famous delaware murders

When the Golden State Killer was caught in 2018 more than three decades after his crimes the country was stunned. Both mother and son denied the charges. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. NEW! The highly publicized case went to trial on October 26, 1998, and lasted twelve weeks. She refused. After a brutal car chase, Kimball was arrested and plead guilty to four charges of second-degree murder. Additionally, some of the other unsolved murders Delaware included in the long list of Delaware cold cases are the many east Delaware unsolved murders as well as southeastern unsolved Delaware murders. According to Project: Cold Case, there are currently around 517 Delaware cold cases, although this number does not account for any missing persons cold cases. This time, however, the killer left a clue: DiMauro was covered head to toe in blue carpet fiber. He met his fate in the electric chair on July 17, 1996. The American government kept many of these reports quiet, but German U-Boats sank many merchant ships off the coast of Delaware. Once Matzke was awake they both strangled Swaney with a bed sheet. Food was scarce, disease was rampant, and a favorite game of the guards was to throw a live rat to the crowds and watch them fight for a warm meal. Botkin was furious and she plotted sweet revenge. Some serial killers are known for killing children, like David Meirhofer in Montana. In 1987, when he was just 13 years old, he stabbed Rebecca Spencer to death. You'd pay an annual fee and receive a list of eligible lovers in your area. Right around Christmas in 1987, Ronald Gene Simmons murdered his entire family. The thought was that the jury shouldve been done before Thanksgiving. During his sentencing, Pennel bizarrely asked to be put to death; however, he never admitted to the crimes. 2006, at the New Castle County Courthouse in Wilmington, Del. However, in January 1999 the jury found Capano guilty of murder. Each of the women was friends with Wallace's girlfriend or worked with him, and each had his name in their phone books. Hauntings at this hotel include: While none of these things is necessarily sinister, the effect is definitely chilly! Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer and Ariel Castro are just a few of the criminals who've called Ohio home. He became an affluent lawyer, state prosecutor, Wilmington city attorney, legal counsel to Governor Mike Castle, and political consultant, well known in Delaware's political circles. In 2016, police received a 911 call just outside of Columbus, Ohio. Thatcooler was presented as evidence to the stunned jury. (AP Photo/Matthew S. Gunby), Assistant U.S. Attorney Colm Connolly, right, answers questions from the media as Delaware State Prosecutor Ferris Wharton, center, and Deleware Attorney General Jane Brady, left, listen after a jury convicted Thomas J. Capano for first-degree murder in the death of Anne Marie Fahey. She also recalls a heartbreaking encounter with his daughter, who approached the officer during a stakeout and asked for a donation to a school fundraiser. All they had for clues were blue carpet fibers on the bodies, WHYY reports. Of those 18, five people were killed. 1. Thank you! Prosecutors alleged that Capano murdered Fahey at the house he rented and, with the assistance of his brother Gerry, dumped her body in the Atlantic Ocean. While on trial for his murders, he was described as "being a cold, calculating killer determined to kill as many women who worked as sex workers.". The group operated for about a decade in the early 19th century and abducted hundreds of free Black people and fugitive slaves, along the Delmarva Peninsula, across multiple . So although it's hard to choose just one killer that terrorized the state, Robert Hansen seems to leave a really bone-chilling scare. He hanged himself in jail just hours after confessing. Task-force members met with the FBIs Behavioral Science Unit in Quantico, Virginia. Sign up for our weekly newsletter. However, Capano's other mistress, Debby MacIntyre, had bought a gun and admitted having supplied the weapon to Capano.[2]. Despite the fact that the victims died near Dover, Delaware, the residents of Lewes would have to follow the trial from afar. He was the Route 40 Killer,. A few examples of the unsolved murders in northern Delaware include the 2013 murder of Kaiheem White, the 1993 murder of Linda Ann Moody Armstrong, the 2000 murder of Carmen Rodriguez, the 2013 murder of Lamar Wilmer, and the 2013 murder of Samantha Neuwein, among countless others. he killed three boys, strangling them and taking bites into each. Thomas Capano, a prominent Democrat, was one of four brothers. Henley confessed and told the police about his work with Croll. He was executed at age 34 in 1992 by the State of Delaware by lethal injection. He died in prison. Since he worked as a clown performer for children's parties, he would often kill his victims while wearing the clown costume that he called Pogo the Clown. Why did a 31-year-old married father oftwo embark on a killing spree? It's even reported she threw one child in a fire to stop her from crying. Pedro Lopez. The case of the Boston Strangler serial killer is still left unsolved. That couldve been devastating.. He would then rape and murder them. Want a digest of WHYYs programs, events & stories? [5], Investigators did not have a murder weapon or a body, nor any evidence that Capano had purchased a gun. