SOLVED - The Murder of Jennifer Persia [Ep 153]
Trace Evidence
Steven Pacheco
4.7 • 4.3K Ratings
🗓️ 14 April 2026
⏱️ 26 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Then one quiet, Monday night, someone stole away everything she hoped to be, shattered a family and rocked a small town. On April 4th, 1994, an unknown killer, or killers, entered Jennifer's home and brutally murdered the sixteen year old over a matter of just $200.
UPDATE
After more than 30 years, DNA has conclusively identified Jennifer's killer. Not only has her case been solved through the use of genetic genealogy, but it was also discovered that Jennifer was not the monster's only victim. Twenty-four year old Marebeth Welsh, murdered five months before Jennifer, has also been identified as the victim of thirty-nine year old Francis Schooley.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | In episode 153, the murder of Jennifer Persia, we detailed the hideous crime which left the bright, |
| 0:16.8 | talented and caring 16-year-old dead on the floor of her family's home in Magnolia, New Jersey. |
| 0:23.7 | Despite the hard work and dedication of detectives and a family which refused to allow the case |
| 0:29.7 | to grow silent, the search for Jennifer's killer was constantly leading to a dead end. |
| 0:35.4 | The crime shocked Magnolia and left residents stunned by the brutal nature |
| 0:39.3 | of the murder of a young teenager who had her whole life in front of her. Eventually, despite the |
| 0:45.4 | acquisition of DNA evidence collected at the scene, investigators could not connect that DNA to any |
| 0:51.8 | known person of interest or suspect. |
| 0:59.9 | There were no matches in the system, and, given that it was the early 90s, technologies had not yet reached the point at which the killer could be tracked from only that sample. |
| 1:05.3 | Now, however, things have progressed far enough that investigators conclusively linked |
| 1:10.3 | that male DNA to the man |
| 1:12.6 | believed to have killed Jennifer, identified as 39-year-old Francis Schooley. |
| 1:18.6 | Not only will we dig into this new information, but also the revelation that Jennifer |
| 1:23.6 | was not Schooley's only victim. |
| 1:25.6 | New Jersey authorities have announced that Schooley has been |
| 1:29.0 | identified as the killer in another unsolved homicide. This is a special update episode, |
| 1:37.0 | the murder of Jennifer Persia, solved. |
| 2:02.9 | Welcome to Trace Evidence. I'm your host, Stephen Pacheco. In today's special update episode, we delve into all of the newly released information about the closing of Jennifer's case, as well as her killer being linked to a second previously unsolved homicide. Before diving in, though, just a quick reminder that this year, CrimeCon will be |
| 2:09.2 | returning to Las Vegas for the weekend of May 29th through 31st, and I'll be there on |
| 2:14.6 | Podcast Row representing Trace Evidence. Every year attending CrimeCon is such a blast, and I love getting a chance to meet all of you |
| 2:22.5 | amazing folks. |
| 2:23.9 | So, if you're planning to attend but haven't yet purchased your pass, you can save 10% by using |
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