Karla Jo Nieland was beaten to death and found 17 May 1981 at around 330am in John Keep car, her boyfriend. Keep was arrested and went to trial and was acquitted.
According to articles I’ve read, the community and Nieland family were stunned at the verdict. Sadly both her parents have passed away and will never see Justice served.
According to the article below [From the Minneapolis Tribune (now the Star Tribune) August 8, 1982]
• Keep was 6 beers into the party when he and Karla arrived. She didn’t want to be there when Keep drank. Keep gave Karla the keys for the car. When he wanted the keys, she refused to give them to him because he had been drinking. After that she disappeared. Keep was asking if anyone had seen Karla.
• Karla’s shirt, sweater and bra were discovered in a field on the farm’s property, near the location where Keep’s shirt and car keys were discovered.
• Roland Fiebranz, a friend of Keep stated after the party he saw Karla appear between the buildings. He said he went to bed and left Karla with Keep. Keep denied he reunited with Karla and someone hit him on the head. He woke to find Karla dead in the car. [Fiebranz took a polygraph to prove that he had nothing to do with Karla’s murder]
• Jackie Hermel, Fiebranz sister testified that she was sleeping with her husband and next Fiebranz. She was woken by Keep pounding on the door at 4 am. She said Keep tried to wake up Fiebranz yelling “Rocky, Rocky. Wake up! Wake up! Karla’s dead! Karla’s dead! I killed her!” She ran outside to see Keep drive off in Rocky’s car and found Karla in Keeps red mustang, dead!
There was a podcast that I wish I could listen to but it wiped off the internet and had no luck finding a backup anywhere: Uncracked, the Karla Jo Nieland Story. There were 3 episodes, all gone. There was also a website, but it’s deleted.
I have found this article on the trial:
Click the article to enlarge to make it easier to read!
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