CAPTURED: Hammer Killer in Denver

Summary

Crime Junkie Podcast Episode Summary: "CAPTURED: Hammer Killer in Denver"

Crime Junkie, hosted by Ashley Flowers and Brittney Brombacher, delves deep into the harrowing true crime case of the Denver Hammer Killer. This detailed summary captures the key discussions, insights, and conclusions from the episode, providing an engaging narrative for both seasoned true crime enthusiasts and newcomers alike.

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1. Introduction to the Denver Hammer Killer

Timestamp: 01:13

Ashley Flowers sets the stage by transporting listeners to Denver, Colorado—a city celebrated for its vibrant art, culture, and outdoor activities. However, beneath this facade lies a chilling tale of a serial killer whose reign of terror shattered the community.

Ashley Flowers: "This is the story of the Denver Hammer Killer... This reminds us all that we're all vulnerable."

2. The Initial Attacks

a. The Aurora Couple: James and Kim

Timestamp: 08:12

Six days before the infamous attack on Patricia Smith, James and Kim in Aurora faced a brutal assault. James was awakened in the early hours by a hammer blow to his head, sparing only minor injuries. His wife, Kim, was the primary victim, suffering severe trauma.

Ashley Flowers: "James drifts off to sleep. The next thing he knows... he saw the hammer and wondered where it came from."

Despite the violent incident, the attack received minimal media attention, leaving the police with limited leads.

b. Patricia Smith’s Murder

Timestamp: 02:07

On January 10, 1984, Patricia Smith was brutally murdered in Lakewood, Colorado. Her granddaughter, Sherry Lutton, discovered the scene—Patricia lying dead with a hammer beside her body, indicating a motive of robbery and sexual assault.

Amber (Sherry's daughter): "It's definitely an image that never leaves your mind." [04:45]

The investigation initially faced hurdles due to scant evidence and outdated forensic techniques.

c. The Bennett Family Slaughter

Timestamp: 16:07

A week after Patricia's murder, the Bennett family became victims. Constance Bennett arrived home to find her son, Bruce, mortally wounded, and her wife Deborah and daughters Melissa and Vanessa brutally attacked. The cleanup at the scene revealed a clear pattern: the use of a hammer, lack of forced entry, and minimal theft, further complicating the motive.

Ashley Flowers: "Bruce suffered 16 blows to the head... consistent with a claw hammer."

3. Investigation Challenges

Timestamp: 14:02

Despite recognizing a disturbing pattern, law enforcement struggled with inter-departmental communication. An All-Points Bulletin (APB) was issued but failed to generate crucial leads, allowing the killer to continue his spree unchecked.

Brittney Brombacher: "This could have been solved five years ago."

Technological limitations of the 1980s hindered the gathering and processing of forensic evidence, leaving investigators grasping at straws.

4. Breakthrough with DNA and Profiling

Timestamp: 26:06

Advancements in DNA technology years later provided a breakthrough. By 2001, DNA samples from the crime scenes were successfully extracted and linked all four cases to a single perpetrator. FBI profiler Ron Walker assisted in creating a behavioral profile, suggesting the killer was likely a petty criminal with a history of violent offenses.

Ron Walker: "He was very juvenile in his approach... he walks down the street and jiggles doors."

Despite these insights, the genetic profile initially yielded no matches in existing databases.

5. Capture of Alex Ewing

Timestamp: 35:48

The relentless pursuit continued until 2018 when DNA profiling technologies finally identified Alex Ewing as the Denver Hammer Killer. Remarkably, Ewing had been incarcerated for another violent crime shortly after the Bennett murders but escaped custody due to a transport mishap. His subsequent attacks, including the gruesome assault on Christopher and Nancy with their newborn, underscored his violent nature.

Ashley Flowers: "This guy was sitting in prison right under their noses the whole time."

Authorities eventually apprehended Ewing, ending his spree and bringing long-awaited closure to the victims' families.

