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 killer pummeled and sexually assaulted his 26-year-old wife, Debra, and 7-year-old daughter, Melissa. Which is why a more beneficial profile from the onset is more important in fact, its critical. But what about his second? Jason Bennett, who is understood to be the father of two of the. Bruce was 27 years old and Debra was 26 in 1984. Investigators were able to piece together the details of the horrendous ordeal through study of the evidence and the crime scene. He assured the public that theyll move with all appropriate speed.. Now She's Speaking Out, Mass. ARAPAHOE COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - It was 1984 when Connie Bennett found her family murdered in their Aurora home. There was no sign of Lauer or Phelps. Miraculously, both of them survived the assault, though James suffered from a fractured skull and his wife suffered a concussion. There are some instances where a strange phone call was received, but its not thought to be the offender. He went on to continually beat the mans wife as she attempted to shield her husband from the blows of an ax handle while simultaneously on the phone to 911. DNA at both the Bennett crime Scene and the Smith crime scene were matched to the same killer in 2010. 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. ~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. 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. If they were used shoelaces, youd expect to find a vast array of particles and wear-and-tear. There is no innocent explanation for how you explain all of the evidence.. 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. 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. 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. Over 200 Million Downloads! 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. 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. The husband ran outside but he was gone. His attacker slit his throat before eventually delivering a final fatal blow with a hammer. A typical way one would see this is that he likes control, that is wrong. He faced six . Donna underwent several operations. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 . The very famous, more than three decades old case of Bennet family murders has recently been in the news. 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 couple's 3-year-old daughter Vanessa was also beaten but survived with permanent injuries. Let us have a look at this unforgettable case of the Bennet family murders. Detective Steve Conner has investigated this case for many years, taking over from an investigator named Marv Brandt. She had no idea how she got there and she didnt feel any pain. I didnt just lose my parents and my sister, she said. The hammer struck her in the jaw, shattering the bone which splintered in an explosion of small fragments that punctured her windpipe. 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. Your email address will not be published. On the night of January 16th, 1984 a gruesome discovery was made at a house on 16300 East Center Drive, Aurora. Become a Patreon Supporter for bonus content! Bruce and Debra were both probably dead by the time the killer entered Melissas bedroom. Bruce finally succumbed to his injuries and the family was left vulnerable. In fact, there was a string of unsolved crimes in the area that took place just days apart from each other. This killer did in fact re-offend, the issuehe was in the learning phase of actually killing humans during this time frame in Colorado. Constance entered the home, encountered the grisly scene, and immediately dialed the authorities. Most importantly take the need to judge them and all of your own emotions and personal beliefs out of the picture. Dont profile by. All rights reserved. He was currently working at a family-owned furniture store, but was taking classes at the local college and would soon be working as an air traffic controller. 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. Damien Bendall, 31, is now alleged to have raped and murdered Lacey Bennett . He said the detectives who have worked it over the years, in particular Detective Steve Conner, the departments cold case investigator, never quit on. Photo: 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office A 61-year-old man learned this week he'll die behind prison bars after being sentenced to three consecutive life sentences. One of the signature trademarks of an EAR/GSK attack was the use of ligatures. Caller: Hi, its me again. It was dusted for prints, but none were found. She survived. James, who posts online from time to time, discusses how vividly the case still haunts him even to this day. 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 is awaiting extradition to Colorado, police and prosecutors announced Friday. So I guess Ill be the first to post. 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. You got the age closer than the fbi and police you described exactly what the guy was feeling when he was killing them. 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. Victims: Richard Keith Call (20) and Cassandra Lee Hailey (18) They were almost always in good shape/new condition, and lab analysis revealed almost nothing about them except the occasional hair. 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. I also believe he continued to kill peeps because he is so violent he couldnt have just stopped. The house of Safdar Ali, who is allegedly a close aide of Atiq Ahmad, was demolished by the administration. Patricia Smith had been laid straight, her arms crossed over her chest as if on display in a funeral home. 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. Thankfully, this community, these families and everyone impacted by the horrific crimes now knows this defendant will never hurt anyone ever again.". He used two methods, and announced a few weeks ago that hed struck out with his first attempt. Jun 2004 - 201612 years. 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Bruce and Debra were brutally attacked and killed inside their home, Melissa was killed and also raped. Patricia missed her husband Oliver, who stayed behind in Nebraska, but she loved being with her daughter and two grandchildren in a bustling city. Atlanta, GA. Fri, Sep 8, 2023 08:00 PM. The colossal 1,772-acre South Carolina hunting farm where Maggie and Paul. You can also see what seems to be escalation and a frenzy of activity at certain points. This was the last time the Bennetts were seen alive. They need renewed media attention. This murder, which has sat on the cold case shelves for far too long, is in desperate need of this new media attention and the new investigative resources. / CBS Colorado. Again, info is given only about the phone calls where the offender spoke. The other kids at school would tease her, telling her the hammer man was going to come and finish her off. Aurora police Chief Nick Metz said the case has haunted the families involved. Its believed that the EAR bought his shoelaces new from the store or from some other source. The family originated from Ancient Greece, then eventually settled in the town of Salem. Victims were shot to death on the shore of the James River, some distance from Knoblings pickup truck. Bruce's mother would discover the family the next day inside the home, after no one answered calls to their landline. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? This case impacted not just the victims, but it also terrorized an entire community, he said. 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. Youve done this with other cases to. 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. Headquartered in McDonough, Georgia, Bennett Family of Companies provides innovative logistics and transportation for companies across America. Would you like to contribute as an editor or a writer on our site? On the 4th of January James and Kimberly Haubenschild were also attacked with a hammer at their home in Aurora, but both survived. Ronald worked as a pilot. I dont believe that. Tabernacle. The rapes were opportunities and only that. While closure and peace may be forever out of reach, the panelists hope for a sense of justice among those affected. But new technology is getting detectives closer and closer to solving the brutal mystery. They also looked across state lines looking for similar or like crimes and to date, they have not one suspect. Designed by 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. 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. Darkness had just fallen. In Aug 2018, Alexander Christopher Ewing was accused and charged in both cases. DENVER- The Bennett family murders is a case that goes back more than three decades. Ewing was not identified as a suspect until a DNA hit in July 2018 linked him to semen left at the crime scene. 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. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Bruce Alan Bennett was twenty-seven years old.
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