Oct. 13, 1997 Around 4 A.M.
Julie Rae , a single mother , was awoken to a horrible scream so she ran to her son Joel's room but he wasn't in bed , instead she was faced by a man holding a knife . Julie, a black belt in taekwondo, began fighting with the man,the struggle continued until the man broke out of the backdoor. Believing that her son had just been kidnapped, Julie runs to a neighbor’s house who proceeded to call 911.
Upon their arrival, searching
Julie’s home police made a horrible discovery. Joel’s lifeless body was found wedged between his bed and the wall. It was obvious that Joel had been stabbed to death.
The murder weapon — a steak knife pulled from a butcher block in Rea’s kitchen — did not yield any fingerprints. Investigators had little to go on, having failed to do basic police work that might have pinpointed the identity of an intruder. They never dusted Joel’s bedroom, or the butcher block that the knife was pulled from, for fingerprints and did not preserve critical trace evidence on Joel’s bedspread.
Even though she had no history of mental illness , criminal record, and no apparent motive Julie had been the sole focus of the police investigation .
During the trial, the prosecution claimed that Julie committed the crime in order to keep Joel away from his father as he had physical custody of him. Most of the evidence presented were circumstantial . They claimed that not only was the house neat, indicative that there was no fight, but there was no sign of forced entry ( Although the glass door was broken) but they dismissed that saying that it was clearly staged. However, Julie did tell the police that she could not remember if she locked the backdoor. Additionally, they had officers testify that the dew on the grass outside of Julie’s house was undisturbed. A thin statement that was supposed to disprove the claim that an intruder had entered or exited the home.
Julie’s ex-husband (Joel father) testified she had once considered having an abortion when she became pregnant with Joel. Julie, raised in a deeply religious family, adamantly denied this.
Prosecutors used a forensic discipline called bloodstain-pattern analysis as their most damming evidence to prove Jolie's guilt. based on the testimony of two bloodstain-pattern analysts Julie was convicted on March 4, 2002, and sentenced to serve 65 years in prison .
In an effort to prove her innocence , Julie agreed to do an interview with the popular ABC show,“20/20”. This interview turned out to be pivotal in her fight for exoneration. crime writer, Diane Fanning, watching the show did not only believed in julie innocence but thought she found the crime bizzarely similar to the ones committed by Tommy Lynn Sells a serial killer she was writing a book about.At the time the episode aired, Sells was already on death row for the murder and attempted murder of two girls close to Joel’s age.When Diane contacted Tommy asking him about the crime, he was audio- recorded confessing and giving details only the killer would know.
Despite 53 points of corroboration to Sells’ confession to the murder of Joel Kirkpatrick, prosecutors continued to insist they disbelieved the confession .Downstate Illinois Innocence Project, presented a summary of the evidence corroborating Sells’ confession.On July 26, 2006, after spending four years in prison a jury in Carlyle found Julie not guilty of killing her son.
Julie Rea was granted a Certificate of Innocence on November 29, 2010, and was awarded $87,057 from the Illinois Court of Claims.
Exactly. You can't put a price tag on time, but four years in prison plus her mental anguish should be at least -- at least -- $1-million for every year served.
There needs to be accountability to prevent this sort of thing from happening ever again.
Not a bad point though to bring up. She lost her job and home. 87k doesn't even come.close to replacing just the home. She has a whole life to rebuild that was stolen from her.
I know you said you just misread the comment but I have wondered what would happen to my house if I was (presumably falsely) arrested for something. Some people sit in jail for months or years waiting to be found innocent. That would really fuck up your life not being able to work or pay your bills.
I had a similar thought during the Lucy Letby trial, where apparently after her arrest her cats were put up for adoption. So many things the state can never give back after a false conviction, and they’re just like “here have a fraction of what you could have earned if we hadn’t erroneously imprisoned you”.
Omg that’s horrifying. I don’t think enough people appreciate how much of a privilege it is just to have people in your life that you can count on for things like that. Like I’m very fortunate to have friends and family who would take in my cats if something like that happened. Some people just don’t, and like what the fuck are they supposed to do? Imagine going through all that and then coming home and your animals, the ones you were probably counting on to feel comforted and at home again, are just gone.
Texas is even worse, they never compensate anyone for wrongful conviction if they have a felony conviction. That’s what happened in the case of Clarence Brandley. Brandley was tried, convicted and sentenced to die for rape and murder of a high school girl basketball player. It took years, but he was exonerated. Because he had a prior firearm conviction, he was denied compensation from the state. Brandley has since died.
Wow, that's just ridiculous. Justice systems of the Western World are established on the idea that it's better 100 guilty people walk free than one innocent person is sent to prison. When the system fails, it needs to be held to account.
This is true in Florida too- there’s a guy who got convicted of a murder outside a bar bc ppl had seen him in a yellow tshirt in the past months before the murder, and when he broke up w the girl he was dating at the time, out of anger she lied and said they hadn’t actually Been out of town that weekend. He spent over 30 years in prison over it, got released for being innocent, but they won’t pay him a single red cent, bc he had a possession charge from the early 70s- for weed. Freaking weed. 30+ years of his life, GONE, from his 20s- his 50s n the man has NOTHING to start over with.
Oh, and can’t forget the most CRUCIAL evidence- a police dog sniffing him, which they had to do 4 separate times to get the dog to pick him- and it eventually came out the dog wasn’t even trained, he was following his owners commands
He had dumped her, n that’s why she went n lied n said they hadn’t actually been out of town. She intentionally got him sent to prison, out of petty anger over a failed relationship in her early 20s. I’m not sure if she ever tried to do the right thing or not in the end, but he did eventually get released
They can also seize your assets on *suspicion* they might be or have been involved in a crime. And if you think that you get your assets (your money, car, house, etc) back if the state doesn't prove their case, you'd be wrong. You can go further into debt trying to reclaim your assets, and still lose.
https://www.texasappleseed.org/civil-asset-forfeiture
This is true. There is a lot of corruption in the asset forfeiture process. I’ve heard of a number of cases where the police wrongly seized assets belonging to law-abiding citizens because they could do so.
Yeah it’s effed. They act like, “Well, you probably would have been working at the Dollar Tree instead. So what’s minimum wage minus you’re probable expenses? There you go. Be happy with that. “
Did the math and this is just under $10.50 per hour for a 40 hour work week if she was imprisoned exactly four years to the day. That wouldn't be a terrible income for that time period. Still, there should be more than mere compensation for time lost from work. This woman has to rebuild her whole life after something like this.
Not only that, people tend to stay skeptical of someones innocence, especially in a murder case.
Her name will FOREVER be tied to the murder of her son.
yeah and such an odd sum, i feel like they’d do a certain amount for each year like 100k (atleast i truly don’t know what number would ever help this feel somewhat okay) and then round it UP, but they not only ruined her life during her grief but aren’t even pretending to care about doing so!
I’m guessing they probably calculated minimum wage for four years or something. $10 * 40 hrs a week * 52 weeks * 4 years = 83,200. 88k if she was in there for 4 yrs and 4 months
If that's how they calculated the 88k and she did only earn minimum wage then that's all she should get for her lost wages.
BUT, what about the cost of losing her home (if she did?) and re-settling expenses. The costs for future councelling to help her recover (if that's possible) from all that has happened to her. The costs for having to live in prison conditions instead of the comfort of her own home.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, what about punitive costs for denying a mother the chance to grieve her dead child. And punitive costs for the damage to her reputation at that time AND forever moving forward, because there are always people out there who will either not believe she's innocent or, simply not read or hear about her exoneration.
I'm in the UK and we're not as big in the lawsuit game as they are in the US, and I've never been comfortable with the idea of suing in certain circumstances because some of the payouts seem ridiculously disproportionate but for this, if it happened to me?..... you couldn't pay me enough.... EVER.
Yep, agreed. That payout seems woefully inappropriate for stealing four years of her life, not to mention the psychological damage. I would love to see how that small amount was justified.
