bennett family murders address

"The Crown prosecutor who is prosecuting my case in September seems like a dog with a . They need renewed media attention. 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. Bruce and Debra Bennett lived with their daughter Melissa and younger daughter, Vanessa. He shouted her name, but she could only groan in response. 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. 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. <p>Bruce Bennett, 27, was fatally stabbed and bludgeoned. He assured the public that theyll move with all appropriate speed.. 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. Her head was constantly swimming with thoughts of her parents. Umesh Pal murder case: Bulldozer action against Atiq Ahmad's close aides continues in Uttar Pradesh. 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. Bruce Alan Bennett was twenty-seven years old. Sometimes it works, sometimes its sort of right, sometimes not even close. The family got a ride from someone else. She was quickly and carefully taken to the hospital in an ambulance. He then found the couples oldest daughter, 7 year old Melissa, who tragically suffered the same terrible fate as her mother. View the map. The previous week, on the 10th of January,awoman 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 minute drive from the Bennetts home in Aurora. 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. There is no innocent explanation for how you explain all of the evidence.. He said the detectives who have worked it over the years, in particular Detective Steve Conner, the departments cold case investigator, never quit on. . It seemed that robbery was not the primary motive only the personal jewelry that Patricia was wearing was missing from the scene. He faced six counts of first-degree murder. 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. The other victim murdered in the terrifying crime spree. Second Crime Scene No services are scheduled at this time. Later autopsies would reveal that the Bennetts had died due to blunt force trauma and that their attacker had likely used a hammer. 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. There were reportedly no signs of robbery or sexual assault both women were clothed and their purses were still with them. Only the youngest daughter survived, with life-threatening injuries. They do value daylight hours and work them whenever they can during the winter months. Victim #14received a phone call from a man who whispered Remember when we played? She positively identified the man as the voice of the East Area Rapist. Ewings DNA profile was entered into CODIS (the FBIs database) in 2018 and his profile was matched to the DNA found at the crime scenes of both the Bennett family and Patricia Smith. Victim #24received a call from a voice that she identified as the EARs. It, and the floor around it, was soaked in blood. First published on August 17, 2021 / 3:31 PM. The first sign of trouble came in the afternoon, when Patricia failed to pick them up. 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 . The killer was never brought to justice. January 16, 1984: Bennett family is attacked in their Aurora, Colorado home with 3 out of the 4 family members murdered by an intruder wielding a hammer. 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. Her clothes were tossed everywhere. One thing that hasnt been said would be that during the winter in Colorado construction slows and sometimes between Jan-March it slows to a crawl, a lot of guys get laid off or work inconsistently during the week. On Jan. 4, 1984, a couple in Aurora woke up to see a man in their bedroom who hit each of them with a hammer before fleeing. He also isnt killing with this level of violence often enough to track. Caller: Do you want fuck? Years later, strides would start to be made in the crime lab. Her head was constantly swimming with thoughts of her parents. Youve done this with other cases to. 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. At around 8:00 PM on January 10th, 1984, her boyfriend Ron Holm arrived home. 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. The jury found Ewing guilty on all counts. Donna was rushed to the hospital while police worked the scene. One of those techniques was an innovative imaging tool by Parabon Nanolabs which provides an approximation of what they offender mightve looked like at both the time of the crimes and in the current day. The results (if any) of the tests run on the current evidence is currently unknown. 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. 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. The house was not ransacked, but the contents of her purse were strewn about. Let us know all the details about yourself and send us a message. 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. When a telephone call came for Steve Bennett on the afternoon of July 4, 1985, his daughter, Whitney, opened her bedroom window to summon her father, who was outside watering the front yard. 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. What are Dr. Bennett's areas of care? Coincidence is just an illusion that we all tell ourselves myself included, when we are unable to explain how something actually came to be. Now we know that Patricia's murder is connected to the Bennett Family murders in Aurora, Colorado. He usually tied them so tightly that circulation was restricted, used the same types of knots, and would often have the wife tie up the husband (and then retie the husband himself). George Brauchler, District Attorney for the 18th Judicial District (which includes Aurora), emphasized that this individual is presumed innocent until proven otherwise in a court of law. Hecontinued to attack the child causing severe injuries, but the 3 year old held on to life and was alive the next morning when she was discovered by her grandmother. They were Holly Chromey, 49, and her children, Katie Zapzalka, 18, and Jared Zapzalka, 16. All rights reserved. I would re-profile the killer, re-examine the details of each victims daily life, re-examine the suspect pool, re-examine the crime scenes without any emotion whatsoever. 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. ~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. The case lacked any apparent motive. "I lost the person who I was supposed to be. Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. He usually held his victims captive for a period of time and then released them, but hes suspected of abducting and murdering13-year-oldKarmein Chan in 1991. Darkness had just fallen. In 2015, information leaked that there was important clue found at the Bennett scene. Laid out in this manner, not only can you see the ratio of prowlings to ransackings, but you can get a feel for any patterns that mightve occurred, and you can clearly see when he was most active and when he was dormant. ~The very same day, a man using a hammer attacked flight attendant Donna Dixon in the garage of her Aurora home, leaving her in a coma. 