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. Which is why a more beneficial profile from the onset is more important in fact, its critical. Dont profile by LOOKING AT the behavior in an attempt to findclues to his or her psychology in an effort toaid in capturing a criminal. Sometimes it works, sometimes its sort of right, sometimes not even close. does anyone think they are actually looking though? Your email address will not be published. They immediately knew something was wrong. Both district attorneys addressed the possibility of capital punishment being on the table, discussing that 1984 laws do seem to allow the possibility, and that its the hardest decision that a DA has to make and it wont be one thats made lightly. There was no way, given the samples that we have, to determine whether the voices match or not. Even though Vanessas jaw was crushed, sending jagged bones into her windpipe, she survived after her grandmother, Constance Bennett, checked on the family later that morning when they didnt show up to work at a family-owned furniture store. Your email address will not be published. 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. Investigators said he also sexually assaulted Melissa before she died from being beaten. ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - It was 1984 when Connie Bennett found her family murdered in their Aurora home. The bodies of John Paul Bennett, 13, Lacey Bennett, 11, their mother Terri Harris, 35, and Lacey's friend Connie Gent, 11, were discovered at the property near Sheffield, on Sunday morning.. Damien Bendall, 31, is now alleged to have raped and murdered Lacey Bennett . Become a Patreon Supporter for bonus content! The court heard how . Denver Post Archive Aurora Coroner's officers and police officers remove one of the three bodies from house at. Bruce Bennett ~ 27 ~ Found Murdered January 16, 1984 Debra Bennett ~ 26 ~ Found Murdered, Sexually Assaulted January 16, 1984 Melissa Bennett ~7 ~ Found Murdered, Sexually Assaulted January 16, 1984 In fact, there was a string of unsolved crimes in the area that took place just days apart from each other. The crime scene is the Bennett Family home where 3 out of 4 family members were murdered in January 1984. October 21st, 1982 Tabernacle. Arapahoe County District Judge Darren Vahle spoke directly to Ewing before announcing the sentence. Long Prairie, Minn. Long Prairie is a town of about 3,000 people in central Minnesota's Todd County. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Late on Jan. 9 or early on Jan 10, a flight attendant was beaten, possibly with a hammer, and sexually assaulted after she pulled into the garage of her home in Aurora. Recently, he was exploring forensic genealogy techniques. The wheels were put into motion to submit dozens of pieces of evidence to the FBI lab. In fact, there was a string of unsolved crimes in the area that took place just days apart from each other. 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 McStay family murders occurred on or near February 4, 2010, after the family disappeared from their home in Fallbrook, California, United States; their bodies were found in the desert near Victorville, California, on November 13, 2013. Designed by Patricia had only been living in Lakewood for about three and a half months, having moved there from Nebraska with her daughter, who was recently divorced. This was the end of the first day of what would become a futile week-long dig for the body of Keith Bennett, who was 12 years old in 1964 when he was killed by the Moors murderers, Ian Brady and . Read more true crime, cold cases and unsolved mysteries from meHERE<<. Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window), Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Twelve Twenty-Six Seventy-Five by Tony Reid, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. The killer was practicing, he was unsure of himself and he was unsure of the weapon he would eventually use. For some reason the killer had to or wanted to be near this artery more so than the major arteries through and around Denver at that time. An award-winning journalist who has worked forRolling Stone and MTV News, Chris enjoys prog rock, cycling, Marvel movies, IPAs, and roller coasters. Here are the days of the week the alleged killer struck each victim (s). During sentencing Aug. 17, members of the Bennett and Large families submitted impact statements and came to the courtroom. The 3-year-old sister, Vanessa, was the only survivor. Its quite possible that he changed his method of killing in an effort to keep police from tying him to these murders on the off chance he was caught for lets say rape. The Visalia Ransacker, a unique brand of offender who terrorized a very small area of California for a period of over two years, caught my attention a long time ago due to the cases possible association with the East Area Rapist. He went into the process of requesting extradition of the suspect, with the request soon going to the governors office and the process taking up to a couple of months. That is very clear. 