This Story Will Give You Chills! The Entire World Was Shocked!!! | True Crime Documentary

This Story Will Give You Chills! The Entire World Was Shocked!!! | True Crime Documentary

Episode Transcript

(00:02):
It was a sunny spring day when 18 year old Julie Connell
decided to spend time in the park with her favorite book in
hand. She was an honor student, a
loving sister, and an ambitious girl with a bright future.
But when her family came to pickher up, Julie was no longer
there. She had vanished forever.
Imagine a high school senior whowas a role model for everyone.

(00:25):
She's smart, composed, always has an opinion on any matter,
and many look up to her. That's exactly who Julie and
Connell was. Help this channel grow.
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This helps us a lot, thank you. Julie was born on April 15th,

(00:46):
1966 and was the eldest daughterof Jim and Kathy Connell.
The family lived in San Leandro,CA, a city located in the
eastern part of the San Francisco Bay Area.
It was the kind of place where families felt safe leaving their
doors unlocked. The city streets were lined with
well kept lawns and children played in the yards here and

(01:09):
there. Neighbors exchanged greetings.
The city's population had grown significantly over the past few
decades, reaching over 60,000 inthe 1980s.
The Connell family home was an Oasis of love and mutual
respect. They lived in a cozy suburban
neighborhood, and Julie fully embraced this stability,

(01:29):
focusing entirely on her studiesand passions.
She was a diligent student and at the same time, possessed a
quiet determination and a spark in her eyes that made people
take notice of her. Julie was an honor student at
Royal High School. Not only did her teachers adore
her, but her classmates saw her as a sincere, kind person they

(01:50):
could always rely on. Her younger sisters, Wendy and
Patricia, practically idolize Julie.
School wasn't the only thing that interested the teenager.
Connell loved reading, writing, and performing on stage.
She dreamed of becoming a television host in the future.
Julie had a boyfriend, Tom O'Neill.

(02:10):
He was slightly older than her and already in college.
The young couple spent a lot of time together, enjoying each
other's company. When Julie turned 18, it was a
huge milestone for her. 18 is the age when you start to feel
like an adult. Connell had already bought her
cap and gown for graduation and paid for a class trip to

(02:31):
Disneyland. On April 15th, her birthday,
Julie spent the day with her boyfriend Tom.
Just a few months earlier, she had been accepted to California
State University in Hayward. She had big plans, and no one
doubted she would achieve them all.
Julie was simply brilliant. She devoted a lot of time to
charity and caring for others, volunteering at the local church

(02:54):
and reading Bible stories to children, her family and
friends. Everyone who knew Julie closely
were certain she was on the cuspof great accomplishments.
Of course, Connell was just an ordinary high school senior,
someone's sister, friend, and daughter.
That's why the story of what happened to her touches the
heart so deeply. She simply lived her life

(03:16):
believing a wonderful future awaited her, a future that
everyone, including her, has a right to.
Julie could hardly have imaginedthe horror that awaited her in
one of the city's safest places on April 20th, 1984, during the
Easter weekend. The weather was beautiful.
The Connell family plan to spendthe day together.

(03:39):
Kathy, the mother, wanted to take her three daughters to the
movies to see Police Academy, but it turned out Julie had
already seen the film, so she had slightly different plans.
While her sisters, 15 year old Wendy and 12 year old Patricia,
laughed at the comedy and ate popcorn with their mom, Julie
decided to use the time for reading.

(04:00):
College was just around the corner and she wasn't about to
slack off, especially with a test scheduled for Monday.
The girl took everything she needed, the book she was
reading, water, a blanket and a small snack.
Then she put on her favorite lavender shirt, blue jeans and
white tennis shoes to be comfortable lying on the ground.

