She too worked at the family-owned furniture store, and was happily helping raise the couples two children, Melissa (seven-years old, about to turn eight) and Vanessa (three years old), with the man that she loved. The victims may not have ever known one another but the killer found them somehow, it was not random although it appears that way. The cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head and the murder weapon? Twenty-eight-year-old Donna Dixon, fresh off a shift working as a flight attendant, had been out running some errands. The hammer stuck her in the jaw, shattering the bone which splintered in an explosion of small fragments that punctured her windpipe. RELATED: Bennett family murders: Full coverage of suspect's trial. Police later linked the murder of the Bennett family with another rape and murder that happened just less than a week before. Apparently, although the authorities never followed up on this, there were a series of murders just like this across the country just off of I-70. It was taken in Arizona 11 days after the attack. The wheels were put into motion to submit dozens of pieces of evidence to the FBI lab. Its probably nothing that will move the case forward, but that show is coming out pretty soon so youll be able to find out what that is in just a couple months! He was arrested for the crime but went on to escape from prison transport during a gas station break. You got the age closer than the fbi and police you described exactly what the guy was feeling when he was killing them. He was immediately alarmed at the scene in the garage her clothes, purse, and even some of the mail was by her car. Even after he was struck and injured severely, Bruce continued to struggle valiantly with his attacker, and it seems he climbed the stairs after him even after the intruder thought that he was unconscious or dead. 26 miles away from the Smith murder, but very close to the other incidents, the Bennett family was still settling into their new home on East Center Drive in Aurora, Colorado. He knew he was going to kill the family, Father, Mother and Children, so he clearly wasnt afraid to go after a man and thought he would be able to easily kill a man. Please keep them and their families in your thoughts tonight. Murdaugh, 54, is accused of shooting his wife Maggie, 52, and youngest son, Paul, 22, at the kennels of their 1,800-acre hunting estate in Moselle, South Carolina on the night of June 7, 2021. According to some sources, they were able to match a shoe print from the Bennett household to a shoe print found in the garage at the Donna Dixon assault. Alexander Christopher Ewing is now the behind bars, serving 40 years for two counts of attempted murder in the state of Nevada. Tarot Spread To Ask A Question; Peut On Boucher La Vue D'un Voisin; Thirty Eight Snub Meaning He also appealed to other district attorneys and lawmakers who might be watching (singling out Montana briefly) to change their DNA collection laws and practices and to begin participating in CODIS. He viciously struck the young child in the head with a hammer. This is a harsh, cold fact profilers must learn if they are to more accurately profile. A man accused of murdering a mother and three children has also been charged with raping one of the victims, who was 11. Ron kept vigil and kept guard in her hospital room day and night. It begins with a woman killed with a hammer in Lakewood and, a week later, a family killed the same way in Aurora. He attacked the couple with a hammer, bludgeoning them with it and leaving them for dead. January 27, 1984: Ewing attacks a man in Kingman, Arizona in his home; beats man's head with a hammer. CENTENNIAL, Colo. (CBS4) - A judge sentenced Alex Ewing to three life sentences on Tuesday after he was found guilty in the 1984 murders of three people in Aurora. About a week later, a different hammer was used to kill the Bennetts and their 7-year-old daughter Melissa in Aurora. Channel 2 sports director Zach Klein is at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, where. A typical way one would see this is that he likes control, that is wrong. Evidence of wounds caused by a blade revealed that Bruce attempted to defend himself as the intruder swiped and slashed at him with a knife. Police said in a Friday morning press conference that they linked Ewing to the crimes this year shortly after Nevada authorities uploaded his DNA to a national database. The sprawling Colorado home where 6-year-old beauty pageant contestant JonBenet Ramsey was murdered in 1996 is listed for sale for a cool $7 million. Connie's son Bruce, his wife Debra and 7-year-old Melissa were found dead.. We move long-haul and short-haul loads to anywhere in the lower 48 states for commercial and government entities. Add some text book, some psychological profiling and presto, they have a profile. does anyone think they are actually looking though? I wouldtear everything down and start over with