X2 (Jenna Pellegrini & Christine Sullivan)
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What happened to Christine and Jenna?
Christine was savagely beaten in the head and stabbed eight times. Jenna was beaten in the head and stabbed 43 times. And after he murdered them, the defendant concealed their bodies by wrapping them up and piling junk on top of them like trash.
Who are the key contributors to this case?
I'm Scott Weinberger, investigative journalist and former deputy sheriff.
I'm Anastasia Nicolazzi, former New York City homicide prosecutor and host of Investigation Discovery's True Conviction.
And this is Anatomy of Murder.
One of the characters that plays a pivotal role in today's story is one that appears far too often in homicide cases across the country, narcotics.
What role did narcotics play in this story?
The buying and selling of illegal narcotics is a dangerous and ruthless criminal enterprise that accounts for a huge portion of this country's violent crimes, including murder.
It also leaves a terrifying number of victims in its wake. Men, women, very often young, whose struggles with addiction can lead them to some very dark places with some very bad people.
Jenna Pellegrini was born in New Hampshire, the only daughter of high school sweethearts Amy and Michael Pellegrini, who joins us here today.
We were both young. Amy was 19, I was 21. So we had moved in with my parents. And of course they were thrilled because that brought Jenna along with. My dad in particular was ecstatic. Neither one of my parents had girls, so I have two brothers. So it was three boys. They got their first taste of a girl and it was pretty exciting.
And so much of Jenna's childhood was spent with her grandparents and on the water off the coast of New Hampshire.
How did Jenna's life change over the years?
My parents were, you know, avid sailors. And of course, when she was born and living with my parents, you know, we were able to get her out right from the beginning. She pretty much grew up right from the beginning, sailing the coast of New Hampshire and Maine.
Along with sailing on her granddad's boat, the Jenna Marie, named in her honor, Jenna was also a successful student and a reliable infielder on her high school softball team.
She was very smart. She had a lot of friends through high school where she spent a lot of time with them. A good amount of it was probably on the ball fields. That was her big passion. I mean, she was into sports.
And like a lot of teenagers, Jenna was also fiercely independent.
She had her own ways, so as soon as she graduated, she was out the door. She wanted to be on her own.
By the time she was in her 20s, Jenna had a boyfriend, a job doing hair, and by 2017, two children of her own. But she was also a night owl.
From my standpoint, you know, I saw her as... And I know this may start to sound familiar to some of our listeners who may know someone or has loved someone that has struggled with addiction.
At some point, Jenna began to experiment with various narcotics. And that experimentation eventually led to regular use, an all too common problem that her own dad admits he can relate to.
I had some issues myself that, you know, not real proud of, to be honest with you, but didn't spend as much time as I could have or should have.
Jenna's dad eventually found the help and support he needed to get sober, but he also feared that Jenna would not be so lucky.
She kind of got involved with some people that likely pushed her into that direction. I don't know how involved she was. I know the people she was hanging out with were involved. I know for a fact that a lot of them were not the right people to hang around with.
Jenna's children went to live with her parents, and sadly, her narcotics use eventually led to bouts of joblessness and homelessness.
I used to call her all the time. And then as this went on, I wasn't able to get a hold of her. And then, you know, she loses her job. You know, now she doesn't have a phone, so you can't get a hold of her. So that was kind of the hard part for me, that I wasn't able to reach her because she didn't have a place to live, you know, or at least a permanent one. With his daughter in crisis, Michael was at a loss on how to help her. I didn't know where she was. I didn't know any of her friends. I didn't know who to call.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What happened to Christine and Jenna?
0:01–0:32
2
Who are the key contributors to this case?
0:32–1:00
3
What role did narcotics play in this story?
1:00–2:05
4
How did Jenna's life change over the years?
2:05–8:19
5
What led to the discovery of the bodies?
8:19–13:12
6
Who were the suspects in the double murder?
13:12–22:13
7
What evidence linked Tim Varel to the crime?
22:13–25:05
8
What was the outcome of Tim Varel's trial?
25:05–44:09