Dateline NBC: The Girl in the Blue Mustang

Episode 4: One Buzz. Then Another.

Date: February 16, 2026
Host: Keith Morrison

Overview

This episode chronicles the tense third trial of Raymond Jennings, accused of murdering Michelle O’Keeffe. The stakes are higher than ever as the O’Keeffe family seeks justice, Jennings maintains his innocence, and new voices—most notably a father-son legal duo—emerge with the potential to upend everything previously accepted about the case. As the trial unfolds, the story pivots dramatically from courtroom drama to the beginnings of an extraordinary fight for exoneration.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Crucial Third Trial

• [00:49] The courtroom is tense as Judge Michael Johnson must decide whether to dismiss the case after two deadlocked juries.
  • “I will not dismiss the case.” — Judge Michael Johnson ([02:20])
  • Reacting to this, Jennings is visibly distressed, while the O’Keeffe family finds hope in the prospect of a third trial.
  • “We’re frustrated... God bless Judge Johnson for allowing that to happen today.” — Michael Keefe ([03:06])

Inside the Court and Crime Scene Walkthrough

• [06:05] The third trial is relocated to Michelle’s hometown in the newly built Antelope Valley courthouse—raising both the symbolic and practical stakes.
• Jurors are taken to the actual crime scene, seeing firsthand the vantage points and distances involved.
  • “They looked down there and they could clearly make out all the detail of the deputy's face from where they were standing. ...They were like, this doesn't add up.” — Pat O’Keeffe ([08:34])
• The O’Keeffes and Jennings both watch as jurors process the physical evidence and scene, underscoring just how personal and poignant the experience is after nearly a decade.

The Agonizing Wait for a Verdict

• [09:45] The jury deliberates for 24 days—forcing the O’Keeffes into a somber vigil during the holidays.
  • “We live it, we breathe it, day and night.” — Michael Keefe ([09:45])
  • “Christmas is never the same for us, to tell you the truth, since this happened.” — Pat O’Keeffe ([09:56])
  • Jason O’Keeffe describes anxiously waiting for the two buzzes signaling a verdict: “Because two buzzes equals verdict.” ([10:11])

Mixed Sentiments in the Community

• Public attitudes are divided; some question Jennings’s guilt, citing the circumstantial nature of evidence.
  • “Absolutely. ...Typically, the feeling is that the longer they're out, the worse it is for the prosecution. And so I was really getting concerned.” — Raymond Jennings ([10:53])

The Verdict Delivered

• [12:43; 13:24] The verdict arrives:
  • Not guilty of first-degree murder, but guilty of second-degree—eliciting emotional, complicated reactions from all sides.
  • “We the jury...find the defendant Raymond Jennings not guilty of the crime of willful, deliberate, and premeditated first-degree murder.” ([14:12])
  • “We the jury...find the defendant Raymond Jennings guilty of the crime of second-degree murder.” ([14:36])
  • “Big sigh of relief after 10 years that Michelle finally can rest in peace and justice was served.” — Michael Keefe ([15:38])
• Jurors and the O’Keeffes hold a candlelight vigil for Michelle, symbolizing closure after years of grief ([16:06]).

Sentencing & Families’ Final Words

• [16:56] The O’Keeffes confront Jennings during sentencing:

  • “I have to ask, what kind of demon lives within you to have done such a dastardly act?” — Pat O’Keeffe ([16:56])
  • “You will have to live with that image of her dying and taking her last breath.” — Michael Keefe ([17:10])
  • “Today you can repent for your sins... and if you ask me, I will forgive you.” — Jason O’Keeffe ([17:32])

• Jennings maintains his innocence, refusing remorse:

  • “I sit here as an innocent man...this is one sin that I will not be judged for.” ([17:58])
  • “I don’t ask any mercy from this court because I know I don’t have any coming.” ([18:40])

• [18:59] The judge sentences Jennings to 40 years to life in prison.

Jennings Responds to Conviction

• [19:49] Jennings describes his devastation and sense of injustice:
  • “You know that you're innocent of this crime, and yet you've just been found guilty. It was eating at me. It was destroying me.” ([19:49])
  • He breaks down in the holding tank, worried for his children and mother ([20:32]).
• Jennings adapts to “lifer” status in prison, learning from fellow inmates and toughening up ([21:03])—but the enormity of the sentence looms large ([21:31]).

The Turn: The Case is Not Over

• [23:34] Years pass. Jennings, having failed at appeal, turns to the California Innocence Project.
  • “The light at that tunnel was getting very dim.” — Raymond Jennings ([24:16])
  • Meanwhile, the O’Keeffes try to move on but face continued hardships.