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. I only do research and leave active investigation of these cases to professionals. And I hate what I had to go through and still go through. I lost the person who I was supposed to be.. How can you describe what he feels during the crime? The money was never claimed. 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. A murder probe has opened after four people were found dead at the address yesterday, with . Date: September 5th, 1989 Chris Harris has been a senior true crime reporter for PEOPLE since late 2015. See them as the killer did, see the victims as the killer did at that moment. 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.. All rights reserved. A brief question and answer session involved the police asking any residents or witnesses to come forward with anything they might know in relation to these crimes so that the prosecution can continue to build its case. Keith Hunter Jesperson (born April 6, 1955) is a Canadian-American serial killer who murdered at least eight women in the United States during the early 1990s. His use of ligatures were fairly distinct and helped tie a lot of the crimes together. 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. 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. You called it in a recent case again how did you know? The Bennett family murders is a case that goes back more than three decades. He tossed it onto the seat of the car and began pulling her from the vehicle. does anyone think they are actually looking though? Patricia still wore her sweater and boots, but her jeans were pulled down. 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. Dont profile by. Book Synopsis . District Attorney John Kellner filed the murder charges against Ewing when he headed up the Cold Case Unit in the office. 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. The family had been celebrating Melissas birthday that night. Sometime between 1990 and 1992 Twenty-eight-year-old Donna Dixon, fresh off a shift working as a flight attendant, had been out running some errands. This phone call came just two days after the breaking news that the East Area Rapist crimes had been tied by DNA to the murders in Southern California. There was no sign of Lauer or Phelps. As an adult, she developed a drug habit and became an addict. Furthermore, the loving grandmother had been sexually assaulted. The rapes are secondary crimes. I'm a very strong person, though, but when it comes to my family that was the most important thing to me in the whole world.". The following tests were performed on the EAR calls: Long story short inconclusive. / CBS Colorado. 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. 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. You got the age closer than the fbi and police you described exactly what the guy was feeling when he was killing them. I dont believe that. 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 police found her posed with her arms crossed over her chest, as if she was in a coffin. During sentencing Aug. 17, members of the Bennett and Large families submitted impact statements and came to the courtroom. He is more introverted when he is sober and an extrovert when he isnt. 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. 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Recently, the Sun-Gazette has reported that Joseph DeAngelo, the man arrested for the Visalia Ransacker / Golden State Killer crimes, has been added to the suspect list. If he had not done that, they may have been the unfortunately victims. 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. "This case impacted not just the victims, but it also terrorized an entire community," Kellner said in a statement. 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. She was happy to be home for a while, and eagerly awaiting the next day when her boyfriend, Ronald Holm, would be home. Ewing is arrested and incarcerated. Learn how your comment data is processed. Your email address will not be published. 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. 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. A childhood photo of Vanessa Bennett, who survived the hammer attack, and Alex Ewing as seen in a mid-1980s booking photo . Another resident, Donna Dixon, was also struck with a hammer. 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. Nevada inmate charged in 1984 hammer killing of Lakewood grandmother. No other motive like robbery could be found as the only items missing were the knife used to cut Bruce and Debras purse, yet the contents of the purse were strewn in the front yard. A typical way one would see this is that he likes control, that is wrong. This case impacted not just the victims, but it also terrorized an entire community, he said. Thieves like to hit them for the tools the guys leave at the sites overnight. Patricia had come home from work for lunch, stopping at Wendys on the way. The killer pummeled and sexually assaulted his 26-year-old wife, Debra, and 7-year-old daughter, Melissa. They both survived. On November 7, 2014, police announced they had arrested Charles "Chase" Merritt, Joseph . About a week later, a different hammer was used to kill the Bennetts and their 7-year-old daughter Melissa in Aurora. During the rape series, he primarily used shoelaces. She was also left with a shattered pelvis and fell into a coma. As she got older, unresolved anger issues caused Vanessa to clash with her grandmother who had become her primary caretaker after the death of her parents. The Bennett Family Murders ~ Aurora, Colorado ~ January 16, 1984 The Bennett family was your average middle class family living the American dream. I was a drug addict for so many years. While everyone is looking for a motive it was always looking right back at investigators. 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. Here are the Small Town Murder show particulars: Small Town Murder. When he arrived in Aurora almost four years ago Metz said he spoke to detectives about the citys cold cases and this one, which he said shocked the conscience of the community, stuck with him. 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. Did you know that one of the most popular places to rob are construction sites? Like all of the EARONS victims, they were taken from this earth far too soon. 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. Killing on this level requires some level of planning on the part of the perpetrator. Bruce Bennett tried to climb the staircase several times in an attempt to ward off the perpetrator and save his young family. That is very clear. 