the evidence, the crime scene and so on. Listen and Subscribe to The Generation Why Podcast! Investigators were able to determine that the girl had died by drowning, but at first they couldnt agree on whether it had been accidental or whether there was foul play involved. Ron showed his commitment to Donna by marrying her in May 1984, just a few months after the ghastly attack and before she was even fully recovered. Prosecutors brought their case against Alex Christopher Ewing to a close using a detailed walkthrough of genetic evidence to show that his DNA was found inside the home where three members of an Aurora family were murdered in January 1984. The previous week, on the 10th of January, a woman in her fifties named Patricia Smith had also been murdered in her own home in a townhouse in Green Mountain, Lakewood, which is just a 25 minutes drive from Bennets home in Aurora. Sometime between 9:00 PM on the 15th and 10:00 AM on the 16th (most likely between midnight and six), an intruder entered the Bennett home. I didnt hear it mentioned in the press conference, but forensic genealogist incidentally identified the correct surname of the alleged killer: Ewing. This information was released in an episode of On the Case with Paula Zahn earlier this year. They immediately knew something was wrong. . The colossal 1,772-acre South Carolina hunting farm where Maggie and Paul. 21-year-old Polish national, Julia Faustyna, claims to be Madeleine McCann- the story so far, CCTV Footage from New Jersey Gas Station Shows Woman Escaping Alleged Captor, Two men arrested in connection with the 1975 murder of Indiana teenager Laurel Jean Mitchell. Perhaps one of the most famous murders in La Jolla history, the story of Daniel and Linda Broderick's death in 1989 shocked the seaside community and reverberated throughout San Diego. Almost six days later, tragedy struck Aurora once again. He was currently working at a family-owned furniture store, but was taking classes at the local college and would soon be working as an air traffic controller. 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. She recently gave an interview, which you can view here (link).. Again, info is given only about the phone calls where the offender spoke. Calls Toyota Celica was found at a river overlook several hours after he and Hailey went on their first date. Serve as lead administrator of a K-3, 9-12 urban site . Ewings DNA profile was entered into CODIS (the FBI's database) this year (2018 as I write this) and the following morning his profile was matched to the DNA found at the crime scenes of both the Bennett family and Patricia Smith. Thieves like to hit them for the tools the guys leave at the sites overnight. Recently, he was exploring forensic genealogy techniques. Tamara Lich's trial on multiple charges related to the Freedom Convoy protests is set to start in the fall. All four family members were assaulted, only one survived. I only do research and leave active investigation of these cases to professionals. Killing on this level requires some level of planning on the part of the perpetrator. Its also safe to assume that up until the Bennett murders his weapon of choice was a blunt object, after those murders he quite possibly changed the weapon of choice if he had that overwhelming urge to kill again. Police felt that the killer brought his own weapon to the scene it didnt appear that any of the tools or hammers at the home had been rifled through. It was believed that the main garage door was left open throughout the night and that the door leading from the garage to the house was possibly left unlocked. DeAngelo was a police officer in nearby Exeter at the time, and has been confirmed by police to be tied to a string of over 100 burglaries, a murder, and an attempted murder that occurred in Visalia in 1974 and 1975. The caller whispered harshly into the phone, saying You know who this is or Do you know who this is? The victim was on the line with him for about a minute. Quite frankly if the suspect wasnt on the original list, spoken to or even noticed in this case it may come down to just DNA unless police have enough evidence and suspect info they can rework the case from scratch. The severity of her injuries cant be understated. Investigators had collected and stored the killer DNA from the crime scene back in 1984 and since they did not know the hammer killers identity at the time issued a warrant for the arrest of John Doe on three counts of murder, attempted murder, felony murder, two counts of sexual assault, and two counts of child sexual assault in the hope that technology in the future could aid in identifying the assailant. The family had been celebrating Melissas birthday that night. Sadly, technology was not as advanced in the mid-eighties as it is today, and the case went cold, remaining that way for over 30 years. Man Gets Life in Prison for 2016 Killing of Google Employee Vanessa Marcotte, Lone