CAPTURED: Denver Hammer Killer

[00:00] Hi, Crime Junkies. It's Britt, and I have big news. One of my favorite seasonal shows, CounterClock, is back with a brand new season, and it is wild. Host Delia D'Ambra is digging into the 2008 Lane Bryant murders. I mean, this isn't just a recap. It is a reinvestigation. She's talking to law enforcement, people from the community, even sources who have never spoken publicly until now. And you know I love a show that asks all the questions. Listen to CounterClock Season 8 now, wherever you get your podcasts. [00:31] Hi, Crime Junkies. I'm your host, Ashley Flowers. And I'm Britt. [00:35] And the story I have for you today is one of the most terrifying kinds of Crime Junkie stories, because it reminds us all [00:44] that we're all vulnerable, that no matter who we are, where we are, evil can still come knocking at our door or come sneaking through the garage. [00:55] This is the story of the Denver Hammer Killer. [00:58] Thank you.

[01:30] January 10th, 1984 was cold in Aurora, Colorado, even colder if you're lingering outside at a bus station waiting for your ride. And that's exactly what Sherry Lutton was doing. She had just taken the bus back from work that evening and she was waiting for her mom, Patricia, to come pick her up. According to reporting by Kirk Mitchell in the Denver Post, this was their routine. [01:59] after Sherry's divorce. [02:01] Sherry kept staring down the road, waiting for her mom to pull up so they could go pick up the kids. Where was she? She tried calling her mom at home, but no luck, which to Sherry meant she had to be coming to get her. Yet she never showed. [02:17] When Sherry could wait no more, she called her cousin to come get her, and together they rushed to pick up Little Amber and Joe, who were six and four. By the time they pulled up to the complex of townhouses where they lived, it was dark. And that prickle that had started low in Sherry's spine trickled up her back because what she saw was all wrong. [02:41] Kevin Vaughn for Nine News reported on their podcast Blame that the detached garage door was open and there was Patricia's car. Also, there was what looked like a TV on just flickering through a window upstairs. So her mom was definitely home. This was so unlike her.

[03:01] Sherry and the kids hustled out of the car and up to the front door, the kids like making their way in front of Sherry. [03:08] When Sherry unlocked the door and flicked on the light, I can almost see her, like hands on the kids' backs, ushering them in, taking a quick step towards the stairs to go see her mom before her whole world imploded. [03:23] It was Amber who saw her grandmother first. [03:26] She was lying, feet from the door. And though a Winnie the Pooh blanket was covering her face, the blood around her made it clear that she was dead, even to six-year-old Amber. [03:37] Amber told Kirk Mitchell, quote, It's definitely an image that never leaves your mind. [03:43] Sherry swooped up her children as fast as she could and got them out of there, then ran to a neighbors who called police. [03:51] When detectives arrive and actually looked at the scene in more detail, what they saw was horrifying. [03:57] There was a reason the killer had covered her head. She had been beaten with a blunt instrument. And it wasn't hard to guess what, because right next to her body was a hammer. And it also wasn't hard to guess a motive or motives. Some jewelry had been taken off of her and her pants were pulled down. So police were thinking that the killer was motivated by robbery and sexual assault. [04:23] But could they tell which one was the killer's main motive? [04:26] No, not yet, but there were some indicators if they looked closely. Yes, her necklace and rings were taken, but nothing else really was. Her purse was dumped, but the house was relatively untouched.

[04:41] Now, police did what they could to process the scene the best they knew how in 1984, dusting for prints, collecting items, but of course, all without gloves, because what's DNA? [04:54] Ultimately, they didn't find anything useful, nothing to tell them who did this or more importantly, why. Patricia didn't have any enemies. In a letter to the Denver Post in 1984, her friend wrote to say that she was gentle and sincere. In fact, here, but why don't you read actually a few excerpts from that letter just to give everyone a better sense of like who she was? [05:19] So the letter said, quote, "Pat was a gentle, sincere woman with soft brown eyes and a thunder figure. She knew how hard life could be and why it was important to take the time to laugh, fast to respond to her friend's needs. [05:31] "Perhaps the person who took her life didn't know all this about her, but I would like him to." [05:37] He should realize that no matter what he was feeling when he took Pat's last breath of life, he took something from all of us who loved her. He took her special qualities that touched our lives. [05:47] End quote. [05:48] That's honestly really beautiful and sweet. [05:50] Who wrote this? [05:51] Her friend wrote it, but wrote in anonymously because even when they sent this letter in almost a week after Patricia's murder, the killer still hadn't been caught. And everyone, especially those close to her, were afraid. Police didn't have any suspects. No one could figure out who did this, why or if they would strike again.

[06:13] But here's the thing. To the public, this was a crime like no other, completely out of the blue, unsolvable because nothing like this had ever happened before. But that wasn't quite true. [06:25] The public just didn't know about it before. Because similar attacks that never even made the newspapers or TV reports happened just days before Patricia was murdered. Wait, like, how many days? [06:40] Well, the first similar attack happened six days before and just a few hours away on January 4th in Aurora, Colorado. Now, let me tell you about that attack. [06:51] So in the wee hours of the morning, this guy James is up late while his wife Kim is sleeping. [06:58] Jordan Chavez and Kristen Aguirre wrote in a piece for Nine News that James was making this mixtape for his friend's aerobic class. As if you didn't need to be reminded that this happened in 1984. Truly. So he stays up till like 2am and by the time he does saunter into his bedroom, he's tired, he's distracted, and he's completely forgotten about the garage door he left wide open. But what you don't remember, [07:26] doesn't keep you up and James drifts off to sleep. [07:30] The next thing he knows, James is jarred awake by a slam to the left side of his head. When James recalled this moment to Nine News, he said, quote, I must have tried to wake up and I put my hand up. The first thing I remember was my hand getting really big, hurting, looking down, and my hand was swollen. I saw the hammer and wondered where it came from. End quote.