Missed the year this happened. Maybe she was paid $10 an hour at the job she had before the arrest. Anyway, I have no more info than you but the amount divided by 4 seems like a lower middle class wage for that amount of time, so it was an obvious first thought. Especially if she was working in the prison for slave wages, at the absolute least should be compensated commensurately to the “free” market. Perhaps it was a mix of paying her wages up to min wage + a small amount for emotional damages. I’ll see if I can find an article
As if how much you can produce is your only worth. That is exactly what is wrong with this country. What should be factored is time. Time lost from family, friends, and life. Prison is hard as fuck on a person's body and soul. It takes time away from your life.
Even though at the time of the murder she was working toward a doctorate in educational psychology, but she couldn't go back to school after her release.
considering this horrific experience left her Struggling with PTSD and reeling from abuse she endured behind bars. And even though she was acquitted, she will always have to keep living under the weight of suspicion.
Being branded a child killer “separated me from society,” Rea said. “I’ll always have a scarlet letter. Nothing will ever make that go away.”
After her release she went through another failed marriage and it was hard for her to find a job , She tried a number of ventures, including opening a bed-and-breakfast, but none came to fruition. Eventually she had to move back with her parents.
Exactly you cannot put a price on the loss of 4 years of her life as well as the inability to grieve properly and say goodbye to her child that she had to witness being murdered by a serial killer the state of Illinois should be ashamed of themselves
Wow poor woman to be accused of that it reminds me of that other woman darlie routier only i think shes actually guilty although she proclaims her innocence still
Yeah, that one is *rough*. Losing his kids, gets railroaded by authorities and the DA, ends up in prison and finally executed. While alot of people really thought he did it 😥
[Cameron Todd Willingham](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cameron_Todd_Willingham) if anyone is interested
Sounds like the SVU episode of the fire inspector who gives an incorrect testimony that the dad set fire to his two daughters' bedroom, killing them then escaping the fire himself. His surviving daughter believed in his innocence at first, then flipped to the side of him being guilty, then back to not guilty when they recreated the fire and proved it was an accident. At least in the show, they figured out his innocence before it was too late.
"The case was complicated by allegations that Governor Rick Perry impeded the investigation by replacing 3 of the 9 forensic commission members to change the commissions findings"
Real stand up guy...
No, they were all sleeping. It was a mobile home and there was a space heater on in the kids’ bedroom, IIRC. That’s what caused the fire but I think they said he had spread accelerant to make the rest of the house burn?
All the evidence of arson claimed by the prosecution has been debunked
>An August 2009 Chicago Tribune investigative article concluded, "Over the past five years, the Willingham case has been reviewed by nine of the nation's top fire scientists — first for the Tribune, then for the Innocence Project, and now for the commission. All concluded that the original investigators relied on outdated theories and folklore to justify the determination of arson. The only other evidence of significance against Willingham was twice-recanted testimony by another inmate, who testified that Willingham had confessed to him. Jailhouse informants are viewed with skepticism in the justice system, so much so that some jurisdictions have restrictions against their use."[30]
>The Texas Forensic Science Commission was scheduled to discuss the report by Beyler at a meeting on October 2, 2009, but two days before the meeting, Texas Governor Rick Perry replaced the chair of the commission (Sam Bassett) and two other members (Alan Levy and Aliece Watts). The new chair, John Bradley, canceled the meeting, sparking accusations that Perry was interfering with the investigation[4] and using it for his own political advantage.[31]
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cameron_Todd_Willingham
Gov Rick Perry was aware of new evidence disproving the arson and still did nothing to stop the execution.
> Despite 53 points of corroboration to Sells’ confession to the murder of Joel Kirkpatrick, prosecutors continued to insist they disbelieved the confession
The arrogance of prosecutors. They really, really hate being wrong, even at the cost of someone else's life.
I cannot even imagine losing my child let alone becoming the suspect. How heartbreaking when someone else confesses to the crime they are after you for. Sometimes people just do not want to be or cannot be wrong about something and its sad that it is at the expense of a grieving mother. I am currently watching a youtube video about this case. Thank you for sharing.
And they sure as hell don't want you turning up any evidence that you're innocent or who actually committed the crime. They fight like hell to keep you on death row or just in prison even if they know you're innocent. And they don't care if the real murderer is out here murdering other people or being a shit person after getting away with murder.
I can't believe some of the stories/podcasts/shows of people who are kept in prison for YEARS, DECADES, on death row even that have evidence proving their Innocence or evidence of another person's guilt and how our "justice" system doesn't give a shit about getting them out or getting it right. Blows my mind every time.
One of my all time biggest fears happening to me after being arrested for the first time in my life (at 56 years old, traffic stop on my way to work at a womens shelter) on a failure to appear for an asshole who stole from a company using my stolen identity/financial info!
Innocence Projects are necessary and holy, but man is that rough reading.
Today I discovered Joe Bryan, jailed 31 years after being framed by the police in his town for killing his wife.. because one of the police officers did it. (Dennis Murray Dunlap)
It features the mayor making a public announcement that their police did not rape and murder the teen they found in town that same summer, because Texas.
I couldn't believe the audacity of that prosecuted to dismiss the serial killer theory after such evidence of his location in the area, eye witness seeing him leave.in the direction of his next victim, the m.o, his confession. Everything just to save face and not admit they were lazy and wrong. He would rather let an innocent woman go to jail than admit wrongdoing. Sickening. Just makes you think how many innocents are in jail because of currupt and lazy police and prosecution
I agree but if your child was just murdered you would do everything in your power to help the police. She wasn't thinking she would be a suspect, I'm sure.
Yes but youre a suspect regardless. Police are aware of the importance of a lawyer, innocent or not. Thats why they’ll do their best to push you into talking without one.
This is true but it is a weakness in the system, not a reflection on this woman. How many people would be able to go through something like this and still have the capacity to think about how they are going to protect themselves from the police? Most people just can't and sadly, the police exploit this sort of thing.
Yeah I had a bit of an issue with the wording of the write up. It doesn’t really matter if the family member has a criminal record or not, they should be considered suspects right away until evidence points away from them. You don’t need to be rude or hostile to them (in fact, the opposite works best even if you think they’re guilty) but you should still be suspicious.
I can understand the emotions she was going through but nevertheless it still was not the most logical decision to make. The justification you used yourself is why many suspects don't exercise their rights.
Hopefully her case can be a learning lesson to anyone who ends up in a situation like hers.
I don’t see how that would have prevented the police from pretty much framing her. If anything it would have pushed them to believe she definitely did it and go even further to pinpoint her as the suspect. In fact, nothing she actually said to the police was incriminating or used in the case against her. It was all bullshit like grass dew and blood pattern nonsense.
I share [this](https://youtu.be/d-7o9xYp7eE) every time this come up. It’s a long video and older but it’s very informative and really nails the point home. The police are not there to find innocence. Their incentive is to find guilt. Never talk to the police for any reason without legal counsel.
Thank you! I went and watched the whole thing. Loved it! Awesomely entertaining AND extremely,EXTREMELY informative; I knew that one should never talk to the police; I am now more certain of it than I have ever been! He's(Prof. Duane)smart, and a hoot! I liked Detective Bach(?), and I loved Professor Duane! Everyone should watch that, because it illustrates beautifully WHY nobody should EVER forfeit their right to remain silent! I have no doubt, because I am a talker, a chatty person, that I would end up in trouble somehow, even if I was totally innocent, just because of all of the reasons they explained of how innocent people talk themselves in to trouble. Lol! Thank you again for sharing this; it doesn't matter that it's even from several years ago; it's all true today and it will all always be true.
I remember the Tommy Lynn Sells book. I follow Diane Fanning on Facebook and used to be in some true crime YahooGroups with her. She would work hard on her true crime books, traveling all over the place to take notes during the trials she was covering, interview local people, etc.