(04:21):
Kennedy Park was right across the street from the movie
theater, the perfect place to stretch out on the grass and
enjoy a good book. Julie asked her mom to pick her
up after the movie ended. She got out of the car around
one O clock in the afternoon. Her family had no idea they were
seeing her alive for the last time.
In the park, Julie found a comfortable spot, spread out her

(04:43):
blanket, pulled out her book anddove into reading.
Her sister Wendy hung out nearbyfor a bit, waiting for the movie
to start. The park was calm and peaceful.
The sun was shining and it was full of people relaxing.
But when the movie ended and Kathy returned to the park with
the girls, Julie was gone. At first, they didn't think much

(05:05):
of it. Maybe she went to grab a snack
or got bored. Perhaps the high schooler had
gone home early, just to be safe.
Kathy walked through the entire park calling Julie's name, but
neither Julie, her blanket, nor her book was anywhere to be
found. When they got home, Kathy
expected to see Julie and hear an explanation for why she

(05:26):
hadn't waited for her sisters and mom.
But the house was quiet, and herdaughter wasn't there.
With each passing minute, their anxiety grew.
Jim Connell came home from work initially angry, then nervous.
This behavior was unlike his eldest daughter.
Their shared worry soon turned to fear that something had

(05:46):
happened to Julie. The parents called all her
classmates and spoke to her boyfriend, Tom, but no one had
seen her or had any idea where she might have gone.
Then the Connells started calling local hospitals, hoping
for any news about their child. But that was fruitless, too.
Julie had simply vanished in broad daylight.

(06:07):
When Jim and Kathy went to the police, they were told the worst
possible news. Since Julie had just turned 18,
the authorities couldn't accept a missing person report for at
least 72 hours because she was now considered an adult. 72
hours is an eternity when someone you love goes missing.
The 1st 24 hours are critical for finding someone alive.

(06:29):
With each passing hour, the chances diminish.
As is often the case, law enforcement assumed the high
schooler had run away from home or was simply out having fun
losing track of time. But the Connells knew their
Julie wasn't reckless. She would never make her parents
worry without reason. It was all terribly wrong.

(06:50):
Naturally, the mother, father and sisters couldn't sit idly by
and do nothing, so they did whatany desperate family would do.
The Connells organized their ownsearch party, printing over 2000
Flyers and posting them all overthe city, begging for help.
They scoured Kennedy Park, everystreet, every corner of their

(07:10):
city, hoping to find any clue. On Easter Sunday morning, the
Connells went to church seeking some comfort.
During the service, Jim felt something deeply unsettling.
A cold, heavy wave of despair washed over him, shaking him to
his core. It was like a voice whispering
that Julie would never come home.

(07:31):
At that moment, the man said nothing to anyone, still hoping
for a positive outcome, but deepdown he already knew his little
girl was no longer alive. The family continued their
search. They had no other choice.
They had to find Julie, no matter the cost.
What started as an ordinary spring day turned into a

(07:51):
nightmare for the Connell family.
They lived in constant fear as time dragged on.
By the third day they were running on pure adrenaline and
desperate hope. Julie had been missing for 72
hours. 3 full days of searching parks, knocking on doors and
making late night calls, pleading for anyone who might

(08:12):
have seen her. Three days of replaying every
detail in their minds, wonderingwhat they had missed.
Finally, the police agreed to start an investigation.
But their initial response was cold, detached and far too
casual. They said the girl was probably
just out with friends. The authorities brushed off the

(08:32):
search as if Julie had gone to an unplanned party and there was
no need to worry so much. But the Connells were certain
that wasn't the case. While other families prepared
Easter dinner, they ran around the city handing out Flyers.
Julie's face was now everywhere,in store windows, on telephone
booths, even on car windshields.Her father, Jim, appeared on

(08:55):
local television, pleading with the public for help.
The search wasn't just the family's effort.
The entire community came together to find the missing
girl. Strangers with flashlights
combed every corner of Kennedy Park and nearby areas.
Psychics performed rituals to see what had happened to Julie.
Search dogs tried to pick up thegirls scent.

