On April 1, 2022, the trial against Alexander Christopher Ewing started for the 1984 rape-murder of Patricia Louise Smith. On April 5, the state and the defense rested their cases. Closing arguments were set for Wednesday afternoon after which the case was in the hands of the jury. On Thursday, April 7, 2022 Ewing was […]
Colorado
Patricia Smith: Trial March 25, 2022
In October, in the 1984 Patricia Smith rape-murder trial, a mistrial was declared as the defense questined Alexander Christopher Ewing’s sanity to stand trial. Yesterday, a judge declared Ewing competent to stand trial. Jury selection is scheduled for March 25, 2022. The Case Patricia Louise Smith (50) was born on Sept 19, 1933. She was […]
Patricia Smith: mistrial
Today, a mistrial was declared in the rape-murder case of Patricia Smith. The defense team for Alexander Christopher Ewing filed a motion early this morning. They argued that Ewing “was not competent to stand trial.” That motions will remain sealed until further notice. This does mean that the content is not public and therefore, we […]
Patricia Smith Trial Day 1
Today, the long-awaited trial against Alexander Christopher Ewing started for the rape-murder of Patricia Louise Smith. Ewing is represented by Katherine Powers Spengler. The State left no doubt about it: it will show all the similarities between the Bennett Family Murders and the rape-murder of Patricia Smith. In Aug 2021, Ewing was found guilty and […]
Bennett Family Murders: three life sentences
Yesterday, Aug 17, District Judge Darren Vahle sentenced Alexander Christopher Ewing to three life sentences, one for each member of the Bennett Family. Ewing was found guilty on Aug 6, 2021 in the 1984 Bennett family Murders in Aurora, Colorado. Ewing didn’t speak during his sentencing hearing. The life sentences will be served consecutively. As […]
Bennett Family Murders: Jury Impasse
UPDATE: the jury found Alexander Christopher Ewing guilty on all six counts ( three counts of first-degree murder after deliberation and three counts of first-degree felony murder) on Friday August 6, 2021. Ewing faces life imprisonment however, he will be sentenced under the law as it was at the time of the crime. In 1984, […]
Bennett Family Murders: the prosecution rests
The case against Alexander Christopher Ewing (60) comes down to forensic evidence. The state pointed to DNA found at the crime scene. The crime scene is the Bennett Family home where 3 out of 4 family members were murdered in January 1984. All four family members were assaulted, only one survived. In the papers, the […]
Ewing plead not guilty
On Nov 16, 2020 Alexander Christopher Ewing plead not guilty during his arraignment on Monday. That arraignment had been postponed several times due to Covid19. Ewing is as my readers know, the accused in two cases: the Bennett Family murders and the murder of Patricia Smith. The link between the cases is of course, DNA. […]
Update Alexander Christopher Ewing
On July 28, 2020 18th Judicial District Judge Michelle Amico ruled that there is enough evidence to proceed with the trial against Alexander Christopher Ewing. He is held without bond. His next court date for the Aurora charges in the Bennett Family murders is scheduled for Aug. 27, 2020. There is no news yet about […]
Colorado State Patrolman Thomas Ray Carpenter
Colorado State Patrolman Thomas Ray Carpenter (March 28, 1942 – Dec 27, 1973) was 31 years old when he was killed with his own .357-caliber Magnum hand gun while on duty. He was executed with four bullets in the back of his head. He had served as Patrolman for more than five years. No suspects […]
Break in 1984 Colorado Hammer Murders
Alexander Christopher Ewing (57) is accused of using a hammer to kill Bruce, Debra, and Melissa Bennett and Patricia Smith. He faces charges for six counts of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, two counts of sexual assault on a child, burglary and five counts of committing a violent crime for the January 1984 killings of Bruce […]
Missing: Eugene “Gene” Francis Fish
Eugene “Gene” Francis Fish (May 24, 1950 – missing June 21, 2004), a retired federal agent, went missing on June 21, 2004 from his home in Canon City, Colorado. He is 5’11, white, has strawberry blond hair, blue eyes, and has a crippled finger on the left hand. Alas, his NamUs profile does not say […]
Remember Tatman and Burchfield
The weekend of November 25 and 26, 2017 mark the 50th and 64th anniversaries of two police officers featured on this blog: Robert Lawrence Tatman and Richard Stanley Burchfield. Both Tatman and Burchfield were killed in the line of duty. Both were shot. Both were young husbands. Both were young fathers. Robert Lawrence Tatman Champaign […]
In Loving Memory: Patricia Louise Smith
Patricia Louise Smith would be 84 years old today. She was born on September 19, 1933. Her life was ended Jan 10, 1984 by an unknown person who raped and murdered her inside her own home. Patricia’s murder is connected to a string of hammer murders in Aurora, Colorado. DNA Unfortunately, having DNA has not advanced […]
Case of the Month: Doni Grindstaff
Expanding the reach of cold cases is the title of a chapter dedicated to Doni Grindstaff. I wrote it for the book “Solving the Unsolved.” The book was released by the American Investigative Society Of Cold Cases (AISOCC). I am posting part of the text here by request of Doni’s family and readers. __ If you […]
FBI DIARY by Peter M. Klismet
Peter M. Klismet’s book FBI DIARY: home grown terror starts in Colorado. On May 29, 1998 Cortez police officer Dale Dewain Claxton was filling in for another patrolman. They’d traded days so each could attend to personal affairs. It wasn’t anything unusual to do. This was done to help out a fellow officer and was quite routine. The story […]
Recap #cclivechat July 6, 2012
This recap #cclivechat is one to bookmark! Laura Madison explained what crisis mapping is, how it can be used in cold cases, and gave examples using the ongoing Colorado wildfires. Laura described herself as a “mom, research crimino-digitologist, poli junkie, vol tech comm outcast, crisisnapper, crowdsauce pilot JK!” I could not resist calling her out […]
Update Silvia Pettem’s new book
Update Silvia Pettem’s new book. “Cold Case Research” is in production now and will be on the market July 2012. As per the earlier post, we did not have a cover design at that time. Now we do! A description of the book can be found here. Silvia has extensive experience with all aspects of cold […]
“Someone’s Daughter” by Silvia Pettem
“Someone’s Daughter” by Silvia Pettem. The author contacted me last year to tell me about the book she was working on. While discussing “Cold Case Research” she hinted at another book she had written in 2009. If I wanted it, she’d send me a copy. She wrote that her heart was in that book. And it showed. […]
“My Son Is Missing” by Colleen Collins & Shaun Kaufman
“My Son Is Missing” by Colleen Collins & Shaun Kaufman. How to Write a Dick: A Guide for Writing Fictional Sleuths from a Couple of Real-Life Sleuths, available on Kindle Thank you for hosting us today at Defrosting Cold Cases. We are a husband and wife investigative team who own Highlands Investigations & Legal Services, Inc. […]