Part of our book involves some very in-depth detective and forensic work. </p> During the winter in Colorado its difficult to find a construction crew working well into the night. On the night of Jan. 15, 1984, the Bennett family left their garage door open. This killer did in fact re-offend, the issuehe was in the learning phase of actually killing humans during this time frame in Colorado. Medical professionals werent sure if the hammer attack would leaveVanessa with permanent brain damage or not, but the girls family held on to the hope that she would make a full recovery. Donna was rushed to the hospital while police worked the scene. She was found bludgeoned with a hammer, with about 17 wounds to the head. 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. 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. The hammer struck her in the jaw, shattering the bone which splintered in an explosion of small fragments that punctured her windpipe. Arapahoe County District Judge Darren Vahle spoke directly to Ewing before announcing the sentence. Im going to come over and fuck you again. Bruce had mentioned wanting to run to the store before bed. There, lying on the floor next to the couch and just a few feet away from the front door, was the carefully posed body of their grandmother. The blow shed felt was the attacker striking her head with a hammer. Police later linked the murder of the Bennett family with another rape and murder that happened just less than a week before. Investigators noted there was evidence of a struggle at the house. Patricia missed her husband Oliver, who stayed behind in Nebraska, but she loved being with her daughter and two grandchildren in a bustling city. In just two days, Melissa would turn 8 years old. It took 37 years, but on Tuesday, the families of Bruce and Debra Bennett saw justice served. Fourth Crime Scene The killer murdered two parents - Bruce and Debra Bennett - and their 7-year-old, Melissa, and left their other child severely injured. He faced six . Medical professionals werent sure if the hammer attack would leaveVanessa with permanent brain damage or not, but the girls family held on to the hope that she would make a full recovery. Even to this day, she has absolutely no recollection of the next several hours. I only do research and leave active investigation of these cases to professionals. They do value daylight hours and work them whenever they can during the winter months. The rapes were opportunities and only that. Remember me? He faced six counts of first-degree murder. My heart hurts that this happened! It was later determined to be the murder weapon. 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. He then found the couples oldest daughter, 7 year old Melissa, who tragically suffered the same terrible fate as her mother. Years later, strides would start to be made in the crime lab. . After a string of several burglaries and escalating events on this night, the offender crossed the line to murder and he never looked back. A coworker informed Bruces mother, Constance, about their absence. It was taken in Arizona 11 days after the attack. 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. The world turned a painful red and Donna began to lose consciousness. Atlanta, GA. Fri, Sep 8, 2023 08:00 PM. She was also sexually assaulted and the intruder left a small hammer near her body. The police after searching the home believe that the intruder brought his own weapon, a hammer or some other type of blunt object yet, he took a knife from the kitchen which is what he used to slash and cut Bruce with. Designed by Dr. Bennett's office is located at UH Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, OH. 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. What are Dr. Bennett's areas of care? Vanessa Bennett sat under a picnic shelter on a muggy Arizona morning and talked for the first time about the physical and emotional toll she bears as the only surviving victim of one of. Bruce and Debra Bennett lived with their daughter Melissa and younger daughter, Vanessa. The mandatory minimum sentence for each count is life with possibility of parole after 20 years, according to the prosecution. Ramirez heads to Sierra Madre, CA, where he attacks Whitney Bennett, 16, with a tire iron as she sleeps. 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.. 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. We move long-haul and short-haul loads to anywhere in the lower 48 states for commercial and government entities. On the night of January 16th, 1984 a gruesome discovery was made at a house on 16300 East Center Drive, Aurora. She slumped over onto the passenger seat. The last family member left around 9:00 PM. 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. He tore her clothes off, tossed them about the garage, and then he raped her on the concrete floor. I also believe he continued to kill peeps because he is so violent he couldnt have just stopped. "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.". Taking a good long hard look at the evidence again and compare it to someone who was in and/or around that artery in Denver at the time would help to narrow the suspect list or in this case open it up. 