(09:17):
It was a whirlwind of effort, but it yielded no results.
Then the first clue emerged. After seeing news reports about
Julie's disappearance, a woman called the police.
She thought she had found something important.
It was a book discarded in the bushes near her porch.
The very book Julie had taken tothe park, marked with the stamp
of the school library where Julie went.

(09:39):
The woman couldn't understand how the book ended up near her
house. Before detectives could address
this, another call came in. Another woman walking with her
daughter near the park noticed alavender shirt and a bra.
The items were just lying on thestreet.
Unfortunately, the shirt looked like the one Julie was wearing.

(10:01):
The bra was cut in the middle, it's straps torn.
These clues suggested something terrible had happened to the
girl. When the police brought the
shirt and bra to the Connells home, Kathy and Jim were afraid
to even look. The torn fabric could only mean
their daughter was in trouble and they couldn't help her.

(10:22):
The realization was terrifying, but the parents weren't about to
give up until they found Julie. Jim and Kathy still believe
their child was alive. Two days later, 2 teenage girls
reported another crucial detail.They found the missing girls
backpack under a pay phone near a store.
The schoolgirls admitted they had rummaged through the

(10:43):
backpack looking for something valuable.
They were driving and throwing out items they didn't need from
the window. When they heard about Julie
Connell on the news and learned she had a backpack, they told
their older sister, who advised them to call the police.
Each of these clues was like another bread crumb, a glimmer
of hope mixed with fear. Then, five days after Julie's

(11:06):
disappearance, on April 25th, the call the parents dreaded
came. A farmer and his wife were
herding cattle in a remote part of Castro Valley, about 20
minutes from Kennedy Park where Julie was last seen.
The farmer explained they had come to move the cattle to
another pasture when they stumbled upon a shocking sight.

(11:26):
The body of a young woman, nakedfrom the waist up, lay in an
open area inside a corral. It was clear she was dead.
The scene was chilling. The corral was surrounded by
hills and dense brush, an isolated area far from busy
roads and populated places. It was unlikely anyone would end

(11:47):
up there by chance, but it was the perfect place to hide A
crime. When investigators approached
the body, it was immediately clear they were dealing with a
brutal murder. The woman had no identification
on her, but the detectives had agut feeling it was Julie
Connell. The upper part of her body was
exposed with visible bruises andblood.

(12:10):
The victim's throat had been slit from ear to ear.
Her left wrist was tightly boundwith a complex knot.
Her right wrist was nearly severed.
It seemed the perpetrator had tried to restrain the girl with
such force that the cord cut deep into her skin.
The condition of the body spoke of something horrific.
There were defensive wounds on her hands and forearms, clear

(12:32):
evidence that Julie had fought back with all her strength.
There were abrasions on her knees, as if she had been
dragged across the ground beforebeing killed.
A thorough examination of the body revealed that the
assailant, in a fit of rage, hadslashed the high schooler's
throat three times, trying to silence her forever.
Investigators meticulously combed the corral.

(12:55):
They worked methodically, documenting every inch of the
crime scene. On the second rail of the gate,
they noticed dirty marks. It looked as though someone had
climbed over the fence. The shoe prints were clear
enough to be analyzed. Near the gate, detectives found
a small plastic bag that had once contained A disposable
scalpel. There was a red stain on the

(13:16):
packaging, presumably blood. Experts also found several
fingerprints on the gate itself and hoped they would aid the
investigation. Soil analysis near the body
showed that the girl had been killed at that very spot, as the
blood had soaked deep into the ground in staggering amounts.
The body hadn't been moved afterdeath.

(13:39):
There were no signs of dragging trampled grass or dirt.
At 2:00 in the morning, the phone rang in the Connell
household. Jim answered, his heart gripped
by fear. It was the call no parent wants
to receive. On the line was a detective from
the Sheriff's Department, his voice steady but heavy with the
weight of devastating news. A young woman's body had been

(14:02):
found, and they needed someone from the Connell family to
identify it. Jim and Kathy silently prayed it
wasn't their Julie. Soon, officers arrived at the
front door and handed the couplean envelope containing
photographs of the deceased girl's body.
Jim looked first, the blood draining from his face, his

(14:23):
heart shattering into a million pieces.
It was Julie. He recognized her immediately,
though the image was blurry and grainy.
Tears streamed from his eyes, but Jim still couldn't process
that his little girl was gone forever.
He whispered that it was her Julie.