[07:56] The fact that the blow didn't knock James out must have come as a surprise to his attacker, because he just threw the hammer at Kim's head and ran. And Kim, obviously awake at this point, called 911 and James looked all over the house to make sure this guy was really gone. [08:12] Nothing was really taken except for Kim's purse. But I guess that wasn't really taken per se either, because it was there, it was just kind of discarded, and nearby all of the contents were kind of just dumped out. [08:27] Now, Kim and James were treated for their injuries and police tried to get as much information as possible. According to an article for the Daily Sentinel from back in 84, Kim described her attacker as a black man with medium build, though she couldn't be more descriptive than that. [08:45] And though I have to imagine police... [08:48] looked for this man and collected evidence, I don't have any proof of that. Because, again, that story was never picked up by the media, like, at all. [08:57] all, which seems so bizarre to me. It seems like this is exactly the kind of story that you'd want to go out to the community. Like, does anybody know anything? Did you see anything? Oh, and also, [09:09] Make sure your garage doors are shut, lock your doors, stuff like that. Yes, you think? And maybe if they would have made some announcement like, hi, deranged hammer-wielding psychopath is on the loose, be on the lookout, maybe Donna Dixon would have been looking over her shoulder a bit more in the wee hours of January 10th. Wait, January 10th? Isn't that the same day Patricia was attacked? Yep, stay with me. I'm going to lay it out for you. So...

[09:34] In like the very late hours of January 9th and leading into the early hours of January 10th, a flight attendant named Donna Dixon is in her garage. I'm not sure if she's coming or going or just getting something, but while she's in there, she gets stunned by the blow of a hammer. [09:50] According to a team of reporters for Fox 21 Denver, she is hit repeatedly and raped. [09:56] Kevin Bond from Nine News says on Blame that the hammer gets left behind, along with most of the contents from her purse, which are spilled out nearby. [10:06] And again, there are no news reports about this attack. Like nothing, nothing at all. Not a thing. [10:14] thing. [10:15] I mean, this dude is clearly escalating, and within, like, a matter of days. I know. [10:20] So, did Donna survive? [10:22] Yes, she did survive her attack, but while she's in the hospital, that very afternoon being treated for her injuries, that's exactly when Patricia Smith is being bludgeoned and raped in Lakewood, Colorado. [10:35] Okay, so zero excuses for me on why they didn't make these cases public in Aurora, but I'm not sure it would have prevented anything from happening to Patricia, you know, like the news of these attacks wouldn't have ever made it to her, especially in 1984. [10:48] You're right. I mean, I think even if the community in Aurora had been notified, it's unlikely that anyone in Lakewood would have even heard about it, to your point. And truly, even if they did, probably the last thing anyone thinks is that that kind of evil will show up that very same day in the middle of the day to their own front door. But as we know, it did. And it was worse here in Lakewood than anything they saw in Aurora.

[11:18] probably wasn't a first-time offender. If they had to bet, they'd say that he'd done something like this somewhere before. [11:29] For decades, some cold cases have been reduced to files in a cabinet, but not anymore. I'm Ashley Flowers, and me and my team on the deck have been traveling across the country to report on these forgotten cases. And in some instances, it's resulted in these cases being solved after decades. [11:48] Join me every Wednesday as we revive these stories one card at a time. Listen to the deck now. [11:55] wherever you get your podcasts. [11:59] So Kevin Vaughn said on episode six of Blame that the very day after Patricia's attack, now this would be January 11th, the police send out an APV to departments nationwide. [12:11] They explained the details of their case, and they asked for any departments that have crimes with similar MOs to give them a call. But the phone doesn't ring. Not even from the Aurora police? Not even from them. [12:25] I guess I'm stunned. How did they not see how similar this is? [12:29] Honestly, I don't think they saw the APB. And this is one of those things that we've talked about before where, like, I think we on the outside have this very cute and neat, tidy idea of what we think law enforcement looks like, because in our minds, like, surely there are processes and procedures in place. So there's like a little notification system or something.

[12:59] This message comes through on the other end, and it's up to each individual department to decide what they do with that message. Do they mention it at the top of their shift meeting? Maybe they hang it up on like a cork board and just expect officers to take a peek when they get a sec. [13:14] Honestly, I'm not even sure how you guarantee it makes it off the fax machine. Yeah, I was just kind of thinking about this temp job I used to have as a receptionist where I had to sort mail for this huge corporation and trying to figure out, like, [13:25] even what to do with a simple envelope sometimes was incredibly messy and confusing. And that was just like 10 years ago. This is how long ago? Like, this isn't still happening. This is the 80s, right? [13:37] Well, honestly, I have no idea and I'm truly a little afraid to find out. But in 84, when this APB goes out, this is how things are run. And so no one from Aurora realizes that their guy has moved or that he'll be coming back with a vengeance. [13:56] And one of those people who was none the wiser about the dangers lurking in her own little town was Constance Bennett. On January 16th, Constance was at work when she got a phone call from her brother. Her brother worked over at their family business, this furniture store. And he was like, hey, Connie, your son and his wife just didn't show today. Like, and I can't get a hold of them. Is something going on? [14:20] She didn't know what was going on, but she didn't like it. So being just a short distance from her son's home that he shared with his wife and two daughters, she rushed over to make sure everything was okay.