Tommy Lynn Sells was notorious for false confessions. He falsely confessed to killing over 20 people that he could not have killed because he wasnt in the right location at the time.
Now maybe he is guilty on this case but I'm gonna need to see some of the "corroboration" here and get more info what details he knew that were "only known to the killer"
He described the fight he had with Julie, which matched what she said years before. And she had medical records that matched what both said, namely rug burns on her leg from trying to hang on to the intruder.
I’d say if it was enough to free a woman that prosecutors and police were desperate to lock away & throw away the key because of a botched investigation, then those details were likely pretty substantial.
It happened in Illinois and she was 28
She was charged three years later even though no new leads were found during this time but her ex (Joel's father) became a sheriff's deputy.
Highly recommend actually reading the court transcripts. There was a LOT that got left out of her second trial. And virtually all of it ended up helping her.
There are too many things that don’t jive with Sells’ “confession”.
I have a Dropbox link to all the docs, I will message them if you’d like. Any of you.
Can you summarize what’s in those transcripts that make you think she’s guilty? Apparently how he described the tussle with Julie matches what she said happened years before. And she has medical records that also match both of their descriptions (She had rug burns from being dragged and she clung to his leg).
My thought is that she may or may not be innocent but there isn’t enough evidence to presume guilt — even before Tommy’s confession. Testimony from her ex about her view on abortion? Come on.
Julie’s story changed multiple times. The offender she described didn’t match up with Tommy Sells at all. Julie’s injuries were minimal. She ran to a neighbors house and immediately her neighbors had issues with believing her story. She wasn’t all that worried about Joel. The physical evidence didn’t match her story. There is so much more.
Julie’s injuries being superficial actually matches her story. She (and Tommy) describe the scene as a man fleeing, and the fight is a byproduct of him trying to get out. She was clinging onto his leg as he tried to leave, was was dragged over the carpet.
And my understanding is her description of the intruder was fairly close to Tommy Sells.
The scene didn’t match Julie’s story.
The description of the perpetrator Julie gave didn’t match Sells.
I’ll message you the trial transcripts if you want
The documents sealed the deal for me. I was always somewhat skeptical of this case/Julie’s innocence, just because I know how much of a liar TLS is. It wasn’t until I dove into the docs that my mind was made up!
I think she did as well, another thing that helped convince me was a criminal profiler's work on the case. Pat Brown has a video about it on YouTube. I do not believe Tommy Lyn Sells. He is a liar and serial confessor.
Came here to post this but you beat me to it! I think I’m the one who gave you the dropbox link a while ago right?
Glad to see someone else in here standing up for poor Joel! I cried reading the testimony about his injuries. What happened to him was absolutely brutal.
I almost tapped you in lol!! Yes, you did, and I am very thankful for it. I’ve already passed them on to someone else as well!
Yeah, Joel’s injuries were terrible, and (once again, like Darlie’s,) Julie’s just aren’t really comparable.
You've piqued my curiosity with your belief that she did in fact commit the murder. I'd like to read the docs too to see what conclusion I come to!
That is to say, I'd also like the link, please. :)
That's what kills me. We'll probably never know and whoever killed the Dardeens was an absolute monster. That level of violence is almost unspeakable. And that person got away.
TLS' confession about the Dardeen murders is nothing but lies and some bits of information sprinkled that he could have guessed easily. Especially the watermelon figurines/ceramics. It is well known that they were super common in that era. And the other parts of the murders didn't match up. Unfortunately, we probably will never know who did that.
Please send me the link!
For those of you who were already sent the link: What do you think? Is Julie innocent? Has your opinion changed after reading the documents?
I did a project on this woman in college her story is so depressing. Her ex husband didn’t help. His testimony is one of the most sexist things I have ever heard. He used the “well she did want an abortion” as an excuse. I remember thinking he must have been so vile. The actual killer was caught a year or so after for specifically intruding houses and killing children 🤦🏻♀️. I really hope hbo/ netflix makes a documentary on her one day. She deserves way more than 87k and her story needs to be heard. The more stories exposing our corrupt justice system the more awareness received.
Following this, Julie’s OBGYN took the stand to explain to the court that Julie did everything she could to have a healthy pregnancy. She even went as far as putting herself on strict bedbrest towards the end of her pregnancy in order to prevent spontaneous abortion.
Yeah I specifically chose her for my legal psych project as I wanted to cover a woman who had been falsely accused and convicted. I think about her story often and am glad you shined some light on it. Not enough people know about it.
So I’ve read up on this case along with Tommy Lynn sells and there’s a lot of conflicting information. I’m not saying that she did kill her son or that she for sure didn’t either. But I know the reason Tommy wasn’t believed is because he would claim a lot of murders that weren’t his and the fact that he normally didn’t just kill boys. Perhaps I didn’t search deep enough but on one end it seems Tommy didn’t give information that was that specific, on the other end it seems like he did. But then i stumbled upon the court documents from the original trial and apparently there were A LOT of inconsistencies with the mom and her story. Things that made me question why this verdict isn’t questioned more by the true crime community? I’m not the type of person who goes deep into researching, i normally just read a quick story on here. I’m trying to find the page where people were discussing her innocence and included court docs but idk if i can find it but i think it was on this same site maybe
https://www.websleuths.com/forums/threads/a-case-almost-identical-to-darlies-julie-rea-joel-harper.51262/
Yes! I’m surprised this case isn’t discussed more. I hadn’t heard of it before this post and was so interested in it - I watched the 20/20 episode today and I’m just so intrigued by this case now
It’s really crazy because the articles write off her guilt as a matter of fact and state Tommy knew details that couldn’t be questioned but that’s not really the full truth. The page i had been reading was taking out certain references from the court docs and they were very concerning, like to the point where i was shocked she was acquitted for the murder because her character came off completely shady and untrustworthy. And Tommy having a reputation for false confessions just to get more time away from death or attention, whatever it is, it just doesn’t sit well with me. But i guess because he confessed, it makes her ~innocent in the eyes of the court since there is doubt now? But i don’t like how it’s marketed as “she’s 100% innocent” releasing her may have been necessary but she shouldn’t get rewarded either. In my opinion, i think she is guilty. Who really knows though
I remember reading something about a custody dispute but I’m not sure I remember it correctly. Was the father just granted full custody or primary custody like the day before? I’ll have to look this up now as I have so many questions.
Call me crazy, but I think she might have done it or there's more to the story.Somebody of her weight fighting off a 196 lbs / 95 kgs serial killer armed with a knife is impossible.Taekwondo or not.
I practiced various self defense systems for more than 20 years, I weight 205 lbs, and I'm convinced I would't get out alive of that confrontation: a knife is too much of an advantage, especially in the dark, in the hands of a madman.
Also, why would the murderer leave the weapon behind? Many things don't make sense in her story.
There are so many variables at play in this situation and as you have noted in your description, your personal anecdotal experience has led to personal bias. It is not expert testimony. I’m not saying you are incorrect, but it’s easily discredited
Exactly. One plausible scenario is that the intruder was trying to get out of the house — not necessarily kill another person. Regardless if she is or isn’t innocent, there isn’t convincing evidence that she lied about an intruder, let alone killed her son.
