Miranda Fenner
Born
Miranda Colleen Fenner

(1979-12-26)December 26, 1979
Sacramento, California, U.S.
DiedNovember 15, 1998(1998-11-15) (aged 18)
Billings, Montana, U.S.
Cause of deathHomicide by stabbing

Miranda Colleen Fenner (December 26, 1979 – November 15, 1998) was an American youth who was murdered while working at a video store in Laurel, Montana. The murder case received wide media attention and is one of the highest-profile murder cases in Yellowstone County history.[1]

Fenner's murder was featured on the Discovery Channel's Sensing Murder and the Montel Williams Show. Zachary David O'Neill confessed to killing her in March of 2017, a fact first publicized in July 2019 when he pled guilty to her murder.

Murder

On November 15, 1998, 18-year-old Miranda Fenner was working at The Movie Store, a locally owned video rental store in Laurel, Montana. At around 8:15 p.m., a passing motorist noticed a woman attempting to crawl out the doorstep of the video store.[2] The motorist stopped and called 911. The woman, discovered to be Fenner, had been stabbed multiple times in the head and neck, and her throat had also been slashed.[1]

Fenner was transported via Life Flight to St. Vincent Healthcare hospital in nearby Billings, where she died of her injuries within two hours.[1]

Investigation

Over 700 people were interviewed in relation to Fenner's murder, but no suspects had been named.[1] Police could not find a motive nor suspect in the case, though it was noted that a small amount of cash had been taken from the video store's register;[3] because of this, robbery could not be entirely ruled out as a motive.[4]

In 2000, a man who was killed in a police shootout in Glendive, Montana, had allegedly made statements prior to his death that he had been involved in Fenner's murder; however, Glendive police reported that the statements were rumors and were not confirmed.[5]

In 2012, Fenner's murder was given to the Billings Police Department's cold case unit.[4] Fenner's mother, Sherry Fenner, would later advocate for an instatement of Marsy's Law in the state of Montana in 2015.[6]

Arrest

In March 2017, the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office interviewed Zachary David O’Neill in connection with a case involving the rape, slashing, and attempted murder of a newspaper carrier in Billings which occurred in September 1998.[7] During this questioning with law enforcement, O'Neill admitted to being responsible for the newspaper carrier's attack, and subsequently confessed to the murder of Fenner.[7] O'Neill pled guilty to her murder on July 22, 2019.[7]

According to O'Neill, he murdered Fenner during an attempt to rob the video store.[7] He later disposed of the murder weapon—a hunting knife—in Jordan, Montana, during a trip with his father.[7]

Media depictions

Fenner's murder garnered national attention.[8] It was the subject of a Sensing Murder episode on the Discovery Channel in 2007.[9] In 2006, the case had been featured on the Montel Williams Show,[10] in which psychic Sylvia Browne claimed two men were responsible for the murder, aged 19 and 24.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Benoit, Zach (September 5, 2012). "Fenner murder case getting new attention". The Billings Gazette. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Who Killed These Montana Women a Decade Ago?". True Crime Diva. June 7, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  3. 1 2 "TV show appearance leads to tips in old murderPosted on March 2". Missoulian. Associated Press. March 2, 2006. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  4. 1 2 Mayer, Larry (September 21, 2015). "Miranda Fenner". The Billings Gazette. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  5. ↑ The Associated Press (July 13, 2000). "Glendive shooting victim had talked about Laurel video murder involvement". The Independent Record. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  6. ↑ Howe, Breeanne (October 8, 2015). "The Case of Miranda Fenner". MarsysLaw.us. Retrieved January 31, 2017.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Tollefson, Phoebe (July 22, 2019). "Man admits killing Miranda Fenner in 1998". Billings Gazette. Billings, Montana. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  8. ↑ Hudson, Matt (June 13, 2016). "Volunteer unit tracks unsolved murders in Montana". Post Register. Retrieved September 11, 2016. PDF
  9. ↑ "Show on Laurel killing on tap". Billings Gazette. Billings, Montana. June 6, 2007. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  10. ↑ Shay, Becky (February 15, 2006). "Laurel murder featured on Montel Williams show". The Billings Gazette. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  • Documentary short on Fenner's murder, produced by the Yellowstone County Police Department

45°40′06″N 108°46′39″W / 45.668301°N 108.777474°W / 45.668301; -108.777474

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