(14:45):
Now it was Kathy's turn. The mother sat in her daughter's
bedroom on her bed when the photos were handed to her.
She too couldn't hold back tearsas she recognized her daughter's
familiar features in the battered body.
The parents were devastated whenthe officers gave them the only
thing found with Julie besides her clothes, a $0.10 coin that

(15:08):
was all that remained of the girl.
Kathy had taught all her daughters to carry a dime as it
was the cost of a call from a pay phone at the time, but sadly
the girl didn't get a chance to use it for some reason.
Now the Connells face the heartbreaking task of telling
their younger daughters, Patricia and Wendy, the crushing
news about Julie. 12 year old Patricia overheard her mother

(15:32):
say that her older sister had died, but couldn't fully grasp
what it meant or how to move forward. 15 year old Wendy, the
last to see Julie alive, couldn't cope with the grief and
guilt. She replayed the final moments
of that day in her mind countless times, unable to
understand why she hadn't noticed any danger.

(15:55):
The loss seemed to shatter the Connell family.
Julie had been the glue holding them together.
Wendy and Patricia adored their older sister, and each dealt
with their grief alone. Jim and Kathy couldn't look at
each other, weighed down by the loss, but they were united by
one common goal. Now they wanted justice.

(16:17):
But their nightmare was only beginning.
Julie Connell's body was taken to the coroner's office, where
the full horror of the attack became clear.
The autopsy painted a gruesome picture of the girl's final
hours and underscored the brutality of the crime.
The autopsy report was both a source of heartbreak and a

(16:38):
critical piece of the investigation puzzle.
The medical examiner determined that Julie's cause of death was
massive blood loss from three deep cuts to her throat.
One of them severed her carotid artery, ensuring the attacker
that the victim wouldn't survivelong.
Julie's left wrist was tightly bound with a complex knot.
The expert noted that the knot wasn't tied in haste, it was

(17:02):
done by someone who likely had experienced tying such knots.
This detail clearly pointed to aplanned attack.
There were also ligature marks around her ankles, though no
ropes were found at the scene. Additionally, the autopsy
revealed clear evidence of non consensual sexual assault,
bruises and tears. Semen samples were extracted

(17:24):
from Julie's body. The medical examiner carefully
preserved this material for the future as DNA analysis in 1984
was still in its infancy. However, technology was
advancing at the time. The semen sample could only be
used to compare blood types if asuspect was found.
The autopsy results were devastating for the Connell

(17:46):
family. The dry, impartial listing of
the victims injuries on paper caused unbearable pain.
Knowing what Julie had endured, Kathy Connell later said she
couldn't stop imagining her daughter's final moments.
Jim was more horrified that Julie had been bound completely
at the mercy of this monster. The brutality of the attack

(18:10):
suggested the perpetrator was nonovice.
He may have committed similar attacks before and could do so
again. Fear gripped the San Leandro
community. The Connell story seemed
unthinkable, as residents had always felt safe before.
After Julie's case, parents stopped letting their children
play outside alone. Kennedy Park, a beloved spot for

(18:32):
picnics and relaxation, became astark reminder of the tragedy
that unfolded there. It wasn't just a tragedy, but a
warning that this could happen to anyone.
The investigation into the attack on a high schooler in
broad daylight in a public park moved painfully slowly.
The police had no DNA databases or ways to track someone's

(18:55):
phone, as cell phones didn't exist yet.
Everything depended on witness statements, physical evidence
and luck. Statistically, if a case didn't
progress within the first few weeks, it became a cold case.
Julie disappeared in one place and her body was found in
another. Because the areas fell under

(19:16):
different police jurisdictions, this caused confusion and delays
in the investigation. Authorities argued over who
should take the lead. As a result, detectives from
both agencies worked on the casesimultaneously, but interagency
disputes slowed the exchange of information.
From the start, the Connell family painfully endured all the

(19:38):
bureaucratic red tape. They felt the authorities had
wasted precious time by initially refusing to allocate
resources to search for Julie. The parents saw this as neglect
of their daughter's life. As the investigation dragged on,
the frustration of the grieving parents only grew.
Detectives tried to retrace Julie's final steps that day.

