Find a tall tree
and 'decorate' it...
Posted on 10/10/2025 9:10:19 AM PDT by nickcarraway
Karen Slattery was brutally raped and stabbed 18 times by Duane Owen, who was sentenced to death for her murder and the murder of another woman
A defenceless 14-year-old girl endured the most horrific death when a deranged killer invaded the house where she was caring for two youngsters, spending her final moments in unimaginable agony.
Karen Slattery's murder was amongst two shocking killing sprees in 1984 carried out by murderer Duane Owen. The secondary school pupil had a promising future as a sought-after childminder and was a diving champion at Pope John Paul High who was preparing to audition for the U.S. squad.
Youthful and vibrant, the teenager had recently had her braces removed in March when her existence was brutally ended in the most appalling manner. Whilst looking after two youngsters, aged seven and three, Owen sliced through a bedroom window screen at the family's residence and confronted Karen in the kitchen.
It was at 10pm when she had telephoned her mum, but the 14 year old was deceased by 12:30am, when the mum and dad of the two youngsters she was minding discovered her lifeless form in their house. She had been sexually assaulted and savagely knifed 18 times, whilst the other children remained uninjured.
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When the legal challenges commenced, Owen alleged police had incorrectly advised him of his rights, leading to a fresh trial beginning in 1999. At that point, he professed to be "insane" and claimed that the evening he murdered Karen, he was searching for hormones so that he could transition into a woman, reports the Express.
Despite his claims, the jury sentenced him to death. He appealed the verdict, alleging that his lawyer failed to present evidence of the trauma he experienced as a child.
Owen's mother, reportedly an alcoholic, died when he was 11 and his father committed suicide just two years later. He admitted to drinking and taking drugs from the age of nine.
"It was the only house I know to have beer delivered by a beer truck," a neighbour of Owen's parents told the court. Since then, as of 2017, Owen has appealed the Slattery verdict again following a Florida Supreme Court ruling on death sentences that did not result from a unanimous jury recommendation.
Two months after his brutal murder of Karen Slattery, in May 1984, Owen continued his violent spree, claiming another innocent life after breaking into a Boca Raton home. Georgianna Worden, aged 38, woke up to a hammer striking her head, as Owen hit her four more times.
Court documents revealed she could have been alive for up to an hour after suffering the first brutal blow. Her 13 year old daughter found her body the next morning before she was due to leave for school.
His victims didn't stop there. Two more women in Boca Raton were attacked with blunt objects in their own homes, using a plumber's wrench and a clothing iron, although they were fortunate enough to survive the assault.
As part of the investigation into Worden's murder, police matched a fingerprint to Owen, found on a book on her bedside table. Despite being represented by renowned defence attorneys Michael Salnick and Barry Krischer, Owen was sentenced in 1986 for Worden's murder.
His court journey, however, spanned decades, following his initial death sentence in 1985, despite the mounting evidence against him.
So it took 40 years to actually carry out the sentence.
I wonder how many crimes he had committed prior to the murder.
Is this male two legged animal still breathing air? Do you need a volunteer? I can save the State between $40K-$400K per year.
Another reason DEI (Didn't Earn It) doesn't work.
The only hope for them, just like all of us, is Christ
Stoke the fires of Hell, cuz that fr’kn POS is on his way soon!! ... imho
That would have been acceptable if he had been horsewhipped front and back each day.
I see our Criminal Protection System is working as expected.
I’m confused. Why is this a story now since he was executed on June 15, 2023?
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