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. Then in 2010, cold case investigators, who long theorized that the person who killed Patricia Smith in Lakewood was the same person who had committed the crimes in Aurora, compared the DNA from the Patricia Smith murder to the DNA found at the Bennett household. The Murder of Jaye Potter Mintz Feb 23, 1987 Leland N.C. A Catastrophic Cyber Event in the Next 2-Years. The results (if any) of the tests run on the current evidence is currently unknown. A murder probe has opened after four people were found dead at the address yesterday, with . The Bennett Family (Latin: Benedictus; English: Benedict; translates as "blessed" or "one who is blessed") is one of the main families in The Vampire Diaries and a matriarchal bloodline of powerful witches. I hurt myself. His attacker slit his throat before eventually delivering a final fatal blow with a hammer. Now She's Speaking Out, Mass. Patricia Smith had been laid straight, her arms crossed over her chest as if on display in a funeral home. This killers only motive was to kill. Ronald worked as a pilot. There are some instances where a strange phone call was received, but its not thought to be the offender. 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Channel 2 sports director Zach Klein is at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, where. Caller: Do you want fuck? The investigators and the CBI were safe to guess that it might have been a construction worker that had been working in the area. 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. I agree with you. Victims were shot to death on the shore of the James River, some distance from Knoblings pickup truck. Matthew Nicholas, of no fixed address, was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on Friday, January 20, after being found guilty of 10 counts of sexual assault of a child under 13. The childs skull was caved in on the right side of her forehead and a metal plate was inserted to reshape the skull. 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. Only 3-year-old Vanessa, at. He could have found other ways to feed the need. She was numb and cold, and somehow was able to get to her feet and go inside the house. On night of January 16th, 1984 a gruesome discovery was made at a house on 16300 East Center Drive, Aurora, Colorado. The killer had doused the vehicle with fuel in an apparent attempt to incinerate the crime scene, but apparently failed to start a fire. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Safdar Ali was allegedly involved in selling weapons to gang members of Atiq Ahmed. 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. We wanted to know if there was any way that we could determine whether the voices matched or not. Both survived. 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. There were very few leads to go on only a hazy physical description from Kim. 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 were Holly Chromey, 49, and her children, Katie Zapzalka, 18, and Jared Zapzalka, 16. Dotted with impressive bridges and blanketed by thick trees, it usually provides year-round beauty and convenience for travelers. 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. I write about old, unsolved cases from the pre-DNA era. October 21st, 1982 does anyone think they are actually looking though? Nevada court records show a jury found Ewing, under the name Alex C. Ewing, was guilty of escaping from the custody of two Arizona sheriffs deputies at a gas station in Henderson, Nevada, southeast of Las Vegas on Aug. 9, 1984, and entering an unlocked home and severely beating a woman and her husband with an ax handle in their bedroom. They remain married to this day. She was also raped. She had no idea how she got there and she didnt feel any pain. bennett family murders addressithaca high school lacrosse roster. Let us know all the details about yourself and send us a message. Sometime between 1990 and 1992 District Attorney John Kellner said the murders had shocked the community, adding that he was glad to see justice for the victims after 37 long years. 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. ': Ohio Man Sentenced for Murdering Family of 8, Accused Stockton Serial Killer Charged with 4 More Murders, Bringing Total to 7, She Saw Her Family Murdered by a Hammer-Wielding Stranger When She Was 3. Because of these phone calls, we can start to determine whether the offender was incarcerated or not at certain times (most likely he wasnt), and even where he lived due to the locations of the victims during the time period that he called them. 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. Sometimes it works, sometimes its sort of right, sometimes not even close. Yvonne Woods was on the stand for more than three hours . Ewing massacred a family but left a key to his identity, Chief Deputy District Attorney Garrik Storgaard told the jury. The killer was practicing, he was unsure of himself and he was unsure of the weapon he would eventually use. Minneapolis and Crystal, MN. The child died from her injuries. Alexander Ewings list of seemingly endless violent crimes are described throughout the many articles published about him since he has been identified as the man behind the murder of the Bennett family. For years the case was cold, until in 2018 a DNA profile from semen the killer left at the scene was matched to Ewing. He then tries to strangle her with a telephone . A man accused of murdering a mother and three children has also been charged with raping one of the victims, who was 11. They immediately connected it with the Donna Dixon case from January 9th, and recognized that a serial offender was working the area. The 3-year-old sister, Vanessa, was the only survivor. It was Monday evening, January 9th, 1984. 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. After multiple surgeries,Vanessa was saved, though she went on the live with permanent physiological affects from the assault. 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. 