Julie Rea
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Julie Rea was convicted of stabbing to death her 10-year-old son, Joel Kirkpatrick, in Lawrenceville, Illinois on October 13, 1997.
Julie maintained that a masked intruder stabbed her son. The intruder also left a bruise over her eye and an inch deep gash on her arm. A physician noted that Julie's injuries, such as the horizontal scrapes on her knees, did not appear to be self-inflicted. In escaping, the intruder appeared to have run through two sets of glass doors. The prosecutor stated that the house was too neat for there to have been a struggle. Julie stated that her conflict with the intruder was more of a chase than a struggle.
Despite the bloodbath found in her son's room, Julie was found with no blood on her except for a small transfer pattern, possibly caused by her contact with the intruder. Her toilets, sinks, washer, and dryer were found free of blood. A search of her septic tank and the lines leading to it failed to reveal the presence of any blood. Her ex-husband, Len Kirkpatrick, with whom Julie had a bitter divorce, had recently obtained residential custody of Joel, because he remarried, allowing Joel to have a two-parent home. The prosecution alleged that Julie's thinking regarding custody was, "If I can't have him, nobody will." Julie was not charged until three years after the murder. No new evidence had surfaced after the initial investigation, but her ex-husband and chief accuser had become a sheriff's deputy in a neighboring county. He had vowed in writing to "destroy her."
After the case was featured on "20/20," serial killer Tommy Lynn Sells confessed to the murder. Sells was a cautious killer who liked to kill but learned to avoid danger to himself. He would often kill sleeping victims, as awake victims were more dangerous. After a would-be adult victim sent him to the hospital for a week and to prison for five years, he stuck exclusively to killing children. It was suspected that Sells may be responsible for the Texas "intruder" murders of Devon and Damon Routier. Their mother, Darlie Routier, has been sentenced to death for the murders. However, Tommy Lynn Sells was in prison at the time of their murders. The state denied Sells confession in the Rea case, but the confession is reportedly too accurate to be dismissed as coincidence. In 2004, Julie's conviction was overturned because her prosecutor did not have the legal authority to try her. She was acquitted on retrial in July 2006.
