The Murder of Angela Spence-Shaw

Warning, this case discusses murder and sexual assault.

For this case, I watched an episode of Homicide Hunter: American Detective. It’s season 3 episode 5, titled ‘Blood Bath.’

A beloved mother and grandmother is found dead in her home.

Background

Angela Spence-Shaw was 66 years old at the time of her death. Angela had come to the U.S. from Great Britain with her first husband. After her husband’s death, she remarried. Sadly, her second husband also passed away.

Angela came to the small town of Little Compton, Rhode Island, and began working in a greenhouse. She loved to garden and spend time outside.

Angela was a mother to two sons and was also a grandmother.

The Discovery

On May 30, 1999, Angela didn’t show up to work at the greenhouse. It was very unusual, so her co-worker went to check on her.

The front door was unlocked, so the co-worker entered the house. Angela was found submerged in her bathtub on the 2nd floor of her house. The first floor of her house had been under construction at the time.

The Rhode Island State Police and the Little Compton Police Department were called to the scene. Little Compton hadn’t seen a murder since 1965, and only 9 officers made up the police department.

The attack seemed to have started in the bedroom. The bed linens were missing, and there was a lot of blood leading to the bathroom.

Angela had a lot of items in her house that were of value. None of the items had been taken. Angela had $500 in her wallet, but that hadn’t been taken either.

A hairdryer was found in the tub. But, it wasn’t an accident. It was clear that Angela had severe blunt-force trauma to her head. The injuries were so severe that they made her unrecognizable.

The Other Murder

The results came back quickly from Angela’s autopsy. Angela had been sexually assaulted, and semen had been found in her body. Blunt-force trauma and drowning were the two causes of her death. She had also been electrocuted. As if her murder wasn’t brutal enough, Angela’s killer had stomped on her and broke several bones.

The police searched the database for any sex offenders in the area and found one. His background stated that he was a violent sex offender. He was asked to give a blood sample at the police station to rule himself out. He agreed and was eliminated.

The man that had committed the murder in 1965 still lived in Little Compton. He had spent a long time in prison but had been released. His parents lived near Angela’s home.

He had stalked and killed a local babysitter. He had an obsession with her and would watch through the windows of the home. He asked her if she wanted a ride home, and she said no. He then killed her when he felt rejected. He hit her in the head with a rock and killed her.

After 2 days of searching, the police found him. He was very cooperative and claimed that he had learned his lesson. He gave the police a sample of his blood. It was not a match, and he was eliminated.

The Hole in the Wall

The police returned to Angela’s home to go over the crime scene again.

Angela’s home was under construction on the first floor. There was a hole in the wall that was only covered with a tarp. The police began to focus on anyone who had been to Angela’s or had knowledge that the wall was only covered with a tarp.

The police did a canvass of the area. They went door to door to the homes near Angela’s. They learned that the construction company was local. They had been working at Angela’s for around 3 months. They had about 30 people working.

The police spoke to the two workers that had knocked down the wall of the home. One of the workers was ruled out as a suspect immediately as he had been with his girlfriend on May 29.

The police then spoke to the other man Jeremy Motyka. He lived in Fall River, Massachusetts, which was across the state line and had been 23 at the time. There was nothing that stood out to the police. He had no visible injuries on him. He was described as looking almost angelic.

Jeremy’s Story

Jeremy had a criminal history. He had been arrested for kidnapping and assaulting a woman in Massachusetts.

Jeremy said he had been at work until 3:30 on May 29. He said he came home and started drinking with a neighbor. The next day he spent time with his girlfriend. She corroborated his story but said he did seem very hungover. He kept throwing up and spent most of the day in bed.

Jeremy was interviewed again. His story kept changing. In his second interview, he added a few details. He said he had stopped at a bar on his way home after work on May 29. He also said he ordered a pizza, but he had ordered a pizza the night before.

The police were able to corroborate that Jeremy had been at his neighbor’s home on the 29th from about 6 pm-midnight. After that, the police don’t know where he went from midnight-9 am on the 30th.

Odd Behavior

The police had received a phone call from Jeremy’s co-worker. He said Jeremy had been acting strange at work. He said Jeremy told him that the police were trying to pin Angela’s murder on him due to his prior arrest. The co-worker was trying to tell Jeremy not to worry because he had never been up on the 2nd floor. Jeremy admitted that he had been on the 2nd floor because he had used the bathroom.

Jeremy also mentioned a box that the police had with them. The box was labeled ‘shoeprints.’ The co-worker overheard Jeremy on the phone, asking his girlfriend to get rid of his work boots and take them to her parent’s Cape Code home. The co-worker was alarmed and suspicious of Jeremy.

The police believed that Jeremy was the killer. However, they had no probable cause to get a blood sample unless they just asked him for one.

On June 9, 1999, Jeremy was interviewed again. They also requested a sample from him. Jeremy was willing to give his DNA. It was clear to the police that Jeremy had no idea that he had left his semen behind.

Jeremy’s sample came back as a match. He was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and first-degree assault.

A Monster

Jeremy had an explanation for why his semen was found in the bathtub. It was a laughable one though. He said he had used Angela’s bathtub after having sex with his girlfriend before coming to work. He said he would use the bathtub to clean himself off. He claimed he had nothing to do with the murder.

Jeremy knew that Angela had lived alone and was by herself every day. He also knew that there was a hole in her house. He drank heavily on May 29. He then drove back to Angela’s home and entered through the hole in the house. He then brutally attacked and raped Angela. He tried to wash the evidence away and make the scene look like an accident.

Jeremy testified at his trial. He still claimed that he didn’t kill Angela. He said the police were trying to pin it on him due to his prior arrest.

In 2001, Jeremy was found guilty of first-degree murder and assault. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

FINAL THOUGHTS

There was no way that Angela could have overpowered Jeremy. She was in good health for being in her mid-60s, but Jeremy was 23 and stronger than she was. The police 100% believe that Jeremy would have killed again had he not been arrested or found guilty. I’m glad that the police did amazing work in the case especially for it being the 1990s.

Other

In 2014, Jeremy’s attempt to overturn his conviction was denied.

Sources

https://thecinemaholic.com/angela-spence-shaw-murder-where-is-jeremy-motyka-now/

https://apnews.com/article/ffc0d1df669d7ebd368f68ed33e6fdbf

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/ri-supreme-court/1387645.html

https://www.heraldnews.com/story/news/crime/2017/12/06/fall-river-man-to-get/16896465007/

https://www.newportri.com/story/news/local/2017/12/06/convicted-rapist-murderer-to-get/12770692007/