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. While closure and peace may be forever out of reach, the panelists hope for a sense of justice among those affected. 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. 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. Two different crime labs analyzed the fuzzy imprint, and they came up with different results. She was born August 12, 1946 in Mississippi. In the papers, the most attention is paid to the last state witness, the DNA analyst at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. 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. Ewing was not identified as a suspect until a DNA hit in July 2018 linked him to semen left at the crime scene. A 61-year-old man learned this week he'll die behind prison bars after being sentenced to three consecutive life sentences for the 1984 murders of a Colorado couple and their 7-year-old daughter, PEOPLE confirms. Victim #7received a phone call, and she recognized the voice on the other end as the voice of the rapist. There was no way, given the samples that we have, to determine whether the voices match or not. The jury found Ewing guilty on. The Bennett family. Miraculously, both of them survived the assault, though James suffered from a fractured skull and his wife suffered a concussion. Blood was all over the garage floor. This was the last time the Bennetts were seen alive. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. She was happy to be home for a while, and eagerly awaiting the next day when her boyfriend, Ronald Holm, would be home. A 3-year-old daughter, Vanessa, was injured and survived. He assured the public that theyll move with all appropriate speed.. Victim #24received a call from a voice that she identified as the EARs. He was among many who worked the case tirelessly for many years and is directly responsible for using some of the innovative DNA technologies, such as the Parabon Nanolabs imaging that came out a few years ago. A hammer lay next to her. Camper explained that the CBI does a nightly check of all of their profiles against the CODIS system, and at that point, in early July, there was a match. This call is important because not only did it occur during an EAR quiet period, but this attack is connected by DNA. Nevada inmate charged in 1984 hammer killing of Lakewood grandmother. Only the calls or phone events where the caller was believed to be the rapist are included. As of December 2021, the Boulder Police Department has processed more than 1,500 pieces of evidence related to the murder of JonBenet Ramsey. You got the age closer than the fbi and police you described exactly what the guy was feeling when he was killing them. Add some text book, some psychological profiling and presto, they have a profile. Youve done this with other cases to. The wheels were put into motion to submit dozens of pieces of evidence to the FBI lab. Book Synopsis . If they were used shoelaces, youd expect to find a vast array of particles and wear-and-tear. It would be nearly twenty-four hours total before she was found. Advancements in DNA evidence led investigators to a match with Ewing and samples collected from the crime scene as well as one of the victims 34 years later. Constance entered the home, encountered the grisly scene, and immediately dialed the authorities. About a week later, a different hammer was used to kill the Bennetts and their 7-year-old daughter Melissa in Aurora. Note: We cover the Armour case and the other Visalia Ransacker crimes in our new book, Secret Origin of the Golden State Killer: Visalia Ransacker. 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. 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. EAR brought his own ligatures to almost every attack he didnt rely exclusively on what was found at the scene. The police swarmed through the residence, quickly assessing the condition of each family member as they cordoned off certain areas of the home to gather evidence. On November 7, 2014, police announced they had arrested Charles "Chase" Merritt, Joseph . File photo Editor's note: At an August 10 press conference, authorities revealed that Nevada inmate Alex Ewing has been named in an arrest warrant for the. Their disappearance was widely reported by the national news media. Additionally, an audio expert associated with an upcoming television show that were a part of was able to isolate the background sounds of the Gonna Kill You phone call, and there was a tiny bit of a surprise in there. 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. 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. Here are a few of the notable phone calls: January 15th, 1979 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. It seemed that robbery was not the primary motive only the personal jewelry that Patricia was wearing was missing from the scene. 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. 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. The couples youngest daughter, 3-year-old Vanessa, was also attacked by the hammer-wielding assailant. Why did they have to get murdered? The cases are commonly known as the 1984 Colorado Hammer Murders. A photo of the Bennett family. His use of ligatures were fairly distinct and helped tie a lot of the crimes together. Although she had no memory of the attack, what happened that night in 1984. Family medicine doctors are primary-care physicians trained. He shouted her name, but she could only groan in response. Upon the capture of a suspect in the Golden State Killer case, Conner again turned to genealogical databases. Three members of the Bennett family were brutally killed in their Aurora home. 