Cold Case Suspect In Newport Beach Child Death Dies Before Trial

NEWPORT BEACH, CA — A man accused in an infamous cold case killing of an 11-year-old Newport Beach girl died in custody this week, while awaiting trial for charges of murder and sexual assault.

James Alan Neal, 73, died Wednesday morning, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Department. He was transferred to a hospital for an illness in late May, and was not experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, authorities said.

Neal was charged with Linda O'Keefe's brutal murder 46 years after the crime occurred. The case caught national attention two years ago after police launched a true crime "social retelling" of the 1973 case.

In a 24-hour retelling of #LindasStory, released on the 45th anniversary of her death, Newport Beach police recreated the nightmare, told from Linda's point of view. Twitter was the perfect medium to tell the story.

Using pictures and a child-like voice, Linda discussed her homemade dress, her new purse, a bike that she loved and school, which she didn't.

It was a timeline to murder, set over social media in a time where police had no suspects in the Corona Del Mar girl's disappearance and subsequent brutal death. What they did have was a promised rendering of her killer which would be shared at the end of the story.

Linda was last seen alive on Friday, July 6, 1973. That morning, an unknown assailant abducted her near her school, Newport Beach Police Department officer Jennifer Manzella told Patch.

Her body was discovered the following morning in the Back Bay area of Newport Beach. She was sexually assaulted and strangled, according to investigators.

During the chronological retelling, clues emerged of a teal van, a man with a vague description who could have been anyone, and countless stories of people who "wish" they would have paid more attention on the day of her disappearance.

A relentless 46-year investigation ensued by a police department that never forgot her. There were more dead ends than leads. As technology improved, Newport Beach Police were able to close in on a suspect, but they needed the public's help.

Thanks to DNA phenotype renderings and investigative genetic genealogy, along with the social revival of her gripping story, Neal was ultimately identified as the primary suspect.

Investigators located Neal in Colorado Springs, Colorado in February of 2019, due to "good, old-fashioned police work, including surveillance," Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said. Investigators gathered Neal's DNA and were able to ID him as the primary suspect, "beyond a reasonable doubt."

In addition to the charges connected to Linda's slaying, he was additionally charged with multiple counts of sexual assault for attacks on two children, whose names were not disclosed, in Riverside County. Those alleged offenses were uncovered during the investigation into Linda's death, according prosecutors.

The girls in those cases were assaulted in the 1990s and early 2000s, according to court papers.

For detectives at the Newport Beach Police Department, Neal's arrest was poignant.

Linda's picture still hangs on the wall of the Newport Beach Homicide Detective's division.

"The pursuit of justice is never-ending. In this case, the hunt for a child rapist and murderer lasted more than 46 years and transcended generations of law enforcement officers," Spitzer wrote in a statement following Neal's death.

"It was not if, but when we would find the killer of 11-year-old Linda O'Keefe, and when that day finally came in 2019 as a result of advances in investigative genetic genealogy, we thought we were one step closer to justice for Linda and her family. The death of James Neal prior to putting him on trial for Linda's rape and murder robs the O'Keefe family of the justice they so deserve and deprives the law enforcement officers of the satisfaction that they finally got their culprit."

Newport Beach Police Chief Jon Lewis discussed the disappointment in not bringing Neal to trial.

"It was our intention to see James Alan Neal stand trial and answer for the murder of Linda Ann O'Keefe," Lewis wrote. "Linda's story deeply touched the hearts of our community."

Read also:

Arrest Made In Linda O'Keefe Cold Case Murder, Investigators Say

Who Killed Linda O'Keefe? Newport Beach Police Retell Her Story

This article originally appeared on the Newport Beach-Corona Del Mar Patch