Jeffrey Crum to Face August Trial in 1993 Murder of Jennifer Odom

A judge in Hernando County confirmed this week that Jeffrey Crum will face a jury in August 2026 on charges tied to the Feb. 19, 1993 abduction of 12‑year‑old Jennifer Odom, whose body was found six days later in an orange grove in Hernando County. Crum appeared in Hernando County court Friday, Feb. 27, where the trial month was placed on the docket but no exact August start date was announced.

Prosecutors presented evidence to a grand jury that returned a true bill on murder, kidnapping and sexual battery counts, and court records show the indictment includes first‑degree murder language. Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney William “Bill” Gladson said prosecutors were confident in the case and signaled capital prosecution, stating, "I'm confident that we have the right person and the right aggravators. In this particular case to treat it as a death penalty case."

Investigators said the long‑unsolved case was reopened and advanced by forensic work linking biological material from a 1992 attack on another teenage girl to the Odom case, and by witness statements contained in court filings. Authorities also reported a chain of investigation that involved DNA submitted after Crum’s son was arrested on an unrelated charge; law enforcement said Crum reportedly confessed to his son, telling him that "he sees demons at night." Grand jury proceedings remain secret, and prosecutors declined to discuss investigative specifics in open court.

Crum, identified in court documents as Jeffrey Norman Crum and also listed in filings under variant spellings, was already serving life sentences when the 1993 charges were filed. Public records and reporting differ on the year of those prior convictions: some documents indicate convictions and two life sentences for attempted murder and sexual battery in 2019, while other records cite an earlier 2015 conviction for raping and beating a Pasco County student. Authorities and court clerks will need to be consulted to reconcile conviction dates and sentencing details.

The original 1993 investigation included a massive manhunt in northeastern Pasco County; classmates reported seeing a blue truck near the bus stop where Odom was abducted, and one account described the girl walking about 200 yards from her bus stop toward home before she vanished. Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis, who announced Crum’s arrest in July 2023, characterized the defendant’s violence bluntly: "This is a bad guy, who is very violent, who enjoyed violence and enjoyed hurting people."

Crum was arrested July 27, 2023, ordered held without bond at his first appearance, and requested a public defender. With the August 2026 trial month now set in Hernando County, the case moves toward the first full opportunity for jurors to weigh DNA links, witness testimony and decades of investigative records in the killing of Jennifer Odom.