[14:31] According to an affidavit of probable cause, when Constance pulled up to the house, she noticed the garage door was open. [14:38] As she got out of her car and got closer, she could tell that the door which led from the garage into the home's kitchen was open a couple of inches. When she pulled it open the rest of the way and stepped through, she saw her son in a way no parent, no human should ever have to see someone. [14:59] Her son, Bruce, was lying on the bottom few steps that led up to the second floor. [15:05] Blood that had seeped from a large wound above the bridge of his nose, a wound on his left jaw, his throat which had been slit and cuts to his left finger, soaked into the carpet beneath him. [15:16] In a moment, Constance knew why Bruce had been on the stairs. He was trying to get to his family. His wife and two young daughters would have been up there. [15:26] But Constance couldn't walk over her son to get them. She called out for them but didn't hear a peep, and she knew that she had to leave right then to find help. [15:36] And in part, she was probably terrified of what she'd find if she went any further into that house herself. Because if Bruce's wife, Deborah, had been alive, wouldn't she have called for help already? Like, wouldn't she have gotten the girls out? Right. [15:50] When police arrived, it took no time at all to realize they were dealing with a true crime. [15:56] monster. Just as Constance had suspected, Debra and the girls were upstairs. The affidavit of probable cause states that Debra was found on the floor of her and Bruce's bedroom. The two girls, Melissa, who was seven, and Vanessa, who was three, were in their room.

[16:14] Melissa is found lying on her back there on the floor at the end of their twin beds. Her arms were above her head and she had visible markings of being struck with an object. But that wasn't even the most disturbing part. The first thing that everyone who entered that room saw was how her pajamas were cut at the waist. [16:35] And I'll spare you the details, but it was clear that this little girl, this seven-year-old little girl, had been raped. [16:43] On one of the beds above Melissa was Vanessa. First responders initially saw blood, but then, just then, among all the carnage, [16:53] was a miracle. Vanessa wasn't dead. She was still breathing. She had been severely beaten too and they had no idea what kind of fighting chance she had, but the paramedics rushed her to a children's hospital to find out. [17:09] Meanwhile, police continued to process the Bennett House for any clue as to who did this. [17:16] Bruce, Deborah and Melissa's bodies were sent off for autopsy, which was going to be rushed and done the very next day. [17:23] And they didn't mind waiting the day because they actually had some stuff to work off of at the house while they waited. [17:29] first of which was a footprint. It was found on a comforter that was between the two young girls, and the comforter itself was soaked in blood, and the perpetrator had left a print right there, clear as day. [17:43] They also noticed something...

[17:45] Interesting. [17:46] something that they had seen before. [17:50] There was apparently no forced entry and nothing from the house seemed to be taken, except there was a woman's purse, which the affidavit says was found dumped out and left on the ground outside the house near the garage door. [18:06] Okay, so Lakewood wasn't connected, I get it, but surely they see this connection, right? Like, to the case of the couple, to the flight attendant who took place, but that was all just like a week before. [18:17] They do, which is what I mean when I said that they had plenty to work off of. There is clearly a pattern here. Yeah. [18:24] Police are brushing up on those other cases and talking to members of the Bennett family when the autopsy results come in the next day. [18:31] Bruce suffered 16 blows to the head, and they were consistent with a claw hammer. [18:37] Deborah was hit five times in the right shoulder, twice in the face, eight times in the top and back of her skull, and she had a broken jaw. All the wounds in her case were also consistent with a claw hammer. [18:51] Melissa was hit nine times on her head with the hammer, and what anyone who saw her in that room already knew was confirmed. She was sexually assaulted. [19:02] Now, though these autopsies confirmed a lot for them, especially as they were drawing connections to the other cases in Aurora, it didn't provide any more information on their suspect. So on January 19th, police decide to do two things. First, they put a call out to the public. In a Daily Sentinel article, they say that they're looking for the public's help in locating people that they want to question.

[19:32] its former Aurora home last November. Like they had just recently moved into this home, actually. And they tell the public that they are also looking for, quote, a black man involved in a pre-dawn hammer attack on an Aurora couple earlier this month. OK, but this is the first time the public is even hearing about this, quote, pre-dawn hammer attack last month, right? [19:54] Yes. Now, the other thing they do, according to another Daily Sentinel article, is that they send a lot of their evidence to this high tech lab in Lubbock, Texas. For what? I mean, my mind immediately goes to DNA, but we're talking Lubbock in 84. Yeah. [20:10] Well, they're specifically sending things off that could have fingerprints, [20:14] I guess this specific lab had like this super sophisticated laser machine that they were using on some items, though they don't say exactly what items, but they also sent off items from their other two attacks with it. So at this point, they're pretty confident that all the Aurora attacks at least are committed by the same guy. [20:32] At this point, calls from the public are flooding in, pointing to this person or that person, drug dealers, teenagers, you name it. And police are trying to follow all of the leads. [20:44] By the 21st, police had confirmed that they'd questioned at least six people about the Bennetts' murders, but none of them were named as suspects yet. [20:52] now at this point this case is all over the news unlike all the other stories i've talked about it is all anyone in town can talk about and investigators are trying to pour every resource into finding the killer but on the 22nd they have to divert their attention a little why what on earth could be more important than this it's not like this case is cold it's not even a week out yet

