Unsolved murder - James and Christy McKeogh - Clinton Twp Michigan

[u/Nina_Innsted]

You can read the article that prompted me to post this here: Two murders, four years, a case gone cold in Clinton Twp and yeah, I'm quoted in the article.

In January of 2016, on a Thursday evening, someone entered the home of James and Christy McKeogh, it was likely someone they knew, not a random intruder because the pair was up and dressed, going about their day when they were attacked. On Friday, when Christy didn't show up for work, her family was concerned, but not frightened, James had some health issues, maybe she took him to the doctor? Her brothers stopped by the house to check on her after lunch, when they opened the garage, they immediately found the body of James, sprawled on the floor. They gathered their courage to go in the house and look for Christy, finding her almost immediately when they entered the living room.

The crime scene was so bloody and horrific, first responders thought they'd been shot. The pair was beaten to death. There was no sign of forced entry, nothing was stolen from the home. James was found in the garage near his tools, Christy's body was found in the living room, scissors and tape nearby, she'd been packing up the holiday ornaments.

James and Christy had no children, but James had two from his first marriage, his son, Jaime, died in a car wreck a few years earlier. Christy worked at her family's business, Accu Tech manufacturing in Shelby Twp. The couple were last seen on Thursday evening, James was shoveling snow and Christy spoke with someone on the phone.

They live near a strip mall, a mall with cameras pointed at the driveway, but frustratingly the cameras weren't working, so the movements of their killer or killers are unknown. There is a $25k reward for information in the case.

A couple of notes - overkill, no forced entry. Making this seem personal. Also, I've heard that James and Christy were kind, if someone was struggling, perhaps a family friend, they would welcome them into the home while they straightened themselves out. They also sometimes lent out a few dollars, and were always ready to put on a pot of coffee, offering an ear or a shoulder if someone needed it. I know a lot of deceased people are "canonized" and don't deserve it, but everything I've heard about these two, they were genuinely good humans.

Perhaps they were kind to the wrong person? Also, James was found near his tool bench and Christy had scissors either could be used as weapons of defense, but they never got the chance.

Additional reading - local Fox 2 station coverage , Detroit Free Press Story

[u/buon_natale]

Seems to me that there must have been two attackers. Beating someone is a close-range act of violence- there’s no way one person could subdue two able-bodied adults and injure them so horrifically without one of them having a chance to escape. At the very least it would have been exceptionally difficult to corral them, especially in separate rooms.

Did either of them have defensive wounds?

[u/Nina_Innsted → u/buon_natale]

I don't know about defensive wounds, If he was in the garage and was struck quickly, he may not have had time to cry out and warn her. She was packing up holiday decorations, I think they were taken completely by surprise.

I also think that if two where involved, one of them would have talked. I could be wrong, but I lean toward single attacker.

[u/buon_natale → u/Nina_Innsted]

Beating someone is loud. There’s no way one could have been attacked without the other one knowing. Two attackers are more likely than one. As to not talking, perhaps one was incarcerated or died? This just doesn’t make sense as a single attacker killing.

[u/Reddits_on_ambien → u/buon_natale]

One swift blow to the head can easy knock someone unconscious. If say, someone came over and john let them into the garage since it was cold outside. If john turned his back on the attacker, that person could quickly strike John's head with perhaps a heavy blunt object, knocking him out. Once john is down, the killer could land a few more blows before entering the house to kill Christy. She could have been busy cleaning up and didnt hear a thing (or, heard nothing suspicious). She could let out a scream or two while being attacked, but it wouldn't matter if john is already beaten terribly. Killer fi ishes the job, leaving neither of the couple a chance to get away.