08/25/2026
JURY RECOMMENDS DEATH: A jury has recommended the death penalty for 65-year-old Jeffrey Norman Crum, who was convicted last week of kidnapping, sexually assaulting and murdering 12-year-old Jennifer Renee Odom more than three decades ago.
The recommendation came Tuesday, Aug. 25, on what would have been Jennifer’s 46th birthday.
“Now we can finally breathe,” Jennifer’s mother, Renee Converse, said. “Jenny would be so proud of us, how tough and strong we were through this all. This death recommendation was so fitting it happened today on what would have been her 46th birthday.”
Jennifer disappeared Feb. 19, 1993, while walking home from her school bus stop in Pasco County. Her body was discovered six days later in an abandoned orange grove in Hernando County.
Crum was found guilty following a four-day trial on charges stemming from Jennifer’s kidnapping, sexual battery and murder.
“This case has never simply been about a criminal prosecution. It has been about Jennifer,” Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Bill Gladson said. “For more than three decades, her family carried the unimaginable burden of not knowing who took Jenny from them and why.”
Gladson said Jennifer should have had the opportunity to grow up, graduate, build a career, have a family and experience the ordinary moments of life that were taken from her.
“While no verdict or sentence can give Jennifer back to her family, today’s recommendation represents accountability for the person responsible,” Gladson said.
The State Attorney’s Office thanked the jurors, investigators, forensic professionals, prosecutors and law enforcement agencies whose work over several decades brought the case to trial. The office also recognized Jennifer’s family for continuing to seek answers while enduring years of grief.
The jury’s recommendation is not Crum’s final sentence. The case will now proceed to the next stage of the sentencing process, during which the judge will determine whether to impose the death penalty.
A Spencer hearing, which allows both sides to present additional information before sentencing, is scheduled for Oct. 21 at 8:30 a.m.
