crum was previously convicted and sentenced to life for the 1992 sexual assault of another teenager in Pasco County.
Timeline of Jennifer Odom's 1993 disappearance
The backstory:
In February 1993, 12-year-old Jennifer Odom vanished after stepping off a school bus in Pasco County. A friend watched her walk toward a blue truck near her regular bus stop.
Her body was later found in a wooded area in Hernando County. About two years later, investigators recovered her missing backpack and clarinet case in a different rural area.
Jennifer Odom was kidnapped and killed after getting off of a school bus in 1993.
DNA evidence links past crimes
Big picture view:
Advanced DNA technology eventually linked Crum to the 1992 kidnapping and sexual assault of a 17-year-old girl at a Pasco County bus stop. He was convicted in that case and received two life sentences in 2019.
In 2023, prosecutors charged Crum with kidnapping, sexual battery and murder in connection with Odom's death.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from court proceedings, testimony presented during the trial and previous FOX 13 News reports.