Dateline NBC – The Girl in the Blue Mustang

Episode 2: "The Man Who Knew Too Much"

Date: February 16, 2026
Host: Keith Morrison (Narrator), featuring Detective Longshore, Mike & Pat O'Keeffe, Raymond Lee Jennings, and Rex Paris

Episode Overview

In this gripping follow-up episode, Dateline delves deeper into the relentless quest for justice by the family of Michelle O’Keeffe, a promising 18-year-old college student who was brutally murdered in her blue Mustang at a Palmdale park and ride. The episode focuses on the evolving suspicion surrounding Raymond Lee Jennings—the night security guard on duty—and examines the legal, emotional, and investigative efforts that follow, particularly those initiated by the O’Keeffe family as their faith in the official system becomes strained. The family’s bold move to enlist prominent attorney R. Rex Paris injects new energy into the case, leading to an explosive showdown in a deposition room—and a story of heartbreak, obsession, and the desperate search for truth.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Michelle O’Keeffe's Family's Torment and Determination

• The episode opens with poignant reflections at Michelle’s grave and the unyielding love from her family, especially her younger brother, Jason.
  “I will love you forever and I'll see you in heaven when it's my time to go.” – Jason O’Keeffe (01:37)
• Michelle’s parents struggle with unanswerable questions, particularly: “Who did this thing?” Mike O’Keeffe’s resolve is palpable:
  "Do you want to stand in front of God and Jesus? You know, why us?" – Mike O'Keeffe (01:49)

The Focus Shifts to Raymond Lee Jennings

• Security guard Jennings was the key witness; he claimed to have seen muzzle flashes but not the shooter. Detective Longshore is troubled by Jennings’ uncanny, possibly too-detailed knowledge of the crime scene: “He knew, for example, about the sequence or he opined the sequence of the shots, that the first shot was point blank into her chest. And that's exactly what it was as determined by the autopsy… for a layperson, come up with that, it just defied logic." – Det. Longshore (03:44, 04:34)
• Jennings’ uniform had no incriminating evidence, complicating matters (DNA tests negative for blood or gunshot residue).
• Longshore voices a hard-learned truth from his years in homicide:
  “Some killers… are likable people. You can't condone what they've done, but they're likable.” (06:07)

New Witness Emerges; The Story Unravels

• Victoria Richardson, a teenager detained on another charge, provides an account at odds with Jennings’.
  “She heard a tapping sound which we determined was probably the gunshots… and she saw the security guard walk by just moments before the shooting as he made his patrol… when he left the parking lot, went right through the crime scene and ended up stopping and talking to Mr. Jennings… he never told us that initially.” – Det. Longshore (10:42)
• Jennings originally denied seeing anyone, but when confronted, he "remembered." This further arouses suspicions about what Jennings may have withheld.

Investigative Dead Ends

• Detectives explore the possibility of gang involvement and coerced confessions, but quickly dismiss these as baseless.
  “They would, yeah, I killed Michelle. And if you don't put out it, then I'll kill you too.” – Det. Longshore (09:42)

Media, Psychic, and Desperation

• As the ordeal drags on, the O’Keeffes seek help from national television and even psychics, desperate for leads.
  • On The Montel Williams Show, psychic Sylvia Brown describes the killer: “He’s very large billed, but his name is Lee or Leon.”
    “…some kind of blue uniform with a pocket and badge thing.” (15:07, 15:20)
• The family places emotional billboards:
  “I wasn’t ready to die at 18. Can you help catch my killer?” (13:24)
• Mike O’Keeffe shares the relentless compulsion to solve the case for Michelle:
  “It almost like there was this constant little voice saying, you've got to get this thing solved… it eats at you. You got to get this thing solved.” (16:14)

Enter R. Rex Paris: Civil Litigation as Leverage

• Losing faith in the criminal case, the family hires civil attorney R. Rex Paris.
  “It was suggested by a friend that… Rex might be a good person to go talk to… we made an appointment and by gosh, we went in and talked to him…” – Mike O’Keeffe (20:44)
• The lawsuit targets the city (for lack of security) and All Valley Security; later, Jennings himself is added.
• The O’Keeffes pour settlement money into a private investigation.
  “So yeah, now Rex, he set up an account and everything, but everything we paid and I went off and, you know, had a lot of personal expense on the thing, you know.” – Mike O’Keeffe (23:18)
• Paris runs his own investigation, promising aggressive action:
  “They were totally involved in everything I did.” – Rex Paris (22:39)

