Case Study- Billie-jo Jenkins Murder Case

BILLIE-JO JENKINS MURDER CASE

Background

Billie-Jo Jenkins was placed in foster care with Sion and Lois Jenkins at the age of nine. The Jenkins family had four daughters of their own, and Billie-Jo became an important part of their lives. They eventually moved to a house in Hastings, and Billie-Jo attended Helenswood Comprehensive School where she was known for her good manners and hard work.

On February 15th, the Jenkins family returned home to find Billie-Jo's lifeless body in the backyard. She had been beaten to death with an 18-inch iron tent peg that had come from the tool shed. There was no evidence of a break-in or sexual assault.

Police were immediately alerted to the murder of Billie-Jo and launched an inquiry led by Detective Superintendent Jeremy Paine. They were looking for a scar-faced man who had been seen in the area with a plastic bag and French bread. The family had reported a prowler in the months leading up to the murder and Billie-Jo had reported being followed since Christmas by a man matching the description of the prowler.

Incident

Billie Jo was alone at home and was to paint the patio doors. She heard some noises in the house and got scared. Billie immediately texted her friends to tell them about the happenings. She knew that she had been followed home before but she did not really pay attention to that when she heard noises at home.

Sion and Lois appeared on national television to appeal for help in finding their daughter's killer. The couple was devastated and didn't understand the motive behind the murder. Days after the incident, a man with a birthmark on his face was arrested but later released into secure psychiatric care. Another man was also arrested but released the following day. In a surprising turn of events, Sion was arrested and charged with Billie-Jo's murder. He denied involvement but was also charged with dishonestly obtaining a pecuniary advantage. He was ordered to stand trial at Lewes Crown Court in June 1998.

Forensic examination

The forensic examination of Sion Jenkins' clothing had uncovered more than 100 microscopic spots of blood on his shoes, trousers, and jacket. The prosecution's expert witness, Mr Wain, claimed that the blood could only have been caused by beating Billie-Jo. Another forensic expert, Mr Russell Stockdale, reached a similar conclusion. However, the defence argued that the blood was transferred when Sion was holding Billie-Jo's body, but this theory was contradicted by the fact that the ambulance crew's clothing did not show any blood spatter, despite also having contact with the body. The experts also deemed it impossible for the blood to have been transferred through contact unless Billie-Jo had been breathing very heavily, which was ruled out by Sion's 999 call, in which he stated that his foster daughter was not breathing.

Trial

The prosecution claimed that Sion beat Billie-Jo to death with an iron tent peg and then went to a local store with his other daughters to create an alibi before pretending to find her body in the garden. The prosecution used forensic evidence, including 139 small blood spots found on Sion's clothing, to build their case against him.

Verdict

Sion was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison, but he appealed the verdict in 1999. Although he lost the appeal, in 2003, the case was sent back to the Court of Appeal after a two-year investigation by the Criminal Cases Review Commission. During this appeal, Sion's other daughters testified, supporting their father's denial of the murder and stating that he would not have had time to commit the crime.

After two retrials, both resulting in hung juries, Sion Jenkins was declared not guilty of the murder of Billie-Jo Jenkins in February 2006. The Crown Prosecution Service then formally acquitted him of the crime.

Author:- Srishti Dutta