After 20 years, the perpetrator of the brutal murder of the 35-year-old woman is revealed, she was found massacred with a knife

2025-12-04 10:07:59Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
After 20 years, the perpetrator of the brutal murder of the 35-year-old woman is
Jennifer Keeley

Sussex Police have announced that they have managed to identify the person believed to be responsible for the murder of 35-year-old Jennifer Keeley, who was found dead in a seaside shelter in Eastbourne on January 22, 2005. Her body had multiple stab wounds, a gunshot wound to the back of the head and was partially burned.

Investigators found a cigarette butt at the scene with a complete genetic profile that matched DNA traces found on Jennifer's body and blood. However, the profile did not match any records in state databases at the time. Two people were arrested in 2005, but were released for lack of evidence.

After resuming the investigation in recent years, police used advanced DNA affinity analysis methods that were not available in 2005. Investigators identified relatives of the mystery man, and in the summer of 2024, a DNA sample from a man in northern England provided the “final piece of the puzzle.”

The suspect was identified as Keith Doubekin, also known as Keith Black or Keith Broadbent, a man from North West England who died in 2014 at the age of 60. Police say he had connections to the homeless community in Eastbourne, as did Jennifer Keeley – an element that strengthened the investigative lead.

According to DCI Simon Dunn, Doubekin had been arrested in two separate rape cases in 2003 and 2004. But at that time, DNA was only taken from people formally charged, not from those simply arrested, which prevented his connection to evidence found at the murder scene.

He had also provided DNA as a witness in another murder case, but because he was not a suspect, his profile was not entered into the national database. In 2018, the use of new genetic affinity technologies allowed Sussex Police to narrow down the pool of possible suspects, until Doubekin was identified.

Police said the decision to release the suspect's identity was made due to "overwhelming public interest," the severity of the crime and the possibility that his name could help solve other unsolved cases. There are no other people wanted in connection with Jennifer Keeley's murder.

Family reaction

Jennifer's family welcomed the resolution of the case after two decades: "Our mother was kind, funny, creative, someone who loved music and cared deeply for others," they said in a statement. They added that the pain of her loss will never go away. "We hope her story brings more understanding to those experiencing homelessness and the stigma surrounding mental health."


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