Killing of Jennifer Servo

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Jennifer Servo
Born
Jennifer Olson

(1979-09-23)September 23, 1979
Columbia Falls, Montana, U.S.
DiedSeptember 16, 2002(2002-09-16) (aged 22)
Abilene, Texas, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)News anchor, reporter
Notable credit(s)KPAX-TV, KECI-TV, KRBC-TV

Jennifer Lynn Servo (born Jennifer Lynn Olson, September 23, 1979 – September 16, 2002) was an American news reporter whose murder in 2002 is unsolved. In the early 2000s, she worked for KPAX-TV and KECI-TV in Montana, and KRBC-TV in Texas.

In August 2002, Servo moved from Montana to Abilene, Texas, to work her first full-time reporter job at KRBC-TV. On September 16, she was killed in her apartment via blunt force trauma and strangulation. She was found in her bathtub by her apartment manager days later. There were no signs of forced entry into the apartment, or that she was sexually assaulted. No arrests have been made in the case; investigators have named and cleared two male suspects who both had romantic relationships with her previously. One of the men, who went shopping with Servo hours prior to her death, said they were being followed by another man at the time.

Background and career[edit]

Servo graduated from Columbia Falls High School in 1998.[1] Afterwards, she enlisted the U.S. Army Reserves.[2] Servo stated that she had the ambition to be "the next Katie Couric" and to work for a large news network.[3] Servo graduated from the University of Montana in May 2002,[4] with a degree in journalism.[2] She first worked at a local news station in Missoula, and then applied for a reporting position in Abilene, Texas, because she had a "romantic vision" of the state due to its cowboy culture.[2] She was offered her first full-time news reporter job at KRBC-TV,[5] and moved to Abilene in August 2002.[2] KRBC anchor Downing Bolls said "You could see early on that Jennifer had the tools it was going to take to move on to bigger and better things".[6]

Death[edit]

On September 16, 2002, Servo returned from shopping to her new apartment in Abilene some time between 12:30 a.m. and 1:39. She spoke to a friend on the phone at 1:39. A few days later, after her co-workers had reported her as absent for work, her apartment manager went to check on her. She was found fully clothed, "face-down and slumped over" the bathtub of her new apartment. She had been murdered by strangulation and blunt force trauma on the 16th. There were blood marks tracking from the floor near her bed (which was in the living room) into the bathroom. She had signs of bruising around her genitals, but no signs of molestation; investigation theorized this was pressure from the victim's knee. She was already dead before "the upper portion of her body entered the water".[2]

Investigation[edit]

The case remains unsolved and no arrests have been made.[7] Her apartment door was locked, the lack of forced entry into Servo's house could imply that Servo knew her murderer beforehand. Her friend claimed she would not open her door for a stranger.[2] Previously, a neighbor heard Servo and somebody else arguing in the apartment for some length of time.[2]

There have been two named suspects in the case, both of whom have been cleared by investigators. Servo's relatives and investigators initially believed Ralph Sepulveda, Servo's former boyfriend, was a prime suspect. Sepulveda was an Army Ranger that Servo had met while serving in the Army Reserves in Montana. They lived together in Abilene for a few weeks before Servo discovered that back in Montana, he had a child from another relationship and a fiancée whom he had broken up with to live with Servo. After the breakup, he moved to a different apartment in Abilene. According to Servo's friend, about three weeks after they broke up, he asked if they could start dating again, and she declined. Investigators obtained a letter that he had wrote to his ex-girlfriend, saying he still loved her and no longer had any feelings for Servo. Weeks after moving apartments, he moved out of Abilene and re-enlisted in the Army for active duty. He told police he was home the night of the murder, having fallen asleep around 10:30 p.m. He did not ask the police any questions about the murder, and seemed "guarded". His behavior and potential motive considered, investigators at one point believed that the district attorney could charge him with murder, but he was ultimately cleared.[2]

Brian Travers, Servo's co-worker who was a weatherman at KRBC, also became a suspect, but he was cleared because investigators did not believe he was a strong candidate. Travers and Servo had a brief "romantic fling"; Oxygen wrote that "based on entries in Servo’s diary, it seemed he was more into her than she was into him." They ran errands together hours before her death. On the 15th, they had left work at 11:30 p.m. to go shopping, then left the store at 12:30 a.m. on the 16th. Travers told police a car had been following them that night. Travers gave his DNA to the police in the investigation.[2]

In 2014, the Abilene Police Department said they were following through with new leads in the case,[8] though as of 2018, it is not clear what those leads were.[9]

Legacy[edit]

Servo's murder became one of the most high-profile cold cases in Abilene.[2] It has been covered by numerous media outlets since 2002, including Cosmopolitan,[10] the TV shows America's Most Wanted and 48 Hours Mystery,[11] and the podcast Cold Justice.[12] A scholarship was established in her name at the school after her death.[1]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "University of Montana School of Journalism". Umt.edu. Retrieved 2012-09-18.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Texas Prosecutors Reexamine Montana Reporter's Senseless and "Chaotic" 2002 Murder". Oxygen Official Site. 2024-03-30. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  3. ^ Martz, Geoff (2007-09-11). "'She Could Have Gone Anywhere She Wanted to' - ABC News". Abcnews.go.com. Retrieved 2012-09-18.
  4. ^ "Deadline For Justice". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2019-11-01.
  5. ^ "Specialists to look at Servo murder case » Abilene Reporter-News". Reporternews.com. Archived from the original on February 17, 2012. Retrieved 2012-09-18.
  6. ^ News, A. B. C. "'She Could Have Gone Anywhere She Wanted to'". ABC News. Retrieved 2024-05-18. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  7. ^ KECI Staff (2013-09-19). "Jennifer Servo's murder still unsolved after 11 years". KECI. Retrieved 2019-11-01.
  8. ^ "APD: New Leads in Jennifer Servo Cold Case". KTAB - BigCountryHomepage.com. 2016-02-05. Retrieved 2024-05-18.
  9. ^ "KRBC reporter Jennifer Servo killed 16 years ago, case remains cold". KTAB - BigCountryHomepage.com. 2018-09-17. Retrieved 2024-05-18.
  10. ^ "Episode 1: Let me introduce you... - Justice...Delayed (podcast)". Listen Notes. Retrieved 2019-11-01.
  11. ^ "Deadline For Justice". CBS News. Retrieved 2012-09-18.
  12. ^ "Texas Prosecutors Reexamine Montana Reporter's Senseless and "Chaotic" 2002 Murder". Retrieved 2024-04-17.

External links[edit]

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