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14-year-old Karen Slattery was fatally stabbed on March 2, 1984 while she was babysitting for William and Carolyn Helms in Delray Beach, Florida. The perpetrator was 23-year old Duane Owen who had intruded into the Helms house while the couple was away.
Duane Owen stabbed the teenage girl 18 times in different parts of the body, making her unconscious and then proceeded to drag the unconscious body to the bedroom and went on to sexually assault her.
The case was unattended for a long time due to insufficient evidence to zero down on the killer, but later a confession led the investigators to Duane, who was eventually arrested and convicted of first-degree murder. The jury recommended death penalty for the intruder, but he later appealed to the court.
Over the years, he has made several such appeals. He is currently serving his sentence at the Union Correctional Institution in Florida.
The nail-biting details of the case will be explored on Investigation Discovery's true-crime series Your Worst Nightmare. The episode, titled as He's Out There, is slated to air on January 19th at 7PM.
Here's the synopsis of the episode:
"Florida teenager Karen Slattery gets brutally murdered while babysitting a neighbors' children; the violent intruder vanishes without a trace, and the case goes cold."
Here are a few quick facts about the case before you tune into the episode.
Read on to know how did Duane Owen carry out the murder, how was he arrested and more
What happened on the fateful night
Karen Slattery was babysitting for the Helms' kids when Duane Owen entered the house without anyone's knowledge and proceeded to attack Slattery with a knife.
He stabbed Slattery 8 times in the back, 6 times in the neck, and four stabs cutting through the front of her throat.
Slattery became unconscious as a result of the brutal attack, but the attacker was not in a mood to stop there. Duane decided to drag the unconscious body to the bedroom and started to sexually assault her. She was left to die while he made his way out.
The forensic report revealed shocking details
When the Helms returned home shortly after midnight, they found Slattery's essentials lying on the ground. The couple also noticed a pool of blood on the floor. The panicked couple called the police immediately.
Investigators discovered Slattery's body in the bedroom, lying dead. The 14 year old had been dragged from the kitchen to the bedroom by the killer.
Forensic reports revealed painful details. The girl had been stabbed while she was alive and as she went unconscious from draining blood, she was sexually assaulted.
Owen was arrested for an unrelated case
The case went cold due to lack of evidence but was reopened when police found links between Owen and Karen's murder. In June of the same year, Owen was arrested on charges of burglary.
On the same day, another murder took place, which had been carried out the same way as Karen's. The police were quick to join the dots.
However, Owen was not that ready to give in so easily. He asked for proper evidence. The murderer confessed after the police discovered his links to Karen's murder.
Duane Owen appealed to the court many times
Duane Owen was convicted of murder for both the cases. The jury sentenced him to death, however, he appealed to the court multiple times over the years. He is now serving his sentence at the Union Correctional Institution in Florida.