[21:18] Well, they need all hands on deck to prevent another attack. Because you see, by now, police have discovered a pattern. And if they're right, the killer is going to strike again that very night. [21:36] For decades, some cold cases have been reduced to files in a cabinet, but not anymore. I'm Ashley Flowers and me and my team on the deck have been traveling across the country to report on these forgotten cases. And in some instances, it's resulted in these cases being solved after decades. [21:56] Join me every Wednesday as we revive these stories one card at a time. Listen to the deck now. [22:03] wherever you get your podcasts. [22:06] Because of all the press the Bennett murders was getting, it of course caught the eye of investigators over in Lakewood. And they told Aurora police about the attack on Patricia Smith. And that's when it jumped out at them. [22:20] The pattern... [22:21] 6. [22:22] days. Every six days their attacker struck. [22:27] First on January 4th with James and Kim. [22:30] then on January 10th with the flight attendant Donna, and Patricia who was the same day, then again on the 16th with the Bennett family. [22:40] Detective Frick told the Daily Sentinel, quote, "We've noticed this six day pattern, and if it holds, the next would occur Sunday." So they put cars out patrolling up and down the streets. Every minute that passes, they held their breath. Every crackle that came over the radio made their hearts stop for a second.

[23:02] But the night came... [23:04] and went without a single report [23:07] And on one hand, everyone is happy. But on the other, it's almost like they're waiting for the other shoe to drop. Like, when is he going to attack next? [23:15] Exactly. The people in town are afraid, like really afraid. They show up to community meetings about safety, gun sales in the area go through the roof, and they all hold their breath waiting for the next attack. Okay. [23:30] But day after day passes, and that doesn't come. And, unfortunately, definitive answers don't come from Lubbock either. [23:40] With nowhere else to turn, the Aurora police turn to the FBI in hopes that they can create a profile of their killer that might narrow down their suspect pool. Or I guess in this case, like show you which body of water to even start looking in. [23:55] A little less than two weeks after the family's murder, Ron Walker from the FBI arrives in Colorado. [24:02] According to yet another Denver Post article by Kirk Mitchell, quote, "Walker spent two weeks interviewing Aurora and Lakewood detectives and reading police and forensic reports. [24:13] End quote. [24:14] Ron Walker agreed with police's assessment. All four of these cases were definitely connected, definitely done by the same perpetrator. And he had an idea about what that person might be like. And here, Britt, I'll have you give everyone kind of the lowdown from this Denver Post piece. OK, so basically, Walker suspected this guy was an unsophisticated criminal, especially when looking at the few items that were taken from the victims.

[24:44] from any of the houses, just a little bit of jewelry from Patricia. And then all the cases had this purse that was dumped out. And that's because Walker thinks this guy doesn't really know how to get rid of big stuff. Like he doesn't know how to lift like a stereo or TV and sell it to someone else. Just like very easy, small person to person transactions. [25:02] And they think this guy probably has some sort of criminal history, but it's probably pretty petty, like maybe trespassing. And maybe even some of his earlier crimes weren't even reported. [25:11] And he also thinks it's plausible that maybe he broke in places before and got caught. And that's when he started carrying the hammer around, kind of to use as a weapon if he did get caught while breaking in somewhere. [25:21] And as far as the guy's background, Walker thinks there might have been some form of violence in his own past. And he probably has issues with drugs and or alcohol now and is probably kind of a loner. [25:34] Now, in each case, there were no signs of forced entry, and Walker doesn't think this is because the attacker is like super skilled or anything. [25:41] He thinks he was really just targeting the easiest houses, like the ones with open garage doors or even unlocked doors. [25:48] This quote I found really interesting. He said, quote, he was very juvenile in his approach. How does he gain entry into homes? He walks down the street and jiggles doors, end quote. [26:00] So, duh, Ron was like, you guys need to be looking for evidence, not just at the Bennett home or the homes where the other attacks happened, but dust prints on all the doors in the neighborhoods, too. Like the ones that were locked, you might get lucky. Yeah. [26:13] And overall, Walker basically concludes that

[26:16] What drives this guy is rage, and he's going to keep going until he's stopped. [26:21] But that's the thing. The cases had stopped by this point. So to investigators, that meant one of two things. Either this guy had gotten busted for something else and was sitting in jail. [26:34] or he was dead. [26:35] Decades passed, 500 people interviewed and nothing. As quickly as this killer ripped apart Colorado, he seemed to be gone. [26:47] Vanessa had a slow recovery and she eventually went on to live with family, but her life was hard. She told Nine News that all you have to do is look at her to see the damage this man did to her, not just physically, but emotionally, too. She spent her whole life struggling with substance use issues as a way to numb the physical and emotional pain. But part of her substance use, she says, is because she just got in with the wrong crowd. They were the only ones who accepted her as is. [27:17] have said this before on this show kids are awful little demons but i never believe that more than i do coming out of this story because get this vanessa told nine news that all through her childhood [27:30] Kids made fun of her for what happened. Made fun of her because her family was murdered. They wouldn't invite her to sleepovers because they said that the hammer man would comfort all of them if she was there. Like, oh, my God. Who the f*** is raising these kids? Yeah.