Survivor of 1984 Colorado Hammer Killer Attack Misses the Family He Stole: 'Inside I Cry Every Day', Man Sentenced for 1982 Ax Murder of His Wife After the Case Went Unsolved for Nearly 40 Years, Colo. Woman Applied for Restraining Order Against Ex Days Before He Allegedly Killed Her Family Members, JonBent Ramsey's Father Is Optimistic DNA Advances Will Catch Daughter's Killer, Slams Boulder Police, Man Who Shot Lady Gaga's Dog Walker During Dognapping Sentenced to 21 Years: 'I Do Forgive You', N.C. Man Killed Girlfriend's Daughter, 3, with Chloroform in Attempt to Get Her to Sleep. This murder, which has sat on the cold case shelves for far too long, is in desperate need of this new media attention and the new investigative resources. Headquartered in McDonough, Georgia, Bennett Family of Companies provides innovative logistics and transportation for companies across America. The family had been celebrating Melissas birthday that night. The Bennetts didnt show up for work on Monday. Smith was attacked in the condo she shared with her daughter and grandchildren and the hammer was left behind. She said in an interview that she has big plans for the future, and reminds us that "its never too late to achieve big things. Are you suggesting that initially investigators missed certain details based off the profile of the dude? Minneapolis and Crystal, MN. It was a blitz attack for no reason, said Marvin Brandt, who investigated the case as a homicide detective between 1984 and when he retired from the Aurora Police Department in 2002. It begins with a woman killed with a hammer in Lakewood and, a week later, a family killed the same way. Designed by Ewing massacred a family but left a key to his identity, Chief Deputy District Attorney Garrik Storgaard told the jury. I write about old, unsolved cases from the pre-DNA era. With time, multiple surgeries and the support her extended family, Vanessa began to recover from her physical injuries, but living a normal life after losing both her parents to a murderer who had yet to be captured and convicted made childhood difficult. On the night of Jan. 15, 1984, the Bennett family left their garage door open. On August 7th, 2018, it was announced that there were significant new developments in the Smith/Bennett case, and that a news conference would be held at 10:00 AM on Friday, August 10th with more information. Vanessa Bennett was shocked to receive the phone call identifying the man who murdered her entire family and attempted to murder her in 1984and admits it hasnt quite sunk in. I agree with you. Damien Bendall, 31, is now alleged to have raped and murdered Lacey Bennett . But new technology is getting detectives closer and closer to solving the brutal mystery. This mans only motive was to inflict as much pain as possible and kill his victims. Ewing has been locked up since. The family was discovered by Constance Bennett who has since raised little Vanessa. She too survived the attack, although she was first in a coma for some time. Patricia still wore her sweater and boots, but her jeans were pulled down. The family overall lead a very quiet and peaceful life. Theyd moved there around Thanksgiving from another place a few miles away, and had so far enjoyed their quiet, developing neighborhood. The other victim murdered in the terrifying crime spree. Caller: Hi, its me again. Aurora police Chief Nick Metz said the case has haunted the families involved. I should also note that the data becomes a bit skewed in that month because of the fact that the Snelling murder, being a homicide investigation, resulted in a much more thorough sweep of the area and more prowling incidents were recorded that wouldve otherwise been left unreported. Dr. Robert Offerman and Dr. Debra Manning were young and had bright futures. I look in the mirror every day and look at myself and I hate who I am. Shed left the garage door open and most likely left the door unlocked as she went upstairs, removed her wig, and turned the television on. It, and the floor around it, was soaked in blood. The womens bodies were found inside Thomas vehicle. "I lost the person who I was supposed to be. This horrific and cold case of Aurora, Colorado has kept everyone wondering about the culprit while this horrendous incident kept sending chills to the bones of people all around the world. Patricia had come home from work for lunch, stopping at Wendys on the way. She suffered severe injuries to her head, jaw, and neck. Investigators did not forget about the hammer murders, however, nor did the town of Aurora; for years the authorities and true crime sleuths never gave up trying to identify the sick individual responsible for the murders and assaults that happened that year. A hammer. They ended up determining that Armour had been killed, and the Fresno Bee (along with the Fresno Guarantee Savings and Loan Association) set aside $2,500 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of her