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. While meeting with the families in regards to this case reopened many old wounds and horrific memories, the Aurora Police Department, Lakewood Police Department, Colorado Bureau of Investigation, the 18th Judicial District, and the 1st Judicial District is committed to seeing that justice is served in this case. The Murder of Jaye Potter Mintz Feb 23, 1987 Leland N.C. A Catastrophic Cyber Event in the Next 2-Years. Before exiting the vehicle, she turned to grab her flight attendant uniform, which was hanging in the back. In Aug 2018, Alexander Christopher Ewing was accused and charged in both cases. It was Monday evening, January 9th, 1984. The same night he escaped, he broke into yet another couples house and attacked the male of the home. Chris Harris has been a senior true crime reporter for PEOPLE since late 2015. The very famous, more than three decades old case of Bennet family murders has recently been in the news. Let us know all the details about yourself and send us a message. Ewing massacred a family but left a key to his identity, Chief Deputy District Attorney Garrik Storgaard told the jury. View the map. Dont you feel cheated a little? The Bennetts didnt show up for work on Monday. Youve done this with other cases to. For the first time, Stetson Bennett is publicly addressing his January arrest for public intoxication in Texas. On the night of Jan. 15, 1984, the Bennett family left their garage door open. The jury found Ewing guilty on. 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. Unfortunately, they verified one by one that each family member was deceased. A handful spoke in court, including the surviving daughter. Rather than wait until 2019 when the book will be published, we thought wed at least share the results with you. Her nude body was found over a week later in the Friant-Kern Canal near Woodlake an area located northeast of Visalia and a fair distance away from where shed disappeared. A typical way one would see this is that he likes control, that is wrong. The child died from her injuries. His attacker slit his throat before eventually delivering a final fatal blow with a hammer. Blood was all over the garage floor. As she turned to leave the car, she felt a tremendous blow on the left side of her head. Ewing has been behind bars in Nevada since the summer of 1984 after he escaped there while being transported to Kingman, Arizona, from St. George, Utah, for a court appearance on attempted murder and burglary charges. Minneapolis and Crystal, MN. Dotted with impressive bridges and blanketed by thick trees, it usually provides year-round beauty and convenience for travelers. The womens bodies were found inside Thomas vehicle. Almost six days later, tragedy struck Aurora once again. She was naked, curled up in a fetal position and groaning. DENVER- The Bennett family murders is a case that goes back more than three decades. De Ligonnes Family. This call occurred over a month after her attack. Theres no such thing as coincidence. Juliana Kenney, 75, her husband Clayton Kenney, 83, and Mrs. Kenney's 44- year-old daughter, Adrienne Arnot, were beaten and stabbed to . The world turned a painful red and Donna began to lose consciousness. The Bennett family murders is a case that goes back more than three decades. Figuring out anyone who was laid off or working less hours on a construction site back then, if the list doesnt exist right now may be difficult at best. 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. July 5, 1985 Survivor In Sierra Madre. Is it not true that you usually get police closer to a suspect faster than they ever could without using dna? Why was she the lone survivor? 28 year old Bruce Bennett had jumped into action when the attacker entered the family home and a struggle broke out between the two as Bennett attempted to protect his family. 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 dont believe this killers blood lust was sated after all these acts of violence leading up to these murders; unless he was somehow killed (or committed suicide) soon after, my guess is he ended up in jail for something unrelated or something that somehow wasnt linked, like a violent rape. The jury found Ewing guilty on. There is no innocent explanation for how you explain all of the evidence.. Why did they have to get murdered? She survived. The bludgeoned bodies of husband and wife, Bruce and Debra Bennett, were discovered and it soon became evident that both were attacked with a knife and beaten to death. The hammer stuck her in the jaw, shattering the bone which splintered in an explosion of small fragments that punctured her windpipe. The FAIR School, Minneapolis Public Schools and West Metro Education Program. 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. Most importantly take the need to judge them and all of your own emotions and personal beliefs out of the picture. 