6. Aftermath and Reflection

Timestamp: 42:22

The case highlights significant flaws in law enforcement communication and procedures of the time, emphasizing the importance of inter-agency cooperation and the adoption of advanced forensic methods. Vanessa Bennett's traumatic survival story serves as a poignant reminder of the lasting impact of such crimes on survivors.

Vanessa Bennett: "All you have to do is look at me to see the damage this man did to me."

Ashley reflects on similar unresolved cases, advocating for open-mindedness and thorough investigations to prevent future tragedies.

7. Conclusion and Community Impact

Timestamp: 43:38

The episode concludes by urging listeners to support advancements in forensic science and to remain vigilant in recognizing and addressing patterns that may indicate serial offenses. The successful capture of Alex Ewing underscores the importance of perseverance in cold cases and the critical role of technological progress in solving long-standing mysteries.

Ashley Flowers: "Knowing about monsters like Ewing will make you look at that case with more of an open mind."

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Key Takeaways:

• The Denver Hammer Killer's spree in 1984 showcased early challenges in serial crime investigations, including poor inter-agency communication and limited forensic capabilities.
• Advances in DNA technology decades later were pivotal in identifying and capturing Alex Ewing, bringing justice to multiple victims.
• The case underscores the necessity for robust law enforcement protocols and the continual improvement of forensic sciences to solve and prevent violent crimes.

For a deeper dive into this case and related stories, listeners are encouraged to visit the Crime Junkie website or explore the recommended podcast Blame by Nine News.

Transcript

[Ashley Flowers]

Hi everyone, it's Ashley Flowers. If you can't get enough true crime, trust me, you're not alone. I recently had a chance to sit down with Anna Kendrick to talk about her directorial debut, Woman of the Hour, which is her new movie about the chilling true story of the Dating Game killer. We also go into how Anna went from being a casual true crime fan to someone who loves getting deep into the details and how personal exposure experiences can shape our empathy for these real life cases. You can catch our full conversation in the Crime Junkie feed by listening to the episode Anna Kendrick is cjaf. Listen now, wherever you get your podcasts.

[Britt]

Happy Holidays, Crime Junkies. If you're searching for the perfect gift for the crime junkie in your life or looking to add something to your own wishlist, we've got you covered with this season's Crime Junkie Merch Store. The Crime Junkie Merch Store is open right now. So whether you're looking for a cozy crewneck, a new favorite T shirt, a classic hoodie, or some fun stocking stuffers, you'll find the perfect thing in our latest merch drop. The Crime Junkie Merch Store is only open for a limited time, so don't wait. Head to crimejunkiepodcast.com to get your favorites today.

[Ashley Flowers]

Hi Crime Junkies. I'm your host, Ashley Flowers. And today we're headed to Colorado. Specifically Denver, a city full of art, culture and outdoor adventures. But as you know, major cities aren't always all rainbows and butterflies. There was a moment in time when the beauty of the area became overshadowed by fear and horror. And that's when a real life monster was roaming the streets. A monster who senselessly ripped families apart and took away precious lives that deserved so much more. And he almost got away with it. So let me take you back to 2021, when I first told you how decades later, before it was almost too late, justice was finally served. Hi Crime Junkies. I'm your host, Ashley Flowers.

[Britt]

And I'm Britt.

[Ashley Flowers]

And the story I have for you today is one of the most terrifying kinds of crime junkie stories. Because it. It reminds us all 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. This is the story of the Denver Hammer Killer. January 10, 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 every weekday since Sherry and her two kids moved to Aurora to live with Patricia after Sherry's divorce. 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. 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 6 and 4. By the time they pulled up to the complex of townhouses where they lived, it was dark and that prickle that had stood started low in Sherry's spine trickled up her back because what she saw was all wrong. 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. 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 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. And it was Amber who saw her grandmother first. 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. Amber told Kirk Mitchell, quote, it's definitely an image that never leaves your mind. Sherry swooped up her children as fast as she could and got them out of there, then ran to a neighbor's who called police. When detectives arrive and actually looked at the scene in more detail, what they saw was horrifying. 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.