[27:50] And can we please do better people like they're getting this from somewhere like that got me so freaking heated. This girl has been through hell and couldn't even get support. I would say the one time I mentioned to you that a kid had said something that upset Eli at school, you're like, OK. [28:07] Who is he? I'm gonna find him. Where can I find them? [28:10] the child is going to have to have a talk with me. Like, I am raging at this point. This is unacceptable, people. Right. So, I mean, again, like, she was already up against, like, the worst. And the world made it even worse for her. [28:24] As the years passed, the case wasn't forgotten. As technology and science advanced, every now and then, the evidence would get pulled out and retested. And according to the affidavit, this happened in 1989 when they retested the comforter found in the girl's room. And they actually found what they believed to be semen on it, though at the time they couldn't really do anything DNA profile wise. All they could do was test for blood type. But something else happened in 1989. [28:54] this very year, Vanessa had a memory of that night come to her. She went to police and said she remembered something about her attacker, that he was, quote, a white man with brown or light brown hair who was wearing blue jeans, a multicolored shirt, and fuzzy gloves, end quote. [29:14] Wait, didn't you say that at some point that all the other attacks described a black man as the attacker? No. [29:20] Okay, so, yes, so this is a little sideways to me, and I'm not sure when things changed. So technically, the only time a black man is described was by Kim. But she told the news that police had told her that all the victims described the same man. But I don't know if that's actually true, because I don't have that anywhere from police. And so I don't know if and when police gave up that description.

[29:50] I mean, they did put it out there in that call and that paper saying that they're looking for member. They're looking for a group of hippies or in this black guy who was involved in another attack. So I don't know if Vanessa's statement got them to change it or if it at least expanded their pool of suspects or if they were already expanded beyond that. I have no idea. Right, right. [30:09] But even if they used this updated description, it didn't get them anywhere. By 1999, the comforter was submitted again, along with carpeting from the girls' room to test for actual DNA. And by 2001, they were able to successfully extract a DNA sample, according to the affidavit. [30:27] The sample from the carpet matched the sample from the comforter, so they knew that it was a single perpetrator they were looking for. Not that anyone really doubted that, but it was at least confirmed. [30:39] And with this DNA, an arrest warrant was made in 2002. [30:44] Wait, so they got a DNA match? No, hold your horses. So there were no hits in any of the databases. So they made an arrest warrant for a John Doe who matched the specific genetic profile they had. And I think this was done for a couple of reasons, but I'm not 100 percent sure. So I think, one, it was just to show some progress. Like, hey, we have this guy. We just can't put a face to it or a name to it. But also some of the charges were for sexual assault. [31:14] is that once you find a DNA profile, that statute of limitations clock starts ticking for filing charges or issuing an arrest warrant. So by doing it for this John Doe, whenever they found him, they could still charge him. He could still be held accountable for all of the charges and not just murder.

[31:32] So this arrest warrant felt really big, but with no name and no face, they were no further along. [31:39] I'm honestly shocked to find that there were no hits. I mean, you said earlier they didn't think this was a first time crime like this guy had to have done this before. Oh, for sure. And I mean, they even had a guess how many times before, right? Like at least three other attacks before. But technically, that was still a hunch. And it wasn't until 2010 that DNA from Patricia Smith's case was officially submitted for comparison. [32:09] Those cases were 100% connected, 100% done by the same guy. But once again, knowing this didn't help find that guy. And really, they had been working under that assumption all along. So the years just tick on by. [32:27] 2011, 12, 13, 14, 15. In 2016, the detectives try something new again when phenotyping becomes a thing. They use the genetic profile to guess what he'd look like, which definitely confirms that the dude is white, but he's not. [32:46] Not much more than that. The Denver Post published the phenotype picture in August of 2016. And here, you can take a look. [32:57] Yeah, actually, I'm gonna be honest. This is really, really cool. The first like two or three times we saw this happen. But they look the same, right? I get everything you see.

[33:05] Yeah, like the only thing that's kind of interesting specifically about this one is they do do an age progression on it. So like what he would have looked like at the time versus what he may look like now. [33:15] But like you said, pretty generic white guy. It's so generic. [33:19] Yeah. So surprise, surprise. No one knows who this guy is. But he's like everyone and no one at the same time. Yeah. Yeah. [33:26] So you have enough for phenotyping, which means I assume they can do genealogy from that, right? [33:31] Well, they can, but... [33:33] They don't have to. [33:35] Because in 2018... [33:37] There was a CODIS hit. [33:41] For decades, some cold cases have been reduced to files in a cabinet, but not anymore. I'm Ashley Flowers, and me and my team on the deck have been traveling across the country to report on these forgotten cases. And in some instances, it's resulted in these cases being solved after decades. [34:01] Join me every Wednesday as we revive these stories one card at a time. Listen to the deck now. [34:08] wherever you get your podcasts. [34:11] In June 2018, law enforcement gets the call they waited decades for. The killer of the Bennett family was a man named Alex Ewing. [34:24] And the killer of Patricia Smith. [34:25] Well, here's an odd tidbit. Apparently, the DNA profile from Patricia's case had been pulled out of CODIS because they were going to go do genealogy. So there actually wasn't like that profile from her case in the system to get a match. Wait, why? Like, so when you get it pulled for further testing, it leaves CODIS? I don't know. This is something that's like totally beyond my scope of knowledge. I know that it's not like you're dealing with the actual sample. Like, it's just it's like the profile.