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. Its quite possible that she wasnt even conscious for any of it. Forensic Yard There was the sound of children and maybe a woman in the background, which couldve potentially come from a television or some other source. Between 9 p.m. January 15, 1984 and 10 a.m. January 16, 1984, twenty-seven year old Bruce Bennett, his twenty-six year old wife, Debra and their seven year old daughter Melissa, were brutally murdered inside their home located in the 16300 Block of East Center Drive. They lived on a peaceful cul-de-sac where most of the houses had recently been finished and were yet to be sold. Date: September 5th, 1989 This killers only motive was to kill. They lived on the other side of the Denver metro area, but their home and Smiths home were both near a main east-west road, Alameda Avenue, leading investigators to suspect the killer used that route. District Attorney John Kellner filed the murder charges against Ewing when he headed up the Cold Case Unit in the office. 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. On the 4th of January James and Kimberly Haubenschild were also attacked with a hammer at their home in Aurora, but both survived. The attacker retrieved a butcher knife from the kitchen and began stabbing Bruce in various places on his upper body, and once Bruce was incapacitated again the offender used the knife to slit his throat from ear to ear. The prosecution compared the Bennett family murders to another murder where a woman, Patricia Smith of Lakewood, was also murdered with a hammer earlier that same month. On Sunday, January 15th, 1984, several family members gathered at the Bennett home to have a birthday part for Melissa, who wouldve turned eight on Tuesday. In that homicide, DNA evidence was found matching Ewing. The bludgeoned bodies of husband and wife, Bruce and Debra Bennett, were discovered and it soon became evident that both were attacked with a knife and beaten to death. The jury found Ewing guilty on Aug. 6 of killing three members of the Bennett family with a hammer. Obviously, this guy was looking for his next target. HE had to get knife in addition to the hammer just to ward off Bruce who was trying to protect his family. KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) _ Two men were arrested Friday in the killing of an elderly man and his wife, a crime whose brutality traumatized this small town and went unsolved for more than a year. March 14, 2022 5:04pm Updated The Murdaugh family property where a mother and son were found dead lists for $3.9 million. Remember me? I hurt myself. "I have seen all kinds of evil and wickedness nothing compares to the level of depravity that your actions show in this case," Vahle told Ewing. Headquartered in McDonough, Georgia, Bennett Family of Companies provides innovative logistics and transportation for companies across America. The first sign of trouble came in the afternoon, when Patricia failed to pick them up. Forensics determined that the hammers used in each of the attacks were different, and that there didnt appear to be anything terribly useful in the way of fingerprints or other evidence. The house was not ransacked, but the contents of her purse were strewn about. The killer then ascended the staircase and entered the couples bedroom where he attacked Bruces 26 years old wife, Debra, simultaneously he raped and killed her. According to property records, the couple stayed in the same house after the attack. Evidence that an aristocrat has gone missing--and was possibly murdered--near Sandringham House sets Queen Elizabeth II on the path to discover unsavory family secrets and much more in this new installment of the series the New York Times Book Review calls "sheer entertainment." Queen Elizabeth II is looking forward to a traditional Christmas gathering with her family in . It begins with a woman killed with a hammer in Lakewood and, a week later, a family killed the same way. Amazing!!!!!!!! There was no sign of Lauer or Phelps. Nevada inmate charged in 1984 hammer killing of Lakewood grandmother. A coworker informed Bruces mother, Constance, about their absence. Over 200 Million Downloads! The press conference began with Aurora Chief Nicholas Metz, who recognized the hard work and dedication of many investigators who worked this case over the years. How do you feel knowing this case was solved? I only do research and leave active investigation of these cases to professionals. He further explained the nature of the coordinated and combined effort that contributed to the identification of this suspect, and the initial ease at which the system has thus far moved. 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. 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. Im your biggest fan. 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 Investigation kept ongoing. If they were used shoelaces, youd expect to find a vast array of particles and wear-and-tear. I also believe this is the killers first stint at killing humans he most likely as with most serial killers did in fact kill animals earlier in life. A hammer was used to kill Patricia Louise Smith, 50, in Lakewood Jan. 10, 1984. He is more introverted when he is sober and an extrovert when he isnt. Your email address will not be published. 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 bludgeoned bodies of husband and wife, Bruce and Debra Bennett, were discovered and it soon became evident that they had both attacked with a knife and beaten to death. 