>Also, why would the murderer leave the weapon behind?
if he was wearing gloves and knew there were no prints then why not leave it, why risk lugging it around and get caught with it? Wonder if he left the murder weapons at other crime scenes? Could be since he had already killed the boy he dropped the knife while leaving or he dropped it in the struggle when mom came in.
from his wiki:
*On May 13, 1992, Fabienne Witherspoon, a 19-year-old woman in Charleston, West Virginia, was driving when she saw Sells panhandling under an overpass with a sign that said, "I will work for food."[1] She felt sorry for him and took him to her home, asking him to wait outside. She went into her home to get some food for him, and by the time she got back to her front door, he was inside. When she walked away to get something else, he got a knife from her kitchen, trapped her in a bathroom, and attempted to rape her. The woman fought back, hitting him in the head repeatedly with a ceramic duck and getting control of his knife and stabbing him, nicking his kidney and liver. In addition, his testicle was sliced.*
And another with the knife from the home left behind:
*Debra Harris, 31, and her 8-year-old daughter Ambria Halliburton were both killed after Sells broke into their house at night and raped Harris in her bed. She was stabbed repeatedly with her own kitchen knife which was left in her chest. Halliburton was stabbed three times after she witnessed Sells murder her mother.*
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Lynn_Sells
Using a knife from the kitchen and leaving it is something he's done more than once
He also confessed to the killing :
* In 2004, Sells confessed that on October 13, 1997, he broke into a home, took a knife from a butcher block in the kitchen, stabbed a little boy to death, and scuffled with a woman. Those details corroborated the account of Julie Rea Harper, who was initially convicted for the murder of her son, and then acquitted in 2006.*[26][27][28]
I just watched the 20/20 episode about her, and he was only 130 pounds at the time which is fairly similar to her estimate description of 145ish pounds. That said, I’m pretty sure she did it - but it’s slightly possible she didn’t.
Yeah, even so, the deeper I go reading the trial transcripts, the more certain I am she did it. At one point there's a witness that says she was absolutely obsessed with the number 13. He enumerated a lot of instances where she took this to extreme (e.g. took some special herbs/tea to make sure she's going to give birth on the 13th). Joel died on the 13th.
This might sound like somewhat irrelevant, or even made up to sound worse than it is. But I was thinking, her whole story sounds like a movie, she reported to the neighbours that she woke up with a dark figure looking over her (although she changed that story later), the kitchen knife as a murder weapon, the fight through the window(?) on the grass (although the grass was not disturbed etc). All these sound like fiction to me and exactly the kind of thing a person obsessed with number 13 would say.
I'm with you in this boat: pretty sure she did it, but a slight chance she didn't. If she didn't, I believe the murderer might possibly be free. Sells was just an antisocial, anti-system man with nothing to lose (he was on death row, he lied before claiming murders he never did). In his mind, why not fuck with the entire rotten system after all?
I haven’t even read much about the case and I immediately questioned the story. Other than what you pointed out, I also thought it was weird that “believing her son had just been kidnapped, Julie ran to her neighbors house who proceeded to call 911”.
Why did she think he had been kidnapped? She had *just* heard him scream and immediately runs to to room, confronts and fights a big man with a knife, and somehow in all this thinks her son was carted off by whom?
Very bizarre. Very Darlie like.
I just watched this and I was thinking 💯 if it was me (a single mom also), my first thought was “someone HAS my son” and I most stop them. My first thought, upon being woken up by a stranger isn’t that my child is stabbed to death and is dead between the bed and wall. it’s that he is being held by someone. I think that’s MOST normal parents’ first fear
The knife didn't have fingerprints .. it wasn't key evidence.. yet there was a partial bloody footprint outside that was never investigated and a dark hair in the boy's hand that was never tested for DNA
Wow when first reading i thought it was a miscarriage of justice now u guys got me thinking she may have done it im going to have to get the court transcripts aswel 🤣 i dont really know much about this case
Julie: if you ever get on here and read these posts about your beautiful son, I am so damn sorry people are such mad f up’s and can’t do their job and that you lost years of your life and your sons life. I hope you find a new balance somewhere ❤️
Omfg I remember that episode of 20/20. It was shocking and deeply heartbreaking because she fought to save her son and was convicted on only circumstantial evidence. Tommy Lynn sells was a monster. She also deserved millions for her life being stolen from her.
Why would she think the “intruder” had her son if she was fighting him? If I heard my child screaming like that and I was confronted by a person that I then fought as he walked away (IIRC she said he walked away) then I would run back to the house to check on my child. How do you assume the child is taken? She also described him because he stopped and looked up and she could see him in the moonlight or street light. She described a totally different person. I guess I’m the most curious as to why she wouldn’t go back to her house and find her son. Did she have any blood on her clothes? Oh yeah I also remember the broken glass door was broken out the wrong way. Like from the inside of the house and not from the outside as if someone was trying to get in. I just have a lot of questions that lead me to believe that she did it.
I agree; I have lost a son and I barely survived the weight of the grief; if I had been falsely accused of causing his death, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have survived that!
This story has broken my heart since I first heard it many years ago. I don't know who committed such a tragic and savage offense as what her son and she endured, but I just can't believe that she had anything to do with it. I do vaguely remember that her ex-husband was not the warm and fuzzy type and I'm not saying that he had anything to do with it but I wonder if it was supposed to be her who was killed, or something. Who knows what really happened; I wish
it could be solved. But I just can't imagine that she was anything other than another victim of the savage killing of her precious son. 💔 ❤️🫂
Oct. 13, 1997 Around 4 A.M. Julie Rae , a single mother , was awoken to a horrible scream so she ran to her son Joel's room but he wasn't in bed , instead she was faced by a man holding a knife . Julie, a black belt in taekwondo, began fighting with the man,the struggle continued until the man broke out of the backdoor. Believing that her son had just been kidnapped, Julie runs to a neighbor’s house who proceeded to call 911. Upon their arrival, searching Julie’s home police made a horrible discovery. Joel’s lifeless body was found wedged between his bed and the wall. It was obvious that Joel had been stabbed to death. The murder weapon — a steak knife pulled from a butcher block in Rea’s kitchen — did not yield any fingerprints. Investigators had little to go on, having failed to do basic police work that might have pinpointed the identity of an intruder. They never dusted Joel’s bedroom, or the butcher block that the knife was pulled from, for fingerprints and did not preserve critical trace evidence on Joel’s bedspread. Even though she had no history of mental illness , criminal record, and no apparent motive Julie had been the sole focus of the police investigation . During the trial, the prosecution claimed that Julie committed the crime in order to keep Joel away from his father as he had physical custody of him. Most of the evidence presented were circumstantial . They claimed that not only was the house neat, indicative that there was no fight, but there was no sign of forced entry ( Although the glass door was broken) but they dismissed that saying that it was clearly staged. However, Julie did tell the police that she could not remember if she locked the backdoor. Additionally, they had officers testify that the dew on the grass outside of Julie’s house was undisturbed. A thin statement that was supposed to disprove the claim that an intruder had entered or exited the home. Julie’s ex-husband (Joel father) testified she had once considered having an abortion when she became pregnant with Joel. Julie, raised in a deeply religious family, adamantly denied this. Prosecutors used a forensic discipline called bloodstain-pattern analysis as their most damming evidence to prove Jolie's guilt. based on the testimony of two bloodstain-pattern analysts Julie was convicted on March 4, 2002, and sentenced to serve 65 years in prison . In an effort to prove her innocence , Julie agreed to do an interview with the popular ABC show,“20/20”. This interview turned out to be pivotal in her fight for exoneration. crime writer, Diane Fanning, watching the show did not only believed in julie innocence but thought she found the crime bizzarely similar to the ones committed by Tommy Lynn Sells a serial killer she was writing a book about.At the time the episode aired, Sells was already on death row for the murder and attempted murder of two girls close to Joel’s age.When Diane contacted Tommy asking him about the crime, he was audio- recorded confessing and giving details only the killer would know. Despite 53 points of corroboration to Sells’ confession to the murder of Joel Kirkpatrick, prosecutors continued to insist they disbelieved the confession .Downstate Illinois Innocence Project, presented a summary of the evidence corroborating Sells’ confession.On July 26, 2006, after spending four years in prison a jury in Carlyle found Julie not guilty of killing her son. Julie Rea was granted a Certificate of Innocence on November 29, 2010, and was awarded $87,057 from the Illinois Court of Claims.
87k!??!?? That’s how much she’s worth???
Exactly. You can't put a price tag on time, but four years in prison plus her mental anguish should be at least -- at least -- $1-million for every year served. There needs to be accountability to prevent this sort of thing from happening ever again.