(20:01):
They scoured Kennedy Park but found no evidence.
The next step was questioning those present in the park that
day. Julie's sister Wendy, the last
to see her, said she left aroundone O clock.
Julie was calmly sitting on her blanket with a book, surrounded
by families enjoying the beautiful weather.
Other park visitors confirmed seeing Julie, but no one heard

(20:24):
screams or noticed anything suspicious.
The investigation hit a dead end.
Detectives decided to try something unconventional.
They recreated Julie's last known moments and convinced
local media to publicize it. The police hoped the reenactment
might jog someone's memory and help solve the case. 15 year old

(20:45):
Wendy agreed to take her older sister's place.
She was dressed in a similar lavender shirt and blue jeans
and sat in the same spot in the park where Julie had been.
The reenactment drew media attention.
Nothing like it had been done before, so Wendy portraying her
deceased sister was filmed by multiple cameras.

(21:05):
The police's unexpected tactic worked and proved pivotal in
solving the case. As investigators received a
call, the manager of a nearby department store contacted the
police. He reported that on the day
Julie disappeared, the store hadheld an Easter party for
employees in the park. This lead prompted detectives to
question everyone who attended the event.

(21:27):
They hope to gather more information about the girl's
disappearance from Kennedy Park.One employee recalled seeing
Julie from a mini train that circled the park.
The ride lasted only a few minutes, but when the train
returned, the girl was no longeron her blanket.
Detectives also collected photostaken during the event in the
park. The pictures captured various

(21:49):
moments of the day, including the staff's arrival set up, an
ice cream and BBQ party, and even an Easter egg hunt.
One photo taken around noon showed the spot where Julie was
sitting. Unfortunately, nothing new was
uncovered. By then, forensic experts had
finished analyzing fingerprints on the gate, and that too was a

(22:11):
disappointment. All of them belonged to the
ranch owners where Julie's body was found.
The Dirty mark on the rail also yielded no direct matches.
Even the scalpel packaging belonged to the ranch owners.
This left detectives in despair.Although DNA technology in 1984
was severely limited, the sampleallowed forensic experts to

(22:33):
determine some basic traits of the attacker, including his
blood type and the fact that he had reddish blonde hair.
With no other leads, detectives began investigating whether
similar knot tying techniques appeared in other unsolved
crimes. Several similar attacks on
teenage girls had occurred recently.
These cases bore chilling similarities to the crime

(22:55):
against Julie, and detectives wondered if one person was
responsible. To explore this possibility, the
County Sheriff formed a task force to investigate connections
between these cases. Detectives examined every
detail, the location of the attacks, the nature of the
victims wounds, and so on. But despite their efforts, no

(23:16):
solid connections were found. It seemed Julie's murder was a
singular act of violence, at least at that stage.
No one could prove otherwise. The lack of progress weighed
heavily on Julie's family. Jim and Kathy Connell,
tirelessly seeking justice for their daughter, grew weary and
disillusioned. Constant media appearances and

(23:39):
long nights replaying Julie's final moments in their minds
took a toll. The crushing burden of not
knowing was exhausting for Wendyand Patricia.
Their older sister's tragic death cast a shadow over every
aspect of their lives. Wendy later admitted that
participating in the reenactmentwas both an honor and a burden.

