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. View the map. Both men were fiercely dedicated to seeing this case solved, and Conner started an effort to use every technology available to him to identify the offender. I dont believe that. It was a case that they were not giving up on and were continuing to move forward on, he said. 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. Coincidence is just an illusion that we all tell ourselves myself included, when we are unable to explain how something actually came to be. Investigators were able to determine that the girl had died by drowning, but at first they couldnt agree on whether it had been accidental or whether there was foul play involved. The killer then ascended the staircase and entered the couples bedroom where he attacked Bruces 26 years old wife, Debra, simultaneously he raped and killed her. It begins with a woman killed with a hammer in Lakewood and, a week later, a family killed the same way. I lost the person who I was supposed to be.. 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. ", She added: "I lost my sanity. Victims: David Knobling (20) and Robin Edwards (14) 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. Dr. Robert Offerman and Dr. Debra Manning were young and had bright futures. 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. Alex Ewing on trial for the murder of three members of the Bennett family (credit: Aurora Sentinel). About six weeks later, hunters came upon their bodies in a remote location in the woods near a logging road. 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. Family medicine doctors are primary-care physicians trained. 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. The Colonial Parkway is a scenic highway in Virginia that runs through historic areas like Yorktown, Williamsburg, and Jamestown. Your email address will not be published. Second Crime Scene Kevin Vaughan on Twitter: "NEW TONIGHT: #9WantsToKnow has obtained this mugshot of Alex Christopher Ewing, the suspect in two 1984 hammer murders. 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.". Killing on this level requires some level of planning on the part of the perpetrator. We offer a suite of trucking and specialized logistics services, from flatbed and step deck trucking, driveaway, manufactured housing transport and RV delivery to 3PL/4PL logistics, customs brokerage . 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. I wouldtear everything down and start over with the evidence, the crime scene and so on. Remember me? While everyone is looking for a motive it was always looking right back at investigators. The blow shed felt was the attacker striking her head with a hammer. 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. 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. James and Kim divorced divorced in the fall of 1987. Denver Post Archive Aurora Coroner's officers and police officers remove one of the three bodies from house at. 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. The Bennett family murders is a case that goes back more than three decades. Designed by How can you describe what he feels during the crime? That, and the knots he used, provide a link among several scenes. 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. The Visalia Ransacker, a unique brand of offender who terrorized a very small area of California for a period of over two years, caught my attention a long time ago due to the cases possible association with the East Area Rapist. Upon the capture of a suspect in the Golden State Killer case, Conner again turned to genealogical databases. Sometimes to get a more clear picture of the criminal, one must see him or her as a human being, see him or her as they truly are, feel what they feel, know what they know, feel the wants, needs and desires of that person. 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. Ewing is arrested and incarcerated. The husband then got a lock for the gate and made sure their house was locked and secure. Full cooperation from Nevada Law Enforcement led to a confirmation of the DNA match. The results (if any) of the tests run on the current evidence is currently unknown. James, who posts online from time to time, discusses how vividly the case still haunts him even to this day. Look at the area, the artery that the crimes were committed along. 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. 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. Powered by WordPress Nevada inmate charged in 1984 hammer killing of Lakewood grandmother. 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. Amazingly, it was thought that spending so many hours naked on the garage floor in the freezing temperatures may have kept her from bleeding to death. There was no way, given the samples that we have, to determine whether the voices match or not. You got the age closer than the fbi and police you described exactly what the guy was feeling when he was killing them. Alexander was not identified as a suspect until a DNA hit in July 2018 linked him to semen left at the crime scene. The guy here fit the profile you provided over that of the fbi. 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. A photo of the Bennett family. January 27, 1984: Ewing attacks a man in Kingman, Arizona in his home; beats man's head with a hammer. . Theyd moved there around Thanksgiving from another place a few miles away, and had so far enjoyed their quiet, developing neighborhood. Thought to be the work of a serial killer, the crimes have remained unsolved for thirty years. 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). On the night of January 16th, 1984 a gruesome discovery was made at a house on 16300 East Center Drive, Aurora. 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. He is awaiting extradition to Colorado, police and prosecutors announced Friday. 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. 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. Keep in mind that the offenders last known murder was in 1986, which makes the last few particularly creepy. She made her way to the bedroom and went to bed. Her bra was wrapped around one of her wrists, and her clothing was found on the bank nearby. Donna pulled into the driveway, hit the remote to open the garage, and pulled her car in. April 6th, 2001 Twenty-eight-year-old Donna Dixon, fresh off a shift working as a flight attendant, had been out running some errands. does anyone think they are actually looking though? She was naked, curled up in a fetal position and groaning. She was also raped. On night of January 16 th, 1984 a gruesome discovery was made at a house on 16300 East Center Drive, Aurora, Colorado. Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Residents here have lived under a dark cloud since Monday, when police found three residents dead in their home. They need renewed media attention. 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. When they did, they noticed that the garage door was still open. This killeris more the type that would self medicate more than likely be a heavy drinker as opposed to taking medication. It was taken in Arizona 11 days after the attack. No immediate leads could be generated in the case. 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. 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. Bruce had mentioned wanting to run to the store before bed. It was later determined to be the murder weapon. The killer pummeled and sexually assaulted his 26-year-old wife, Debra, and 7-year-old daughter, Melissa. 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. 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. Detective Steve Conner has investigated this case for many years, taking over from an investigator named Marv Brandt. 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. Become a Patreon Supporter for bonus content! 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. Dr. Bennett's office is located at UH Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, OH. A murder inquiry has been launched, and one man - a 31-year-old from Killamarsh, who was known to the family - is in custody. Bruce and Debra were brutally attacked and killed inside their home, Melissa was killed and also raped. 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. Profiling like that is a great place to start, yet it can also mean that its a great place to leave a crime long enough that it goes cold. 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. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? WordPress. Its our hope that something can come from this new push that will finally solve it. for sure the les should listen to what you say and take another look this is a refreshing take on profiles. Safdar Ali was allegedly involved in selling weapons to gang members of Atiq Ahmed. Why did they have to get murdered? It is deeper than that. Two young boys were asleep in other rooms in the house. alone. 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. With time, multiple surgeries and the support her extended family, Vanessa began to recover from her physical injuries, but living a normal life after losing both her parents to a murderer who had yet to be captured and convicted made childhood difficult. James, a young man not even twenty-five years old yet, had married his wife Kim in August of 1982. Fourth Crime Scene Ronald worked as a pilot. 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. Rather than wait until 2019 when the book will be published, we thought wed at least share the results with you. I only do research and leave active investigation of these cases to professionals. He tossed it onto the seat of the car and began pulling her from the vehicle.