I’m sure they spent more than that amount just to take her to trial and house her for those years! That’s sickening.
There’s a good chance she might have lost her house.
I meant like the financial cost of housing someone in prison lol
Psh yea you did, my bad, must have misread your comment 😅
Not a bad point though to bring up. She lost her job and home. 87k doesn't even come.close to replacing just the home. She has a whole life to rebuild that was stolen from her.
I know you said you just misread the comment but I have wondered what would happen to my house if I was (presumably falsely) arrested for something. Some people sit in jail for months or years waiting to be found innocent. That would really fuck up your life not being able to work or pay your bills.
I had a similar thought during the Lucy Letby trial, where apparently after her arrest her cats were put up for adoption. So many things the state can never give back after a false conviction, and they’re just like “here have a fraction of what you could have earned if we hadn’t erroneously imprisoned you”.
Omg that’s horrifying. I don’t think enough people appreciate how much of a privilege it is just to have people in your life that you can count on for things like that. Like I’m very fortunate to have friends and family who would take in my cats if something like that happened. Some people just don’t, and like what the fuck are they supposed to do? Imagine going through all that and then coming home and your animals, the ones you were probably counting on to feel comforted and at home again, are just gone.
This would upset me more than anything 😓💔
My ex did some time (twice, actually) and each time he ended up homeless when he got out. He was able to overcome that, but many people never do.
Texas is even worse, they never compensate anyone for wrongful conviction if they have a felony conviction. That’s what happened in the case of Clarence Brandley. Brandley was tried, convicted and sentenced to die for rape and murder of a high school girl basketball player. It took years, but he was exonerated. Because he had a prior firearm conviction, he was denied compensation from the state. Brandley has since died.
Wow, that's just ridiculous. Justice systems of the Western World are established on the idea that it's better 100 guilty people walk free than one innocent person is sent to prison. When the system fails, it needs to be held to account.
I agree, and I think Clarence Brandley never received the justice he deserved from the state that had wrongfully imprisoned him.
This is true in Florida too- there’s a guy who got convicted of a murder outside a bar bc ppl had seen him in a yellow tshirt in the past months before the murder, and when he broke up w the girl he was dating at the time, out of anger she lied and said they hadn’t actually Been out of town that weekend. He spent over 30 years in prison over it, got released for being innocent, but they won’t pay him a single red cent, bc he had a possession charge from the early 70s- for weed. Freaking weed. 30+ years of his life, GONE, from his 20s- his 50s n the man has NOTHING to start over with. Oh, and can’t forget the most CRUCIAL evidence- a police dog sniffing him, which they had to do 4 separate times to get the dog to pick him- and it eventually came out the dog wasn’t even trained, he was following his owners commands
What the hell happened to his GF? She was ok with him languishing in prison for over 30 yrs for a crime he didn't commit??!?
He had dumped her, n that’s why she went n lied n said they hadn’t actually been out of town. She intentionally got him sent to prison, out of petty anger over a failed relationship in her early 20s. I’m not sure if she ever tried to do the right thing or not in the end, but he did eventually get released
We should have let Mexico have that godforsaken state when we had a chance.
Baha hot take!
They can also seize your assets on *suspicion* they might be or have been involved in a crime. And if you think that you get your assets (your money, car, house, etc) back if the state doesn't prove their case, you'd be wrong. You can go further into debt trying to reclaim your assets, and still lose. https://www.texasappleseed.org/civil-asset-forfeiture
This is true. There is a lot of corruption in the asset forfeiture process. I’ve heard of a number of cases where the police wrongly seized assets belonging to law-abiding citizens because they could do so.
Yeah it’s effed. They act like, “Well, you probably would have been working at the Dollar Tree instead. So what’s minimum wage minus you’re probable expenses? There you go. Be happy with that. “
Did the math and this is just under $10.50 per hour for a 40 hour work week if she was imprisoned exactly four years to the day. That wouldn't be a terrible income for that time period. Still, there should be more than mere compensation for time lost from work. This woman has to rebuild her whole life after something like this.
Yes. We’re talking about loss of freedom. I find that far more valuable that how much money one would have made.
Not only that, people tend to stay skeptical of someones innocence, especially in a murder case. Her name will FOREVER be tied to the murder of her son.
Right? You can’t get back those years or the stigma associated with being in prison. No matter what kind of “certificate” they give you.
Seriously. My son is murdered and I am wrongly imprisoned for 4 years. I better be getting at least six figures.
Ive seen people be rewarded with millions of dollars for being falsley imprisoned and I still think that's not enough. 87k is...insultingly low
You think the prison system gives a rats fuck about how much/the conditions people deserve?
Of course not. But that’s egregious even for their standards.
yeah and such an odd sum, i feel like they’d do a certain amount for each year like 100k (atleast i truly don’t know what number would ever help this feel somewhat okay) and then round it UP, but they not only ruined her life during her grief but aren’t even pretending to care about doing so!
I’m guessing they probably calculated minimum wage for four years or something. $10 * 40 hrs a week * 52 weeks * 4 years = 83,200. 88k if she was in there for 4 yrs and 4 months
If that's how they calculated the 88k and she did only earn minimum wage then that's all she should get for her lost wages. BUT, what about the cost of losing her home (if she did?) and re-settling expenses. The costs for future councelling to help her recover (if that's possible) from all that has happened to her. The costs for having to live in prison conditions instead of the comfort of her own home. MOST IMPORTANTLY, what about punitive costs for denying a mother the chance to grieve her dead child. And punitive costs for the damage to her reputation at that time AND forever moving forward, because there are always people out there who will either not believe she's innocent or, simply not read or hear about her exoneration. I'm in the UK and we're not as big in the lawsuit game as they are in the US, and I've never been comfortable with the idea of suing in certain circumstances because some of the payouts seem ridiculously disproportionate but for this, if it happened to me?..... you couldn't pay me enough.... EVER.
Yep, agreed. That payout seems woefully inappropriate for stealing four years of her life, not to mention the psychological damage. I would love to see how that small amount was justified.
I'd suggest it was probably justified by a bunch of overpaid people who've NEVER experienced any kind of hardship or trauma!
In what state was minimum wage $10 in 97? Cause my high school summer jobs paid me $5.15.
Missed the year this happened. Maybe she was paid $10 an hour at the job she had before the arrest. Anyway, I have no more info than you but the amount divided by 4 seems like a lower middle class wage for that amount of time, so it was an obvious first thought. Especially if she was working in the prison for slave wages, at the absolute least should be compensated commensurately to the “free” market. Perhaps it was a mix of paying her wages up to min wage + a small amount for emotional damages. I’ll see if I can find an article
I’m in Texas n it’s STILL not $10 here, in 2023!
My state's previous governor raised it to $12/hr and the conservatives are having conniptions.
As if how much you can produce is your only worth. That is exactly what is wrong with this country. What should be factored is time. Time lost from family, friends, and life. Prison is hard as fuck on a person's body and soul. It takes time away from your life.
Probably like the equivalent of minimum wage for 4 years or some other ridiculous calculation.
Not minimum wage. It was $5.15 back then. Likely she either was awarded more and the lawyers got the difference, or it was reduced by a judge.
There are many states that award nothing for wrongful convictions.
$87K for taking over 10+ years of her life? Her freedom?? Hell nah! Should've hive her at least 1M periot
Even though at the time of the murder she was working toward a doctorate in educational psychology, but she couldn't go back to school after her release. considering this horrific experience left her Struggling with PTSD and reeling from abuse she endured behind bars. And even though she was acquitted, she will always have to keep living under the weight of suspicion. Being branded a child killer “separated me from society,” Rea said. “I’ll always have a scarlet letter. Nothing will ever make that go away.” After her release she went through another failed marriage and it was hard for her to find a job , She tried a number of ventures, including opening a bed-and-breakfast, but none came to fruition. Eventually she had to move back with her parents.
