The Karen Newell murder case ended with a Florida woman pleading guilty to first-degree murder for arranging the 1994 shooting death of her husband, Jon Newell, an Orlando mechanic killed along a highway east of Orlando so she could collect more than $500,000 in life insurance. She was sentenced to life in prison in August 1995 and remains incarcerated.
The Roadside Shooting
On February 20, 1994, Jon Newell was shot once in the head and three times in the chest on East State Road 520, just north of the Bee Line Expressway, while driving home from the beach.1Orlando Sentinel. Wife Goes to Trial in Slaying Karen Newell told investigators her husband had been killed by carjackers.2UPI. Wife Pleads Guilty in Husband’s Death
The shooter was Peter Giffen, a 20-year-old cabinetmaker who had been boarding in the Newells’ home and had become Karen’s lover. According to Giffen’s later testimony, Karen pulled the car over on the highway, claiming “mysterious car trouble,” and shot her husband when he stepped out to check on a noise.1Orlando Sentinel. Wife Goes to Trial in Slaying Giffen said Karen had slipped a drug into his drink beforehand.
The Motive
Prosecutors said the killing was about money. Prosecutor Dorothy Sedgwick told the court that Karen Newell had taken out approximately $500,000 in life insurance on her husband. The victim’s brother, Mark Newell, wrote in a letter read to the court: “Selfishness and greed were your motives.”3Orlando Sentinel. Newell Gets Life in Prison for Husband’s Murder
Karen’s sister, Debbie Hoffman, told the sentencing court a different story. She said Karen had discovered her husband in bed with someone else and was struggling with a severe cocaine addiction, leaving her “too addicted to cocaine to realize her pillow talk about murder would be taken seriously.”3Orlando Sentinel. Newell Gets Life in Prison for Husband’s Murder
How the Carjacking Story Fell Apart
Police treated the shooting as a carjacking at first. Suspicion turned to Karen after investigators learned that Jon had recently been insured for $500,000 and that Karen had a criminal record.2UPI. Wife Pleads Guilty in Husband’s Death
Then two other men came forward, including Karen’s stepbrother, and told investigators she had previously asked them to kill her husband for a share of the insurance money. Investigators also linked Karen and Giffen to an earlier attack: in November 1993, Jon had been beaten with baseball bats outside his home by Giffen and Karen’s stepbrother.1Orlando Sentinel. Wife Goes to Trial in Slaying Sedgwick argued that if Giffen had not carried out the murder, Karen would have found someone else.
The Shooter’s Deal
Peter Giffen became the prosecution’s star witness. He pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the shooting and to attempted first-degree murder for the 1993 beating, and he agreed to testify against Karen in exchange for leniency.4Orlando Sentinel. Killer Says He Is Sorry, Gets 24 Years
Giffen described Karen as relentless. He said she pressed him to kill her husband and floated methods ranging from a rattlesnake to a staged truck accident to a fall from a roof.1Orlando Sentinel. Wife Goes to Trial in Slaying He said she “brainwashed” and “mesmerized” him with promises of luxury and insurance money and that their relationship revolved around “limousine rides and cocaine.” His attorney, Kelly Sims, told the court Giffen was “young and foolish” and that Karen had manipulated him with “money and jewelry bobbles and cocaine, along with sex.”4Orlando Sentinel. Killer Says He Is Sorry, Gets 24 Years Judge Alice Blackwell White sentenced Giffen to 24 years on September 5, 1995.
Guilty Plea and Life Sentence
Karen Newell’s murder trial was scheduled to begin in Orange County Circuit Court in late August 1995, and she faced the death penalty. Minutes before it started, she pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and to the November 1993 beating.3Orlando Sentinel. Newell Gets Life in Prison for Husband’s Murder
Her defense attorney, Ed Kirkland, told the court she had converted to Christianity in jail, wanted to start a prison ministry, and believed “part of her religious belief is confession of her sins.”5Orlando Sentinel. Orange Woman Admits to Ordering Husband’s Murder
On August 30, 1995, Judge Blackwell White sentenced Karen Newell to life in prison without the possibility of parole for at least 25 years for the murder, along with a concurrent 22-year sentence for the 1993 beating.3Orlando Sentinel. Newell Gets Life in Prison for Husband’s Murder Kirkland said he intended to seek clemency for her once Giffen became eligible for release, arguing she should not serve more time than the man who pulled the trigger.
Civil proceedings were underway at sentencing to block Karen from collecting any life insurance proceeds. The outcome of that litigation is not reflected in available records.
Where the Case Stands Now
Karen Newell, Florida Department of Corrections inmate number 363405, remains incarcerated. As of September 2025, she was scheduled for a subsequent parole interview before the Florida Commission on Offender Review, the state body that evaluates inmates serving life sentences with the possibility of eventual parole review.6Florida Commission on Offender Review. Commission Agenda, September 24, 2025 The outcome of that hearing has not been publicly reported.