bennett family murders address

Victim #24received a call from a voice that she identified as the EARs. The childs skull was caved in on the right side of her forehead and a metal plate was inserted to reshape the skull, she suffered severe injuries to her head, jaw and neck. I just read this article and Im completely blown away so much of what you speculated turned out to be spot on. The same night he escaped, he broke into yet another couples house and attacked the male of the home. Bruce was 27 years old and Debra was 26 in 1984. They immediately connected it with the Donna Dixon case from January 9th, and recognized that a serial offender was working the area. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Although she had no memory of the attack, what happened that night in 1984 would negatively impact the rest of her life. 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. "I didn't just lose my parents and my sister," Vanessa opened up. This phone call occurred 25 years after the attack. She was numb and cold, and somehow was able to get to her feet and go inside the house. Why did they have to get murdered? Just your average everyday normal family. About six weeks later, hunters came upon their bodies in a remote location in the woods near a logging road. A coworker informed Bruces mother, Constance, about their absence. The other kids at school would tease her, telling her the hammer man was going to come and finish her off. He picked all of his victims for a reason, something about them attracted him to them, they all had one common denominator that drew him to those specific individuals. AURORA | Police and prosecutors say they have solved the brutal 1984 hammer slayings of the Bennett family in Aurora, one of the citys most-shocking and tough-to-crack cold cases. There was no sign of forced entry into the home, some articles you come across say that the killer entered through an unlocked garage door. In 2002, Arapahoe County filed a John Doe arrest warrant for the perpetrator of the Bennet murders based on the DNA profile. The Ramsey family, who originally bought the . SOMERVILLE Sandra G. Bennett, 76, died March 2, 2023. His attacker slit his throat before eventually delivering a final fatal blow with a hammer. Dont profile by. My best friend lived around the corner from the Bennetts, and that previous night (or night of) after dinner when she was cleaning the kitchen, she saw a man staring at her through the window. Connie's son Bruce, his wife Debra and 7-year-old Melissa were found dead.. March 14, 2022 5:04pm Updated The Murdaugh family property where a mother and son were found dead lists for $3.9 million. Bruce worked at the family-owned furniture store and was also taking classes to become an air traffic controller. Fourth Crime Scene He was known as the "Happy Face Killer" because he drew smiley faces on his many letters to the media and authorities. Her parents, Bruce and Deborah Bennett, were also killed. It was dusted for prints, but none were found. Yvonne Missy Woods, a DNA analyst at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI), was the last of 25 prosecution witnesses called to the stand in Ewings trial on multiple counts of first-degree murder in the hammer killings of Bruce and Debra Bennett and their daughter, Melissa. He tore her clothes off, tossed them about the garage, and then he raped her on the concrete floor. The killer also may have completely changed his MO from victim type to weapon used, to less grisly murdering, became better at leaving no DNA behind Because he committed the murders in Colorado during his learning phase if you will it is difficult to determine what he went on to be if anything. 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. They lived on the other side of the Denver metro area, but their home and Smith's home were both near a main east-west road, Alameda Avenue, leading investigators to suspect the killer used that route. This call occurred over a month after her attack. Second Crime Scene The colossal 1,772-acre South Carolina hunting farm where Maggie and Paul. The crimes appeared to be sexually motivated, judging by the assaults that occurred on Debra and Melissa. The Bennett family was attacked in their home in Aurora, Colorado in Jan. 16,1984. Murdaugh's double murder trial jury is sent out to find a verdict Most likely it appears quite small in your browser window simply click on it to enlarge it. 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. Jury finds man guilty in 'hammer killer' murders of Aurora family January 27, 1984: Ewing attacks a man in Kingman, Arizona in his home; beats man's head with a hammer. Alex Christopher Ewing Arapahoe County District Judge Darren Vahle sentenced Alex Christopher Ewing, 61, for killing the couple and their 7-year-old daughter in 1984. Sometimes it works, sometimes its sort of right, sometimes not even close. Her head was constantly swimming with thoughts of her parents. In 2015, information leaked that there was important clue found at the Bennett scene. The Bennett family. 