A Time To Kill is in Oldsmar, Florida, to investigate the murder of Karen Pannell, who was savagely stabbed to death at her home after she tried to break-up with her boyfriend, Timothy Permenter.
On the morning of October 11, 2003, Permenter contacted a colleague of his girlfriend to tell them that he was at Karen’s house and thought she had been shot and stabbed.
When the police arrived, they discovered that 39-year-old Karen had been stabbed and cut 16 times. They determined that she had been killed at some point the night before.
There was one intriguing piece of evidence; the word “Roc” (the name of one of Karen’s ex-boyfriends) was written in blood on the wall near Karen’s body. It looked like she had named her killer just before she died.
However, the cops remained suspicious of her current boyfriend, Permenter. He told the cops that he had left Karen at about 7:30 the evening before and hadn’t returned to the home until he found the body the next morning.
He claimed he had an alibi; he had visited his roommate and his girlfriend during the night, and otherwise, he’d been at home.
Timothy Permenter was lying to the police
The police began to notice inconsistencies in Permenter’s story. For one thing, his statement that he hadn’t been at Karen’s place during the night appeared to be a lie.
Watch the Latest on our YouTube ChannelA neighbor had seen his BMW Convertible parked in Pannell’s driveway, and cellphone records also indicated that he had been near her house when he made a phone call.
Finally, a pizza delivery man testified that he had seen the killer when he delivered a pizza to Pannell’s home.
The police surmised that Permenter had killed Pannell following an argument over their relationship. Pannell had actually dialed 911 ten days before she was killed; at the time, she had told sheriff deputies that she had wanted to break up with Permenter because she had learned of his criminal record.
Permenter had a long list of felonies on his record and had served jail time for being involved in a gunfight in 1991.
The police also believe that Permenter had written “Roc” on the wall in Karen’s blood in an effort to frame the ex-boyfriend.
In October 2007, a jury convicted Permenter of first-degree murder and recommended he be sentenced to death. However, a judge later ruled that he be imprisoned for life without the possibility of parole.
More from A Time To Kill
Follow the links to read about more murders profiled on A Time To Kill.
Robert Denney stabbed his neighbor Corey Parker and incredible 101 times at her apartment in Jacksonville Beach, Fl., in 1998. The 17-year-old killer reportedly had a crush on his student neighbor.
Marty Grismer brutally murdered Desiree Sunford in a bizarre plot to have her husband framed for the killing. The police believe that Grismer was besotted with the woman with whom Desiree’s husband was having an affair.
A Time To Kill airs at 9/8c on Investigation Discovery.