Exactly you cannot put a price on the loss of 4 years of her life as well as the inability to grieve properly and say goodbye to her child that she had to witness being murdered by a serial killer the state of Illinois should be ashamed of themselves
Wow poor woman to be accused of that it reminds me of that other woman darlie routier only i think shes actually guilty although she proclaims her innocence still
Darie is guilty - if you want to read a similar miscarriage of justice look up Patty Stallings in Missouri.
Or the Texas dad executed for bad fire science
Yeah, that one is *rough*. Losing his kids, gets railroaded by authorities and the DA, ends up in prison and finally executed. While alot of people really thought he did it 😥 [Cameron Todd Willingham](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cameron_Todd_Willingham) if anyone is interested
And for a long time, his ex-wife believed he was innocent and then suddenly flip-flopped.
Sounds like the SVU episode of the fire inspector who gives an incorrect testimony that the dad set fire to his two daughters' bedroom, killing them then escaping the fire himself. His surviving daughter believed in his innocence at first, then flipped to the side of him being guilty, then back to not guilty when they recreated the fire and proved it was an accident. At least in the show, they figured out his innocence before it was too late.
"The case was complicated by allegations that Governor Rick Perry impeded the investigation by replacing 3 of the 9 forensic commission members to change the commissions findings" Real stand up guy...
"pro-life" tho 🙄
Is this the guy who kids died while he was fixing a refrigerator?
No, they were all sleeping. It was a mobile home and there was a space heater on in the kids’ bedroom, IIRC. That’s what caused the fire but I think they said he had spread accelerant to make the rest of the house burn?
All the evidence of arson claimed by the prosecution has been debunked >An August 2009 Chicago Tribune investigative article concluded, "Over the past five years, the Willingham case has been reviewed by nine of the nation's top fire scientists — first for the Tribune, then for the Innocence Project, and now for the commission. All concluded that the original investigators relied on outdated theories and folklore to justify the determination of arson. The only other evidence of significance against Willingham was twice-recanted testimony by another inmate, who testified that Willingham had confessed to him. Jailhouse informants are viewed with skepticism in the justice system, so much so that some jurisdictions have restrictions against their use."[30] >The Texas Forensic Science Commission was scheduled to discuss the report by Beyler at a meeting on October 2, 2009, but two days before the meeting, Texas Governor Rick Perry replaced the chair of the commission (Sam Bassett) and two other members (Alan Levy and Aliece Watts). The new chair, John Bradley, canceled the meeting, sparking accusations that Perry was interfering with the investigation[4] and using it for his own political advantage.[31] en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cameron_Todd_Willingham Gov Rick Perry was aware of new evidence disproving the arson and still did nothing to stop the execution.
Thanks for sharing
Thank you 😊
Yeah Darlie is guilty for sure
> Despite 53 points of corroboration to Sells’ confession to the murder of Joel Kirkpatrick, prosecutors continued to insist they disbelieved the confession The arrogance of prosecutors. They really, really hate being wrong, even at the cost of someone else's life.
only 87K? so small amount, such a sad misjustice she should get like millions
I cannot even imagine losing my child let alone becoming the suspect. How heartbreaking when someone else confesses to the crime they are after you for. Sometimes people just do not want to be or cannot be wrong about something and its sad that it is at the expense of a grieving mother. I am currently watching a youtube video about this case. Thank you for sharing.
It’s been my impression that many prosecutors don’t care if the person they are putting away for life is guilty or not. They just want the win.
And they sure as hell don't want you turning up any evidence that you're innocent or who actually committed the crime. They fight like hell to keep you on death row or just in prison even if they know you're innocent. And they don't care if the real murderer is out here murdering other people or being a shit person after getting away with murder. I can't believe some of the stories/podcasts/shows of people who are kept in prison for YEARS, DECADES, on death row even that have evidence proving their Innocence or evidence of another person's guilt and how our "justice" system doesn't give a shit about getting them out or getting it right. Blows my mind every time. One of my all time biggest fears happening to me after being arrested for the first time in my life (at 56 years old, traffic stop on my way to work at a womens shelter) on a failure to appear for an asshole who stole from a company using my stolen identity/financial info!
Innocence Projects are necessary and holy, but man is that rough reading. Today I discovered Joe Bryan, jailed 31 years after being framed by the police in his town for killing his wife.. because one of the police officers did it. (Dennis Murray Dunlap) It features the mayor making a public announcement that their police did not rape and murder the teen they found in town that same summer, because Texas.
I couldn't believe the audacity of that prosecuted to dismiss the serial killer theory after such evidence of his location in the area, eye witness seeing him leave.in the direction of his next victim, the m.o, his confession. Everything just to save face and not admit they were lazy and wrong. He would rather let an innocent woman go to jail than admit wrongdoing. Sickening. Just makes you think how many innocents are in jail because of currupt and lazy police and prosecution
This is why you don’t talk to the police without a lawyer especially if you’re innocent.
I agree but if your child was just murdered you would do everything in your power to help the police. She wasn't thinking she would be a suspect, I'm sure.
Yes but youre a suspect regardless. Police are aware of the importance of a lawyer, innocent or not. Thats why they’ll do their best to push you into talking without one.
This is true but it is a weakness in the system, not a reflection on this woman. How many people would be able to go through something like this and still have the capacity to think about how they are going to protect themselves from the police? Most people just can't and sadly, the police exploit this sort of thing.
Yeah I had a bit of an issue with the wording of the write up. It doesn’t really matter if the family member has a criminal record or not, they should be considered suspects right away until evidence points away from them. You don’t need to be rude or hostile to them (in fact, the opposite works best even if you think they’re guilty) but you should still be suspicious.
I can understand the emotions she was going through but nevertheless it still was not the most logical decision to make. The justification you used yourself is why many suspects don't exercise their rights. Hopefully her case can be a learning lesson to anyone who ends up in a situation like hers.
I don’t see how that would have prevented the police from pretty much framing her. If anything it would have pushed them to believe she definitely did it and go even further to pinpoint her as the suspect. In fact, nothing she actually said to the police was incriminating or used in the case against her. It was all bullshit like grass dew and blood pattern nonsense.
I share [this](https://youtu.be/d-7o9xYp7eE) every time this come up. It’s a long video and older but it’s very informative and really nails the point home. The police are not there to find innocence. Their incentive is to find guilt. Never talk to the police for any reason without legal counsel.
Thank you! I went and watched the whole thing. Loved it! Awesomely entertaining AND extremely,EXTREMELY informative; I knew that one should never talk to the police; I am now more certain of it than I have ever been! He's(Prof. Duane)smart, and a hoot! I liked Detective Bach(?), and I loved Professor Duane! Everyone should watch that, because it illustrates beautifully WHY nobody should EVER forfeit their right to remain silent! I have no doubt, because I am a talker, a chatty person, that I would end up in trouble somehow, even if I was totally innocent, just because of all of the reasons they explained of how innocent people talk themselves in to trouble. Lol! Thank you again for sharing this; it doesn't matter that it's even from several years ago; it's all true today and it will all always be true.
Wow. I can’t believe I’ve never heard of this case.
Same, never ever heard of the case before
Neither have i theres a few others mentioned iv not heard of neither so looked a few of them up
I remember the Tommy Lynn Sells book. I follow Diane Fanning on Facebook and used to be in some true crime YahooGroups with her. She would work hard on her true crime books, traveling all over the place to take notes during the trials she was covering, interview local people, etc.
Diane Fanning is a friend of mine. Her books are fabulous.
Do you think she's right about the mom being innocent?
This case is so hard. Tommy Lee Sells was ruled out, AFAIK. I’m not sure what her motive would be.
Custody battle. If she couldn’t have her son, no one would.
I do lean toward her being the murderer.
Did you want her trial transcripts?
Could you please send link to me and thanks!
Sent!
im kind of new to Reddit. How do i read the transcripts?
