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. 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. 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. The killer had doused the vehicle with fuel in an apparent attempt to incinerate the crime scene, but apparently failed to start a fire. A 3-year-old daughter, Vanessa, was injured and survived. These were quite commonplace, but as folks who havent read my book are learning, there were quite a few instances where he actually spoke with victims, potential victims, or even Law Enforcement. A life sentence feels too light, but that is the most the justice system can offer. Its also safe to assume that up until the Bennett murders his weapon of choice was a blunt object, after those murders he quite possibly changed the weapon of choice if he had that overwhelming urge to kill again. 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. Alexander was not identified as a suspect until a DNA hit in July 2018 linked him to semen left at the crime scene. The jury found Ewing guilty on. On the night of January 16th, 1984 a gruesome discovery was made at a house on 16300 East Center Drive, Aurora. She suffered severe injuries to her head, jaw, and neck. This is a very unique activity, and it helps tie the EARONS crimes together based on M.O. One of the interesting parts of the East Area Rapists MO was that he seemingly made many, many hang-up phone calls to victims, usually in the weeks before an attack, but sometimes afterward as well. The Bennett family was attacked either the night of Jan. 15 or the morning of Jan. 16. 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. Debra was savagely beaten to death with a hammer. Whatever the case, this person was in and around this area for at least the first part of January and most likely stayed in the area during that time. From 1987 to 1991, a serial offender known as Mr Cruel abducted children around Melbourne, Australia. Youve done this with other cases to. bennett family murders addressithaca high school lacrosse roster. 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. 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. 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. Before exiting the vehicle, she turned to grab her flight attendant uniform, which was hanging in the back. 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. Order your tickets today to see Small Town Murder in Atlanta, GA. He also discarded the knife hed used to kill Bruce. He took her to the floor and sexually assaulted her. She was naked, curled up in a fetal position and groaning. The rapes were opportunities and only that. Damien Bendall, 31, is now alleged to have raped and murdered Lacey Bennett . It was Monday evening, January 9th, 1984. He then tries to strangle her with a telephone . Long Prairie, Minn. Long Prairie is a town of about 3,000 people in central Minnesota's Todd County. All four family members were assaulted, only one survived. If you were living in La Jolla in the early 80s, you knew the Brodericks. 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. The killer was practicing, he was unsure of himself and he was unsure of the weapon he would eventually use. 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. 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. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. Atlanta, GA. Fri, Sep 8, 2023 08:00 PM. Her parents, Bruce and Deborah Bennett, were also killed. 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. There was blood all over the car. Jason Bennett, who is understood to be the father of two of the. The hammer stuck her in the jaw, shattering the bone which splintered in an explosion of small fragments that punctured her windpipe. 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. 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. Detective Steve Conner has investigated this case for many years, taking over from an investigator named Marv Brandt. Victims: David Knobling (20) and Robin Edwards (14) They immediately connected it with the Donna Dixon case from January 9th, and recognized that a serial offender was working the area. The cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head- and the murder weapon? There was evidence of a struggle in the bedroom. He used two methods, and announced a few weeks ago that hed struck out with his first attempt. 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. She made her way to the bedroom and went to bed. The Associated Press contributed to this report. The blow was so severe that her jaw was shattered and her skull was fractured in several places. Only the calls or phone events where the caller was believed to be the rapist are included. In fact, there was a string of unsolved crimes in the area that took place just days apart from each other. Bruce Bennett tried to climb the staircase several times in an attempt to ward off the perpetrator and save his young family. ", She added: "I lost my sanity. Three members of the Bennett family were brutally killed in their Aurora home. Never profile someone using the box as your guide. But he isnt going to talk about this crime to just a friend or bar mate. Bruce and Debra Bennett lived with their daughter Melissa and younger daughter, Vanessa. alone. Victim #7received a phone call, and she recognized the voice on the other end as the voice of the rapist. ': 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. "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.". Nevada inmate charged in 1984 hammer killing of Lakewood grandmother. Please keep them and their families in your thoughts tonight. 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. Bruce, his wife Debra and 7-year-old Melissa were found dead. Murders at this level are not just random. He was known as the "Happy Face Killer" because he drew smiley faces on his many letters to the media and authorities. They both survived. Forensic evidence was hard to retrieve due to the decomposed state of the bodies, but its been reported that the two may have been stabbed to death. Learn how your comment data is processed. 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. His use of ligatures were fairly distinct and helped tie a lot of the crimes together. Im your biggest fan. 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. This killeris more the type that would self medicate more than likely be a heavy drinker as opposed to taking medication. He kept the hammer. . He picked all of his victims for a reason, something about them attracted him to them, they all had one common denominator that drew him to those specific individuals. For the first time, Stetson Bennett is publicly addressing his January arrest for public intoxication in Texas. 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. She recently gave an interview, which you can view here (link).. It seemed that robbery was not the primary motive only the personal jewelry that Patricia was wearing was missing from the scene. Investigators did not forget about the hammer murders, however, nor did the town of Aurora. 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. Darkness had just fallen. RELATED: Bennett family murders: Full coverage of suspect's trial. She was murdered on Jan 10, 1984 by an, at that time, unknown person who raped and killed her inside her Lakewood home. Lauer and Phelps disappeared on Labor Day weekend while on their way to Virginia Beach. 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. 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. He also inquired about searching various genealogical databases for a hit, but was advised at the time not to pursue that angle due to privacy issues. 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. Expand the list of suspects because on this case it was always bigger than investigators thought it was and the killer was always the least obvious or least likely to stand out. The story has a silver lining though on another case we explored with this team, theBrandon Lawsoncase, we were able to not only make a sketchy part of his 911 call understandable, but possibly a major break in the case by preparing for LE some scientific evidence that there was another person present when he disappeared. Later autopsies would reveal that the Bennetts had died due to blunt force trauma and that their attacker had likely used a hammer.