The Murder of Jenni-lyn Watson

One week and a day after her return home from college, 20 year old Jenni-Lyn Watson’s body was found. According to District Attorney for Onondaga County, William Fitzpatrick, she was dumped in a wooded, swampy area like “garbage”.

Jenni-Lyn Watson, a 20 year old student of dance at Mercyhurst College in Pennsylvania had returned home for Thanksgiving with her family on Thursday, November 18. She lived in Liverpool, New York which is a northern suburb of Syracuse and was a 2008 graduate of Liverpool High School.  From all accounts, Jenni-Lyn was a nice young woman and well liked by her peers. According to a college friend she was “pure of heart”, and always put others first.

It was an on again off again relationship Jenni-Lyn had with 21 year old Steven Pieper, also a 2008 graduate of Liverpool High School. She tried to break off her ties to Steven in early October, but it seems as though he couldn’t grasp that reality. He has been charged with her murder that police say happened on Friday, November 19th. 

According to police accounts and court documents, Mr. Pieper entered the home of Jenni-Lyn’s parents after they had left for work and intentionally caused her death, which occurred sometime between 7:30 A.M. and 2:30 P.M., he then put her body in his Volkswagen Jetta and dumped her in Clay Central Park.  

The Syracuse Post-Standard newspaper listed Jenni-Lyn’s Myface posting as follows:

“im jenni-lyn, everyone calls me Jenn-ay (like in forest gump). I’m going to be a sophomore at Mercyhurst college, im majoring in dance!! i love all my friends they are the best!! I’m a pretty simple person and usually pretty happy, especially at college!! i love black and white photography, watching the clouds, chillen at my camp, happy endings and disney movies, drinking hot coco after being out in the snow, and just the simple things in life. i’ve had some experiences that opened my eyes and made me who i am now but with that comes my huge trust issue… i dont trust people easily so don’t take it personally. I love my boyfriend he is thte best thing thats ever happened to me”

This is a tragedy of monumental proportion. No one, unless those who have experienced it, can possibly grasp what it is like for a parent to bury a child. This death affects an entire community, volunteers, neighbors, a younger sister, friends, relatives and several police departments.

I don’t understand why some people feel the need to kill a former boyfriend or girlfriend or husband or wife. Why do they have an attitude of “If I can’t have you, no one can have you?” What purpose does that serve? I also don’t understand the “insanity” defense either. Since when is murdering someone a sane act?

Jenni-Lyn Watson….20 year old dance student, daughter, sister, friend, and all around nice person….we have all lost a part of our innocence today.