Wednesday, November 2nd 2016, 7:01 pm
It's been exactly six years since a 34-year-old Oklahoma City woman was found murdered in her Northwest Oklahoma City home. And to this day, no one has been held accountable for the brutal crime.
The November 2010 murder of Julie Mitchell sent shockwaves throughout the community when it happened.
The house where it happened is located on NW 150th, not too far from Western Ave.
County records show the home is still owned by Julie's husband Teddy Mitchell, but it is currently vacant and up for sale.
Friends who knew Julie are still left wondering, why has nobody been arrested after all this time?
That's something Assistant District Attorney Scott Rowland would like to know. But he wants the public to know this case is far from forgotten.
2/7/14 Related Story: Investigation Into Julie Mitchell’s Murder Ongoing
"It definitely has not been forgotten, " said Rowland. "You may be able to call it a cold case but it's not a closed case, it's very much alive."
All the details of Julie Mitchell's murder are contained in a cardboard box, which sits just feet away from Rowland's desk.
"I've had that box sitting here in my office for five and a half years and I don't intend to put it away," said Rowland. "Once a month or so I will pick at it in some way, sometimes in depth, sometimes to sort through some of the evidence. And I still talk to the detective about it every month or so."
The Oklahoma City Police Department concurs. They sent News 9 the following statement saying:
“The Oklahoma City Police Department continues its investigation into the Julie Mitchell homicide. Although we have no new developments to release, we continue to work on the case and welcome any information from the public that could assist us in solving this homicide. Anyone with any information can call 297-1200.”
Deputy Chief Johnny Kuhlman
Investigations Bureau
According to the State Medical Examiner's Office, Julie Mitchell died of multiple blunt force trauma to the head. Her death was ruled a homicide.
Past news reports show it was Julie Mitchell's own stepson, Daniel, who found her body in the closet near the master bedroom. Mitchell’s 1-year-old daughter was found in a pool of her blood next her body, but was physically unharmed.
Julie’s husband, well-known gambler Teddy Mitchell, was out of town when the gruesome killing happened. And he has publicly stated on more than one occasion that he has no idea who killed his wife. Though he served time in federal prison for gambling charges three years after her death, he's out now, living in Texas.
2/6/14 Related Story: Teddy Mitchell Breaks His Silence
"So many of the involved parties were involved in criminal underworld activities," said Rowland. "So when you begin to investigate this murder and you have parties appearing to be guilty, sometimes it's difficult to know what exactly they are guilty of. Is it crimes you are investigating? Is it crimes you don't know about?"
Even with that, Rowland said he does think this case will one day be solved.
"That's the most difficult thing in the District Attorney's office on cases like this, is feeling like we are inadequate," said Rowland. "We are supposed to investigate and bring justice to people who perpetrate horrific acts like this. And most of the time we do! But on cases like this where we have not been able to bring legal closure for the family and bring them some semblance of justice, it feels like we have been inadequate to them. You feel like you've let them down. Sometimes our best isn't good enough and that's hard for me to swallow.”
November 2nd, 2016
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