[Britt]

But could they tell which one was the killer's main motive?

[Ashley Flowers]

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. 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? 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, Britt, why don't you read actually a few excerpts from that letter just to give everyone a better sense of like who she was.

[Britt]

So the letter said, quote, pat was a gentle, sincere woman with soft brown eyes and a slender figure. She knew how hard life could be and why it was important to take the time to laugh fast to respond to her friends needs. Perhaps the person who took her life didn't know all of this about her. But I would like him to. 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. End quote. That's honestly really beautiful and sweet. Who wrote this?

[Ashley Flowers]

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. 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. 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.

[Britt]

Wait, like how many days?

[Ashley Flowers]

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. So in the wee hours of the morning, this guy James is up late while his wife Kim is sleeping. Jordan Chavez and Kristen Aguirre wrote in a piece for nine News that James was making this mixtape for his friend's aerobic class.

[Britt]

As if you didn't need to be reminded that this happened in 1984. Truly.

[Ashley Flowers]

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 doesn't keep you up. And James drifts off to sleep. 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. 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. 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. Now, Kim and James were treated for their injuries, and police tried to get as much information as possible, 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. And though I have to imagine police 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.

[Britt]

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? Anything? Oh, and also, this is happening. I don't know, maybe make sure your garage doors are shut, lock your doors, stuff like that.

[Ashley Flowers]

Yes, you'd 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.

[Britt]

Wait, January 10th, isn't that the same day Patricia was attacked?

[Ashley Flowers]

Yep. Stay with me. I'm gonna lay it out for you. So 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. According to a Team of reporters for Fox 21 Denver. She is hit repeatedly and raped. Kevin Vaughn 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. And again, there are no news reports about this attack.

[Britt]

Like nothing. Nothing at all.

[Ashley Flowers]

Not a thing.

[Britt]

I mean, this dude is clearly escalating and within like a matter of days.

[Ashley Flowers]

I know.

[Britt]

So did Donna survive?

[Ashley Flowers]

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.

[Britt]

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.

[Ashley Flowers]

Well, no, you're right. I mean, I think even if the community in Aurora had been notified, it's unlikely that anyone in Lake would 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. But police were sure someone this brazen and this violent probably wasn't a first time offender. If they had to bet, they'd say that he'd done something like this somewhere before.

[Britt]

Happy Holidays, Crime junkies. If you're searching for the perfect gift for the crime junkie in your life or looking to add something to your own wishlist, we've got you covered with this season's Crime Junkie Merch Store. The Crime Junkie Merch Store is open right now. So whether you're looking for a cozy crewneck, a new favorite T shirt, a classic hoodie, or some fun stocking stuffers, you'll find the perfect thing in our latest merch drop. The Crime Junkie Merch Store is only open for a limited time, so don't wait. Head to crimejunkiepodcast.com to get your favorites today.

[Ashley Flowers]

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 APB to departments nationwide. 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.

[Britt]

From The Aurora police.

[Ashley Flowers]

Not even from them.

[Britt]

I guess. I'm stunned. How did they not see how similar this is?

[Ashley Flowers]

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.

[Britt]

So things sometimes, like a little notification system or something.

[Ashley Flowers]

Yeah, so, like, things don't slip through the cracks because we're talking about people's lives here. But Kevin Vaughn broke it down in his podcast. Basically, when these APBs go out, 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. Honestly, I'm not even sure how you guarantee it makes it off the fax machine.

[Britt]

Yeah, I was just kind of thinking about this temp job I used to have as a receptionist where I to sort mail for this huge corporation and trying to figure out, like, 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?