A Night That Changes Everything: Clint Ehrlich’s Intervention

• [24:57] In 2015, Clint Ehrlich, a legal autodidact and researcher, is inexplicably compelled to watch the Dateline episode about Michelle O’Keeffe’s murder.
  • “I was sitting at home, and some force compelled me to go watch this episode of Dateline NBC.” ([24:57])
  • Clint is not a true-crime fan; nevertheless, he becomes obsessed, reading court documents and identifying holes in the prosecution’s case ([25:28]).
• Clint approaches his father, Jeff Ehrlich—a renowned appellate lawyer—with the case ([29:05]).
  • “If I found a case involving...an Iraq war veteran who was wrongfully convicted of murder, would you be interested in working with me to help get him out?” ([29:46])
  • Jeff, initially skeptical, reads the appellate opinion and is troubled by the lack of direct evidence and possible misinterpretation of circumstantial evidence ([31:16]).
  • Jeff and Clint form a dynamic legal team and reach out to Jennings’ fiancée, offering to fight for Jennings pro bono ([33:01]).

Jennings’ Dilemma

• [34:35] Jennings must choose: stay with the slow-moving Innocence Project, or put faith in the Ehrlichs’ unconventional but passionate approach.
  • “The decision was very difficult because the Innocence Project...was a lifeline.” — Raymond Jennings ([34:35])
  • Ultimately, the Ehrlichs’ passion convinces Jennings to switch legal representation ([34:50]).
  • “He had things moving. ...Everything that they put together is what should have been done at my first trial.” ([35:48])

Memorable First Meeting (and Stakes)

• [36:18] Jeff Ehrlich is shaken by his first, dehumanizing visit with Jennings in prison—a powerful reminder of the stakes involved in the fight for exoneration.

Looking Ahead

• [37:24] The episode closes with the promise that the case is about to pivot from courtroom drama to an extraordinary quest for justice—hinting at major developments ahead for both the O’Keeffe and Ehrlich families.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “All it took was 12 words: ‘I will not dismiss the case.’”
  — Keith Morrison ([02:20])

• “Going in today, you think of the possibilities of what if the man that murdered my sister walks free? ...We're confident that the third trial will have a unanimous 12 to O.”
  — Jason O’Keeffe ([03:37])

• “They looked down there and they could clearly make out all the detail of the deputy’s face... They were like, this doesn’t add up.”
  — Pat O’Keeffe ([08:34])

• “Big sigh of relief after 10 years that Michelle finally can rest in peace and justice was served.”
  — Michael Keefe ([15:38])

• “I sit here as an innocent man...this is one sin that I will not be judged for. ...I hold no remorse because I didn’t kill your sister.”
  — Raymond Jennings ([17:58])

• “When people start to make judgments after the fact about what you should have seen...Somehow that seemed troubling in a circumstance where they admit that he's 400ft away...I was troubled by that. It just bugged me.”
  — Jeff Ehrlich ([32:06])

• “He had things moving. I mean, he hit the ground running. ...Everything that they put together is what should have been done at my first trial.”
  — Raymond Jennings ([35:48])

Timeline of Important Segments

• [00:49] — Courtroom scene, Judge’s crucial decision
• [03:06] — O’Keeffe family reactions
• [06:05] — Third trial opens in new courthouse
• [07:11] — Jurors visit the crime scene
• [09:45] — The long wait for the verdict
• [12:43] — The verdict: not guilty (1st degree), guilty (2nd degree)
• [16:56] — Sentencing: O’Keeffe family statements, Jennings’s response
• [18:59] — Sentence: 40 years to life
• [23:34] — Jennings reaches out to the California Innocence Project
• [24:57] — Clint Ehrlich discovers the case
• [29:46] — Clint pitches the case to his father
• [31:16] — Jeff Ehrlich’s misgivings about the conviction
• [33:01] — The Ehrlichs reach out to Jennings
• [34:35] — Jennings chooses the Ehrlichs
• [36:18] — Jeff’s emotional prison visit
• [37:24] — Episode set-up for next part of the story

Tone & Style

The episode maintains Dateline’s signature tension, empathy, and attention to procedural detail. Keith Morrison’s narration balances gravitas with curiosity, giving weight to both the O’Keeffe family’s suffering and Jennings’s protestations of innocence. The tone shifts in the latter half from tragic resolution to anticipatory—signaling the case is not as closed as it once appeared, and inviting listeners to witness the next chapter’s dizzying twists.

For listeners:
This episode is a meticulously narrated, emotionally resonant account of a family’s ordeal, the justice system’s complexity, a man’s fight for freedom, and a surprising outside intervention. The stakes remain high—with all participants facing profound questions about truth, justice, and the limits of certainty in American criminal justice.