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. On January 17, 1999, the jury convicted Capano of first-degree murder and he was sentenced to death by lethal injection. She died at San Quentin in 1910. The smell turned out to be Tiffany Bresciani decomposing body. Do you remember when this story hit the news? The suspect had been pulled over for a routine traffic violation and was immediately hauled into court to pay his ticketan infrequent but legal method for the police to detain a suspect. In 2012, reports surfaced that Rogers may be the murderer of Nicole Simpson not O.J. What his wife didn't know was that Herb also cruised gay bars at night, picking up young men. Gordon's body washed up on the rocky banks of the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal on Sept. 20. He is still in prison. They were given the name "Sex Slave Killers.". If youre interested in knowing more about the statistics regardingcrimesin Delaware, several law enforcement organizations publish annual reports on their websites that detail the crimes in the state. Gacy killed 33 boys and young men in the '70s, They later found 11 bodies just 50 feet from his home, 1948 and 1980, Cole strangled and killed 13 women across multiple states. Unfortunately, it appears that the number of Delaware homicide and real crime stories will never cease. At one, he left a letter telling them he can't stop killing and gave himself the initials BTK. Thomas Capano, a once-prominent Delaware attorney who was convicted of killing his mistress after a dramatic trial more than 12 years ago, has been found dead in his prison cell. For a time, people believed it was an interstate trucker.. Wikimedia Commons, Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images, Julian Wasser/Online USA Inc./Getty Victims of some of history's most famous murders, from left: Elizabeth Short, Sharon Tate, Kitty Genovese, JonBent Ramsey, Lizzie Borden (infamously, not a victim but a suspect), and Dorothy Stratten. Eugene Butler was declared mentally insane in 1906 and died in an asylum a few years later. We believe the more resources we can provide to digital volunteers and citizen solvers mean more citizen detective communities. As a terrible snowstorm settled over the region, Jennings, Maurer and Peter Letang of the Attorney Generals office abandoned their holiday plans to learn Pennells fate. We've collected five of the most notorious cold cases in American history, ranging from 1892 to 1996. . Charlene got out of jail in 2013 after serving a 16-year sentence. Other killers are so famous they are known all over the country, like Ted Bundy, the BTK Killer, and John Wayne Gacy. as well as other partner offers and accept our, Connecticut Department of Correction/ AP Images. Jane Toppan. David Parker Ray bought a $100,000 trailer. At just 19 years old he killed 11 people. He also recruited two teenage boys as accomplices to help him. In Utah, he murdered three women. While in Iowa, he lived with his mother who would often beat him. ", Amy Anderson was the only woman to escape the clutches of Robert Leroy Anderson, authorities call him a serial killer that would have killed again if he had not been stopped, Corll had killed 28 boys in Texas just outside of Houston, He and the other accomplice are now serving their life sentence in prison, sentenced to death and met the electric chair in 1989, link him to a couple's murder in Burlington, Vermont, who killed four women in Southern Virginia, found guilty of raping and killing four women. Although he only killed two women, authorities call him a serial killer that would have killed again if he had not been stopped. In 2002, he was in jail for fraud and convinced the FBI to let him out as an informant. In the '90s, Paul Dennis Reid moved to Nashville to become a country music star. An arrest warrant was issued, and on Nov. 29, 1988, a year after hed claimed his first victim, Pennell was in handcuffs. Capano tried to pin Faheys death on another lover. After being brought into custody Hansen confessed to raping over 30 women, and murdering 17. He first strangled his 17-year-old daughter and held her under the water in a rain barrel. Two years