She had no idea how she got there and she didnt feel any pain. 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. They are more likely to begin work before sunup rather than stay much after sundown. Tarot Spread To Ask A Question; Peut On Boucher La Vue D'un Voisin; Thirty Eight Snub Meaning 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. 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. Dr. Bennett's office is located at UH Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, OH. Dotted with impressive bridges and blanketed by thick trees, it usually provides year-round beauty and convenience for travelers. Bruce worked at the family-owned furniture store and was also taking classes to become an air traffic controller. He'd been in the Navy, where he worked on high-tech sonar equipment at Pearl Harbor. But new technology is getting detectives closer and closer to solving the brutal mystery. 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. 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. He tossed it onto the seat of the car and began pulling her from the vehicle. The cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head and the murder weapon? They also looked across state lines looking for similar or like crimes and to date, they have not one suspect. District Attorney John Kellner filed the murder charges against Ewing when he headed up the Cold Case Unit in the office. 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. Kevin Vaughan on Twitter: "NEW TONIGHT: #9WantsToKnow has obtained this mugshot of Alex Christopher Ewing, the suspect in two 1984 hammer murders. James, a young man not even twenty-five years old yet, had married his wife Kim in August of 1982. 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. Why did they have to get murdered? It would be nearly twenty-four hours total before she was found. 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. The child died from her injuries. Hed been in the Navy, where he worked on high-tech sonar equipment at Pearl Harbor. Ramirez heads to Sierra Madre, CA, where he attacks Whitney Bennett, 16, with a tire iron as she sleeps. Only 3-year-old Vanessa, at. Prosecutors alleged Ewing raped Melissa Bennett before killing her. I write about old, unsolved cases from the pre-DNA era. This mans only motive was to inflict as much pain as possible and kill his victims. Please keep them and their families in your thoughts tonight. The bludgeoned bodies of husband and wife, Bruce and Debra Bennett, were discovered and it soon became evident that both were attacked with a knife and beaten to death. 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. Yvonne Woods was on the stand for more than three hours . 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. While everyone is looking for a motive it was always looking right back at investigators. There are some instances where a strange phone call was received, but its not thought to be the offender. Ewing has been locked up since. Its unfortunate le didnt get him back then. 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). 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. Listen and Subscribe to The Generation Why Podcast! We often times want answers that fit into a box and I am sorry to say in this case we will not get them. Patricia missed her husband Oliver, who stayed behind in Nebraska, but she loved being with her daughter and two grandchildren in a bustling city. It seems that Debra was the next victim, and she may have even been approached and incapacitated in the middle of Bruces struggle with the killer. The police found her posed with her arms crossed over her chest as if she was in a coffin. A hammer was used to kill Patricia Louise Smith, 50, in Lakewood Jan. 10, 1984. 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. Her body was found in a basement . Dont profile by LOOKING AT the behavior in an attempt to findclues to his or her psychology in an effort toaid in capturing a criminal. The couple's 3-year-old daughter Vanessa was also beaten but survived with permanent injuries. 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. The jury found Ewing guilty on Aug. 6 of killing three members of the Bennett family with a hammer. document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); Copyright 2023 This phone call occurred 25 years after the attack. Bruce and Debra were brutally attacked and killed inside their home, Melissa was killed and also raped. They were living in Aurora and planned to make a life together there. Thieves like to hit them for the tools the guys leave at the sites overnight. The family had been celebrating Melissas birthday that night. Coincidence is just an illusion that we all tell ourselves myself included, when we are unable to explain how something actually came to be. He noticed a gaping wound on the left side of her skull. Those were the sentencing rules in 1984, and since these crimes were committed at that time, Ewing is grandfathered into those standards. 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. It would also be a really good idea to look at troubled or violent teens in the area because I do not believe the killer was over the age of 25. They lived on a peaceful cul-de-sac where most of the houses had recently been finished and were yet to be sold. The crime spree known as the Colorado Hammer murders seemed to begin in Aurora in the early morning hours of January 4th, 1984. In 2011, Agnes Dupont de Ligonnes and her four children, ages 13 to 21, were shot and killed with a .22 rifle with a silencer on it while asleep in their beds in Western France, along with their two Labradors. Vanessa was saved, though she went on the live with permanent physiological affects from the assault. Ronald worked as a pilot. Its probably nothing that will move the case forward, but that show is coming out pretty soon so youll be able to find out what that is in just a couple months! 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. 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. For over thirty years, this killer has remained unidentified. Begins: Fri, 03/03/23 10:00 AM EST. She was also left with a shattered pelvis and fell into in a coma. Despite the trauma of the attack and losing an incredible amount of blood, the doctors and nurses were able to save her life. Thank you listeners! 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. 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. 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. Her head was constantly swimming with thoughts of her parents. The Colorado killings followed two other attacks near Denver that either involved or were suspected of involving a hammer. At least, until they came to Vanessas bed. The money was never claimed. Denver Post Archive Aurora Coroner's officers and police officers remove one of the three bodies from house at. 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. 