Karen Panell makes a call home to Macon, Georgia, on October 10, 2003. It is her dad's birthday and she never misses calling him. He'll never forget that particular birthday because it is the last time he ever speaks to Karen. She is found the next morning, riddled with 16 stab wounds. He's outlived his only daughter. Karen was pretty, she had dabbled in modeling, and everyone at the airport where she worked adored her. The townhouse she owned in Oldsmar, Florida, is in a nice neighborhood, things like this just don't happen there. When detectives arrive, they find the victim and on the wall near her body are the letters 'R-O-C' are spelled out on the wall in her blood. With a single woman victimized, cops quickly turn to the men in Karen's life. She was divorced and alimony was a frequent dispute. He can account for his whereabouts that night however, and the alibi checks out. More concerning for investigators is the tumultuous relationship Karen had with ex-boyfriend, Roc Herpich. Did he leave a calling card? His fingerprints are all over the house and there are murmurs of his tendency to use drugs and be abusive. Was Karen's dying wish to direct investigators to her killer by writing his name in her own blood? …show more content…
They begin to look closer at Karen's current boyfriend, the one who reported finding her the morning of October 11 and called police. He seems really intent on pinning the crime on Roc. Permenter is a car salesman in nearby Clearwater, Florida. Investigators don't have to dig far before they learn he has quite a wrap sheet. Paroled the previous year in 2002, some of his 16 felonies include kidnapping, armed robbery and assault. Investigators need to find out what he