(24:00):
On one hand, it helped keep her sister's memory alive.
On the other, it forced her to relive the trauma.
For Patricia, every memory of Julie was like a blow to the
chest. She couldn't look at her
sister's books or listen to her favorite songs without crying.
A month after Julie's death, theConnells began receiving

(24:22):
threatening phone calls. They usually came late at night,
directed at the entire family, but especially Julie's younger
sisters, Wendy and Patricia. The caller whispered that he
knew their sister and threatenedto do the same to them.
The Connell family was terrifiedby these calls and immediately
contacted the police to identifythe anonymous caller.

(24:45):
Detectives trace the call to a specific person.
To their disappointment and surprise, it was just a
prankster who thought it was funny.
Although the prankster maliciously intimidated the
family, he had no connection to Julie's murder.
Time passed and answers remainedelusive.
Weeks, months and years went by,but the investigation didn't

(25:08):
move forward. One detective honestly told the
parents of the deceased girl that they might never find the
killer. Julie's room became a home
museum to her memory, a kind of shrine.
Her bedroom remained exactly as it was before her disappearance.
Her books, trinkets, even the wallet where she carefully kept

(25:28):
her money, all remained untouched, a painful reminder of
the life Julie left behind. The initial community support
gradually faded, though the Connell family's emotional wound
still hadn't healed. They didn't want their
daughter's case to gather dust in the archives and kept
fighting for justice even as thetrail went cold over a decade

(25:51):
past. Potential leads fizzled out,
suspects came and went, and investigators had nothing but
unanswered questions. By the late 1990s, it seemed
Julie Connell's case would join countless unsolved cases,
forgotten by all. At the time, no one knew that
science was slowly catching up to the killer.

(26:13):
The DNA sample taken from Julie's body during the autopsy
became the key to unraveling themystery that haunted them for
years. The creation of the Combined DNA
Index System, CODIS, allowed lawenforcement to compare DNA
profiles from crime scenes with a national database of
offenders, and suddenly cases thought hopeless were solved. 14

(26:39):
years after Julie Connell's death, the District Attorney's
office decided to reopen her case.
They sent the frozen DNA samplescollected from the victim's body
for analysis. It was a long and meticulous
process. The frozen samples were fragile
after so many years of storage. They had to be carefully

(26:59):
prepared to avoid contamination or destruction.
District Attorney Angela Backers, learning that the
evidence from Julie's body didn't match anything in the
CODIS database, was still determined to identify the
killer who took the young girl'slife.
She turned to a friend, a renowned forensic scientist who
had developed a unique system for comparing old DNA samples.

(27:23):
After weeks of waiting, the results came in and a match was
finally found. The DNA belonged to a convicted
criminal already on death row ina California prison.
His name was Robert Boyd Rhodes.Robert had never been a suspect
in Julie's murder. He hadn't even been on the
police's radar. However, Rhodes had a lengthy

(27:44):
criminal history. By the time his name was linked
to the attack on Connell, Robertwas already infamous for another
heinous crime. In 1996 he kidnapped, tortured
and killed 8 year old Michael Lyons in Yuba City, CA.
The crime was so horrific it made national headlines.
The 8 year old boy vanished while walking home from school.

(28:07):
He lived with his mother Sandra,his stepfather and two younger
sisters. The family resided in an
apartment about a mile from the school.
Sandra was a homemaker and Michael's stepfather worked as a
painter. They were hard working people.
Michael Lyons was known for his friendly demeanor.
His classmates loved him. He often stayed after school to

(28:28):
help teachers and always crackedjokes to lift everyone's
spirits. One of Michael's neighbors later
told the FBI he saw the boy walking home from school.
Lions lingered at a park betweenthe fairgrounds and his home to
play for a bit. The witness noticed a man
approached the child, talked to him, and then put him in a truck

(28:49):
and drive off. Since the boy didn't resist, the
neighbor assumed they knew each other and didn't raise the alarm
in time. But what could an 8 year old boy
do against a grown man? Less than 24 hours after the
abduction, Michael Lyon's body was found in dense brush along a
river. Officers immediately knew the

(29:10):
boy had been killed. His body bore over 70 shallow
stab wounds inflicted with a filleting knife.
The nature of the wounds indicated the victim had been
tortured. For several hours, Michael
remained alive, enduring excruciating pain.
However, the cause of death was a stab wound to the neck and
back that severed his spinal cord.