later, he killed Joan Heaton and her two daughters. She fought back and got away. On Nov. 23, 1989, Thanksgiving Day, the jury reached a verdict. We had a gamut of people stop for her,says Hedrick.Doctors, lawyers, schoolteachers. Want a digest of WHYYs programs, events & stories? It is believed that Wayne Williams a freelance photographer may have been responsible for the murders. A Delaware Superior Court judge sentenced the once wealthy and well-connected attorney to life in prison without parole for the 1996 murder of Fahey, who was scheduling secretary to then-Gov. Eventually, police started showing up at the Baumeister home asking questions about missing boys. While police brass tried to shed light on what drives the violence, Philly councilmembers and residents expressed weariness with more hearings, little action. Thirteen women were killed in their own homes. Editor's Note: A warning that these accounts can be upsetting to some and describe graphic details of real-life cases. In New Hampshire, he was known as "Bob Evans" who killed one woman and three small children. No one knew for years who killed four women in Southern Virginia. She was an illegal slave trader, involved in the kidnapping of both free and enslaved African Americans. Also featured in a 2018 episode of Vanity Fair Confidential titled "The Secret of the Summer Wind.". WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. Contact me here. One cant help but wonder why he demanded the ultimate punishment, even while maintaining his innocence. [citation needed] In April 2008, the U.S. District Court rejected Capano's habeas corpus petition,[7] and on September 2, 2008, the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed. Daniel Wayne Cook, John Matzke, Carlos Froyan Cruz-Ramos, and Kevin Swaney all worked together at a restaurant in Lake Havasu City, Arizona during the summer of 1987. Love Delaware? With Dunning off to cover the war, and Botkin stewing in San Francisco, Mary Dunning was enjoying a summer family get-together at her fathers house in Dover. The day before Halloween, Price, a redhead, was found dead in the bathtub, and Rogers fled the scene. The Phantom Killer was never identified, but the terror he left in the small town was never lost, ultimately inspiring the classic horror film "The Town that Dreaded Sundown.". Bobby Beausoleil, Mary Brunner, and Susan Atkins held Gary Hinman hostage for days in order to retrieve his inheritance. Thats all I have to say., On Halloween 1991, Pennell was sentenced to death. That night, most of those who had attended the gathering became violently ill, with retching stomach pains and vomiting. Known as a prostitute to local authorities, Gordon was last seen on Route 40, hopping into the passenger side of a blue Ford panel van. Ray would often record the torture on video. How a Delaware man now suspected in four murders avoided prison after violating probation. A few days later, Whisenhant returned to her body and mutilated it. Charged with the murder of DiMauro, Gordon and Ellis, he exercised his right to remain silent. After picking up an undercover policewoman, fibres from the back of Pennells van linked him to the crimes. In 1988, Bernard Williams beat state representative William Telek to death with a hammer, stealing $100 in cash and Telek's car. Shortly after that, now-retired Superior Court Judge Bill Lee sentenced Capano to death. On December 22nd he first shot his wife and oldest son before strangling his 3-year-old granddaughter and disposing of the bodies in a cesspit he had made his children dig. By the time she stopped her brutal reign over her family in the late '50s, she had murdered four of her husbands, one of her mother-in-laws, her two sisters, her grandson, her nephew, two of her own children, and even her own mother. The empty cooler was found on July 4, 1996, by a local fisherman. Eventually, an undercover cop was picked up by Pennell and she noticed his van was covered in blue carpet. This True Story About One Delaware Hero Is Nearly Unbelievable, Youll Actually Enjoy The History Lessons Found At This Quirky Delaware Pub, Few People Know That A Revolutionary War Battle Took Place In This Delaware Town, Most People Dont Know About These Strange Ruins Hiding In Delaware, This Is The Oldest Place You Can Possibly Go In Delaware And Its History Will Fascinate You, These 12 Photos Of Delaware From The Early 1900s Are Beyond Fascinating, 8 Nostalgic Places Around Delaware That Will Take You Back To Your Childhood, History Left A Definite Mark At This One Fascinating Spot In Delaware, The One Place To Sleep In Delaware Thats Beyond Your Wildest Dreams. He was sentenced to 15 years in Utah State Prison but was extradited to Colorado. WHYY provides trustworthy, fact-based, local news and information and world-class entertainment to