Jeff Lamb Murder Case Study

The tag line for the program indicated a family dog witnessed the murder and would be instrumental in solving the case. In the impoverished area of Palm Beach County, Florida, Jeff Lamb returns home and places a frantic call to 911 reporting his wife has been injured. His wife, Cathy, has been bludgeoned to death while two of the family’s large dogs are also beaten fatally. A third dog was found unharmed in the bedroom.

The house gave appearances of a forced entry, but the only items Jeff could find missing were two small diamond earrings. Blood splatter on walls and the furniture indicated a violent attach. No weapon was found at the scene, but appeared to be a blunt object with a hexagon shape on the end. The two dogs had blood on their muzzles and indications that they had fought to defend Cathy. Their

mouths and nails were swabbed for DNA evidence. The detectives confiscated Jeff’s clothes and bagged them as evidence, even though there was no visible blood.
Without obvious suspects, the police canvassed the neighborhood looking for information. A woman arrives at the house and presents herself as Jeff’s fiancé. Jeff claims he had an affair with this woman but had recently reconciled with his wife. As a tow truck driver, the GPS in his truck was his alibi for the time of the murder. The fiancé worked as a waitress where patrons and coworkers confirmed her alibi. Jeff’s phone records showed he made regular calls to a neighbor, Lisa Aserbelle. The last call from Lisa to Jeff was around the time of Cathy’s murder. Jeff and Lisa admitted to an affair, but alibis were sold for Lisa and her husband. The call from Lisa bounced off a cell tower close to Jeff and Cathy’s home, indicating that Jeff was not at work as he said. Additionally, bloody paw prints in the bedroom indicated that Jeff himself put the dog in the bedroom and lied regarding the sequence of events.
Forensic analysts were unable to find any human blood on the two deceased dogs, only blood from another dog. Further investigation of the surviving dog showed evidence of bites and fighting under the thick coat. Experts determine that the dogs were beaten mercilessly by someone they considered as Alpha or they would have fought back.
Investigating Jeff Lamb’s finances turned up an old case where Jeff admitted to stealing money from a former employer and was paying a twenty-thousand dollar penalty. His tow-truck job wasn’t paying the debt sufficiently and Jeff was the primary beneficiary of his wife’s life insurance. With motive and evidence of Jeff’s lies, the investigators re-examined his confiscated clothing from the day of the murder. In the jeans, using a high magnification microscope, blood splatters were found imbedded in the fabric. DNA testing confirmed this was Cathy Lambs blood and prosecutors determined this was ‘definitive’ proof that Jeff struck the fatal blows. The fact that one of the missing earrings was also in the jean pockets was icing on the cake.
While the case was being put together, a tire iron was found on the roof of Jeff’s office building by a worker looking for leaks. The time in the outdoor elements had eliminated all DNA traces but the shape of the tool matched the wounds on Cathy’s body. Jeff Lamb was arrested and charged and convicted of first degree murder. He is serving life in prison without parole.
This resolution of this case was based on a combination of good police work, common sense, and forensic evidence. The repeated mentioning of the dogs seemed more to maintain the audience than in the actual resolution of the case. The outset of the program emphasized that Jeff and Cathy Lamb lived in the impoverished area of Palm Springs County, not the affluent part. The crime statistics in the area around the Lambs was significantly higher than other areas. Perhaps Jeff thought the police would write off the murder more quickly because it was in such a high crime area.
The prosecutor said that the key piece of evidence was the blood splatters found on Jeff’s jeans. If the detectives who were first on the scene had not insisted that Jeff provide the clothes he was wearing, the presumably there would not have been enough evidence. There was evidence that Jeff lied to the police, hindered an investigation, and had a strong motive but no murder weapon and no clear evidence that he was directly involved.
The only contribution by the dog was evidence that Jeff lied to the police about his actions when he supposedly came home and found the body.

Jeff claimed the dog was in the bedroom during the murder, but bloody footprints left by his dog contradicted his statement.

The prosecutions story was that Jeff used his fiancé’s car to leave his work, drive home, and kill his wife. He changed his shirt, and shoes but not his pants. He was unable to see any blood splatters and neglected the key piece of evidence. As he was leaving the house, he received a call from the neighbor which placed him in the vicinity of his home. Back at work, he threw the murder weapon on the roof of a building and finished his shift.

It was apparent that Jeff Lamb planned his actions carefully. It is explicable why he answered a phone call close to his house. Equally confounding, is why he didn’t destroy all the clothes he was wearing during his heinous act. The first thought is the one about criminals always make a mistake and get caught sooner or later. However, the truth is probably that all the criminals who are extremely careful and meticulous are rarely ever

apprehended.