Anastasia WitbolsFeugen was 18 when her lifeless body was found by a Jackson County, Missouri sheriff's deputy. She had been shot pointblank in the face. Among the last to see her alive were two of Anastasia's teenage friends — Byron Case and his girlfriend, Kelly Moffett — who offered statements to authorities the following morning. Meanwhile, Kansas law enforcement found the body of Anastasia's boyfriend, Justin Bruton, reclining against an abandoned building. He had shot himself in the head with a shotgun. Investigators suspected the two deaths a related instance of murder-suicide, but lacked evidence. For Anastasia, they had no time of death, no bullet, no weapon, no biological traces from which to obtain DNA, no fingerprints, no fibers, no telltale signs of any kind to construct a working theory.
That was 1997. The case remained open for years. Repeated statements from Anastasia's friends and family were of no help. Sensational rumors and even fake evidence plagued the investigation. Then, in autumn of 2000, Kelly Moffett was discharged prematurely from the rehabilitation center where she had been undergoing treatment for crack cocaine addiction. Her early release was granted because of a story she told her counselor: that she had witnessed a friend's murder. For the better part of the year that followed, Kelly told everyone that Justin had killed Anastasia. But when a return to rehab was imminent, she suddenly turned an accusing finger at her ex, Byron.
Eager to close the three-and-a-half-year-old case, the Jackson County Prosecutor accepted Kelly's testimony. Charges against Byron were pursued in spite of the lack of evidence and a dubious Sheriff's Department, from whom the case was yanked away. At trial, prosecutors glossed over the factual inconsistencies and continuity problems of Kelly's story. They blamed her sketchy character and substance abuse problems on trauma from witnessing such a horrendous crime, even though Kelly herself confessed to frequent drug abuse before so much as meeting Byron. In the end, the jury convicted and, for armed criminal action and first-degree murder, sentenced Byron to two back-to-back life sentences, with no possibility for parole. The year was 2002. He was 23 years old.
Byron's friends, family, and supporters from around the world believe in his innocence. We wage a tireless campaign to win back the freedom that was stolen from him. That campaign begins here. This site offers updates on the legal status of the case and the efforts being made outside the courtroom, plus PDFs of actual reports from the Jackson County Sheriff's Department investigation.
Explore the evidence. Learn how the tragedy of a young woman's murder turned into a travesty of justice for a young man. Then
join the campaign to bring Byron home.
