bennett family murders address bennett family murders address

It was a beautiful area, with clean, crisp air and the mountains rising up to the west. The Bennett family murders is a case that goes back more than three decades. 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. Denver Post Archive Aurora Coroner's officers and police officers remove one of the three bodies from house at. The 2001 call didnt happen too long ago and makes it a little too close for comfort, though theres something positive to be said for the idea that the offender could still be alive and could still face justice for his crimes. Jason Bennett, who is understood to be the father of two of the. The rapes were opportunities and only that. This was the last time the Bennetts were seen alive. Miraculously, both of them survived the assault, though James suffered from a fractured skull and his wife suffered a concussion. On night of January 16th, 1984 a gruesome discovery was made at a house on 16300 East Center Drive, Aurora, Colorado. Lauers Chevy Nova was later discovered heading AWAY from the beach. One of the signature trademarks of an EAR/GSK attack was the use of ligatures. A hammer. Bruce and Debra Bennett lived with their daughter Melissa and younger daughter, Vanessa. The Bennett family, consisting of Bruce (27), Debra (26), and their two young daughters, Melissa (7) and Vanessa (3), were all attacked inside their Aurora home by a serial killer named Alex. He also discarded the knife hed used to kill Bruce. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. It was a blitz attack for no reason, said Marvin Brandt, who investigated the case as a homicide detective between 1984 and when he retired from the Aurora Police Department in 2002. It would be nearly twenty-four hours total before she was found. The hammer struck her in the jaw, shattering the bone which splintered in an explosion of small fragments that punctured her windpipe. The womens bodies were found inside Thomas vehicle. He either got turned on by the prospect of killing or used the rapes as a way to cover up the true motive which was to murder. Quite frankly if the suspect wasnt on the original list, spoken to or even noticed in this case it may come down to just DNA unless police have enough evidence and suspect info they can rework the case from scratch. The Ramsey family, who originally bought the . But thanks to modern technology and the incredible talent and dedication of several individuals, it seems this case has finally been solved. 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. 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. "A life sentence feels too light, but that is the most the justice system can offer. She was also sexually assaulted and the intruder left a small hammer near her body. Dont profile by. 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. 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. We move long-haul and short-haul loads to anywhere in the lower 48 states for commercial and government entities. Never profile someone using the box as your guide. Designed by 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. It begins with a woman killed with a hammer in Lakewood and, a week later, a family killed the same way. Serve as lead administrator of a K-3, 9-12 urban site . After failing with the EAR, we needed a sidebar showing that the techniques actually work because they do! They pledged to continue to support the families via their victim services organizations. Keep in mind that the offenders last known murder was in 1986, which makes the last few particularly creepy. At around 8:00 PM on January 10th, 1984, her boyfriend Ron Holm arrived home. Date: April 9th/10th, 1988 He then found the couples oldest daughter, 7 year old Melissa, who tragically suffered the same terrible fate as her mother. Before Donna Dixon was even found, another crime had taken place 26 miles to the west in the city of Lakewood. Her parents, Bruce and Deborah Bennett, were also killed. Bruce Alan Bennett was twenty-seven years old. Ewing massacred a family but left a key to his identity, Chief Deputy District Attorney Garrik Storgaard told the jury. But new technology is getting detectives closer and closer to solving the brutal mystery. It took 37 years, but on Tuesday, the families of Bruce and Debra Bennett saw justice served. RELATED: Bennett family murders: Full coverage of suspect's trial. Amazing!!!!!!!! Coincidence is just an illusion that we all tell ourselves myself included, when we are unable to explain how something actually came to be. Order your tickets today to see Small Town Murder in Atlanta, GA. The husband then got a lock for the gate and made sure their house was locked and secure. Lauer and Phelps disappeared on Labor Day weekend while on their way to Virginia Beach. 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. Broderick was denied parole for a second time just this past January. 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. Tabernacle. 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. I just read this article and Im completely blown away so much of what you speculated turned out to be spot on. Special recognition was given to Detective Steve Conner from the Major Crimes Unit who, incidentally was at the scene of the Bennett crime as a young deputy, and who has worked the case for many, many years. As blood poured out of her body, he lifted her up from the bed, unknowingly leaving an imprint from his shirt on her blood-soaked pajamas. document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); Copyright 2023 Why was she the lone survivor? Ronald worked as a pilot. 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. John Hickenlooper to request Ewings extradition today but the process could take weeks or months depending on a host of legal factors. Camper reviewed the timeline that led to the arrest, which included a DNA profile from the Bennett case generated in 2001 and uploaded to CODIS (the national FBI DNA database), a profile developed from the Smith case is 2010 that matched the Bennett profile, and the strides that Nevada has made in testing their current prison population, which directly led to Ewings DNA being uploaded into CODIS. Nevada inmate accused of Colorado murders says he'll fight extradition. 