The Murder of Julie Braun
For this case I watched an episode of Forensic Files. It’s season 13 episode 17, titled ‘Fashion Police.’
The body of a young mother is discovered in her apartment.
Background
Julie Ann Braun was born on July 6, 1954. She was only 35-years-old at the time of her death. She worked a consumer loan officer, helping customers with loans for cars and mortgages. Julie was also a mother of two young boys.
Julie was described as kindhearted, someone who loved to help others, and very punctual, so when she didn't show up for work it was unusual.
Julie Braun
Julie with her two sons
The Discovery
On Monday, August 2, 1999, Julie’s boss called her family, to report that Julie hadn’t shown up, or called in to work. It was very odd, as Julie was always on time.
Julie’s mom, Mary, decided to go over to her apartment. When she arrived, she found Julie’s body inside. Julie had been found in her underwear, and had been stabbed 37 times with a steak knife. It appeared to have been a sexually motivated crime, however, there was no actual sign of a sexual assault.
There was also no sign of forced entry or robbery. Julie’s purse was found out in the open, and she still had money and credit cards inside.
A List of Suspects
There was a steak knife found in the sink in the apartment. It had been cleaned, but the police believed Julie’s killer had cleaned up. There were shoe print impressions found in the carpet, and one found on Julie’s body.
The first suspect was a neighbor of Julie’s named Jeremie Overstreet. Jeremie lived with an exotic dancer he had been dating named Holly Doyle. Holly would later say that she found Jeremie attractive and articulate.
Jeremie creeped everyone else out. He had a criminal record from a previous conviction on rape and burglary. At the time of Julie’s death, Jeremie had violated his parole when he moved to Fresno, California. After Julie’s body was discovered, he left Fresno because of the police presence.
The wife of the apartment manager had told the police that just days before Julie died, Jeremie had told her that he had seen a broken window. Jeremie had tried to convince her to walk down a dark hallway with him to fix the window. The woman was able to tell Jeremie that she would tell her husband about the window. There was never a broken window.
The other suspects that the police looked into were Holly, Julie’s ex-husband, John, and John’s new girlfriend, Brenda. The police discovered that John was behind on child support payments, and that Julie had gotten into an argument with him and Brenda just days before she died.
On the night of the murder, John had been with their two children, but decided to keep them at his house because they had arrived home late from their outing at the lake. John and Brenda were eventually ruled out, as was Holly.
The Evidence
The police continued to search Julie’s apartment for evidence. When they did, they discovered a button ripped from a shirt. The logo on the button read Eddie Bauer 1920. It was compared to Julie’s clothing, but it didn't come from any items she owned.
The police went to a nearby Eddie Bauer store. They said that the button could’ve come from a women’s blouse or men’s shirt. John and Brenda denied owning any shirt from the store, but Holly revealed that she had purchased an Eddie Bauer shirt for Jeremie. It was green, tan, and red, and she was able to pick out the exact shirt from the store.
One week after Julie’s murder, Jeremie Overstreet was arrested on a parole violation. He had been found at a hotel in San Jose. In Jeremie’s wallet, the police found one of Julie’s business cards. They believed he had taken it as a trophy. The police didn't have much to go on, as the evidence was circumstantial.
Julie’s mom, Mary, revealed to the police that she had called Julie around 7:30pm on the night she died. Julie had told her mom that she would call her back because she was helping a neighbor.
There was no forensic evidence found in Julie's apartment, but the police decided to search Jeremie’s. In the apartment, the police found stains that were red and brown that looked like blood. The stains were tested, and it revealed that it came from two female donors. The DNA was a mixture of Holly and Julie’s blood.
The Conviction
When the police spoke to Jeremie, he did admit to being in Julie’s apartment. He only said he was asking her about a loan for a vehicle. The police didn’t believe him, as Jeremie had been unemployed at the time. (The police made a big deal about this in the episode, as to why they didn’t believe he was in her apartment for that reason). Jeremie also had a cut on his knuckle, that police believed happened when he cut himself with the knife.
In July 1999, Jeremie was charged with first degree murder and attempted rape.
Jeremie Overstreet in court
The prosecution believed that Jeremie had been on the hunt for a victim. He had attempted to lure the manager’s wife by telling her that there was a broken window. But, when she didn’t follow him, he focused in on Julie, and was able to con his way into her apartment.
At 7:30pm, Julie was able to tell her mom that she was helping a neighbor. The police knew that Jeremie was the only suspect besides Holly that matched this criteria.
It’s believed that Jeremie attacked Julie. She was able to rip the button off his shirt, but he overpowered her. Jeremie then washed the knife, and washed up back at his apartment, leaving behind the blood.
On March 1, 2003, Jeremie was convicted of first degree murder, attempted rape and burglary. He was sentenced to two life terms without the possibility of parole.
In a letter he read at Jeremie’s sentencing, Julie’s oldest son, Nathan, told Jeremie in court that his mom was able to fight back and leave clues to catch him.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Jeremie is an absolute monster. He had raped another woman before, and was still let out on parole. Jeremie should have been locked up, but instead he was let out, fled to Fresno, and killed Julie. Now, Julie’s sons have had to grow up without their mom.
Sources
http://katchingkillers.blogspot.com/2016/11/julie-braun-35-usa.html
https://owlcation.com/social-sciences/Killers-Caught-With-The-Weirdest-Evidences
https://subtitlelist.com/en/Forensic-Files-Season-13-Ep-17-Fashion-Police-32387