The High-Stakes Deposition: Tensions Explode

• Jennings faces Paris alone, without a lawyer. Paris plays psychological games, aiming to break Jennings’ composure:
  “The first process is to make him comfortable… then you want to break that rapport… see how he is when he's angry.” – Rex Paris (24:56)
• Key exchanges:
  • On failing the polygraph:
    “Why'd you flunk the lie detector test then?”
    “I have no idea why I failed it… I don't even know if a true lie detector test was admitted to me…”
    (25:59 – Jennings)
  • On being scapegoated:
    “I'm not your scapegoat. The real killer is out there someplace, and I'm not the one.” (26:15 – Jennings)
  • On the emotional battle with Paris:
    “You're doing a very good job irritating me and getting underneath my skin. …what you want me to do is blow up in front of this camera so you can take it and use it against me.” (26:48 – Jennings)
  • On knowledge of Michelle's body:
    “You can see clearly her neck, and it looked as if there was still a slight pulse… Did you actually see her fingers twitching?... I'm just gonna answer yes.” (31:40 – Jennings)
  • Paris remarks:
    “It's like he was telling the story as if he was standing there, but saying he was over here at his car… he knew things he could only know… he knew too much.” (32:08 – Paris)
• The deposition grows physically tense, with Jennings placing his hands on Paris' neck (30:46):
  “He was… telling me, I can get to you. It was an interesting experience.” – Rex Paris

Media Pressure & Aftermath

• A reporter attends the deposition; headlines label Jennings as lying—public opinion turns.
• Despite all, District Attorney declines prosecution, citing lack of evidence: “I was convinced that this guy did it… but I saw that there were some serious problems with the physical evidence in the case. Just wasn't any.” (34:41)
• Pat O’Keeffe reflects on seeing Jennings at the grocery store, the pain of proximity.
• Lawsuit is settled against the city; claims against Jennings dropped, but the deposition’s purpose—to ratchet pressure—may have worked.

Relentless Pursuit; New Hope

• The O’Keeffes refuse to give up hope:
  “As long as there's breath in my lungs, we aren't going to give up until this thing's resolved.” – Mike O’Keeffe (35:02)
• Enter retired sheriff’s deputy Jim Jeffra, who symbolizes the hope that a "fresh pair of eyes" may finally offer resolution.
  “I was going to do what I could do to prove that he didn't kill this girl.” – Jeffra (36:06)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Pat O’Keeffe’s TV Appeal:
  “On the night of February 22, our daughter Michelle was murdered at the park and ride lot in Palmdale…” (13:16)
• Sylvia Brown’s Psychic Claim:
  “He’s very large billed, but his name is Lee or Leon… some kind of a blue uniform with a pocket and a badge thing.” (15:07, 15:20)
• Rex Paris about Parents’ Involvement:
  “I've never had a case where they, they were so involved in it, you know, and, and wanting to know every single detail.” (22:39)
• Ray Jennings’ Defiance During Deposition:
  "You’re doing a very good job irritating me… I'm trying to stay nice and calm because I know what you want me to do is blow up in front of this camera so you can take it and use it against me. It's not going to happen, my friend." (26:48)
• The O’Keeffe Family’s Unyielding Resolve:
  “As long as there's breath in my lungs, we aren't going to give up until this thing's resolved.” – Mike O’Keeffe (35:02)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Opening: Family's grief and determination– 01:09–02:00
• Suspicion on Jennings and investigative interviews – 03:44–06:42
• New witness (Victoria Richardson) contradicts Jennings – 10:42–11:57
• Public appeals and psychic on Montel Williams — 13:24–15:52
• Decision to go civil: R. Rex Paris enters – 20:35–22:22
• High-stakes deposition, psychological games – 24:56–32:23
• Aftermath: media blitz, DA declines charges – 33:32–34:41
• Family’s continuing hope; new investigator – 35:02–36:11

Overall Tone & Feel

The episode mixes sorrow, suspense, and righteous anger. Keith Morrison’s narration is empathetic but relentless, channeling the O’Keeffe family’s exhaustion, Longshore’s dogged skepticism, Paris’s bravado, and Jennings’ defiant nerves into a tapestry saturated with the uncertainties of a true-crime investigation. Tension rises sharply in the deposition, manifesting both psychological and physical confrontation.

Conclusion

Episode 2 paints a portrait of a family unwilling to accept “no answers”—a family that mobilizes not just law enforcement but every means at their disposal to pursue justice. Central to this chapter is the figure of Raymond Lee Jennings: the man who knew, perhaps, too much. The episode closes with fresh hope—the possibility that new eyes might reveal new truths.

Next time: As a new investigator takes on the case, the possibility emerges that the long-stalled search for Michelle’s killer might finally move forward.