A Cold Case In Music That Just Heated Up

Most people forget that Righteous Brother member Bill Medley suffered an unspeakable tragedy in his life; his ex-wife Karen Klaas was murdered in 1976. She and Bill had divorced a year earlier, but Bill’s son was living with their mom Karen.

Karen ran errands in Hermosa Beach one day in 1976, dropping off their four-year-old son. No one came to pick up the boy at daycare. The police were called, which eventually led to the discovery of her assaulted body at their home. The case had been unsolved and cold until now.

Now, authorities in Hermosa Beach, California have revealed that through the use of DNA, they have can now identify her killer; a man who had been shot by police while running from the prison. The dead man had been held for burglary and suspicion of multiple sexual assaults.

Bill was married to Karen, but divorced a year before her death. After Karen’s death, Bill raised their four-year-old on his own.