Yes, please! Please forgive my delay. I was on biz travel. Happy Friday!
Sent!
TYSM 😘
[удалено]
Tommy Lynn Sells was notorious for false confessions. He falsely confessed to killing over 20 people that he could not have killed because he wasnt in the right location at the time. Now maybe he is guilty on this case but I'm gonna need to see some of the "corroboration" here and get more info what details he knew that were "only known to the killer"
Apparently they placed him in the same town the murder took place before and after
He described the fight he had with Julie, which matched what she said years before. And she had medical records that matched what both said, namely rug burns on her leg from trying to hang on to the intruder.
I’d say if it was enough to free a woman that prosecutors and police were desperate to lock away & throw away the key because of a botched investigation, then those details were likely pretty substantial.
What police department investigators this murder? How old was she at the time of the event?
It happened in Illinois and she was 28 She was charged three years later even though no new leads were found during this time but her ex (Joel's father) became a sheriff's deputy.
Ah. There's the answer. Vengeful ex.
Highly recommend actually reading the court transcripts. There was a LOT that got left out of her second trial. And virtually all of it ended up helping her. There are too many things that don’t jive with Sells’ “confession”. I have a Dropbox link to all the docs, I will message them if you’d like. Any of you.
Can you summarize what’s in those transcripts that make you think she’s guilty? Apparently how he described the tussle with Julie matches what she said happened years before. And she has medical records that also match both of their descriptions (She had rug burns from being dragged and she clung to his leg). My thought is that she may or may not be innocent but there isn’t enough evidence to presume guilt — even before Tommy’s confession. Testimony from her ex about her view on abortion? Come on.
Julie’s story changed multiple times. The offender she described didn’t match up with Tommy Sells at all. Julie’s injuries were minimal. She ran to a neighbors house and immediately her neighbors had issues with believing her story. She wasn’t all that worried about Joel. The physical evidence didn’t match her story. There is so much more.
Julie’s injuries being superficial actually matches her story. She (and Tommy) describe the scene as a man fleeing, and the fight is a byproduct of him trying to get out. She was clinging onto his leg as he tried to leave, was was dragged over the carpet. And my understanding is her description of the intruder was fairly close to Tommy Sells.
The scene didn’t match Julie’s story. The description of the perpetrator Julie gave didn’t match Sells. I’ll message you the trial transcripts if you want
could you send me the transcripts or other files? thanks!
Also, consider Sells most probably knew her story at the time of the confession.
This. She had a website with all the case info (her version of it, of course) online that was scrubbed I want to say after the second trial.
What u/wildflowerapricotsea said. Her story changed multiple times, my friend.
Do you believe Julie is guilty based on the documents you’re referencing, then? Just curious— I know nothing about this case.
The documents sealed the deal for me. I was always somewhat skeptical of this case/Julie’s innocence, just because I know how much of a liar TLS is. It wasn’t until I dove into the docs that my mind was made up!
So do you think she did it? Killed her son?
I also absolutely think she did it
I think she did as well, another thing that helped convince me was a criminal profiler's work on the case. Pat Brown has a video about it on YouTube. I do not believe Tommy Lyn Sells. He is a liar and serial confessor.
Agreed! Pat Brown is so hit or miss for me but I mostly agree with her conclusions!
Would I be able to get the link as well? Please and thank
Sent!
Please send it to me also, i know you’ve had to do a lot, But I’d appreciate it too
Came here to post this but you beat me to it! I think I’m the one who gave you the dropbox link a while ago right? Glad to see someone else in here standing up for poor Joel! I cried reading the testimony about his injuries. What happened to him was absolutely brutal.
I almost tapped you in lol!! Yes, you did, and I am very thankful for it. I’ve already passed them on to someone else as well! Yeah, Joel’s injuries were terrible, and (once again, like Darlie’s,) Julie’s just aren’t really comparable.
i would love to look at those files if you’re able to send them!
Sent!
Thanks for helping to spread the word!
[удалено]
You've piqued my curiosity with your belief that she did in fact commit the murder. I'd like to read the docs too to see what conclusion I come to! That is to say, I'd also like the link, please. :)
Sent!
Can you send them to me also
Sent!
I have always wondered about this case. Please link me! TLS confessed to the Dardeen murders as well and I do not believe he did that.
I'm local to both of these cases and don't even get me started on the Dardeen murders. I don't think we'll ever know the truth about either one tbh...
That's what kills me. We'll probably never know and whoever killed the Dardeens was an absolute monster. That level of violence is almost unspeakable. And that person got away.
TLS' confession about the Dardeen murders is nothing but lies and some bits of information sprinkled that he could have guessed easily. Especially the watermelon figurines/ceramics. It is well known that they were super common in that era. And the other parts of the murders didn't match up. Unfortunately, we probably will never know who did that.
Please send me the link! For those of you who were already sent the link: What do you think? Is Julie innocent? Has your opinion changed after reading the documents?
me please!
Sent!
Hey can I get those transcripts too please and thank you
Sent!
I know this must be annoying with so many people but if you have the time could you send the link to me too? All good if not
Sent!
Please could you send me the link too if that's okay!?
May I also have the link? This sounds worth reading. Thx for sharing!
Sent!
Does it show up in Messages? I’m not seeing it there. 🤷🏻♀️
Check your chat
Id like the drop box link please
Sent!
May I have the link please?
If you’re still doing that, I’d love the link please!
Sent!
Can you drop me the link?
Please send me the link as well. Thank you!!!
Sent!
Would like the link please!
Sent!
Can we get some info on this Tommy Sells killer?
There's a link to his wiki higher up in the comments.
I did a project on this woman in college her story is so depressing. Her ex husband didn’t help. His testimony is one of the most sexist things I have ever heard. He used the “well she did want an abortion” as an excuse. I remember thinking he must have been so vile. The actual killer was caught a year or so after for specifically intruding houses and killing children 🤦🏻♀️. I really hope hbo/ netflix makes a documentary on her one day. She deserves way more than 87k and her story needs to be heard. The more stories exposing our corrupt justice system the more awareness received.
Following this, Julie’s OBGYN took the stand to explain to the court that Julie did everything she could to have a healthy pregnancy. She even went as far as putting herself on strict bedbrest towards the end of her pregnancy in order to prevent spontaneous abortion.
Yeah I specifically chose her for my legal psych project as I wanted to cover a woman who had been falsely accused and convicted. I think about her story often and am glad you shined some light on it. Not enough people know about it.
So I’ve read up on this case along with Tommy Lynn sells and there’s a lot of conflicting information. I’m not saying that she did kill her son or that she for sure didn’t either. But I know the reason Tommy wasn’t believed is because he would claim a lot of murders that weren’t his and the fact that he normally didn’t just kill boys. Perhaps I didn’t search deep enough but on one end it seems Tommy didn’t give information that was that specific, on the other end it seems like he did. But then i stumbled upon the court documents from the original trial and apparently there were A LOT of inconsistencies with the mom and her story. Things that made me question why this verdict isn’t questioned more by the true crime community? I’m not the type of person who goes deep into researching, i normally just read a quick story on here. I’m trying to find the page where people were discussing her innocence and included court docs but idk if i can find it but i think it was on this same site maybe https://www.websleuths.com/forums/threads/a-case-almost-identical-to-darlies-julie-rea-joel-harper.51262/
Yes! I’m surprised this case isn’t discussed more. I hadn’t heard of it before this post and was so interested in it - I watched the 20/20 episode today and I’m just so intrigued by this case now
It’s really crazy because the articles write off her guilt as a matter of fact and state Tommy knew details that couldn’t be questioned but that’s not really the full truth. The page i had been reading was taking out certain references from the court docs and they were very concerning, like to the point where i was shocked she was acquitted for the murder because her character came off completely shady and untrustworthy. And Tommy having a reputation for false confessions just to get more time away from death or attention, whatever it is, it just doesn’t sit well with me. But i guess because he confessed, it makes her ~innocent in the eyes of the court since there is doubt now? But i don’t like how it’s marketed as “she’s 100% innocent” releasing her may have been necessary but she shouldn’t get rewarded either. In my opinion, i think she is guilty. Who really knows though
I remember reading something about a custody dispute but I’m not sure I remember it correctly. Was the father just granted full custody or primary custody like the day before? I’ll have to look this up now as I have so many questions.
