With the possible exception of lawyers, mothers-in-law may be the source of the most jokes. Expressing dismay about the woman who birthed one’s beau is common and even fashionable. British comedian Les Dawson made a career of joking about his wife’s mother, and Ernie K. Doe’s 1961 song “Mother-In-Law,” in which he called the title character “the worst person that I know,” became a #1 hit in the United States.

Perhaps the most noted portrayal of the stereotypical mother-in-law was by Doris Roberts as Marie Barone on the popular sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond. More than a few women identified with daughter-in-law Debra, whom Marie was often quick to subtly criticize.

Mothers-in-law are often described, generally in jest, as evil. In the case of twenty-year-old Kristie Lee, however, many believe the meddlesome mother-in-law may have ascended to the greatest evil, murder.

Kristie was killed in her Pompano Beach, Florida, home on March 31, 1994. Thirty years later, no one has been charged with the crime, but the two primary suspects remain her in-laws, in particular her mother-in-law. Kristie’s widowed husband, Jeff, is among those who believe her in-laws committed the ultimate unlawful act.

Kristie Lee

Kristie Gunderson and Jeff Lee met in Austin, Texas. They began a relationship when Jeff was twenty-two and Kristie was only fourteen. Kristie’s mother, Barb Skinner, was not comfortable with the age difference, but believed prohibiting the relationship would only make matters worse.

Jeff and Kristie had a son, Zach, in July 1992. They married eight months later in March 1993.

Zach, Kristie, And Jeff

Shortly after tying the knot, the young couple moved to Pompano Beach, Florida, thirty-five miles north of Miami, where they initially lived with Jeff’s mom and step-dad, Kay and Joe Petralia, before saving enough money to get their own apartment.

Jeff worked for a Fort Lauderdale travel agency; Kristi was a hairstylist.

Wedding Day

Jeff Lee had a checkered past. He had served time in prison for credit card fraud and had been in jail several times for possession of and distribution of drugs.

His mom encouraged him to get out of Texas and move near them in Florida.

Brushes With The Law

The Petralias lived in Plantation, fifteen miles southwest of Pompano Beach. They had a key to Jeff and Kristie’s apartment and often watched Zach while the couple were working.

On March 31, 1994, the Petralias say they arrived at the Cobblestone Apartment Complex at approximately 8:30 a.m. Their son was working, but Kristie had the day off. The Petralias say they chatted with their daughter-in-law for nearly an hour before leaving, with Zach, at approximately 9:30.

The Petralias said Kristie wanted a little alone time and they offered to take their grandson to Walmart to get an Easter costume. When they arrived at the store, however, the couple say they realized they had left their money at home and returned to get it. While at their home, Zach spilled water on himself, and they returned to Kristie’s apartment to get different clothes for him, arriving between 10:20-10:30.

Kay And Joe Petralia

Upon entering the apartment, Joe and Kay found a lifeless Kristie lying on the bedroom floor. Hand marks were visible on her neck, and an autopsy showed she had been hit on the head twice with a triangular shaped object before being choked to death. Attempts to obtain fingerprints from the neck marks failed.

Kristie Is Killed

Police initially thought Kristie’s murder to be a crime of passion and suspicion fell on Jeff. Computer records at his office, however, showed he had logged on and off of his computer several times between 9:30-10:30, and several co-workers had spoken to him during that time.

As Jeff’s alibi was airtight, he was cleared of any involvement in his wife’s murder. Authorities, however, still felt the murder was a crime of passion.

Jeff Is Cleared

Kristie’s friends told authorities of two men whose hair she had cut.  Both were said to be smitten with her, but each also had an alibi for the time of the murder, and both were cleared as suspects.

And So Are Kristie’s Customers

Investigators then theorized Kristie may have encountered a burglar because she often left the ground floor apartment’s sliding-glass door open to cool the un-air conditioned apartment. The door was open when police arrived at the scene, but no foreign fingerprints were found.

Blood was spattered throughout the apartment. Authorities believe a struggle commenced in the living room between Kristie and her killer and ended in the bedroom where she was found.

Two drawers had been pulled from a dresser. A pillowcase and several small items, none of them valuable, were scattered around Kristie. Items of value, such as jewelry, a television, and VCR, were untouched.

Because nothing was missing from the apartment, investigators concluded the crime scene had been staged to look like a robbery.

Not A Burglary

Kristie’s friend, Diane Luzzi, told police Kristie often complained about her in-laws, especially Kay, whom she described as overly controlling. Kristie also said her mother-in-law criticized how she was raising Zach.

Jeff confirmed animosity between his mother and wife and said he had once had to break up a physical altercation. Each had shoved the other during a disagreement over what Zach was being fed. In addition, Jeff says his parents were upset with him and Kristie because they were planning to move back to Texas.

The Lee’s next door neighbors told police they heard loud screams coming from the Lee’s apartment at 9:00 on the morning of the murder. They said they were certain of the time but did not think anything of it because they had frequently heard Jeff and Kristie arguing.

The Petralias, however, said they were at the apartment at 9:00 and that no voices were raised. Both refused to take a polygraph test.

Trouble With The In-Laws

Jeff Lee returned to Austin, Texas, where Kristie’s mother helped him raise Zach.

In September 1995, one-and-a-half years after Kristie’s murder, Jeff was arrested and charged with two counts of arranging a cocaine deal. He was placed in a drug-rehab program but was arrested again in December after failing a drug test.

Jeff pled guilty to one of the charges; the other was dropped. A 1996 Sun Sentinel (Florida) article states he faced a mandatory minimum of five years in federal prison, but I was unable to find what sentence he received.

More Legal Troubles For Jeff

Joe Petralia was arrested for domestic violence against Kay in 2000, but the charges were dropped. The couple later divorced.

Joe died in 2009. Jeff’s friends say he believes his mother was involved in Kristie’s murder and has cut off contact with her.

No physical evidence, however, links the Petralias to Kristie Lee’s murder. Authorities still consider them suspects but acknowledge the crime may be random, or one of passion committed by an unknown man attracted to Kristie. The murder may also be related to Jeff’s past drug activities, although he says none of his drug associates in Texas knew he had moved to Florida.

The Petralia’s Remain Suspects

In 2004, evidence from the crime scene was tested for DNA, but the results provided no substantive findings.

Kristie’s Killer Is Still Unknown

Kristie Lynn Lee was murdered on March 31, 1994 when she was twenty-years-old.

If you have any information related to the crime, please contact either of the phone numbers on the flyer.

Still An Open Case

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/151858526/kristie-lynn-lee#

SOURCES:

• Florida Sun-Times
• Miami Herald
• Orlando Sentinel
• Unsolved Mysteries

Ernie K. Doe’s 1961 song “Mother-in—Law,” written by Allen Toussaint, reached #1 on the Billboard R&B chart. It was Doe’s only top-40 hit.