Kentucky girl, 15, and boyfriend slit her stepmom's throat before fleeing, plotted to kill dad and brother
DANVILLE, KENTUCKY: September 1, 2016, saw the discovery of a tragic and gruesome murder scene. David Oakley, then 13, returned home from school to find his stepmother, Rhonda Oakley lying on the ground motionless.
There had been no evidence of any break-in or robbery though Rhonda's vehicle, a white 2014 Honda Civic, was missing from the driveway. David called 911 from a neighbors house and first responders rushed to the scene to find Rhonda, 52, dead with lacerations around her neck.
Upon searching the house, the authorities had found a trash can full of vomit and upstairs in the kitchen, a knife had been missing from its block, Oxygen reports. Rhonda's husband and father of David Oakley, Phillip, also told investigators that his daughter Jenna, 15, was missing as well.
Oxygen's series 'Killer Couples', which airs on Thursdays at 8/7c, looks at Rhonda's murder and the missing Jenna Oakley.
Jenna Oakley and her twisted relationship
The same day that Rhonda was found dead, Jenna's school had called Phillip to say that she had missed attendance and was not in school. He just assumed that his daughter had been sick and stayed home. Upon the discovery of the murder, investigators and Phillip were worried about how her disappearance could be connected to the murder.
Phillip was asked whether there was anyone who would want to harm the family, he named Jenna's 20-year-old boyfriend Kenneth Nigh whom she had met when she lived in Indiana with her biological mother. Kentucky Commonwealth Attorney Richie Bottoms said in the documentary, "Jenna Oakley started the relationship with Kenneth Nigh several years prior to this, maybe as early as 11 or 12 [years old], and that’s a huge age gap."
When Phillip and Rhonda became aware of the relationship, the two advised her to break it off and even confiscated her cellphone to prevent her from talking to Nigh. Phillip had also reportedly called Nigh and threatened him with police action if he continued to date his daughter.
Phillip shared, "What had happened between her, and [Nigh] was not right. He shouldn’t have done that. That’s illegal." Nigh then promised he would break off all contact with Jenna and she even agreed to abide by the rules that Rhonda and Phillip had set.
Once Rhonda was dead and Jenna was missing, Phillip said that it was likely that Nigh never intended to end the relationship at all.
An elaborate murder plot
When authorities searched Jenna's room, they found her journal, which proved that her infatuation with Nigh never ended. In one specific chilling entry, she had written about how her family would not be able to stop her from seeing Nigh as they would "be dead soon thankfully".
Jenna had penned down an elaborate timeline of how and when they would murder her full family, including her father and her brother. The entry read, "Need to kill Phillip first (4 am - 5 am) 2 knives prepared, with me, Kill David last, Kill Rhonda 2nd (6 am - 8 am), Kill David in his room, Ask Phillip to go downstairs real quick, then as we are going down, slice his neck in the front, Walk into Rhonda’s bedroom and stab her, Stab David in his bed."
Getting caught
Family members provided authorities with Nigh's cellphone number and they were able to find the device's location, which was tracked to Tucumcari, New Mexico. The authorities found a white sedan inside a motel parking lot and upon approaching the car, found the two sleeping inside. The pair was placed in handcuffs and put in separate vehicles. The authorities searched the car but found no evidence linked to the murder. While waiting to be extradited from a New Mexico detention center, Nigh hung himself and was rushed to the hospital. He was in critical condition. Authorities found a suicide note in his cell where he took all responsibility for the murder and said that Jenna had nothing to do with it.
Confession
Jenna was extradited to Kentucky where she confessed to the murder of her stepmother with the information of Nigh's suicide withheld from her. She revealed how Nigh had spent the night in her room before Rhonda's death and she also skipped school the next day. The two hung out in the basement all afternoon with Rhonda returning at 3 pm. While Nigh hid inside the bedroom, Jenna and Rhonda got into a bad argument that turned physical. Jenna tried to choke Rhonda, which is when Nigh stepped in and choked Rhonda causing her to pass out.
Jenna admitted she stabbed Rhonda many times in the neck after which Nigh had become physically sick and thrown up inside a garbage can, which confirmed what investigators had found. Jenna was charged with first-degree murder while Nigh succumbed to his injuries after being on life support for six weeks. When Jenna learned that Nigh had died at a pre-trial hearing, she burst into tears and started screaming.