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. Im going to come over and fuck you again. Debra Marie Bennett, twenty-six years old, had married Bruce before his Navy deployment in 1976. This killeris more the type that would self medicate more than likely be a heavy drinker as opposed to taking medication. The victims may not have ever known one another but the killer found them somehow, it was not random although it appears that way. Fourth Crime Scene 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. Bruce finally succumbed to his injuries and the family was left vulnerable. 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. 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. Donna underwent several operations. Now She's Speaking Out, Mass. Flatbed Trucking Company Bennett Motor Express is the premier open deck general freight carrier in the US. Tamara Lich's trial on multiple charges related to the Freedom Convoy protests is set to start in the fall. Aurora police Chief Nick Metz said the case has haunted the families involved. Your email address will not be published. Constance, her grandmother, immediately set up a vigil (which she kept up for days) as the paramedics, nurses and doctors worked feverishly to save the girls life. 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. Would you like to contribute as an editor or a writer on our site? The killer murdered two parents - Bruce and Debra Bennett - and their 7-year-old, Melissa, and left their other child severely injured. Bruce Bennett tried to climb the staircase several times in an attempt to ward off the perpetrator and save his young family. Arapahoe County District Judge Darren Vahle spoke directly to Ewing before announcing the sentence. July 23, 1993. 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. Police later linked the murder of the Bennett family with another rape and murder that happened just less than a week before. Just your average everyday normal family. Vanessa, after a wait of 3 decades received a call from the Aurora sheriffs department informing her that her parents killer had been identified as 57-year-old Alexander Christopher Ewing. They remain married to this day. Dont you feel cheated a little? Vanessa was saved, though she went on the live with permanent physiological affects from the assault. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Jason Bennett described his heartbreak following the deaths of son John and daughter Lacey in Killamarsh. 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. Begins: Fri, 03/03/23 10:00 AM EST. Required fields are marked *. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Toward the end of that series and during the murders, he began experimenting with different types of bindings plastic ties, twine, drapery cord, etc. You see it in the last known crime that the killer committed. A coworker informed Bruces mother, Constance, about their absence. The family had been celebrating Melissas birthday that night. The severity of her injuries cant be understated. Theyd moved there around Thanksgiving from another place a few miles away, and had so far enjoyed their quiet, developing neighborhood. The Murder of Jaye Potter Mintz Feb 23, 1987 Leland N.C. A Catastrophic Cyber Event in the Next 2-Years. 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. Juliana Kenney, 75, her husband Clayton Kenney, 83, and Mrs. Kenney's 44- year-old daughter, Adrienne Arnot, were beaten and stabbed to . He then proceeded to charge John Doe with 18 counts, including three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of sexual assault, first-degree assault and two counts of sexual assault on a child and burglary. Listen and Subscribe to The Generation Why Podcast! By far, easier prey lay in wait just north which would be Colfax Ave and at the time might not have hit the news like the murder of the Bennett family did had the crime occurred in a neighborhood more near Colfax. The investigators and the CBI were safe to guess that it might have been a construction worker that had been working in the area. Only the calls or phone events where the caller was believed to be the rapist are included. A photo of the Bennett family. The crime scene is the Bennett Family home where 3 out of 4 family members were murdered in January 1984. Look at the area, the artery that the crimes were committed along. 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. No immediate leads could be generated in the case. He kept the hammer. The Military also submits DNA for specific types of crimes committed by its members. She too survived the attack, although she was first in a coma for some time. Bizberg Themes, Forensic Science and Cyber Forensics Quiz (Free). Prosecutors said they will ask Gov. They pledged to continue to support the families via their victim services organizations. They are asking tipsters who know anything about the Aurora case to call 303-739-6400 and the Lakewood case to call 303-763-6800. She was murdered on Jan 10, 1984 by an, at that time, unknown person who raped and killed her inside her Lakewood home. This generated a buzz of discussion, with victims and family wondering why this information wasnt released sooner, and online sleuths pouring over leads such as previous offenders named Richard, different water company uniforms looked at, and even eyes turned toward folks who were associated with a Canadian town/military base called Petawawa in Ontario. 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. She screamed because he would have had to go through an open gate into their yard. Forensic Yard When she first woke up, she had the mentality of a two-year old. She had to relearn how to talk and couldnt speak a full sentence for almost six months. Police later linked the murder of the Bennett family with another rape and murder that happened just less than a week before. Lakewood Chief Dan McCasky was among those echoing those sentiments, and mentioned that the Smith family members will be releasing a statement later in the day. Jun 2004 - 201612 years. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Ewing, 57, has also been charged with murder for the slaying of a Lakewood grandmother a few weeks prior to the Bennett killings, a crime police linked to the Bennett murders in 2010 through DNA. According to property records, the couple stayed in the same house after the attack. 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. Her parents, Bruce and Deborah Bennett, were also killed. The crime spree known as the Colorado Hammer murders seemed to begin in Aurora in the early morning hours of January 4th, 1984. Detective Steve Conner has investigated this case for many years, taking over from an investigator named Marv Brandt. Its nothing more or less than that. 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.