Karen Severson and Laura Doyle
The Murder of Michele Avila
For the average teenage girl, life is full of angst, uncontrolled emotions, and raging hormones. It’s normal to be jealous of others and envy what they have. However, for Karen Severson she let that jealousy turn into murder. The object of her jealousy? Her childhood best friend, Michele Missy Avila.
Michele and Karen became best friends when they were only eight years old. Michele saw Karen as something of a body guard, protecting her from those who were bullying her. As the two grew up though, they also grew apart. Karen began to see less of Michele, as she was seen as more popular and attractive. Michele began to instead spend her time with boys over her best friend.
Karen became jealous of the attention that her best friend was getting and began to spread rumors about her around school. She said that Michele was sleeping with numerous boys, and some of those boys had girlfriends. These rumors resulted in Michele being beaten by a group of girls who accused her of sleeping with their boyfriends.
The junior year of high school for the girls was no better. Michele began to date a boy named Randy but broke off the relationship after only a month due to his constant partying. Karen swooped in and began dating Randy. At one point she saw Randy pull Michele into his lap and this infuriated her. Michele wasn’t interested in having a relationship with him and even advised Karen that she should end the relationship. Karen promptly stopped speaking to Michele after this incident.
Shortly before Michele’s death the two had a physical altercation at the park. Karen threatened Michele with a broken beer bottle and then pushed and slapped her.
On October 1, 1985, Michele told her mother that she was going out with her friend Laura Doyle. Little did she know that she wouldn’t come back alive. Laura picked Michele up and the two drove to the woods near Colby Canyon. About four hours later, Laura called Michele’s mother, Irene, asking to speak with her. When Irene said that she thought her daughter was with her, Laura explained that she had dropped Michele off with a group of boys and went to get gas. When she arrived back, both her and the boys were gone.
Three days later Michele’s body was found face down in a stream in Big Tujunga Canyon in Angeles National Forest. A four-foot log was laying across her back to weigh her down. Her hair had been chopped off and she had been forcibly drowned.
Irene never suspected that her daughter’s two friends had anything to do with the murder. Laura and Karen both attended the funeral, with Laura sending a sympathy card to the family and $20. Karen moved in with Irene after her daughter’s death.
Karen became obsessed with the investigation. She would frequently visit the creek where Michele’s body was found and had newspaper clippings of the crime and pictures of Michele all over her bedroom’s walls.
The case went cold until 1988, when Eva Chirumbolo came forward with information. With this information, Karen and Laura were arrested and charged with first-degree murder. The prosecutors stated that the girls lured Michele to the creek and began to yell at her about how she was sleeping with so many boys. They both accused her of having sex with their boyfriends and told her that she had messed up too many relationships. The two girls then held Michele’s face down in the water and placed the log on her back to keep her down.
In 1990, both girls were found guilty of second-degree murder. The jury hadn’t agreed that the murder was premeditated and rejected the first-degree charge. They were both sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.
Karen was released in 2011, after serving 21 years and Laura was released a year later, after serving 22 years. Karen found work in telesales and now tours schools and fronts an anti-bullying campaign.
Sources:
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/real-life/murderer-killed-best-friend-school-17358828
https://www.dailynews.com/2012/12/10/last-woman-convicted-in-missy-avila-murder-released-from-prison-on-monday/
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About the Creator
Paige Guffey
Just an odd mom obsessed with all things strange, weird, creepy, and true crime. I'm here to share my passion and present to you my research into all things related.
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Andrea Yates
This story is tragic, both for the five children who lost their lives and for the mother who suffered for many years with a severe mental illness. Before going any further, I would like to warn that this story contains talk of suicidal ideation, attempt, and the murder of children.
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Comments (13)
*four*
So sad. Missy should still be alive enjoying her life. I don't hate Laura or Karen. I hate what they did to Missy and that her life was taken. I have no idea if Karen is being completely honest about her involvement as I find her kind of hard to read. However, I do sense that Laura is remorseful and I do believe Eva told the truth about what happened. I believe Eva may have told Missy off and even called her a few names, but I think that's as far as her involvement went. As far as Karen, it's hard to believe Laura lifted a fout foot log by herself and placed it on Missy's body to pin her down.
Blows my mind that these disgusting piece of trash humans get to walk around free. Rot in hell, wishing you a slow painful death when you go
Well at least they're consistent...they're both still ugly and/or fat. The smile on Karen's face from court tells it all!! No remorse, not even today GUARANTEED!!! Just doing the anti-bullying thing to manipulate into something she wants.
Yuck, karen and laura were definitely both disgusting pigs, it's truly sad that these vile pig women weren't kept in a dark horrible hole constantly reminded that they are both ugly souls unworthy of love. I hope they are both miserable and haunted by their actions the rest of their unworthy lives
Laura and Karen are so vile! I feel their sentences should have been longer or maybe should have been kept in prison for life! Poor Michelle!
I can't believe these women are even still alive. Profiting off of a brutal premeditated murder. How has no one killed them yet? Why has nobody done anything?
Both of these girls killed someone and then went on about their lives. I don't know how these girls weren't seen as potential serial killers. They spent quite a while (more than a year) grooming Missy to be their friend, jealous of the attention she was getting. More Karen than Laura, too. Karen moved in with the family after the murder... How is that level of non-empathy not considered to be sociopathic behavior. I think they manipulated the courts the same way they manipulated Missy and Missy's family. Even if they don't kill again, all the planning that went into this murder, those girls didn't deserve parole. How the jury didn't see 1st degree murder is beyond me. Premeditation is written all over this case.
Totally agree with most of the sentiments expressed by many readers. Can't people understand that these two girls are total no-goods? All the hints are there. They _may_ not kill again, but the likelihood is there always. Hopefully their past reputation will preclude anyone's seriously getting involved with them.
Only 22 years for what these two monsters did to Missy is , as other comment here said, "disgusting, sickening and makes me want to puke".
Karen and Laura should've never been released from prison. They should've died at old age before their release. They were already set in their evil ways... Past the building blocks and should never be trusted in society. They are worthless and shouldn't be allowed to breath the same air as a decent humane being.
But other than the results of the trial, fantastic article. I love how you wrote very impartial and professional.
Honestly, the was I see it. The verdict of the trial was botched, the fact they were awarded parole is disgusting, sickening, makes me want to puke. If they were boys, they'd still be in jail today. Seems to me the criminals aren't being held truly accountable. The things they did to Missy, out of petty jealousy, were actions depicted by serial killers 99% of the time. There's even one called the BTK killer, which sounds pretty similar to what those two girls did. Bind, torture, kill. This is like awarding parole to John Wayne Gacy, and he was given the Death Sentence.