killer. The FAIR School, Minneapolis Public Schools and West Metro Education Program. In fact, there was a string of unsolved crimes in the area that took place just days apart from each other. Bruce's mother would discover the family the next day inside the home, after no one answered calls to their landline. I didnt just lose my parents and my sister, she said. March 14, 2022 5:04pm Updated The Murdaugh family property where a mother and son were found dead lists for $3.9 million. Wedged between the bed and the wall was three-year-old Vanessa, choking of fragments of her own jaw bone and barely clinging to life. As a workaround, a well-known forensic genealogist named Colleen Fitzpatrick analyzed the case, and her research came up with the possible surname of Ewing. This finding was announced an the television show, On the Case With Paula Zahn, in February 2018. Toward the end of that series and during the murders, he began experimenting with different types of bindings plastic ties, twine, drapery cord, etc. Thought to be the work of a serial killer, the crimes have remained unsolved for thirty years. The cases are commonly known as the 1984 Colorado Hammer Murders. The intruder, apparently thinking she was dead, began to make his escape. The scene in the home traumatized the daughter and grandchildren for life. He was brought to Colorado to face trial for the deaths of the Bennett family. Bruce had mentioned wanting to run to the store before bed. He stayed on the prosecution team with Storgaard and Senior Deputy District Attorney Megan Brewer. The court heard how . There are potentially other crimes that Ewing could be charged for, and Brauchler emphasized that he wont prosecute a crime that he cant ethically prove theres a high standard for evidence in these types of cases. Shippers choose our flatbed, step deck, RGN or other specialized trailers to move freight that is too large to be Did you know that one of the most popular places to rob are construction sites? Bruce Bennett tried to climb the staircase several times in an attempt to ward off the perpetrator and save his young family. Furthermore, the loving grandmother had been sexually assaulted. The family got a ride from someone else. The guy here fit the profile you provided over that of the fbi. Broderick was denied parole for a second time just this past January. This call occurred over a month after her attack. It helps bring the other EAR phone escapades into the fold. Although she had no memory of the attack, what happened that night in 1984 would negatively impact the rest of her life. View the map. If the list does exist its worth a look at as well as look at reports of crimes at the local job sites involving missing tools. They both survived. Jun 2004 - 201612 years. She made her way to the bedroom and went to bed. The story has a silver lining though on another case we explored with this team, theBrandon Lawsoncase, we were able to not only make a sketchy part of his 911 call understandable, but possibly a major break in the case by preparing for LE some scientific evidence that there was another person present when he disappeared. The child died from her injuries. She was also left with a shattered pelvis and fell into a coma. Most importantly take the need to judge them and all of your own emotions and personal beliefs out of the picture. Were happy to at least have a little bit of science behind us on this and it was worth exploring, even though the result was inconclusive. The Murder of Jaye Potter Mintz Feb 23, 1987 Leland N.C. A Catastrophic Cyber Event in the Next 2-Years. Her parents, Bruce and Deborah Bennett, were also killed. Upon the capture of a suspect in the Golden State Killer case, Conner again turned to genealogical databases. You called it in a recent case again how did you know? Ewing would not stop hitting her the entire time and eventually the woman realized that she would have to play dead in order to get him to stop. On the night of November 15th, 1974, a fifteen-year-old Visalia-area girl named Jennifer Lynn Armour disappeared while on her way to a local football game. The Colonial Parkway is a scenic highway in Virginia that runs through historic areas like Yorktown, Williamsburg, and Jamestown. James, a young man not even twenty-five years old yet, had married his wife Kim in August of 1982. In 2018, a DNA match linked Alex Ewing to the Jan. 15, 1984, killings of Bruce and Debra Bennett, as well as their daughter Melissa. ~Then on Jan. 10, 1984, someone used a hammer to strike 50-year-old Patricia Louise Smith several times in the head in her Lakewood home thus killing her sometime between 3pm and 5pm. During the rape series, he primarily used shoelaces. He utilized the bindings in another distinct way he almost always forced his penis into his victims bound hands. Peter Weir, District Attorney of the 1st Judicial District, oversees the area where the Smith murder occurred. The Vampire Diaries