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. 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. Patricia still wore her sweater and boots, but her jeans were pulled down. Powered by WordPress Many of his victims were sex workers and transients who had no connection to him. Killing on this level requires some level of planning on the part of the perpetrator. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Deadly Night of Incident For Bennet Family On the night of January 16 th, 1984 a gruesome discovery was made at a house on 16300 East Center Drive, Aurora. The couple, especially Ron, wanted to show that their love was truly for better or for worse and that it would survive any challenge. A childhood photo of Vanessa Bennett, who survived the hammer attack, and Alex Ewing as seen in a mid-1980s booking photo . I dont believe that. 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. 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 pummeled and sexually assaulted his 26-year-old wife, Debra, and 7-year-old daughter, Melissa. 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. April 6th, 2001 Its our hope that something can come from this new push that will finally solve it. 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, Vanessa Bennett ~ 3 ~ Found Alive,Jaw Crushed, Severly Beaten About the Face. Her body was found in a basement . If you are just simply looking at it, you miss the most critical and important clues. James, who posts online from time to time, discusses how vividly the case still haunts him even to this day. 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. They immediately knew something was wrong. Thankfully, this community, these families and everyone impacted by the horrific crimes now knows this defendant will never hurt anyone ever again.". How to Become a Crime Scene Investigator in India? 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. He finds his release from the level of pain he inflicts on the victim, the level of violence he is able to achieve. The house was not ransacked, but the contents of her purse were strewn about. Theyd been strangled, their throats had been slashed, and rope marks were found on their necks and wrists. 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. Here we have a chart that I created showing the types of incidents (mere prowling, a burglary/ransacking, and the two violent confrontations) attributed to the Visalia Ransacker throughout his known criminal career (1973-1976). Other attacks had occurred off of this main road, and its believed that the killer couldve entered the area from that point. I look in the mirror every day and look at myself and I hate who I am. His sentence runs through 2037 but he would be eligible for parole in 2021. Bruce and Debra were both probably dead by the time the killer entered Melissas bedroom. He'd been in the Navy, where he worked on high-tech sonar equipment at Pearl Harbor. This case impacted not just the victims, but it also terrorized an entire community, he said. Why was she the lone survivor? Constance Bennett, the mother of murder victim Bruce Bennett, is questioned defense attorney Katherine Powers Spengler during Alex Ewing's murder trial, Tuesday, July 27, 2021, in an Arapahoe County Court in Centennial, Colo. Ewing is accused of killing Bruce and Debra Bennett and their 7-year-old daughter Melissa in Aurora in January 1984. The other kids at school would tease her, telling her the hammer man was going to come and finish her off. Murderer of Aurora's Bennett family sentenced to life in prison August 17, 2021 It took 37 years, but on Tuesday, the families of Bruce and Debra Bennett saw justice served. The victims may not have ever known one another but the killer found them somehow, it was not random although it appears that way. for sure the les should listen to what you say and take another look this is a refreshing take on profiles. Youre going to suck my cock again.. Alexander Christopher Ewing is already behind bars, serving 40 years for two counts of attempted murder in the state of Nevada. JonBenet was 6 years old when she was reported missing on Dec. 26, 1996, after her family reported finding a ransom note inside their home in the 700 block of 15th Street. 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. 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. The cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head and the murder weapon? Why was she the lone survivor? She was last seen at about 8:30 PM while on her way to meet friends. They also looked across state lines looking for similar or like crimes and to date, they have not one suspect. Before Donna Dixon was even found, another crime had taken place 26 miles to the west in the city of Lakewood. There are a few very notable ones, particularly because they occurred during quiet periods where the offender wasnt attacking. Not one part of this familys life would indicate such a violent predator was going to kill them. 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. It could be the store they all shopped in, the road that they all traveled daily to and from work, school, library they attended etc. He was immediately alarmed at the scene in the garage her clothes, purse, and even some of the mail was by her car. Investigators believed the killers attacks escalated from just beating someone with a hammer to actually murdering them. At around 8:00 PM on January 10th, 1984, her boyfriend Ron Holm arrived home. Bruce worked at the family-owned furniture store and was also taking classes to become an air traffic controller.