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. On the other side of the coin, while all of these calls are believed to be genuine, theres a chance that some of them might be coincidence or pranks. In Aug 2018, Alexander Christopher Ewing was accused and charged in both cases. January 10th, 1984 started just like any other day, with Patricia dropping off her daughter and grandkids at work/school. 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. 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. 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. The cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head and the murder weapon? His attacker slit his throat before eventually delivering a final fatal blow with a hammer. KUSA reports that Vanessa recounted for the courtroom how the critical head injuries she survived left her with a lifetime of problems, including depression, anxiety, anger and struggles with heroin abuse. ': 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. 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. Bruce had mentioned wanting to run to the store before bed. He also isnt killing with this level of violence often enough to track. 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. View the map. Only the youngest daughter survived, with life-threatening injuries. The jury found Ewing guilty on Aug. 6 of killing three members of the Bennett family with a hammer. Debra was savagely beaten to death with a hammer. Law enforcement today is actually better than it was then. You see it in the last known crime that the killer committed. EAR brought his own ligatures to almost every attack he didnt rely exclusively on what was found at the scene. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. 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. She left her hometown and moved to Arizona, at one point spending half a year homeless, living under a bridge. On Friday, August 10th, 2018 at 10:00 AM Mountain Time, a press conference was held to announce that two different jurisdictions in Colorado were filing charges against a man named Alex Christopher Ewing for the Patricia Smith and Bennett family homicides. 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. He faced six . Other Information Part of our book involves some very in-depth detective and forensic work. In that homicide, DNA evidence was found matching Ewing. Her head was constantly swimming with thoughts of her parents. 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. His wife, Debra, was sexually assaulted and bludgeoned. Forensic Yard Since they could find no signs of forced entry, police felt that the killer entered through the unlocked door and attacked her. The family was discovered by Constance Bennett who has since raised little Vanessa. Victim #24received a call from a voice that she identified as the EARs. The intruder, apparently thinking she was dead, began to make his escape. The crime scene is the Bennett Family home where 3 out of 4 family members were murdered in January 1984. The family had been celebrating Melissas birthday that night. The jury agreed, and on Aug. 6, 2021, they found Ewing guilty of murder in the three deaths. Another resident, Donna Dixon, was also struck with a hammer. Investigators did not forget about the hammer murders, however, nor did the town of Aurora. Police examining the scene were able to reconstruct the basic chain of events. Its nothing more or less than that. A 3-year-old daughter, Vanessa, was injured and survived. 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. Despite the trauma of the attack and losing an incredible amount of blood, the doctors and nurses were able to save her life. The childs skull was caved in on the right side of her forehead and a metal plate was inserted to reshape the skull. Murders at this level are not just random. Weve been given a hi-resolution copy to share, which you can view by clicking below: Around this time, on this very night 38 years ago, the EAR/GSK beganlaying siege to Goleta, California. 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. 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. 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. Only 3-year-old Vanessa, at. 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. Furthermore, the loving grandmother had been sexually assaulted. She screamed because he would have had to go through an open gate into their yard. 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. 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. The results (if any) of the tests run on the current evidence is currently unknown. Read on to learn about the devastation and challenges faced in this crime series, the investigative leads that were undertaken, and the tremendous news that closure is within reach. 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. Calls Toyota Celica was found at a river overlook several hours after he and Hailey went on their first date. Victims were shot to death on the shore of the James River, some distance from Knoblings pickup truck. Let us know all the details about yourself and send us a message. Almost six days later, tragedy struck Aurora once again. He attacked the couple with a hammer, bludgeoning them with it and leaving them for dead. "The Crown prosecutor who is prosecuting my case in September seems like a dog with a . On the night of Jan. 15, a stranger broke into their home and viciously assaulted and attacked the family. Bruce and the intruder fought up and down the stairwell, and at some point Bruce was struck multiple times by a hammer. 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. Most likely it appears quite small in your browser window simply click on it to enlarge it. Bruce Alan Bennett was twenty-seven years old. 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. 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. Tarot Spread To Ask A Question; Peut On Boucher La Vue D'un Voisin; Thirty Eight Snub Meaning 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. Seemingly, nothing they did showed investigators any reason someone would want to kill them. 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. "This case impacted not just the victims, but it also terrorized an entire community," Kellner said in a statement. Victims: Daniel Lauer (21) and Annamaria Phelps (18). Theyd been strangled, their throats had been slashed, and rope marks were found on their necks and wrists. A hammer was used to kill Patricia Louise Smith, 50, in Lakewood Jan. 10, 1984. He is awaiting extradition to Colorado, police and prosecutors announced Friday. January 27, 1984: Ewing attacks a man in Kingman, Arizona in his home; beats man's head with a hammer. In 2002, Arapahoe County filed a John Doe arrest warrant for the perpetrator of the Bennet murders based on the DNA profile. WordPress. for sure the les should listen to what you say and take another look this is a refreshing take on profiles. Read more true crime, cold cases and unsolved mysteries from meHERE<<. 