A convict sentenced to life imprisonment for the sexual assault and murder of a grandmother is now making shocking claims almost 27 years after the discovery of her body in a bathtub at her residence.
Jeremy Motyka, aged 50, was found guilty in 2001 of the first-degree murder and sexual assault of Angela Spence-Shaw, aged 66. The victim’s body was located in the bath of her home in Little Compton, Rhode Island, during the Memorial Day weekend in May 1999.
The horrendous crime involved the grandmother being sexually assaulted, beaten, and left submerged in the bath with a hairdryer plugged in. Motyka, who was part of a construction crew working on her house when she died, has consistently proclaimed his innocence. He is now asserting that law enforcement planted DNA evidence as he seeks a retrial.
At the time of Angela’s brutal murder, Motyka was 23 years old, and her death marked the first murder in Little Compton in half a century. Autopsy findings revealed that Angela succumbed to “multiple blunt-force injuries and drowning,” indicating she likely remained alive when she was submerged in the bathtub.
Angela’s severely injured body was discovered on May 30 by a friend after she failed to appear for work at Peckham’s Greenhouse. A well-respected figure in her community, Angela was mourned by over 300 residents during a memorial service held around a week after her tragic death.
Just before the murder, Angela had adorned window boxes at the community center with an assortment of flowers and was set to assume the role of president of the Little Compton Garden Club. Motyka was arrested for murder and sexual assault after authorities matched DNA from his blood sample to semen found at the crime scene.
Motyka is now pursuing post-conviction relief, putting forth various arguments and contentions, including his assertion that his trial attorney failed to engage expert witnesses to challenge the recorded time of Angela’s death and exclude him as a suspect. He maintains his innocence, claiming he had an alibi from 8:30 am on May 29, 1999, until 1:30 am the following day – the time frame when Angela is believed to have died.
Furthermore, he disputes the fingerprints found at the scene, contending that they, including one in Angela’s blood on the door, could not be traced back to him. He also raises doubts about the reliability of the DNA evidence linking him to the crime, alleging mishandling and contamination by the investigating detective. Motyka asserts that crucial DNA evidence that could have exonerated him went missing from the rape kit, suggesting that state police tampered with evidence that was sent to the lab.
He also points out that law enforcement did not observe any injuries on him shortly after the murder, despite evidence indicating a fierce struggle between Angela and her assailant at the bloody crime scene. Currently serving his life sentence in a high-security facility, Motyka alleges misconduct by the prosecutors and contends that the judge erred in instructing the jury.
Recently, his case was discussed in Washington County Superior Court, where a judge requested both parties to submit written legal arguments for review later this spring. This development follows a 2017 ruling by the Rhode Island Supreme Court, granting Motyka an evidentiary hearing following a previous denial of his request for post-conviction relief without a hearing.
Motyka’s former lawyer, Mr. DiLaurio, informed the court that the defense did not receive all necessary information to adequately represent him during the trial. The Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office stated that while Motyka is entitled to a hearing, they are confident that the Superior Court will dismiss his petition as baseless after the evidentiary hearing.
Prosecutors argue that Motyka has not presented any new evidence and is attempting to re-litigate facts already determined by a jury. During his sentencing, a judge described Motyka as the “personification of evil” as he was handed a life sentence without the possibility of parole. The presiding Superior Court Judge, O. Rogeriee Thompson, remarked, “The evil portrayed in this case wears the face of an angel.”