Topline: More than three decades after 12-year-old Jennifer Odom was abducted and killed, the jury that convicted Jeffrey Crum is now weighing whether he should be sentenced to death.
Published: August 26, 2026 10:04 pm ET
Randy Shaw
I cut my teeth in journalism when I began looking into what I saw as abuses of power in my local government. From then on, I was hooked on the dopamine rush of uncovering information.
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BROOKSVILLE, FL — The sentencing phase began Monday for Jeffrey Crum, the man convicted last week of kidnapping, sexually battering, and murdering 12-year-old Jennifer Odom in a case that haunted the Tampa Bay area for more than three decades.
The same Hernando County jury that found Crum guilty after more than five hours of deliberations is now being asked to decide whether he should receive the death penalty or another life sentence. According to WFLA and courtroom reporting from FOX 13 Tampa Bay, jurors were scheduled to hear victim impact statements and additional testimony as the penalty phase got underway Monday morning.
Jennifer Odom disappeared in 1993 after getting off her school bus in Pasco County, and her body was found days later in Hernando County. Prosecutors said witnesses saw her near a blue pickup truck before she vanished, and evidence presented during trial included testimony that Crum owned a similar truck, traveled near the area where her body was found, and made incriminating statements to family members and others over the years.
One of the prosecution’s key witnesses was Crum’s son, who testified that his father gave him a musical instrument around the time of Jennifer’s killing and later admitted responsibility for her death. Prosecutors also pointed jurors to the recovery of Jennifer’s backpack and clarinet case years after the killing, while the defense argued there was no physical evidence directly tying Crum to the murder and challenged the credibility of several witnesses.
Crum was linked to the Jennifer Odom case in 2023 and was already serving two life sentences in prison for a separate 1992 attack on a 17-year-old girl in Pasco County. Under the legal standard described in the reporting, at least eight of the 12 jurors must vote for death before that sentence can be recommended.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
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Sentencing Begins for Man Convicted in Murder, Rape of 12-Year-Old Jennifer Odom
More than three decades after 12-year-old Jennifer Odom was abducted and killed, the jury that convicted Jeffrey Crum is now weighing whether he should be sentenced to death.
By Randy Shaw
Published: August 26, 2026 10:04 pm ET
BROOKSVILLE, FL — The sentencing phase began Monday for Jeffrey Crum, the man convicted last week of kidnapping, sexually battering, and murdering 12-year-old Jennifer Odom in a case that haunted the Tampa Bay area for more than three decades.
The same Hernando County jury that found Crum guilty after more than five hours of deliberations is now being asked to decide whether he should receive the death penalty or another life sentence. According to WFLA and courtroom reporting from FOX 13 Tampa Bay, jurors were scheduled to hear victim impact statements and additional testimony as the penalty phase got underway Monday morning.
Jennifer Odom disappeared in 1993 after getting off her school bus in Pasco County, and her body was found days later in Hernando County. Prosecutors said witnesses saw her near a blue pickup truck before she vanished, and evidence presented during trial included testimony that Crum owned a similar truck, traveled near the area where her body was found, and made incriminating statements to family members and others over the years.
One of the prosecution’s key witnesses was Crum’s son, who testified that his father gave him a musical instrument around the time of Jennifer’s killing and later admitted responsibility for her death. Prosecutors also pointed jurors to the recovery of Jennifer’s backpack and clarinet case years after the killing, while the defense argued there was no physical evidence directly tying Crum to the murder and challenged the credibility of several witnesses.
Crum was linked to the Jennifer Odom case in 2023 and was already serving two life sentences in prison for a separate 1992 attack on a 17-year-old girl in Pasco County. Under the legal standard described in the reporting, at least eight of the 12 jurors must vote for death before that sentence can be recommended.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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Latest Articles
Sentencing Begins for Man Convicted in Murder, Rape of 12-Year-Old Jennifer Odom
More than three decades after 12-year-old Jennifer Odom was abducted and killed, the jury that convicted Jeffrey Crum is now weighing whether he should be sentenced to death.
By Randy Shaw
Published: August 26, 2026 10:04 pm ET
BROOKSVILLE, FL — The sentencing phase began Monday for Jeffrey Crum, the man convicted last week of kidnapping, sexually battering, and murdering 12-year-old Jennifer Odom in a case that haunted the Tampa Bay area for more than three decades.
The same Hernando County jury that found Crum guilty after more than five hours of deliberations is now being asked to decide whether he should receive the death penalty or another life sentence. According to WFLA and courtroom reporting from FOX 13 Tampa Bay, jurors were scheduled to hear victim impact statements and additional testimony as the penalty phase got underway Monday morning.
Jennifer Odom disappeared in 1993 after getting off her school bus in Pasco County, and her body was found days later in Hernando County. Prosecutors said witnesses saw her near a blue pickup truck before she vanished, and evidence presented during trial included testimony that Crum owned a similar truck, traveled near the area where her body was found, and made incriminating statements to family members and others over the years.
One of the prosecution’s key witnesses was Crum’s son, who testified that his father gave him a musical instrument around the time of Jennifer’s killing and later admitted responsibility for her death. Prosecutors also pointed jurors to the recovery of Jennifer’s backpack and clarinet case years after the killing, while the defense argued there was no physical evidence directly tying Crum to the murder and challenged the credibility of several witnesses.
Crum was linked to the Jennifer Odom case in 2023 and was already serving two life sentences in prison for a separate 1992 attack on a 17-year-old girl in Pasco County. Under the legal standard described in the reporting, at least eight of the 12 jurors must vote for death before that sentence can be recommended.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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