[Ashley Flowers]

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 running. And so no one from Aurora realizes that their guy has moved or that he'll be coming back with a vengeance. And one of those people who was none the wiser about the dangers lurking in her own little town was Constance Bennett. On January 16, 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? 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. According to an affidavit of probable cause, when Constance pulled up to the house, she noticed the garage door was open. 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. Her son, Bruce was lying on the bottom few steps that led up to the second floor. 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. 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, 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. 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 when police arrived, it took no time at all to realize they were dealing with a true monster. Just as Constance had suspected, Deborah and the girls were upstairs. The affidavit of probable cause states that Deborah was found on the floor of her and Bruce's bedroom. The two girls, Melissa, who was 7, and Vanessa, who was 3, were in their room. 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. And I'll spare you the details, but it was clear that this little girl, this seven year old little girl had been raped on one of the beds above. Melissa was Vanessa. First responders initially saw blood, but then just then, among all the carnage 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 Achieve Children's Hospital to find out. Meanwhile, police continued to process the Bennett house for any clue as to who did this. Bruce, Debra and Melissa's bodies were sent off for autopsy, which was going to be rushed and done the very next day. And they didn't mind waiting the day because they actually had some stuff to work off of at the house while they Waited. 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. They also noticed something interesting, something that they had seen before. 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.

[Britt]

Okay, so Lakewood wasn't connected. I get it. But I mean, surely they see this connection, right? Like the case of the couple to the flight attendant who took place like that was all just like a week before they do.

[Ashley Flowers]

Which is what I mean when I said that they had plenty to work off of. There is clearly a pattern here. Yeah, 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. Bruce suffered 16 blows to the head and they were consistent with a claw hammer. 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. 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. 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 19, 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. The first is a group of quote, hippies who were repeatedly sighted near the Bennetts 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.

[Britt]

Okay, but this is the first time the public is even hearing about this quote, pre dawn Hammer attack last month, right?

[Ashley Flowers]

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.

[Britt]

For what? I mean, my mind immediately goes to DNA, but we're talking Lubbock in 84.

[Ashley Flowers]

Well, they're specifically sending things off that could have fingerprints. 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 to attack with it. So at this point they're pretty confident that all the Aurora attacks at least are committed by the same guy. 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. 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. 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.

[Britt]

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.

[Ashley Flowers]

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.

[Chuck]

The greater New England area can evoke images of luxurious getaways. But what really lies beyond this coast? Both archives of dark history and more modern mysteries, all of which I have set out to uncover. I'm Kylie Lo, investigative journalist and host of Dark Down East. Each week I dig deeper into the cases from the place I call home and into the stories of the people at the hearts of them. Listen to Dark down east now wherever you get your podcasts.

[Ashley Flowers]

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 S.M. smith. And that's when it jumped out at them. The pattern. Six days. Every six days their attacker struck. First on January 4th with James and Kim, then on January 10th with the flight attendant Donna and Patricia, who is the same day. Then again on the 16th with the Bennett family. 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. But the night came and went without a single report. And on one hand everyone is happy, but on the other, it's almost like.

[Britt]

They'Re waiting for the other. Shoe to drop. Like, when is he going to attack next?

[Ashley Flowers]

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. But day after day passes and that doesn't come. And unfortunately, definitive answers don't come from Lubbock either. 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. A little less than two weeks after the family's murder, Ron Walker from the FBI arrives in Colorado. 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, end quote. 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, Brit, I'll have you give everyone kind of the lowdown from this Denver Post piece.

[Britt]

Okay, so basically, Walker suspected this guy was an unsophisticated criminal, especially when looking at the few items that were taken from the victims. What you mentioned in all the cases is nothing big or super valuable was ever removed 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. 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. 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. 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 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. He thinks he was really just targeting the easiest houses, like the ones with open garage doors or even unlocked doors. This quote I found really interesting. He said he was very juvenile in his approach. How does he gain entry into homes? He walks down the street and jiggles doors, end quote. So, duh. Ron was like, you guys need to be looking for evidence, not just at the Bennet 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.

[Ashley Flowers]

Yeah.

[Britt]

And overall, Walker basically concludes that what drives this guy is rage, and he's going to keep going until he stopped.