[34:55] a document, right? Right. And the profile isn't even the same. The kind that gets put into CODIS versus what you do for genealogy is totally different. So in my mind, I mean, I get you're like, hey, it's been this long. We haven't gotten hit. We probably never will. But it's also like not like a vial of sample that you're taking out that like cannot. What's the harm in leaving it in? [35:14] Yeah, like, my mind is blown here and I have a lot of questions, but maybe not for this episode. [35:18] Yeah. So for our law enforcement homies out there, like if you could just like write it and let us know, I would love to know because it doesn't make any sense to me. [35:25] But once the detectives in Patricia's case heard about the match to the Bennett case, they obviously put it back in. And sure enough, that got a hit as well. OK, so who is this guy and how was he off the radar for so long? Britt. [35:38] You're never going to believe this. This guy was sitting in prison right under their noses the whole time, literally since less than two weeks after the murders. What? [35:52] After Alex killed the Bennett family, he hightailed it out of Colorado. But police were right. This guy couldn't be stopped. And he did keep going until he was caught. [36:02] On January 27th, just 11 days after he'd slaughtered the Bennetts, Ewing was in Kingman, Arizona, sneaking into the house of a man named Roy Williams. [36:12] According to Kevin Vaughn on the podcast Blame, Roy was asleep when Ewing bashed him on the side of the head with a rock. And now it didn't knock Roy out. It just startled him awake and he began to talk to his attacker. He threw him off his game and the attacker ran.

[36:30] When police arrived, they were able to see these very clear footprints or shoe prints left by the attacker, which they followed for miles until they disappeared. [36:40] The whole department was out looking for this guy when an officer spotted a suspicious man on the side of a highway. And he pulls over, tries talking to the guy, and this guy is like engaging at first. But as soon as the officer is like, hey, I'm looking for this guy. Quick way to clear this up. Can I see the bottoms of your shoes? The guy bolts. Now, he doesn't get far. And within 30 minutes, he's arrested. Okay. [37:04] Eventually, he was charged with attempted murder, but due to overcrowding, he was moved to Utah for a while until his court appearance. OK, but at this point, Kingman, Arizona should have had that original report from Aurora, Colorado, looking for... [37:19] that APB. Yeah, like looking for similar M.O.s, similar crimes, cases, anything like that. Like, yeah, obviously, this isn't a hammer. It's a rock, but it's someone breaking in and bashing someone's head in. Yeah. In the middle of the night feels pretty similar to me. Yes. And this is where, again, like was no one reading the corkboard or I just like I don't know. Like whose inbox has this been sitting in for 11 days and they just haven't read it yet. Yeah. And if they would have read it, they should have read it. They would have made the connection and that would [37:49] an attack. "Wait, they just let him out of prison?" [37:53] No, he escaped. [37:55] According to a Denver Post piece by Kirk Mitchell from back in 2018, authorities were transporting Ewing from Utah back to Arizona for an appearance in court. And apparently the transport team stopped for a bathroom break. And somehow, no, yep, they freaking let this guy escape. And dude, like, runs to a nearby Kmart, changes out of his prison uniform into some shorts and just, like, disappeared among the crowds or something because he just, like, straight up was, like, in the wind.

[38:25] And what does this guy do the second he is free? He can't even control his rage for long enough to hide. He goes right on the prowl again. [38:34] Obviously, as soon as they know there's a convict on the loose, dispatch is notified and people are out looking for him. But then other disturbing calls start coming into dispatch. Kirk Vaughn reported that one person called in and said that there was a man ringing their doorbell saying something about calling a tow truck. But something about it felt off, probably because the guy was just like roaming around in gym shorts and no shirt. Another call comes in about the same shirtless guy running through yards. [39:04] Ewing was going door to door seeing what house he could get into. Just like what the FBI profiler predicted. Like, that's exactly what they said was going to happen. Yep. And before they could catch him, he found an unlocked door. It was the home of a couple, Christopher and Nancy, and their new baby. According to Kirk Mitchell's reporting, Nancy had gotten out of bed to get the baby a bottle when she saw Ewing come through the back door and into her house. [39:33] She ran for her husband, waking him up with her screams, and by the time she was in the room, so was Ewing. [39:40] He started swinging an axe handle at Christopher as Nancy tried to shield her husband. With every blow, part of Nancy literally broke her wrists, her arms. She tried to call 911, but Ewing went after her. And she had to hide under the bed. And after blow after blow, she finally pretended to be dead, which was the only thing that made him leave.

