Human Resources

A grand jury on Tuesday indicted a Palm Beach Gardens man in the strangling death of an 18-year-old softball player who, documents show, exchanged phone calls with him the morning he was accused of raping two women.

Jason Shenfeld, 26, was indicted on charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping and three counts of sexual battery in the death of Amanda Buckley, a Palm Beach Gardens High School graduate who would have begun her freshman year at St. Leo University this fall on a softball scholarship.

Shenfeld's father discovered Buckley's body in his son's closet on July 20. Investigators found duct tape entangled in the teen's hair and noted extensive bruising and severe trauma on her body, according to search warrants filed in the case.

John Shenfeld, talking to 911 operators about finding Amanda Buckley's body in his son's closet (PBSO). Audio
Earlier this year, the State Attorney's Office dropped sexual battery charges against Shenfeld in a case filed by two women, 18 and 19, who told investigators that he had bound them with duct tape and forced them to commit sexual acts on him and each other the morning of Nov. 30.

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Prosecutors cited conflicting evidence in their decision to not pursue that case against Shenfeld. His attorneys had mounted a vigorous defense before a filing decision was made, writing to prosecutors about differences in the women's accounts of the alleged rape as well as submitting statements from witnesses who swore in affidavits that at least one of the women had a promiscuous reputation.

Included in the court documents pertaining to the rape case were Shenfeld's cell phone records on Nov. 29 and Nov. 30, which showed numerous calls on the morning in question, including a 26-second call to Buckley and a 24-second call from Buckley at 4:13 a.m. The calls were placed less than four hours before the alleged attack occurred.

The relationship between Buckley and Shenfeld is unclear. Buckley's parents could not be reached for comment, despite a phone call to their home. Friends of Buckley's have said Shenfeld was among the guests at her graduation party.

Shenfeld's attorney, Bryan Raymond, confirmed that Shenfeld and Buckley had called each other but would not elaborate on the nature of the calls.

"Obviously, they did know each other well enough to be calling each other at 4:13 in the morning," Raymond said.

He said the defense in the 2006 rape case was a "clear home run," adding that it wasn't just about inconsistent statements but other evidence as well. Though the results were not included in court discovery, DNA tests on at least one victim showed the presence of more than one man's DNA, Raymond said.

They also pointed prosecutors to a MySpace page with photos of at least one of the women, which attorneys wrote were indicators of her "behaviors, attitudes and hobbies."

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The women told investigators they had been partying with Shenfeld and fell asleep at his home. They awoke to find a naked Shenfeld ordering them at knifepoint to take off their clothes and perform sexual acts, according to arrest reports.

Court documents show the women did differ on some details of their accounts, such as whether Shenfeld used a pillow to cover their faces and whether one woman had been drinking, but they generally agreed on other parts of their description of the alleged attack.

As a result of the dropped rape charges, a judge ordered a probation violation filed by the Department of Corrections to be withdrawn. Shenfeld had been on five years' probation for a 2002 robbery conviction.

In that case, Shenfeld hit a woman in the head with a cell phone, claiming he had a gun, and grabbed her purse. A condition of his probation was a letter of apology to the victim.

"I hope that you can find it possible to forgive me," Shenfeld wrote while in a drug treatment program. "I have a sister and a mother who I love very much. I can imagine how I would feel if someone had done to them what happened to you."

Shenfeld described being on drugs when he committed the robbery and being ashamed of his actions.

"When I am released, I am going to get a good job and again become a productive member of society," Shenfeld wrote.

Nancy Othón can be reached at nothon@sun-sentinel.com or 561-228-5502.

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