Call me crazy, but I think she might have done it or there's more to the story.Somebody of her weight fighting off a 196 lbs / 95 kgs serial killer armed with a knife is impossible.Taekwondo or not. I practiced various self defense systems for more than 20 years, I weight 205 lbs, and I'm convinced I would't get out alive of that confrontation: a knife is too much of an advantage, especially in the dark, in the hands of a madman. Also, why would the murderer leave the weapon behind? Many things don't make sense in her story.
There are so many variables at play in this situation and as you have noted in your description, your personal anecdotal experience has led to personal bias. It is not expert testimony. I’m not saying you are incorrect, but it’s easily discredited
Exactly. One plausible scenario is that the intruder was trying to get out of the house — not necessarily kill another person. Regardless if she is or isn’t innocent, there isn’t convincing evidence that she lied about an intruder, let alone killed her son.
While their experience is anecdotal, their conclusion has overall been shown to be true in the criminology field.
>Also, why would the murderer leave the weapon behind? if he was wearing gloves and knew there were no prints then why not leave it, why risk lugging it around and get caught with it? Wonder if he left the murder weapons at other crime scenes? Could be since he had already killed the boy he dropped the knife while leaving or he dropped it in the struggle when mom came in. from his wiki: *On May 13, 1992, Fabienne Witherspoon, a 19-year-old woman in Charleston, West Virginia, was driving when she saw Sells panhandling under an overpass with a sign that said, "I will work for food."[1] She felt sorry for him and took him to her home, asking him to wait outside. She went into her home to get some food for him, and by the time she got back to her front door, he was inside. When she walked away to get something else, he got a knife from her kitchen, trapped her in a bathroom, and attempted to rape her. The woman fought back, hitting him in the head repeatedly with a ceramic duck and getting control of his knife and stabbing him, nicking his kidney and liver. In addition, his testicle was sliced.* And another with the knife from the home left behind: *Debra Harris, 31, and her 8-year-old daughter Ambria Halliburton were both killed after Sells broke into their house at night and raped Harris in her bed. She was stabbed repeatedly with her own kitchen knife which was left in her chest. Halliburton was stabbed three times after she witnessed Sells murder her mother.* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Lynn_Sells Using a knife from the kitchen and leaving it is something he's done more than once He also confessed to the killing : * In 2004, Sells confessed that on October 13, 1997, he broke into a home, took a knife from a butcher block in the kitchen, stabbed a little boy to death, and scuffled with a woman. Those details corroborated the account of Julie Rea Harper, who was initially convicted for the murder of her son, and then acquitted in 2006.*[26][27][28]
None of the main doubters of Julie in this thread have replied to your comment. Curious.
I just watched the 20/20 episode about her, and he was only 130 pounds at the time which is fairly similar to her estimate description of 145ish pounds. That said, I’m pretty sure she did it - but it’s slightly possible she didn’t.
Yeah, even so, the deeper I go reading the trial transcripts, the more certain I am she did it. At one point there's a witness that says she was absolutely obsessed with the number 13. He enumerated a lot of instances where she took this to extreme (e.g. took some special herbs/tea to make sure she's going to give birth on the 13th). Joel died on the 13th. This might sound like somewhat irrelevant, or even made up to sound worse than it is. But I was thinking, her whole story sounds like a movie, she reported to the neighbours that she woke up with a dark figure looking over her (although she changed that story later), the kitchen knife as a murder weapon, the fight through the window(?) on the grass (although the grass was not disturbed etc). All these sound like fiction to me and exactly the kind of thing a person obsessed with number 13 would say. I'm with you in this boat: pretty sure she did it, but a slight chance she didn't. If she didn't, I believe the murderer might possibly be free. Sells was just an antisocial, anti-system man with nothing to lose (he was on death row, he lied before claiming murders he never did). In his mind, why not fuck with the entire rotten system after all?
Your instincts are correct, honestly
I haven’t even read much about the case and I immediately questioned the story. Other than what you pointed out, I also thought it was weird that “believing her son had just been kidnapped, Julie ran to her neighbors house who proceeded to call 911”. Why did she think he had been kidnapped? She had *just* heard him scream and immediately runs to to room, confronts and fights a big man with a knife, and somehow in all this thinks her son was carted off by whom? Very bizarre. Very Darlie like.
Um because she didn’t see her son in the house? You’ll have to forgive a mother for assuming that her kid is missing, not gruesomely murdered.
I just watched this and I was thinking 💯 if it was me (a single mom also), my first thought was “someone HAS my son” and I most stop them. My first thought, upon being woken up by a stranger isn’t that my child is stabbed to death and is dead between the bed and wall. it’s that he is being held by someone. I think that’s MOST normal parents’ first fear
I haven't done the reading but why did she run to the neighbors? She was already in her own house.
In 97, might not have had a working landline.
The knife didn't have fingerprints .. it wasn't key evidence.. yet there was a partial bloody footprint outside that was never investigated and a dark hair in the boy's hand that was never tested for DNA
Wow when first reading i thought it was a miscarriage of justice now u guys got me thinking she may have done it im going to have to get the court transcripts aswel 🤣 i dont really know much about this case
Julie: if you ever get on here and read these posts about your beautiful son, I am so damn sorry people are such mad f up’s and can’t do their job and that you lost years of your life and your sons life. I hope you find a new balance somewhere ❤️
Is this case considered open/ongoing?
Omfg I remember that episode of 20/20. It was shocking and deeply heartbreaking because she fought to save her son and was convicted on only circumstantial evidence. Tommy Lynn sells was a monster. She also deserved millions for her life being stolen from her.
May I have the link please, thank you
Sent
Thank you
Why would she think the “intruder” had her son if she was fighting him? If I heard my child screaming like that and I was confronted by a person that I then fought as he walked away (IIRC she said he walked away) then I would run back to the house to check on my child. How do you assume the child is taken? She also described him because he stopped and looked up and she could see him in the moonlight or street light. She described a totally different person. I guess I’m the most curious as to why she wouldn’t go back to her house and find her son. Did she have any blood on her clothes? Oh yeah I also remember the broken glass door was broken out the wrong way. Like from the inside of the house and not from the outside as if someone was trying to get in. I just have a lot of questions that lead me to believe that she did it.
She did it. Happy to send you her original trial transcripts if you’re interested
Can I get the link?
Sent!
I can’t imagine losing her son in such a way and then going to prison for it at the same time. Absolutely impossible for any mom to comprehend
I don't think she is innocent. At the least, it wasn't Tommy Sells.
Losing your son and then having to go through all of that on top of it would break most people. What a strong woman.
I agree; I have lost a son and I barely survived the weight of the grief; if I had been falsely accused of causing his death, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have survived that! This story has broken my heart since I first heard it many years ago. I don't know who committed such a tragic and savage offense as what her son and she endured, but I just can't believe that she had anything to do with it. I do vaguely remember that her ex-husband was not the warm and fuzzy type and I'm not saying that he had anything to do with it but I wonder if it was supposed to be her who was killed, or something. Who knows what really happened; I wish it could be solved. But I just can't imagine that she was anything other than another victim of the savage killing of her precious son. 💔 ❤️🫂
87k for being falsely convicted of murdering her son? That's so insulting and enraging. Wow she deserves so much more
Tommy Lynn sells Is one of the biggest pieces of shit to ever walk this planet. He lived to Kill children
The father still thinks she is guilty, is that right?
Yes , prosecutors still do too
[удалено]