[40:03] Ewing makes a run for it after that, but he was apprehended two days later and 15 miles away at Lake Mead. [40:10] By February of the next year, he finally went to trial and a jury found him guilty. [40:16] So it was there that he sat all these years while the Bennett and Smith case went unsolved. He was there writing into newspapers and online forums looking for women to write to. [40:30] Specifically, Kirk Vaughn read from some of his posts, quote, [40:33] Lonely inmate, 35 years old, looks 25, brown hair, green eyes, desires to write down-to-earth woman interested in getting to know someone that wants to build relationship on honesty and trust. Ashley, you didn't tell me I was going to have to puke during this episode. I'm sorry. You need to... [40:51] You give me a warning. He did multiple writings like these, trying to get correspondence with women and again, all from prison. And he was there counting down the days until he was eligible for parole. [41:04] which would have been in 2021. Okay, I guess I'm struggling to like wrap my head around something like how could he just be sitting there this whole time and like there was never any sort of CODIS connection or CODIS hit like obviously there was like that weird anomaly with Patricia's sample whatever but [41:20] Aren't there laws that felons have to have their DNA tested and, like, submitted into a profile and a system? So... [41:27] Yeah, here's the thing. There are laws like that. Yes. But it wasn't for a long time until after he was put away. According to the Blame podcast, in like the mid-1990s-ish, Nevada, which is where he was, made the law that said all felons should have their DNA collected. But this only applied to people who were convicted of a felony after the law was passed. Okay.

[41:57] Maybe they did something. Oh, well, good question. Good thought. Genius, right? [42:03] So in 2013, they made an amendment that said, OK, anyone currently in jail for a felony, you're getting tested, too. But apparently the administration at the prison he was at was basically like, yeah. [42:16] Nah, like they just ignored it. [42:17] And they ignored it for five years until the attorney general. Yeah. The attorney general had to come in and force them to do it. And what do you know? In 2018, when they start testing, they're, [42:29] Boom, one of the biggest cold cases in Colorado gets solved. OK, when you were going to explain this, I fully were expecting you to say like, [42:39] It took so long because testing took so long because we see that happen so often. But they just weren't testing. You're just telling me that they just weren't doing it. They just weren't doing it. Yeah. This could have been solved five years ago. [42:50] Cool, cool, awesome. [42:52] Ewing tried to deny his involvement. His defense argued that there, you know, [42:57] probably more than just one person there. And the investigation was narrowly focused. And they pointed to the fact that there was other DNA apparently found at Patricia's crime scene. And it was the DNA of an unknown male. Now, granted, we're not talking semen. We're talking like touch DNA on I think it was like her blouse and maybe even the hammer. And the truth is the scene was contaminated. Right. I told you early on officers weren't using gloves. This is something that came out in court. Mm hmm. [43:25] Now, the defense also pointed out that evidence was not stored properly or like stuff wasn't sealed. The chain of custody couldn't be proven. But at the end of the day.

[43:36] It was Ewing's sperm on the carpet and the comforter between the two Bennett girls and at Patricia's. [43:44] That is hard to argue with. [43:46] So the same year Ewing thought he might have a shot at probation, a shot at getting out and starting his reign of terror all over again. He was found guilty and he will never have the chance to hurt another family again. [44:02] again. But I got to tell you, this case really got me thinking about other ones. Cases like Jeffrey McDonnell, who was like a father and a husband who was thought to be guilty of his family's murder because no one could comprehend why a stranger would come into a family's home in the middle of the night and obliterate a family with no warning and no real motive other than violence itself. [44:26] But that's exactly what happened here. Right, right. And there's actually another story like that, where, according to police, a father had to be the killer because nothing else made sense. And it happened right here in the Midwest. [44:41] But maybe knowing about monsters like Ewing will make you, make all of our listeners, look at that case with more of an open mind. [44:52] I want to tell everyone that story. [44:54] next week. [44:56] *music*

[45:16] You can find all the source material for this episode on our website, CrimeJunkiePodcast.com. And if you love digging into this case, I highly recommend the podcast Blame by Nine News. And be sure to follow us on Instagram at Crime Junkie Podcast. We'll be back next week of the brand new episode, but... [45:34] stick around for profit of the month. [45:50] you [45:50] you [45:51] you [45:52] *music* [45:56] Crime Junkie is an AudioChuck production. So... [45:59] What do you think, Chuck? Do you approve? [46:11] So this month's prepaid was made by our listener Avalon and the prepaid's name is Rona, but it's spelled R. [46:23] H-O-N-A. And that was like a very specific thing that needed to be pointed out. And yes, she was named almost three years ago. [46:30] So [46:31] Avalon and her boyfriend Adam had been together for about a year and were full-time students. [46:37] Both major dog people, but again, [46:40] Students, super busy with their studies, [46:43] and not a lot of disposable income to support a dog. And Adam was dealing with some health issues as well, like a back surgery followed by a car accident that would require another back surgery, and just a ton of other ongoing therapies and medications. And one day in the summer of 2018, Adam got super sick, and they actually ended up finding out that some of his medications had been prescribed by two different doctors for different issues and were reacting to each other.

[47:13] in a ton of pain, and being a good partner, Avalon's trying to cheer him up by sending him links to cute dogs on Petfinder. [47:21] You know, they... [47:22] say how cute they are, they laugh at all those silly names that shelters give them, which I think is like, [47:27] One of the funniest things in the world, too. [47:29] But then Avalon stumbles across this listing on Craigslist for a six-month-old border collie. [47:35] And I mean, she's been looking at dogs. [47:37] day in day out for a while now, but she knew [47:40] This was their dog. [47:42] And again, they're still students. [47:44] They live so much. [47:45] separately with other roommates. Like this was not the time to get a dog at all. [47:51] But how does every story I tell end? [47:53] they call they show up and it turns out that this little border collie puppy and she was like six months old [48:02] was at a backyard breeder and [48:05] they had basically determined that border collies are supposed to be herding animals and that's what they sold [48:10] Porter call these four. [48:12] But she had like no natural herding instinct. [48:16] She did not care, which made her [48:19] completely useless for the breeder. And that's why she was on Craigslist. [48:24] And she'd spent her entire short little life [48:28] completely [48:30] outside. No socialization, no training, essentially no love. [48:36] But as soon as Avalon and Adam got out of their car, that pup became their Rona. She flew into Adam's arms and she's been stuck to his side ever since. He totally