everyone in our community. One of his more brutal cases was when he broke into a 5-year-old girl's home, raped, and strangled her. On trial, Howell said he could not explain his motive behind the killings, referencing a "monster" inside him. You might remember this one in 1976, one of the most horrifying Delaware stories unfolded right on Main Street in Newark. Last edited on 18 December 2022, at 05:34, "Thomas Capano found dead in prison cell", "Examiner: Capano died of sudden cardiac arrest", "Capano brothers clash over Delaware family's real estate empire", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thomas_Capano&oldid=1128066342, This page was last edited on 18 December 2022, at 05:34. Some papers even described her as more of a cartoon character than a serial killer. Some believe his stabbings were racially motivated because the majority of his victims were African American. DNA tests found Gary Ridgway was the murderer, and he confirmed that fact by confessing to over 75 murders. He was sentenced to 224 years in prison, but he died in prison of a heart attack in 2002. The discovery of the corpses led to another newsflash: The area had a serial killer. Her wrists and ankles were bound, and she was silenced with duct tape. Related:Lovers, murder and madness: Revisit Delaware's most sensational killings, Marys father had a chemist examine the unconsumed candy, and the chemist found that they were laced with arsenic. Michael Bruce Ross, also known as The Roadside Killer, was a serial rapist and killer who preyed on women between New York and Connecticut. It took a year and several deaths before police were able to break open the case and arrest Brian Pennell. Pennell appeared content, but others rushed to prevent his death. This is a list of notable male murderers who committed their murders in Delaware, USA. Another resource which provides homicide statistics for every state is Project: Cold Case, who defines themselves as a not-for-profit organization with an ambitious goal of publicizing all unsolved homicides in the United States while linking information, families, and law enforcement, and ultimately, helping to solve cold cases.. She survived the attack. Thats the lingering mystery: Why?, A 1991 psychiatric evaluation submitted to the Delaware Supreme Court cleared Pennell of depression, paranoia and psychosis. Overridden with guilt, Matzke confessed to the murderers and served 20 years. Capano was convicted of killing Anne Marie Fahey. His first bombing was at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. Steven Brian Pennell (1957 or 1958 March 14, 1992), aka The Corridor Killer, was convicted of the murders of two New Castle County, Delaware women and suspected of three more.He also plead no contest to the murder of Kathleen Meyer once DNA evidence linked him to the case. He put up no fight and never appealed his death sentence. Right before he was caught, he killed his mother by smashing her head with a hammer and decapitating her. He also confessed to bombing an abortion clinic in Georgia, a lesbian bar in Georgia, and an abortion clinic in Birmingham, Alabama resulting in the death of an Alabaman security guard and a police officer. According to this same Uniform Crime Report from 2019, the homicide rate in Delaware was around 4.9 per 100,000 residents, meaning that roughly 5 people per 100,000 residents of Delaware were murdered. The murder became the subject of worldwide press coverage at the time as well as several books, films and . She was partially clothed, her legs spread apart. Woodfield didn't become well known as a football player. Is A Netflix And Chill Date Supposed To Be A Death Sentence? According to court documents, Catherine DiMauro was walking along Route 40 around 11:30 p.m. on June 28, 1988. As part of the Deparment of Corrections standard procedures, his bodyhas been turned over to the State Medical Examiners Office. Eventually, he pled no contest to the September 1988 murders of Michele A. Gordon and Kathleen Anne Meyer. In the 1980s, Harvey was a nurse's aid working at hospitals in Kentucky and Ohio, and he killed dozens of patients using cyanide, rat poison, and arsenic, according to WXIX. Maurer rolled the dice and had his client testify how the victimsblood and hair found their way into his van. He never once used the first person. It was the fate Pennell asked for himself. In the late '70s, Joubert made his fantasies a reality when he killed three boys, strangling them and taking bites into each. At the trial, the contaminated candy, the note and the handkerchief from the candy box were linked to Botkin, and the Lewes Delaware Pilot laconically observed, The testimony in the trial of Mrs. Botkin is very damaging to her.. He was sentenced to death but died from pneumonia in prison in 2013. September 19, 2011 Thomas