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. The couple's 3-year-old daughter Vanessa was also beaten but survived with permanent injuries. Look at the area, the artery that the crimes were committed along. Police are still looking for information on the cases connected to Ewing and are asking the public for help. A hammer was used to kill Patricia Louise Smith, 50, in Lakewood Jan. 10, 1984. Detective Steve Conner has investigated this case for many years, taking over from an investigator named Marv Brandt. Ewing massacred a family but left a key to his identity, Chief Deputy District Attorney Garrik Storgaard told the jury. He then found the couples oldest daughter, 7 year old Melissa, who tragically suffered the same terrible fate as her mother. He thought about murder for a long time, he daydreamed about it and more than likely attempted several times prior to these specific attacks to commit murder but for whatever reason didnt go through with it or was unable to because his victim fought him off, fear of being seen or heard etc. It was determined that she had been killed sometime between the hours of 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM. The Bennett Family Murders ~ Aurora, Colorado ~ January 16, 1984 The Bennett family was your average middle class family living the American dream. Begins: Fri, 03/03/23 10:00 AM EST. More details will be forthcoming in the case as more is learned about the alleged killer and an affidavit is circulated containing the evidence used to charge him with these crimes. Immediately she went over the home to investigate. Victim #7received a phone call, and she recognized the voice on the other end as the voice of the rapist. She slumped over onto the passenger seat. Dont you think the police could have gotten the guy long ago had they given you the evidence they had? Many of his victims were sex workers and transients who had no connection to him. Here are a few of the notable phone calls: January 15th, 1979 The results (if any) of the tests run on the current evidence is currently unknown. He reminded the public that John Doe warrants had been filed based on the DNA profile of the killer back in 2002, and mentioned that the John Doe charges have been updated to Alex Christopher Ewings name. House where JonBenet Ramsey was murdered in 1996 is on the market Bennett Family Murders: the prosecution rests - Defrosting Cold Cases After investigating, the police found similarities between the attack at the Bennett home and nearby random attacks that happened days earlier along the Highline Canal and Alameda Avenue corridor. In just two days, Melissa would turn 8 years old. 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. Safdar Ali was allegedly involved in selling weapons to gang members of Atiq Ahmed. The Bennett family murders is a case that goes back more than three decades. The family got a ride from someone else. Investigators said he also sexually assaulted Melissa before she died from being beaten. The blow shed felt was the attacker striking her head with a hammer. The blow was so severe that her jaw was shattered and her skull was fractured in several places. Seemingly, nothing they did showed investigators any reason someone would want to kill them. "The Crown prosecutor who is prosecuting my case in September seems like a dog with a . The investigators and the CBI were safe to guess that it might have been a construction worker that had been working in the area. But what about his second? The 3-year-old sister, Vanessa, was the only survivor. DENVER- The Bennett family murders is a case that goes back more than three decades. 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. Currently all 50 states have to collect DNA for certain types of Felony crimes and submit it to CODIS. 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. Smith was attacked in the condo she shared with her daughter and grandchildren and the hammer was left behind. This killers only motive was to kill. They were Holly Chromey, 49, and her children, Katie Zapzalka, 18, and Jared Zapzalka, 16. They also looked across state lines looking for similar or like crimes and to date, they have not one suspect. Family medicine doctors are primary-care physicians trained. Alex Ewing Ordered To Serve 3 Life Sentences For 1984 Murder - CBS News According to property records, the couple stayed in the same house after the attack. 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. Bruce Bennett tried to climb the staircase several times in an attempt to ward off the perpetrator and save his young family. I was a drug addict for so many years. Date: September 5th, 1989 The Military also submits DNA for specific types of crimes committed by its members. 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. Unsolved: The Bennett family murders | king5.com Its also interesting to note that the first incidence of violence, the Snelling murder, didnt stop him, but he did seem to be gradually slowing down after what appears on the surface to be the 1975 peak. Lightening the speech with a quasi-political jab at Al Gores inventing the internet, he went on to describe cooperation from Clark County Nevada and Mojave County Arizona, which were other jurisdictions whod had Ewing pass through their systems. Unfortunately, they verified one by one that each family member was deceased. He was arrested for the crime but went on to escape from prison transport during a gas station break. A hammer. She too survived the attack, although she was first in a coma for some time. Broderick was denied parole for a second time just this past January. 