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. He could have found other ways to feed the need. There is no innocent explanation for how you explain all of the evidence.. See them as the killer did, see the victims as the killer did at that moment. HE had to get knife in addition to the hammer just to ward off Bruce who was trying to protect his family. 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. 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. This call is important because not only did it occur during an EAR quiet period, but this attack is connected by DNA. There wasnt anything notable stolen from the scene, and the attack had all the hallmarks of a random crime. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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. So I guess Ill be the first to post. 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. 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. Later autopsies would reveal that the Bennetts had died due to blunt force trauma and that their attacker had likely used a hammer. 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. There are a few very notable ones, particularly because they occurred during quiet periods where the offender wasnt attacking. A life sentence feels too light, but that is the most the justice system can offer. It was a match, proving that the same unknown offender had killed all four victims. Determine the level of organization/disorganization of each crime scene. They also looked across state lines looking for similar or like crimes and to date, they have not one suspect. These crimes, which took place in January 1984, were part of a series of assaults that tore through the Denver area and have remained unsolved for thirty-four years. That is very clear. All three were beaten to death with a claw hammer. 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. 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. Bruce's mother would discover the family the next day inside the home, after no one answered calls to their landline. How can you describe what he feels during the crime? You called it in a recent case again how did you know? Ewing was convicted of killing 27-year-old Bruce and 26 year-old Debra Bennett, as well as their 7-year-old daughter Melissa, in Aurora. The youngest girl, Vanessa, only three years old until March, was also struck violently in the face with the hammer. This call occurred over a month after her attack. Peter Weir, District Attorney of the 1st Judicial District, oversees the area where the Smith murder occurred. The Bennett Family Murders ~ Aurora, Colorado ~ January 16, 1984 The Bennett family was your average middle class family living the American dream. Peck Funeral Home assisted the family . Youre going to suck my cock again.. She was born August 12, 1946 in Mississippi. The couple, especially Ron, wanted to show that their love was truly for better or for worse and that it would survive any challenge. What we do know is that he likes the level of violence a blunt object signifies. 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. As of December 2021, the Boulder Police Department has processed more than 1,500 pieces of evidence related to the murder of JonBenet Ramsey. She was also left with a shattered pelvis and fell into in a coma. That is what drove him into such an uncontrollable frenzy so fast and that is precisely what stopped the attacks so fast. Although she had no memory of the attack, what happened that night in 1984 would negatively impact the rest of her life. There was evidence of a struggle in the bedroom. A typical way one would see this is that he likes control, that is wrong. The hammer stuck her in the jaw, shattering the bone which splintered in an explosion of small fragments that punctured her windpipe. James Haubenschild suffered a fractured skull, and his wife had a concussion. Family medicine doctors are primary-care physicians trained. Other attacks had occurred off of this main road, and its believed that the killer couldve entered the area from that point. Required fields are marked *. Juliana Kenney, 75, her husband Clayton Kenney, 83, and Mrs. Kenney's 44- year-old daughter, Adrienne Arnot, were beaten and stabbed to . The fact that the murders took place between Highline Canal and the Alameda Corridor is curious, in fact, I am drawn to this fact about the case more so than any other fact. He shouted her name, but she could only groan in response. 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. No immediate leads could be generated in the case. The investigators and the CBI were safe to guess that it might have been a construction worker that had been working in the area. 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. About a week later, a different hammer was used to kill the Bennetts and their 7-year-old daughter Melissa in Aurora. I lost the person who I was supposed to be.. The other kids at school would tease her, telling her the hammer man was going to come and finish her off. 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. Constance entered the home, encountered the grisly scene, and immediately dialed the authorities. Why was she the lone survivor? The Colorado killings followed two other attacks near Denver that either involved or were suspected of involving a hammer. She was murdered on Jan 10, 1984 by an, at that time, unknown person who raped and killed her inside her Lakewood home. They immediately knew something was wrong. He said the detectives who have worked it over the years, in particular Detective Steve Conner, the departments cold case investigator, never quit on. The killer had doused the vehicle with fuel in an apparent attempt to incinerate the crime scene, but apparently failed to start a fire. On the 4th of January James and Kimberly Haubenschild were also attacked with a hammer at their home in Aurora, but both survived. Learn how your comment data is processed. Bruce finally succumbed to his injuries and the family was left vulnerable. 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.