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. For an overview of the case, you can review my extensive post from yesterday which covered many of the details. With time, multiple surgeries, and the support of 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. The truck was in a designated parking area with the radio and windshield wipers turned on. Alex Ewing on trial for the murder of three members of the Bennett family (credit: Aurora Sentinel). The police found her posed with her arms crossed over her chest, as if she was in a coffin. Required fields are marked *. James and Kim divorced divorced in the fall of 1987. Caller: Hi, its me again. Hecontinued to attack the child causing severe injuries, but the 3 years old held on to her life and was alive the next morning when she was discovered by her grandmother. After failing with the EAR, we needed a sidebar showing that the techniques actually work because they do! Jun 2004 - 201612 years. The cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head and the murder weapon? Dont forget to follow Generation Why on FB [X] , Instagram [X] and Twitter [X]. Investigators had collected and stored the killers 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. Before Donna Dixon was even found, another crime had taken place 26 miles to the west in the city of Lakewood. Second Crime Scene Two different crime labs analyzed the fuzzy imprint, and they came up with different results. The killer then ascended the staircase and entered the couples bedroom where attacked Bruces wife, 26 year old Debra, who he raped before bludgeoning to death. The mandatory minimum sentence for each count is life with possibility of parole after 20 years, according to the prosecution. What are Dr. Bennett's areas of care? 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. 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. In June 2002, former Arapahoe County Colorado, District Attorney Jim Peters obtained a John Doe arrest warrant in the Bennett killings based on the DNA. I was a drug addict for so many years. Reporters and detectives subsequently learned that very little of the evidence from the scenes had been combed through using modern forensic technology, including DNA testing. It was a match, proving that the same unknown offender had killed all four victims. 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. All four of them were attacked inside the home that night, only Vanessa survived. She was murdered on Jan 10, 1984 by an, at that time, unknown person who raped and killed her inside her Lakewood home. I would not limit the list to any type of profession or lack of any type of profession until suspects can be eliminated. Patricia missed her husband Oliver, who stayed behind in Nebraska, but she loved being with her daughter and two grandchildren in a bustling city. So I guess Ill be the first to post. Ewing, then 23, was arrested again two days later about 15 miles (24 kilometers) away by park rangers at Lake Mead. Theyd moved there around Thanksgiving from another place a few miles away, and had so far enjoyed their quiet, developing neighborhood. Bruce, his wife Debra and 7-year-old Melissa were found dead. Donna pulled into the driveway, hit the remote to open the garage, and pulled her car in. Her body was found in a basement . Not only was she left with physical injuries and scars as a reminder of the attack, but she was also left with ADHD, PTSD, and bipolar disorder. Alexander Christopher Ewing, who is serving a prison sentence in Nevada for beating a couple there with an axe handle, has been charged with killing Bruce and Debra Bennett and their 7-year-old daughter, as well as trying to kill their 3-year-old daughter, as well as a charge for sexual assault. She slumped over onto the passenger seat. Apparently when the killer lifted Melissa Bennett, an imprint from his shirt was made in the blood that had resulted from his assault on her. They saw her parents killer as a boogeyman who would attack and them and kill them if they went anywhere near little Vanessas home for parties or play dates. 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. She was also left with a shattered pelvis and fell into a coma. He then tries to strangle her with a telephone . They need renewed media attention. You can also see what seems to be escalation and a frenzy of activity at certain points. The slain girl's younger sister, Vanessa Bennett, who was 3 at the time, survived the life-threatening injuries she sustained in the vicious beating. On November 7, 2014, police announced they had arrested Charles "Chase" Merritt, Joseph . He fed the need. Many of his victims were sex workers and transients who had no connection to him. The suspect list shrinks or worse, the profile was so off an accurate suspect list from the get go is of no help and never will be. The killer murdered two parents - Bruce and Debra Bennett - and their 7-year-old, Melissa, and left their other child severely injured. The family had been celebrating Melissas birthday that night. Look at the area, the artery that the crimes were committed along. In 2002, Arapahoe County filed a John Doe arrest warrant for the perpetrator of the Bennet murders based on the DNA profile.