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 Part of our book involves some very in-depth detective and forensic work. 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. After a string of several burglaries and escalating events on this night, the offender crossed the line to murder and he never looked back. Arapahoe County District Judge Darren Vahle spoke directly to Ewing before announcing the sentence. The jury found Ewing guilty on Aug. 6 of killing three members of the Bennett family with a hammer. 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. The force of the impact threw her head into the steering wheel. The Colonial Parkway is a scenic highway in Virginia that runs through historic areas like Yorktown, Williamsburg, and Jamestown. Here are the Small Town Murder show particulars: Small Town Murder. Its my hope that this can help folks gain a better understanding of how prolific this offender was, and that insights can be gained as to perhaps why he was active at the times that he was, and why he mightve laid low during some of the quieter times. Donna was rushed to the hospital while police worked the scene. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Order your tickets today to see Small Town Murder in Atlanta, GA. 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. If it were me, I would explore other possibilities in terms of profiling my suspect here, explore past just some guy who was currently working construction in the area or druggies who killed in a drug fueled rage. After multiple surgeries,Vanessa was saved, though she went on the live with permanent physiological affects from the assault. She was happy to be home for a while, and eagerly awaiting the next day when her boyfriend, Ronald Holm, would be home. "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. DNA at both the Bennett crime Scene and the Smith crime scene were matched to the same killer in 2010. Police later linked the murder of the Bennett family with another rape and murder that happened just less than a week before. 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. He said the detectives who have worked it over the years, in particular Detective Steve Conner, the departments cold case investigator, never quit on. They didnt feel that he forced his way into the home as she entered it herself due to the television, wig, and Wendys receipt being located upstairs. Although she had no memory of the attack, what happened that night in 1984. The last family member left around 9:00 PM. Later autopsies revealed that the Bennetts had died due to blunt force trauma and that their attacker had likely used a hammer. The Bennett Family Murders | Audio Length: 52:47 Police examining the scene were able to reconstruct the basic chain of events. The Bennett family was attacked either the night of Jan. 15 or the morning of Jan. 16. 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. All rights reserved. He finds his release from the level of pain he inflicts on the victim, the level of violence he is able to achieve. Thank you listeners! They pledged to continue to support the families via their victim services organizations. They both survived. 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. Bruce Bennett tried to climb the staircase several times in an attempt to ward off the perpetrator and save his young family. 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. 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. He also discarded the knife hed used to kill Bruce. 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. Rather than wait until 2019 when the book will be published, we thought wed at least share the results with you. . Before exiting the vehicle, she turned to grab her flight attendant uniform, which was hanging in the back. This article in the Denver post describes how after he murdered the Bennetts he went on to enter the house of a man in Kingman, Arizona and attempted to bludgeon the man to death with a 20lb rock. He used two methods, and announced a few weeks ago that hed struck out with his first attempt. She recently gave an interview, which you can view here (, Summary of Press Conference on 1984 Hammer Murders, you can review my extensive post from yesterday, Secret Origin of the Golden State Killer: Visalia Ransacker, High-resolution version of Mr Cruels mask, Tribute to Robert Offerman and Debra Manning, Ligatures Used by the East Area Rapist / Golden State Killer, he almost always forced his penis into his victims bound hands, Audio Comparison of EAR Calls The Results, Phone Calls where the East Area Rapist Spoke, https://www.coldcase-earons.com/phonecalls.php, Visalia Ransacker Incident Chart: Prowlings vs Ransackings over time. 