The Murder of Jennifer Krajnak
For this case I watched the newest episode of See No Evil. It’s season 7 episode 2, titled ‘The Last Shot.’
A 30 year old woman is killed after a night out.
Background
Jennifer Krajnak
Jennifer Krajnak was a 30 year old woman who lived in Lemon Grove, California. Lemon Grove is a small town, located in San Diego County.
Jennifer was described as being very social, and loved being around people. She was very close with her mom, Gale and to her younger brothers. Jennifer was also a very protective sister, and very feisty for someone who was so small. Jennifer was thinking about going back to school at the time, but was never given the chance to.
The Murder and Investigation
On January 2, 2013, a police officer was driving on Pacific Avenue in Lemon Grove, around 2am. He stopped when he saw a figure laying down in the road. It was a female, and she had a gun shot wound to her head. At the time, she was still alive, but unable to talk or move. The officer called in for backup.
The San Diego Sheriff’s department responded to the scene. They found blood at the crime scene, and they found a purse, keys, cell phone and tablet laying next to the victim. The female was identified as being Jennifer Krajnak.
There was also a bullet casing at the scene. Jennifer’s electronics were taken in to forensics, and a warrant was requested to get into the items.
The police started their investigation by questioning the neighbors around the area where Jennifer was found. There were several witnesses who said they heard gun shots, but didn’t see or hear anything else.
The police also located several surveillance cameras, a few from the apartment complex on that street and a few cameras from a company called GMT. GMT had several cameras that were facing the area where Jennifer was found.
Jennifer was rushed to the hospital, and at 2:37am, she was pronounced dead.
Surveillance Footage
It was discovered that Jennifer had gone to Dirk’s Niteclub, a bar where she frequented and had worked there in the past. Dirk’s was also just a few minutes from the area where Jennifer was found.
The police went to the bar to see if there were any witnesses and surveillance cameras. The bartender told the police that Jennifer had seemed happy that, and he was happy to help them find out who did this to her.
The first camera was above the bar, and they played it around 6pm when Jennifer was known to be at the bar. Jennifer was seen with a larger man and another female, towards the end of the bar. Jennifer was identified by her hairstyle, she was wearing pigtails that night.
Several minutes later, another camera showed Jennifer talking to another man. They seemed like they knew each other, and were having a good time. Throughout the night Jennifer was also on her tablet, and still having conversations with the man.
At one point in the night they walked out of a view, and when they came back their body language changed. Jennifer seemed to be ignoring the man and the man walked away, using hand motions that suggested he was angry.
The police asked the bartender if he recognized the man and he said he thought his name was Casey.
Other Suspects
Meanwhile, the police were looking into other suspects. The first being Jennifer’s ex-fiance, Lee Cromwell. Lee told the police that he met Jennifer online, they went on a few dates and then moved in together.
There relationship became strained, and Jennifer filed a no negative contact order against him. A no negative contact order means the two parties can still be around each other as long as it’s positive and friendly.
Jennifer’s family was also asked about Lee, and they said that Lee and Jennifer were working towards a friendship. Gale, Jennifer’s mom, also said that Lee had been playing video games online early in the morning the night Jennifer was killed. This checked out and Lee was ruled out.
Before Lee left the police station he was asked to look at the surveillance photo of the man at the bar. He said the man looked like his friend Toyo. Toyo was a man named Custodial Ramirez. He was questioned, but was ruled out. He was at home with his girlfriend Krystal, who was also a friend of Jennifer’s. Krystal did tell the police that Jennifer had been texting a man named Casey the past few days, and that was a name the police had heard before. They needed to find this man.
Jennifer’s Last Movements
The police wanted to look at the surveillance footage again to track Jennifer’s last movements. There were surveillance cameras outside the bar and facing an adjacent parking lot.
As Jennifer leaves the bar, the police were looking for anyone who might have been following her. She left the bar alone, and the police believed the killer was already outside.
At 1:43am, Jennifer is picked up walking through the GMT parking lot. Jennifer was identified by her hair, what she was wearing and by her tablet. She stopped in the parking lot one more time to check something on it.
The next camera shows the area where Jennifer was found. A male is seen confronting Jennifer, there’s a struggle and Jennifer goes down. The police just witnessed Jennifer being shot, even though the footage is very grainy.
At 1:48am, a dark colored truck is seen driving away from the scene. It stops and the man gets out and puts something near Jennifer and drives off again. It was believed to be her tablet.
Who is Casey?
The day after Jennifer’s murder, a man came forward and said he knew who Casey was, but that he didn’t know his last name. Casey lived near this witness and drove a dark colored truck. The man said he believed it was a Chevy.
After getting this information, the police were able to determine that the suspect was named Casey Tschida, he lived on Noble Street and drove a 2007 Nissan Titan.
The police wanted to track his last movements to be sure. At 1:30am, Casey is seen leaving the bar and getting into a dark colored truck in a nearby parking lot. This surveillance footage was a little clearer and they were able to see the design of the front grill.
The same truck is seen driving off, and six minutes later the truck returns to the area where Jennifer was found. The truck was seen sitting there just 15 minutes before Jennifer was killed.
Meanwhile, the police were looking at Jennifer’s phone and tablet, and she last sent a text message to Casey at 10:25pm, asking to meet her for drinks.
Arrest
The police knew they had their killer, so they obtained a warrant for Casey’s house and truck. When they got there, Casey was gone and so was his truck. The police did find two receipts for weapon purchases, and one of the weapons was a .9mm handgun.
A BOLO (be on the lookout) was put out for Casey Tschida and his truck.
On January 5, two days after Jennifer’s murder, Casey went to his mother’s in Happy Valley, Oregon. He had told his mom that he killed someone, and she turned him into the police.
The police in Oregon called the San Diego Sheriff’s station, and the police went to Oregon to confront him.
Casey was arrested. During his interrogation, he said he didn’t know why he was there and that he wanted a lawyer.
Meanwhile, the police are finally able to search Casey’s truck and hit the jackpot. An empty .9mm shell casing was found in the truck, that matched the one found at the crime scene. Jennifer’s blood was also found inside Casey’s truck, it was on the driver side arm rest.
Casey Tschida
Trial and Conviction
At Casey’s trial he admitted to shooting her, but said he snapped and that it was in the heat of the moment.
The prosecution’s theory was that Jennifer invited Casey to the bar to have drinks with her, but just in a friendly way. Casey had wanted a relationship deeper than a friendship, and was angry when Jennifer rejected him. They also said Casey went home to retrieve his gun, came back and waited for Jennifer to walk by. He killed her in anger, and tried to wipe his prints from her tablet before returning it.
Casey Tschida was found guilty of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Other
Jennifer’s family didn’t know Casey. They said Jennifer and Casey hung out a few times prior, but she was not interested in him romantically.
FINAL THOUGHTS
What an awful crime that did not need to happen! Jennifer was an innocent person who just wanted to go out and have a drink with a friend. This man probably assumed that she wanted him and killed her because he was wrong and was rejected. There are some situations where people just wanted to be friends, you do not have a right to take their life because you feel rejected!!! Ugh. I hope he rots and thinks about what he did everyday.
Sources
https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/man-shot-woman-in-head-fled-to-oregon-detectives/2054285/
