Nationality American Conviction(s) Second-degree murder Country United States Date apprehended 17 May 2003 | Criminal status Incarcerated Victims 3 Criminal penalty Life imprisonment | |
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Motive Children were illegitimate | ||
Diane O'Dell (born 1953) is an American woman that was convicted of murdering three of her 12 children. She was also investigated for the disappearance of another child. O'Dell regularly traveled with the bodies of the corpses. The bodies of the three dead newborns were found in May 2003 in a storage shed O'Dell rented and abandoned in Safford, Arizona.
By all accounts, she murdered them because they were illegitimate. O'Dell told police the babies died at birth between 1981 and 1984. She kept the three babies in a storage unit for over ten years. When she defaulted on her rent, her landlord cleared out her possessions and discovered the corpses. The case became known as 'The Babies in Boxes Murder Case'.
Trial
In her 2003 trial, the jury rejected three counts of first degree murder, but unanimously found her guilty of second degree murder.
In 2004 she was sentenced to life in prison. She will be eligible for parole in 2029.