Who Killed Stephanie Crowe: Anatomy of a Murder Investigation

It was 6:30 A.M. on January 21, 1998, in Escondido California, a picturesque city near San Diego. The incessant buzzing of her granddaughter's alarm clock awakened Judith Kennedy. She wondered why Stephanie's alarm wouldn't stop. It was a school day. Had Stephanie overslept? Judith Kennedy went to Stephanie's room to investigate. To her horror, she found her granddaughter on the floor in the entryway to her bedroom. Stephanie did not move. She lay in a pool of blood. Twelve-year-old Stephanie Crowe had been stabbed to death. She died while trying to make her way into the hall to seek help. She had been stabbed nine times. The medical examiner ruled that Stephanie's death was a homicide. How could this brutal murder have happened in Escondido, where violent crime is rare and murder is almost nonexistent? The crime was mysterious, There did not appear to be any evidence of forced entry and there was no evidence of theft. Who would want to kill Stephanie? And why? Who would have the opportunity to kill her in her own bedroom in the middle of the night? How could the rest of her family have slept through such a brutal attack? A peaceful community, a horrendous crime, and mysterious circumstances, These elements and more - including actual testimony from the investigation - will intrigue anyone who wants to know more about who killed Stephanie Crowe.