Shivangi Sinha
The July 2012 murder of Mary Ann Murphy in Humble, Texas, took a shocking turn as the investigation progressed. While authorities initially looked into several suspects, it came as an unexpected twist when her own daughter, Keri Murphy, was arrested in connection to the crime. Not long after, Rebecca Keller, who was Keri’s girlfriend at the time, was also charged. Investigation Discovery’s ‘Mean Girl Murders: In Deadly Harmony’ explores the case and the investigative work that led to their arrests in detail.
Keri Murphy Alleged That a Classmate Had Killed Her Mother
Keri Murphy was raised in Humble, Texas, in a relatively typical middle-class household. Her parents, Mary Ann and Don Murphy, worked hard to provide a good life for Keri and her brother, Scott, and were proud of the family they had built. However, as Keri entered her teenage years, reports suggest she began to feel isolated and struggled to connect with others. In the early hours of July 16, 2012, shortly after 1 am, she ran to a neighbor’s home and claimed she had heard her mother scream. When police arrived at the residence on 8300 Poplar Ridge Lane, they discovered Mary Ann had been fatally stabbed in her bedroom. Initially, Keri told authorities that unidentified intruders had broken in and committed the murder.
When police examined the crime scene, they immediately suspected a personal motive due to the brutality involved. Mary Ann had been stabbed more than 70 times, yet nothing appeared to have been stolen from the home. Both her husband, Don, and son, Scott, were working night shifts at the time of the murder and had solid alibis, which quickly eliminated them as suspects. As investigators dug deeper into the family dynamics, they discovered that Keri had been in a relationship with Rebecca Keller, a 19-year-old senior from her school. Interviews with other relatives revealed that Mary Ann strongly disapproved of the relationship, largely due to the age gap. The tension reportedly escalated after Don caught the two girls alone in the house, and then Mary Ann forbade her daughter from seeing Rebecca again.
When Keri was brought in for further questioning, she changed her story and told police that a classmate named Zein Ahmed was responsible for her mother’s murder. According to her, she had only asked him to come over and bang on the walls to scare her mother, but he had unexpectedly shown up with a knife and killed her instead. Zein initially denied the allegation but later gave a confession. However, parts of his account raised serious doubts. He claimed to have gone upstairs to commit the murder, but the Murphy home was a single-story house. Additionally, his parents insisted he had been in his room playing video games at the time of the crime. As inconsistencies in his confession mounted, it became clear that Zein had falsely confessed, and the investigation had to be redirected.
Keri Murphy’s Secret Phone Provided a Lot of Answers in the Investigation
One detail that stood out to investigators was that Mary Ann Murphy’s blood had already begun to coagulate by the time they arrived. It didn’t align with the timeline Keri Murphy had provided. This led police to suspect that she had waited significantly longer before seeking help. As they refocused on Keri, they discovered she had been using a burner phone, which Rebecca had given her after the former’s mother had forbidden them from communicating. The girls referred to it as the “bunny phone,” a nod to Rebecca’s nickname. Authorities obtained the device and uncovered numerous messages exchanged between the two on the night of the murder. Additionally, web searches made by Keri on the phone pointed toward premeditation and suggested that both she and Rebecca had planned and carried out the crime together.
Keri Murphy and Rebecca Keller Are Serving Their Sentences Today
By October 2012, police formally charged both Keri Murphy and Rebecca Keller with murder and took them into custody. Keri was released after her grandmother posted an $80k bond, but Rebecca remained behind bars awaiting trial. The latter maintained that she only arrived at the house after Keri had already stabbed her mother and admitted to helping tamper with evidence and fabricate a story for the police. Despite being apart, the two continued to stay in contact and reportedly discussed the events of that night. Investigators had tapped their conversations, and based on what they heard, they began to believe that it was actually Rebecca who had carried out the stabbing of Mary Ann Murphy.
In June 2016, just before her trial began, Rebecca pleaded guilty to the charge of murder. Although Keri was a minor at the time of the crime, she was tried as an adult and also accepted a guilty plea for murder. Rebecca was sentenced to 60 years in prison and is currently 33 years old, serving her sentence at the William P. Hobby Unit in Falls County, Texas. She will be eligible for parole in 2042. Keri received a 30-year sentence and is now 29 years old, held at the TDCJ Christina Melton Crain Unit in Gatesville, Texas, with parole eligibility in 2028. Various reports suggest that the two women remained in contact and have been friends during their incarceration, although they are no longer romantically involved.
Read More: Glenn and Justin Helzer: Where Are the Killers Now?
