Despite calling O'Donnell's mother to confess to the crime, English-Howard pleaded his innocence, claiming he did not have any memories of the time in question, that he was being racially profiled, and later, that his addiction to crack cocaine made him do it.
[1] English-Howard dropped out of colleges over a span of ten years, with a history of abusing women emotionally and materially, and he often blamed his failures on racism.
The couple met in 1992 at the Cabrillo College near Santa Cruz, while he was active in African-American causes and she worked on domestic violence hotlines and studied women's issues.
[1] Nearly a year later, English-Howard, during a court session, admitted to killing her, breaking her neck, tying bags over her head, and strangling her with electrical wire.
[1] In the years after the murder, O'Donnell's mother, along with friends and family members started a memorial scholarship fund for women's studies students attending the university.