Capano, a once-prominent Delaware attorney who was convicted of killing his mistress after a dramatic trial more than 12 years ago, has been found dead in his prison cell. There have only been two serial killers to ever make the record here: Patty Cannon, in the 1820s, and Steven Brian Pennell, in the 1980s. Officially, though, the identity of the murderer remains a . They were all found in pools of blood with their pants pulled halfway down. Before she could stand trial for her crimes, she was shot to death reportedly by a friend of one of the victims. With modern technology, theres still hope that Janes killer will be brought to justice. The subject of worldwide press coverage at the 1996 Summer Olympics in,... To Colorado into his van was covered in blue carpet and three small children the identity of Summer. Thats all I have to say., on Halloween 1991, Pennell sentenced... As part of the victims died near Dover, Delaware, USA and Rogers fled the famous delaware murders: warning. The State of Delaware homicide and real crime stories will never cease list of notable male murderers committed... Worked with him, and each had his name in their phone books, by a of. Into each that Capano had purchased a gun showing up at the time as well other! Want a digest of WHYYs programs, events & stories explain his behind... The name `` Sex Slave killers. `` murders in Delaware, USA 31-year-old married father embark. Ships off the coast of Delaware homicide and real crime stories will never cease was arrested plead... Courthouse in Wilmington, Del 1998, and Susan Atkins held Gary Hinman hostage for days order. Knew for years who killed four women in Southern Virginia or worked with him, and each had name. After confessing another newsflash: the area had a gamut of people stop for her, says,... Dover, Delaware, the residents of Lewes would have to follow the trial from afar hanged himself jail... Guilt, Matzke confessed to raping over 30 women, and lasted twelve weeks did a married. Be Tiffany Bresciani decomposing body the Boston Strangler serial killer is still left unsolved Day, the convicted! What his wife did n't know was that the jury reached a verdict after his crimes the country stunned..., 1996, by a local fisherman rocky banks of the criminals &! 17, 1999, the jury shouldve been done before Thanksgiving friend of of... One in 1976, one of the Summer Wind. `` call a... Halloween, Price, a prominent Democrat, was one of four brothers jury found guilty. Now suspected in four murders avoided prison after violating probation is still left.... To over 75 murders but was extradited to Colorado cant help but wonder why he demanded the ultimate punishment even... He exercised his right to remain silent right on Main Street in Newark DiMauro was walking along 40... Confirmed that fact by confessing to over 75 murders nor any evidence that Capano had purchased gun... On Main Street in Newark his inheritance bound, and Susan Atkins held Gary Hinman hostage for in! Over to the stunned jury whyy reports the September 1988 murders of A.... Killer was caught in 2018 more than three decades after his crimes the country stunned... Of Corrections standard procedures, his bodyhas been turned over to the murderers and served 20 years African... Mother who famous delaware murders often beat him held Gary Hinman hostage for days in order to retrieve inheritance! And three small children 's home, raped, and she was shot to death reportedly a! In our community the residents of Lewes would have killed again if he had not stopped. Murders of Michele A. Gordon and Ellis, he never admitted to the and! This is a Netflix and Chill Date Supposed to be Tiffany Bresciani decomposing body suspected in four murders avoided after. Decapitating her about his work with Croll cant help but wonder why he demanded the ultimate,... `` Sex Slave killers. `` but others rushed to prevent his death why he demanded the ultimate punishment even. Real crime stories will never cease personalized feed while you 're on the go of WHYYs programs events. A prominent Democrat, was found on July 4, 1996, by a friend of one of the of! Done before Thanksgiving found Gary Ridgway was the murderer of Nicole Simpson not O.J Vanity Confidential. Clothed, her legs spread apart hotel include: while none of these things necessarily! This one in 1976, one of the victims died near Dover, Delaware, the left! Delaware stories unfolded right on Main Street in Newark died near Dover, Delaware,.! Had not been stopped oftwo embark on a killing spree been done before Thanksgiving readers like you the became... On trial, Howell said he could not explain his motive behind the killings, referencing ``! N'T become well known as a football player accounts can be upsetting to some and describe details... This is a Netflix and Chill Date Supposed to be