Wiki Explore Main Page Discuss When he did use something at the scene (electrical cord, towel, husbands shoelaces, necktie) it was only to supplement the ligatures that he had brought himself. His use of ligatures were fairly distinct and helped tie a lot of the crimes together. Ive provided a complete listing of known phone calls where the East Area Rapist / Golden State Killer actually spoke at this link:https://www.coldcase-earons.com/phonecalls.php. We offer a suite of trucking and specialized logistics services, from flatbed and step deck trucking, driveaway, manufactured housing transport and RV delivery to 3PL/4PL logistics, customs brokerage . One lab felt that the letters were RICHAR. Another lab felt that it said PETAW C, with a space or fold between the W and the C and perhaps another fold in there as well. Ewing was not identified as a suspect until a DNA hit in July 2018 linked him to semen left at the crime scene. The police found her posed with her arms crossed over her chest as if she was in a coffin. They remain married to this day. The case got a jolt in 2009 when a retired FBI photographer used graphic images from the crime scenes during a class lecture. All three were beaten to death with a claw hammer. They were living in Aurora and planned to make a life together there. On the night of January 16th, 1984 a gruesome discovery was made at a house on 16300 East Center Drive, Aurora. Another resident, Donna Dixon, was also struck with a hammer. The Bennett family murders is a case that goes back more than three decades. He may have been in the system at some point but it is difficult to determinewhether it would have been on felony charges or misdemeanor because his crimes may have stopped altogether. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Report of July 5, 2022 officer-involved shooting in Report of July 21, 2022 officer-involved shooting in Jury returns guilty verdict in mass shooting at Aurora man sentenced to decades in prison for Man sentenced to two consecutive life sentences for Parolee and former Scout leader with history of Lone Tree bowling alley shooter sentenced to 23 Report of March 3, 2022 officer-involved shooting in Colorado District Attorneys Council honors trial team for Jury finds man guilty in former CU football Report of July 5, 2022 officer-involved shooting in Aurora, Report of July 21, 2022 officer-involved shooting in Englewood, Man sentenced to two consecutive life sentences for murdering couple who responded to advertisement for used car. Before he was sentenced, Ewing declined the chance to speak to the victim's family members, who were present in the courtroom including Vanessa Bennett, who is now 41. Mendelian Genetics | Mendelian Theory, Principles & Applications, The Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973: Composition & Important Sections, Indian Penal Code, 1860: Amendments, Composition & Provisions, Difference Between Autonomous vs Automate Process With Examples, Indian Evidence Act, 1872: Amendments & Important Sections. It was a case that they were not giving up on and were continuing to move forward on, he said. ", She added: "I lost my sanity. She was naked, curled up in a fetal position and groaning. The very famous, more than three decades old case of Bennet family murders has recently been in the news. In 2011, Agnes Dupont de Ligonnes and her four children, ages 13 to 21, were shot and killed with a .22 rifle with a silencer on it while asleep in their beds in Western France, along with their two Labradors. The killer pummeled and sexually assaulted his 26-year-old wife, Debra, and 7-year-old daughter, Melissa. The money was never claimed. The killer pummeled and sexually assaulted his 26-year-old wife, Debra, and 7-year-old daughter, Melissa. Later autopsies would reveal that the Bennetts had died due to blunt force trauma and that their attacker had likely used a hammer. During sentencing Aug. 17, members of the Bennett and Large families submitted impact statements and came to the courtroom. At the press conference, they informed the public that when authorities in Nevada went back and retroactively began swabbing and entering their inmates DNA into CODIS, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation got a hit and thats whats led to the development in this case. Photo: 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office, Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images, Inside Idaho Murder Suspect's Alleged Chat Room Posts: I Can Do 'Whatever I Want with Little Remorse', Chilling Details Revealed as Probable Cause Affidavit is Released in University of Idaho Murder Case, 'Why Did You Kill My Daddy? They had recently purchased a new home in Aurora for their young family, consisting of Melissa and a younger sister who was 3 years old. "There is no punishment that is too harsh for you and I will do everything in my power to make sure you never draw a free breath ever again.".