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. This killer is indiscriminate in terms of who he kills, attacks or rapes. 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. View the map. Required fields are marked *. Two different crime labs analyzed the fuzzy imprint, and they came up with different results. During the winter in Colorado its difficult to find a construction crew working well into the night. 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. What we do know is that he likes the level of violence a blunt object signifies. Other Information 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. The bludgeoned bodies of husband and wife, Bruce and Debra Bennett, were discovered and it soon became evident that both were attacked with a knife and beaten to death. The youngest girl, Vanessa, only three years old until March, was also struck violently in the face with the hammer. His use of ligatures were fairly distinct and helped tie a lot of the crimes together. Investigators said he also sexually assaulted Melissa before she died from being beaten. Long Prairie, Minn. Long Prairie is a town of about 3,000 people in central Minnesota's Todd County. 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. This horrific and cold case of Aurora, Colorado has kept everyone wondering about the culprit while this horrendous incident kept sending chills to the bones of people all around the world. Your email address will not be published. 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. 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. Investigators believed the killers attacks escalated from just beating someone with a hammer to actually murdering them. Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. A murder inquiry has been launched, and one man - a 31-year-old from Killamarsh, who was known to the family - is in custody. 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. It was a beautiful area, with clean, crisp air and the mountains rising up to the west. Donna was rushed to the hospital while police worked the scene. 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. The mandatory minimum sentence for each count is life with possibility of parole after 20 years, according to the prosecution. Second Crime Scene The house of Safdar Ali, who is allegedly a close aide of Atiq Ahmad, was demolished by the administration. Dont profile by. Did you know that one of the most popular places to rob are construction sites? All three were beaten to death with a claw hammer. 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. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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. All rights reserved. She was naked, curled up in a fetal position and groaning. This is a very unique activity, and it helps tie the EARONS crimes together based on M.O. 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 victims may not have ever known one another but the killer found them somehow, it was not random although it appears that way. As an adult, she developed a drug habit and became an addict. The four of them lived together in a townhome off of West Bayaud Avenue. On the night of Jan. 15, 1984, the Bennett family left their garage door open. But what about his second? 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. They were Holly Chromey, 49, and her children, Katie Zapzalka, 18, and Jared Zapzalka, 16. When they did, they noticed that the garage door was still open. She left her hometown and moved to Arizona, at one point spending half a year homeless, living under a bridge. The husband then got a lock for the gate and made sure their house was locked and secure. About six weeks later, hunters came upon their bodies in a remote location in the woods near a logging road. A 3-year-old daughter, Vanessa, was injured and survived. He also isnt killing with this level of violence often enough to track. One of the signature trademarks of an EAR/GSK attack was the use of ligatures. Theyd moved there around Thanksgiving from another place a few miles away, and had so far enjoyed their quiet, developing neighborhood. The results (if any) of the tests run on the current evidence is currently unknown. Ewing, 23 at the time, killed the 27-year-old husband and his 26-year-old wife, as well as their daughter, inside their Aurora home. There was no sign of forced entry into the home, some articles you come across say that the killer entered through an unlocked garage door. I didnt just lose my parents and my sister, she said. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Arapahoe County District Judge Darren Vahle spoke directly to Ewing before announcing the sentence. The childs skull was caved in on the right side of her forehead and a metal plate was inserted to reshape the skull, she suffered severe injuries to her head, jaw and neck. On August 7th, 2018, it was announced that there were significant new developments in the Smith/Bennett case, and that a news conference would be held at 10:00 AM on Friday, August 10th with more information. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The jury found Ewing guilty on all counts. Investigators did not forget about the hammer murders, however, nor did the town of Aurora. Although she had no memory of the attack, what happened that night in 1984. Immediately she went over the home to investigate. Rather than wait until 2019 when the book will be published, we thought wed at least share the results with you. If they were used shoelaces, youd expect to find a vast array of particles and wear-and-tear. The couple, especially Ron, wanted to show that their love was truly for better or for worse and that it would survive any challenge. Are you suggesting that initially investigators missed certain details based off the profile of the dude? The truck was in a designated parking area with the radio and windshield wipers turned on. Vanessa, now 38 years old, received a call from the Aurora sheriffs department informing her that her parents killer had been identified as 57 year old Alexander Christopher Ewing. Bruce was 27 years old and Debra was 26 in 1984. 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. There were reportedly no signs of robbery or sexual assault both women were clothed and their purses were still with them. The father, Xavier Dupont de Ligonnes, immediately became the prime suspect, as he abruptly disappeared after the . DENVER- The Bennett family murders is a case that goes back more than three decades. 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. Ewing was not identified as a suspect until a DNA hit in July 2018 linked him to semen left at the crime scene. Family medicine doctors are primary-care physicians trained. 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. The investigators and the CBI were safe to guess that it might have been a construction worker that had been working in the area. Damien Bendall, 31, is now alleged to have raped and murdered Lacey Bennett . 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.