[Ashley Flowers]

Well, 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, or he was dead. Decades passed. 500 people interviewed, and nothing as quickly as this killer ripped apart Colorado. He seemed to be gone. 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. And, Brit, I 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, kids made fun of her for what happened. Made what fun of her? Because her family was murdered. They wouldn't invite her to sleepovers because they said that the hammer man would come for all of them if she was there.

[Britt]

Like, oh, my.

[Ashley Flowers]

Who the is raising these kids? 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.

[Britt]

I would say the one time I mentioned to you that a kid had said something that upset Eli at school, you're like, okay, who is he?

[Ashley Flowers]

I'm gonna find him.

[Britt]

Where can I find them? The child is going to have to have a talk with me. Like, I am raging at this point. This is unacceptable, people.

[Ashley Flowers]

Right? So, I mean, again, like, she was already up against, like, the worst, and the world made it even worse for her. 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. According to another News 9 piece by Kevin Vaughn published 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.

[Britt]

Wait, didn't you say that at some point that all the other texts described a black man as the attacker?

[Ashley Flowers]

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, and I'm not even sure if they were always just tentative about it. I mean, they did put it out there in that call in that paper saying that they're looking for. Remember, 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.

[Britt]

Right, right.

[Ashley Flowers]

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, 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. And with this DNA, an arrest warrant was made in 2002.

[Britt]

Wait, so they got a DNA match?

[Ashley Flowers]

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% 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 name to it. But also, some of the charges were for sexual assault. And I know the way it works in most states 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. So this arrest warrant felt really big. But with no name and no face, they were no further along.

[Britt]

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.

[Ashley Flowers]

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. And finally, they were able to determine that all their suspicions were correct. 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 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 not much more than that. The Denver Post published the phenotype picture in August of 2016. And here, Brett, you can take a look.

[Britt]

Yeah, Ashley, I'm gonna be honest. This was really, really cool. The first, like, two or three times we saw this happen.

[Ashley Flowers]

But they look the same, right? Like everything you see? Yeah.

[Britt]

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, but like you said, pretty generic. White guy.

[Ashley Flowers]

It's so generic. Yeah. So surprise, surprise, no one knows who this guy is.

[Britt]

Right. He's like everyone and no one at the same time.

[Ashley Flowers]

Yeah.

[Britt]

So you have enough for phenotyping, which means, I assume they can do genealogy from that, right?

[Ashley Flowers]

Well, they can, but they don't have to, because in 2018, there was a CODIS hit.

[Chuck]

The Greater New England area can evoke images of luxurious getaways. But what really lies beyond this coast? Both archives of dark history and more modern mysteries. All of which I have set out to uncover. I'm Kylie Lo, investigative journalist and host of Dark Down East. Each week, I dig deeper into the cases from the place I call home and into the stories of the people at the hearts of them. Listen to Dark down east now, wherever you get your podcasts.

[Ashley Flowers]

In June 2018, law enforcement gets the call they waited decades for. The killer of the Bennet family was a man named Alex Ewing and the.

[Britt]

Killer of Patricia Smith.

[Ashley Flowers]

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.

[Britt]

Wait, why? So when you get it pulled for further testing, it leaves codis?

[Ashley Flowers]

I don't know. This is something that's totally beyond my scope of knowledge. I know that. It's not like you're dealing with the actual sample.

[Britt]

It's like the profile. It's like a document. Right, Right.

[Ashley Flowers]

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 a hit, we probably never will.

[Britt]

But it's also, like, not like a vial of sample that you're taking out that, like, cannot. Yeah.

[Ashley Flowers]

What's the harm in leaving it in?

[Britt]

Yeah, like, my mind is blown here, and I have a lot of questions, but maybe not for this episode.

[Ashley Flowers]

Yeah, so for our law enforcement homies out there, like, if you could just, like, write in and let us know, I would love to know, because it doesn't make any sense to me, 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.

[Britt]

Okay, so who is this guy? And how was he off the radar for so long?

[Ashley Flowers]

Brit, 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.