(29:32):
In his hand, Michael clutched a small silver bracelet.
It must have been his only comfort in his final moments.
Detectives also found signs of sexual assault.
Lions was naked from the waist down with his dark green sweater
pulled over his head. Nearby on the riverbank lay a
blood stained blanket. Robert Boyd Rhodes was caught by

(29:54):
police when his truck got stuck in the mud about a kilometer
from where Michael Lyon's body was found.
When officers approached, he satmotionless in the driver's seat,
shirtless in wet jeans and barefoot.
His behavior was eerily calm, but his presence in the area was
highly suspicious. Upon further inspection, police

(30:16):
found a tow cable attached to a winch wrapped around the trucks
rear axle and tied to a tree. On the open tailgate lay a
fishing knife with a thin serrated blade.
Between the blade and handle were traces of blood and river
mud. DNA analysis later confirmed the
blood belonged to Michael Lyons.When Robert was arrested,

(30:39):
detectives learned he worked as a Barber and lived in a small
town called Sutter. But further investigation
revealed his photo was in a listof 892 offenders who had
committed crimes against minors.This was meant to protect
society from monsters like him. Of course, this wasn't a very

(31:00):
effective way to inform people who to watch out for in their
neighborhood. With the advent of the Internet,
things became much easier. Michael's loss changed his
family's life. The boy's mother, Sandra, called
her son a ray of sunshine. He was a cheerful 8 year old,
and his senseless death at the hands of a heartless maniac

(31:21):
shocked the world. Sandra later recounted how she
sat alone for hours thinking about the 10 hours of torture
Michael endured. She couldn't stop imagining the
pain her son suffered in those horrific moments.
It took years for the emotional wound of losing her child to
even begin to heal. Everything turned upside down.

(31:45):
A mother's heart was torn from her chest, and Sandra had to
learn to live with that pain. The emotional devastation didn't
only affect the mother. Sandra's husband, Michael's
stepfather, began drinking heavily to cope with the grief.
Her younger daughters couldn't understand why their brother was
no longer with them. Michael's youngest sister,

(32:06):
Alethia, who was only 5 at the time, later said she spent
months sitting on the porch steps waiting for Michael to
come home from school, wrapped in his favorite Spider Man
blanket. The day Michael Lyons died,
every member of his family died in their own way.
Sandra's grief over losing her son could have consumed her

(32:27):
entirely, but the woman found the strength to fight.
She dedicated herself to activism, transforming her pain
into protecting other families from such nightmares.
Sandra became a fierce advocate for laws targeting criminals.
The mother who lost her child tirelessly educated other
parents on how to protect their children.

(32:49):
She often spoke at schools, warning students about the
dangers strangers could pose. Sandra's advocacy extended far
beyond her local community. She spoke before lawmakers,
participated in rallies and collaborated with other parents
who had lost children to violentcrimes.
In memory of her son, Sandra founded the Michael Lyons

(33:10):
Foundation, which raises awareness about crimes against
children and supports victims families.
But all this came after Robert had already committed a series
of crimes and was now linked to Julie Connell's murder.
In 1985, just a year after Julie's death, Rhodes attacked
another woman. He broke into her home, held her

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at gunpoint, handcuffed her to apipe, and assaulted her.
Then, with her bound, he put herin his truck and drove toward a
river. In a desperate bid to survive,
the woman managed to jump out ofthe moving vehicle when Robert
backed up, intending to run her over.
She rolled to the side of the road, got up and ran to the

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nearest building for help. Robert was arrested and
convicted of kidnapping and sexual assault.
For some reason, Rhodes didn't stay in prison long.
As soon as he was released, he returned to his old habits.
In 1993, he assaulted the four year old granddaughter of a
woman he was dating at the time.This crime led to another