a death sentence up by and! Arrest Brian Pennell this story hit the news we & # x27 ; ve called Ohio home did not a. Crimes, she was partially clothed, her legs spread apart the trial from.... Was found dead in the late '70s, Joubert made his fantasies reality... Letter telling them he ca n't stop killing and gave himself the initials BTK the Golden killer! Clue: DiMauro was covered head to toe in blue carpet fibers on the bodies, whyy.! As part of the Chesapeake & amp ; Delaware Canal on Sept. 20 pled no contest to September. Heart attack in 2002 corpses led to another newsflash: the area had a serial is! Both free and enslaved African Americans hit the news x27 ; ve called Ohio home Whisenhant to... As part of the most horrifying Delaware stories unfolded right on Main Street in Newark her from.! 224 years in prison, but others rushed to prevent his death real crime stories will never.! Known for killing children, like David Meirhofer in Montana provide to digital volunteers and citizen solvers mean citizen! Smashing her head with a hammer and decapitating her prominent Democrat, was found in. Digest of WHYYs programs, events & stories may have been responsible for murders... Few years later stories will never cease Gary Hinman hostage for days in order to his! & amp ; Delaware Canal on Sept. 20 at age 34 in 1992 by the State of Delaware homicide real! But wonder why he demanded the ultimate punishment, even while maintaining his innocence them and bites... A prominent Democrat, was one of the most horrifying Delaware stories unfolded right on Main in. Friends with Wallace 's girlfriend or worked with him, and he was sentenced to by. On trial, Howell said he could not explain his motive behind the,... Gamut of people stop for her crimes, she was silenced with duct tape, was! Access your favorite topics in a rain barrel programs, events & stories was picked up Pennell. Banks of the Summer Wind. `` by a friend of one of brothers. Beausoleil, Mary Brunner, and Rogers fled the scene the electric chair July. Thats all I have to follow the trial from afar or a body, nor any that!, now-retired Superior Court Judge Bill Lee sentenced Capano to death ; however, he three... Name `` Sex Slave killers. `` two women, and Susan Atkins held Gary Hinman hostage for in! Terrorized the State, Robert Hansen seems to leave a really bone-chilling scare sentencing, bizarrely. He had not been stopped Democrat, was found dead in the bathtub and! In 2012, reports surfaced that Rogers may be the murderer, and strangled her Date Supposed to be Bresciani. Explain his motive behind the killings, referencing a `` monster '' him! Accept our, Connecticut Department of Correction/ AP Images access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while 're... N'T become well known as `` Bob Evans '' who killed four women in Virginia... Broke into a 5-year-old girl 's home, raped, and murdering 17 and each his... Delaware Canal on Sept. 20 Route 40 around 11:30 p.m. on June 28, 1988 pants pulled halfway down the. Will never cease ships off the coast of Delaware by lethal injection in more... Pennell and she was an illegal Slave trader, involved in the bathtub and! Spencer to death but died from pneumonia in prison in 2013 after serving 16-year... 1998, and each had his name in their phone books none of these reports quiet, but others to. On June 28, 1988 his death sank many merchant ships off the coast of Delaware by lethal.! Committed their murders in Delaware, the identity of the murderer of Simpson... And world-class entertainment to everyone in our community provides trustworthy, fact-based, in-depth journalism and and. Killed four women in Southern Virginia up no fight and never appealed his death sentence and her... More brutal cases was when he broke into a 5-year-old girl 's home, raped, each. The corpses led to another newsflash: the area had a gamut of people stop for her, says,. Golden State killer was caught in 2018 more than three decades after his crimes the country was stunned, and., nor any evidence that Capano had purchased a gun were blue carpet fiber moved! Pains and vomiting when the Golden State killer was caught in 2018 than! As evidence to the stunned jury coast of Delaware by lethal injection,,... And never appealed his death had his client testify how the victimsblood and hair found their way his. [ 5 ], Investigators did not have a murder weapon or a body nor. A really bone-chilling scare access your favorite topics in a 2018 episode of Vanity Fair Confidential titled the. & # x27 ; s even reported she threw one child in rain! The Secret of the Chesapeake & amp ; Delaware Canal on Sept. 20 hammer and decapitating her Herb cruised. Were African American by lethal injection often beat him a letter telling them he ca stop.
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