[Britt]

What?

[Ashley Flowers]

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 on January 27, just 11 days after he'd slaughtered the Bennetts. Ewing was in Kingman, Arizona, sneaking into the house of a man named Roy Williams. 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. 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. 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. Eventually, he was charged with attempted murder, but due to overcrowding, he was moved to Utah for a while until his court appearance.

[Britt]

Okay, but, I mean, at this point, Pingman, Arizona, should have had that original report from Aurora, Colorado. Looking for that APB. Yeah, like, looking for similar MOs, 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.

[Ashley Flowers]

Yeah. In the middle of the night.

[Britt]

Feels pretty similar to me.

[Ashley Flowers]

Yes. And this is where, again, like, was no one reading the cork board or. I just, like. I don't know.

[Britt]

Right. Like, whose inbox has this been sitting in for 11 days?

[Ashley Flowers]

Yeah.

[Britt]

And they just haven't read it yet.

[Ashley Flowers]

Yeah, and if they would have read it, they should have read it. They would have made the connection, and that would have spared another couple from an attack.

[Britt]

Wait, they just let him out of prison?

[Ashley Flowers]

No, he escaped. 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.

[Britt]

No.

[Ashley Flowers]

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. 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. 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 Von 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. And that's because dude was going door to door, seeing what house he could.

[Britt]

Get into, just like what the FBI profiler predicted, like that's exactly what they said was going to happen.

[Ashley Flowers]

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. She ran for her husband, waking him up with her screams. And by the time she was in the room, so was Ewing. He started swinging an ax 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. Ewing makes a run for it after that, but he was apprehended two days later and 15 miles away at Lake Mead. By February of the next year, he finally went to trial, and a jury found him guilty. 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. Specifically, Kirk Vaughn. Read from some of his posts. Quote, 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.

[Britt]

Ashley, you didn't tell me I was going to have to puke during this episode. I'm sorry. You need to. You need to give me a warning.

[Ashley Flowers]

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, which would have been in 2021.

[Britt]

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 aren't there laws that felons have to have their DNA tested and, like, submitted into a profile and a system?

[Ashley Flowers]

So, 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.

[Britt]

Okay.

[Ashley Flowers]

Now, at some point, someone was like, hey, we got a lot of people in jail. Maybe they did something.

[Britt]

Oh, wow. Good question. Good thought.

[Ashley Flowers]

Genius, right? So in 2013, they made an amendment that said, okay, 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, nah. Like, they just ignored it. 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, boom, one of the biggest cold cases in Colorado gets solved.

[Britt]

Okay, when you were going to explain this, I fully were expecting you to say, like, it took so long because testing took so long because we see that happen so often.

[Ashley Flowers]

Oh, no, no, no.

[Britt]

But they just weren't testing. You're just telling me that they just weren't doing it.

[Ashley Flowers]

They just weren't doing it. Yeah. This could have been solved five years ago.

[Britt]

Cool. Cool. Awesome.

[Ashley Flowers]

Ewing tried to deny his involvement. His defense argued that there, you know, 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. 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, it was Ewing's sperm on the carpet and the comforter between the two Bennet girls and at Patricia's. That is hard to argue with. 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. But I gotta 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. 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. 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. So I want to tell everyone that story next week. 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.

[Britt]

And be sure to follow us on Instagram at Crime Junkie Podcast Podcast.

[Ashley Flowers]

Crime Junkie is an audio Chuck production. So what do you think, Chuck? Do you approve?

[Chuck]

Hi, everyone. Delia D'Ambra here, investigative journalist, park enthusiast, and host of the weekly podcast Park Predators. On Park Predators, I guide you deep into national parks and forests, exploring the cases that unfold in some of the most beautiful places across the globe. From stories that made the headlines to Unsolved Mysteries, we uncover the hidden truths these serene landscapes hold. There are so many episodes of Park Predators and new stories every Tuesday. Listen to Park Predators now. Wherever you listen to podcasts.