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The murder of Carol Kennedy on July 2, 2008, left the usually peaceful town of Prescott, Arizona, in a state of disbelief. This well-liked artist and mother of two was discovered in her own home, having been beaten to death. It didn't take long for the focus to fall on Steve DeMocker, her ex-husband. The man had been struggling financially following their recent divorce.
The road to trial was long. Eventually, in 2013, DeMocker was found guilty of the Carol Kennedy murder. But, the evidence was largely circumstantial. This lack of hard evidence has led some to question the veracity of the conviction.
There are five particularly disturbing aspects of the Carol Kennedy case.
5 facts about Carol Kennedy's murder case, as seen on Dateline: Mystery On Bridle Path
1) The crime scene initially looked like an accident
When Carol Kennedy's lifeless body was discovered, the initial assumption was that it was a terrible accident. The poor woman had severe head wounds and a fallen bookcase close by made it seem like she could have just stumbled and hit her head. But, upon a more thorough look, the authorities realized that things weren't as straightforward as they first thought.
There was a ladder on the floor, its steps pointing upwards as if it had been pushed or pulled after she had passed away. The way Carol Kennedy was positioned and her injuries told a different story than the one the bookcase was trying to tell. It became clear that she had been in a fight, not a tumble.
What first looked like a sad mishap turned into a search for a murderer. The detectives now had to switch gears from figuring out a clumsy fall to piecing together a heinous crime. It was not the easy answer they had hoped for, but it was the truth they had to face.
2) The rare shoe prints behind Carol’s house
One key clue in the investigation was an uncommon footprint discovered in the sandy gravel at the back of Carol Kennedy's house. The trial claimed that this shoe impression matched a pair of cycling shoes belonging to Steve DeMocker, a man who loved to cycle.
A member of the jury, Kathy Reay, mentioned that this specific piece of evidence was very important for her decision to convict. She shared with CBS,
“The pieces of evidence that started to sway me were definitely the shoe prints.”
However, some people question the case's validity because no direct biological evidence, like blood, hair, or DNA, was ever found to connect DeMocker to the actual scene of the crime.
3) The suspicious web searches on DeMocker’s computer
Investigators discovered some troubling things on DeMocker’s computer. They found that he had been looking up ways to make a murder seem like an accident. This made the prosecution's argument even more convincing, as it showed that he might have planned the Carol Kennedy murder ahead of time.
On the other hand, DeMocker’s lawyers claimed that it was impossible to be certain that he conducted those searches. They suggested that maybe someone else had used his computer to generate ideas to frame him.
But, the jury found this information to be pretty powerful, and it helped them decide that he was guilty of the Carol Kennedy murder.
4) Jim Knapp’s suicide
Jim Knapp, who was quite close to Carol Kennedy and resided in her guest house, was one of the initial individuals to reach the spot where the crime took place. The moment he got there, he cast a suspicious glance at DeMocker.
He said to the police,
“My intuitive take on it is … the guy comes off to me as a very sneaky, manipulative man.”
Interestingly, despite his accusation, DeMocker's legal team thought that Knapp should have been considered a more substantial suspect. There were whispers that Knapp might have had romantic feelings for Carol Kennedy, which could have complicated things.
Plus, his account of where he was during the crime was a bit shaky. But before the detectives could delve deeper into his story, Knapp sadly took his own life in January 2009. Some wonder if he was plagued by guilt, while others think his death had nothing to do with the case at all.
5) A family divided over the verdict
Steve DeMocker’s daughters, Katie and Charlotte, were utterly heartbroken when their father was found guilty. Despite the pain of losing their mother, they stood by his side, begging for mercy at the time of his punishment.
Katie DeMocker told the court:
“You are faced with the question of whether to give my father the ability of parole in 25 years. I ask you that you do.”
But the judge’s heart was unyielding, saying,
“This was a premeditated murder … and from all appearances, the motive was money.”
To this day, Steve DeMocker maintains that he didn’t take Carol Kennedy's life, referring to his conviction as the “million-dollar question.”
Those who believe in his innocence argue that since there’s no concrete, physical proof, there’s still room for doubt.
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The Carol Kennedy case is detailed in Dateline: Mystery On Bridle Path. Watch it on NBC, or Peacock.
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