[48:49] and completely became like her [48:52] person. [48:52] And get this, when they took her to the vet, you know, to get all checked out and everything, [48:57] Bye-bye. [48:58] looks her over, et cetera, et cetera, and gives an estimated birth date. [49:03] And that birthday is June 14th, which was the exact same day that Adam had gotten into that car accident earlier. So [49:12] Avalon was right. Rona really was like their [49:16] - It's meant to be theirs. - Sol Dot. - Yeah. - And they've worked really hard at getting her [49:22] to be the dog that they believed she could be, like, overcoming all of her fears and [49:27] socializing her. Like, she's just like, [49:30] amazing little wonder dog for them now. [49:33] They did have a scare about a year ago. [49:36] Adam was out on a walk with her, and she got bitten by a freaking rattlesnake. Which... Is so dangerous. Yes. Like, I... [49:44] Don't think I live in a place with rattlesnakes, but now I'm terrified to take my dogs on walks. Thanks. Oh my gosh. [49:51] So obviously, this is like a time sensitive thing, but this happened on a Sunday. So not a lot of animal hospitals were open. And on top of that, [50:00] You have to have one with anti-venom, so [50:04] By the time they find one that's open and can even help them, [50:09] And get there. It's been 55 minutes since the bite. And something I didn't know that Avalon taught me when she submitted this. [50:17] front bit segment. [50:18] Evidently after the 50 minute mark after a bite?

[50:21] it's more than likely fatal. And so like the hospital takes them in, they take Rona right back and they give her the antivenom and basically like just wait to see if it works. [50:33] And it took like two hours. [50:35] I imagine... [50:36] Adam and Avalon just like pacing in the waiting room in complete and utter shambles because that's how I was reading this story. [50:43] And the staff comes out and they're like, she's still here. She's still with us. [50:47] She's fighting, but even while she's fighting, she is cuddled up with every dog who has whined or whimpered and is trying to take care of everyone, even while she's fighting for her life. Get out of here. Still trying to bring... [51:02] light to everyone else. Now, [51:05] Did you just sniffle? Did I make you cry? No, I'm good. [51:11] She's good. She recovered. She's fine. She's living her best and best. [51:17] fullest life [51:18] And and now I need to go make a list of like all the emergency vet places that have anti-venom. Anti-venom in Indiana. That's like what I'm looking for now. Yeah. [51:27] Things I never knew I needed to worry about. Exactly. And I want to return to the fact that this all happened again. While Adam and Avalon were still students, they were faced with a huge vet bill. But thanks to family, friends and even the staff at the animal hospital, [51:42] All of Rona's medical care was taken care of. [51:46] Sometimes my faith in humanity gets restored every once in a while. And that's why we tell these stories, because dogs are nice and...

[51:52] Sometimes humans are too. It's wild, I know, but it's true. [51:57] And I want to come back to Rona's name real quick, because I specifically asked Avalon about this, because I was like, I need to know how it's pronounced. And also, like, where did it come from? It's so interesting. [52:08] And she said that Adam is Scottish and Border Collies actually originated in Scotland. [52:14] And there's this like [52:16] Scottish Isle called [52:18] South Rona. [52:19] And it's this really isolated [52:21] uninhabitable, desolate place. [52:23] But it has all these legends and myths about it and how it's like full of magic and mythical creatures gather there on this island. [52:31] And the island is spelled actually without the age. It's spelled R-O-N-A. [52:36] but they added the H in because [52:39] That variant of the name actually means strong and powerful, which they think is super fitting for [52:46] Rona is like just unbreakable spirit. I love it. [52:50] So right now, Rona is living happily in Laguna Beach with Adam, while Avalon is finishing her degree. [52:58] you know, I like highlighting different animal shelters. So I want to highlight the Laguna Beach Animal Shelter working in Rona's community to protect and home pets. They have a bunch of adoptable cuties. [53:08] volunteer opportunities, amazing fundraisers. They have this best friends brunch, which is exactly what it sounds like. It's a brunch at a dog park with your prepped bestie. I'm in. I personally want to go. Yeah, I am in. So we'll be linking to them as well as

[53:24] sharing pictures of Rona on our website. [53:27] Crime Junkie Podcast. [53:28] dot com. [53:29] Thank you. [53:30] Bye. [53:31] Thank you. [53:35] Bye. [53:36] Thank you. [53:37] Bye. [53:38] Thank you. [53:39] Thank you. [53:41] you [53:47] Okay, crime junkies, you know I absolutely love a twist and a turn, especially when it comes to people who turn out to be someone they're not. That's why I have been obsessed with the podcast Chameleon. Every Thursday, host Josh Dean deep dives into a scam so bizarre, it will leave you wondering, how did they get away with that? [54:06] It is truly one of my favorite podcasts right now, and I've been listening for years. [54:10] I think you'll love it too. [54:11] Listen to Chameleon wherever you get your podcasts.