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conviction for lewd acts with a minor.
Despite his convictions, Rhodes remained free for much of his
life. After the murder of Michael
Lyons. He was finally sentenced to
death in 1999. In 2002, his DNA matched the
semen samples taken from Julie'sbody.
In 1984, the prosecutor and the prosecution team weren't

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confident they could secure a conviction against Robert based
solely on DNA evidence. Rhodes's attorney could easily
claim the sexual act between hisclient and the victim was
consensual, so detectives neededto find something else linking
him to Julie's death. No one was as invested in the
case as the Connell family and District Attorney Angela

(35:00):
backers. She pieced together evidence,
dedicating all her time to it. Her efforts soon paid off.
Angela found one of Robert's former girlfriends from 1984.
This ex-girlfriend revealed 2 crucial details.
First, Rhodes lived less than a block from Kennedy Park where
Julie was last seen. 2nd, at thetime he drove a green truck.

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This vehicle LED Angela to consider that the perpetrator
might have parked near Kennedy Park.
Backers retrieved old photos collected from department store
employees who held the outdoor Easter party.
Armed with a magnifying glass, she examined each photo inch by
inch, looking for a green vehicle near the park.
In one blurry, low quality photo, Angela spotted a green

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truck. Then she looked down and
couldn't believe her eyes. Just a few meters from the
truck, sitting on a blanket, wasJulie Connell.
It was hard to make out details,but the lavender color of her
shirt confirmed the obvious. This was the connection they
were looking for. All the evidence combined
allowed the District Attorney tocharge Robert Boyd Rhodes with

(36:12):
Julie Connell's murder. In 2723.
Years after the girl's death, the case went to trial.
By then, Rhodes was already on death row for Michael Lyons
murder, but prosecutors were determined to hold him
accountable for Julie's death aswell.
According to the prosecution, after Connell finished studying,

(36:33):
she packed her things in her backpack and was ready to head
home. No one knew exactly what
happened next, but Robert somehow convinced the girl to
approach his truck, then grabbedher and dragged her inside.
He likely watched Julie from hisvehicle.
The defendant's attorney, knowing the DNA evidence would
be critical to the prosecution'scase, claimed that 31 year old

(36:56):
Robert Rhodes and 18 year old Julie Connell were in a romantic
relationship. Robert's sister even testified,
saying she saw them together anddescribe them as a couple.
It's unclear why she tried to protect her brother, who was
already sentenced to death. The claim shocked and outraged
Julie's family. What could connect a diligent

(37:17):
high schooler with an adult man who had broken the law multiple
times? The defense's argument was not
only absurd but deeply offensiveto Julie's memory.
The trial was exhausting for theConnell family.
They had to relive every detail of their daughter and sister's
tragic death. After four weeks of testimony,
the jury deliberated for less than an hour before reaching A

(37:39):
verdict. Robert Boyd Rhodes was found
guilty of Julie Connell's murderand sentenced to death.
In the end, Rhodes became one ofthe few people in California to
receive multiple death sentences.
Kennedy Park, once a place of joy, became a place of sorrow
and a symbol of resilience. A memorial bench was installed

(38:00):
there in honor of the slain girl, a reminder that she was
more than just a victim. Julie Connell was a daughter, a
sister, and a bright light extinguished too soon.
Though justice was served and the verdict brought a sense of
closure, it didn't end the griefof her parents and sisters.
They kept asking themselves questions.

(38:22):
Who would Julie have become if she hadn't died?
Who would she have married? What heights would she have
reached in her life? Sadly, they'll never know
because Robert Rhodes stole Julie's future.
This story reminds us of the fragility of life and teaches us
never to give up the Connell family's decades long fight for

(38:42):
justice, their persistence and their refusal to let Julie's
case be forgotten. Our powerful lessons in courage
and hope for everyone else. If you have finished watching,
you are a real fan of true crime.
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