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. We move long-haul and short-haul loads to anywhere in the lower 48 states for commercial and government entities. They were living in Aurora and planned to make a life together there. His use of ligatures were fairly distinct and helped tie a lot of the crimes together. Residents here have lived under a dark cloud since Monday, when police found three residents dead in their home. <p>Bruce Bennett, 27, was fatally stabbed and bludgeoned. Its nothing more or less than that. Ewing, 23 at the time, killed the 27-year-old husband and his 26-year-old wife, as well as their daughter, inside their Aurora home. There were reportedly signs of a struggle in the first case, and there may be workable DNA evidence from up to three of the scenes. In fact, there was a string of unsolved crimes in the area that took place just days apart from each other. If you are just simply looking at it, you miss the most critical and important clues. Perhaps, though put in tp the system (and hopefully still there, maybe for good), his DNA was never taken to match the DNA from the crime scenes. It was Monday evening, January 9th, 1984. They do value daylight hours and work them whenever they can during the winter months. At some point, either when the intruder entered the couples bedroom or before, Bruce was alerted to the intruders presence and a tremendous struggle took place. Again, info is given only about the phone calls where the offender spoke. 'An unspeakable orgy of violence' Aurora hammer murderer gets 3 life Expand the list of suspects because on this case it was always bigger than investigators thought it was and the killer was always the least obvious or least likely to stand out. It was Colorado Bureau of Investigation Director John Camper who got to break the news to Aurora PD that there had been a DNA match. Peter Weir, District Attorney of the 1st Judicial District, oversees the area where the Smith murder occurred. He took her to the floor and sexually assaulted her. ColdCaseWriter.com - A blog about True Crime Toward the end of that series and during the murders, he began experimenting with different types of bindings plastic ties, twine, drapery cord, etc. 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. He also inquired about searching various genealogical databases for a hit, but was advised at the time not to pursue that angle due to privacy issues. They were almost always in good shape/new condition, and lab analysis revealed almost nothing about them except the occasional hair. 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. But some states were slow to add DNA to CODIS and the Damn ACLU had to butt its nose into it and doesnt like how some states collect DNA beyond certain felony charges or convictions. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The backyard of the home was the only one in the area without a fence, and it backed up to a dark and lonely portion of Alameda Avenue. Your email address will not be published. As an adult, she developed a drug habit and became an addict. 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. Her head was constantly swimming with thoughts of her parents. Donna underwent several operations. Atlanta, GA. Fri, Sep 8, 2023 08:00 PM. A hammer. 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. Theres no such thing as coincidence. 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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. Ramirez heads to Sierra Madre, CA, where he attacks Whitney Bennett, 16, with a tire iron as she sleeps. And I hate what I had to go through and still go through. Headquartered in McDonough, Georgia, Bennett Family of Companies provides innovative logistics and transportation for companies across America. They immediately knew something was wrong. The 1982 call is important, because the offender hadnt killed for over a year, and it was thought that he mightve been incarcerated. January 10th, 1984 started just like any other day, with Patricia dropping off her daughter and grandkids at work/school. Debra Marie Bennett, twenty-six years old, had married Bruce before his Navy deployment in 1976. Thankfully, this community, these families and everyone impacted by the horrific crimes now knows this defendant will never hurt anyone ever again.". Bennett Family Murders: three life sentences - Defrosting Cold Cases 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. Law enforcement today is actually better than it was then. 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. The womens bodies were found inside Thomas vehicle. She was also sexually assaulted and the intruder left a small hammer near her body. It begins with a woman killed with a hammer in Lakewood and, a week later, a family killed the same way. The Associated Press contributed to this report. 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. For a twelve-day period in January 1984, the cities of Aurora and Lakewood Colorado were preyed upon by one of the most terrifying breeds of killers a man who would attack strangers, rape the women and children, and bludgeon them to death. Jun 2004 - 201612 years.