Black duct tape, likely used to prevent her from screaming, was still attached to strands of her hair. Henley confessed and told the police about his work with Croll. Patty Cannon, who lived on the Delaware-Maryland line near Seaford, confessed to killing more than two dozen people - including her husband and one of her children. Check out thisHaunted Road Trip To Visit Some Of The Spookiest Places In Delaware. What are the most haunted places in Delaware? Asking for death was his way of admitting it,the task forces Taschner suggests. He also recruited two teenage boys as accomplices to help him. He then shot her point blank in the head and dragged her body into a wooded area. Love love loved this. Alex, Im so in love with this book! They eventually killed him by crushing his throat with a pipe. Upon their arrivals he told them he had gifts for them but wanted to give them their presents one by one. He had these cold, dark eyes that didnt move around a lot. He stuffed their bodies in barrels in the woods. If true, Williams could be guilty of killing close to 30 people. Charlene would kidnap the girls and lure them in with the false promise of safety. Rogers may be the murderer of Nicole Simpson not O.J. Capano was convicted of murder charges in the death of Delaware gubernatorial secretary Anne Marie Fahey in 1996. Once there, he would strangle them to death. Do any specific names or examples come to mind when you think of famous Delaware murders? Roughly three months later, Finner was found dead near the Chesapeake & DelawareCanal, her body in such an advanced state of decay that a cause of death couldnt be determined. In 2012, the story was featured on Behind Mansion Walls. It was registered to Pennell. Nineteen-year-old Barnanbet confessed to killing 17 people with an axe on behalf of the Church of Sacrifice. Just as fast as the killings started, they suddenly stopped. 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. It's a silly name for a sadistic man who took pleasure in torturing women sexually. Every year, the Federal Bureau of Investigation publishes a Uniform Crime Report that details the crimes, crime rates, and crime locations in every state, county, and city, which includes a published report for crime in Delaware. 5. He claimed he picked up DiMauro, paid her $25 for oral sex and then dropped her off, joking that she gave me $10 backafterward. Every three weeks to the day this murderer would shoot a couple to death in their car. We believe the more resources we can provide to digital volunteers and citizen solvers mean more citizen detective communities. Four days after the photo was taken, Anderson took his life in prison. Again, there were no signs of sexual activity, but the victim was tortured and mutilated with work tools. Thirteen women were killed in their own homes. Two teenagers looking to close the holiday weekend in the ideal make-out spot discovered Ellisbody around 9:25 p.m. that evening. When patients would look for him to care during their darkest times and he would respond by killing them, usually with prescription drugs. Once caught, Charlene turned on Gerald in return for a shorter sentence. On Nov. 23, 1989, Thanksgiving Day, the jury reached a verdict. You'd pay an annual fee and receive a list of eligible lovers in your area. He talked about her like she was some piece of garbage he could just throw away. During his "60 Minutes" interview, he apologized for his crimes but said, "I don't know if I would have stopped.". He asked his attorney to sit next to him, afraid of saying something stupid,Maurer recalls. After a notorious escape from prison, she later died from a heart attack. John Joubert once said that when he was young he fantasized about killing his babysitter and eating her. Whisenhant declined having any final words when he was eventually put to death. Capano belonged to a prominent family of Delaware real estate developers and building contractors. In some cases, he would break into the victim's home. After an extensive search, the FBI joined in the investigation in July and a federal grand jury heard evidence for over a year. WHYY provides trustworthy, fact-based, local news and information and world-class entertainment to everyone in our community. Later, Rogers would be connected to two other murders of women with red hair and found slain in their bathtubs. [4] Capano, the last known person to have seen Fahey alive, was the prime suspect. You'll receive your first newsletter soon! Overridden with guilt, Matzke confessed to the murderers and served 20 years. The highly publicized case went to trial on October 26, 1998, and lasted twelve weeks. The 30-year-old scheduling secretary to then-Governor Thomas Carper was the subject of a community-wide search for several weeks. Where he got slaughtered was his demeanor. They had all been riding a train on which a fight broke out. A white male opened the side panel. In Utah, he murdered three women. As part of the Deparment of Corrections standard procedures, his bodyhas been turned over to the State Medical Examiners Office. I do not know myself," he said at the time. They tortured her for a month before she passed on, however, it's indistinct whether the men were at fault for her demise or on the other hand on the off chance that it was because of a medication glut. And speaking of beautiful, weve put together a list of some of the most picturesque destinations in Delaware for you to visit. Bernard Williams. It makes sense because "Psycho's" Norman Bates and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" were based on this killer. At each crime scene, he would leave a clue as to who he was. Famous Crimes the World Forgot Volume II Photo Gallery. The motion was granted. We've collected five of the most notorious cold cases in American history, ranging from 1892 to 1996. . These true crime stories from Delaware appear on the Historical Crime Detective blog. What the NFL didn't know was that they just drafted one of America's deadliest serial killers. It happened again seven months later. I don't have an answer. Many local and state law enforcement and investigating agencies have compiled lists or databases of their current unsolved murders and missing persons cases in Delaware, some of which include detailed information about the crime or disappearance themselves. Hauntings at this hotel include: While none of these things is necessarily sinister, the effect is definitely chilly! The case remains open. WHYY thanks our sponsors become a WHYY sponsor. That murderer turned out to be David Meirhofer, who confessed to four other murders during a four-hour interrogation. In the mid-'80s the tropical utopia was gripped with fear when five bodies were found near water. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. He was convicted in 1976, and was executed after several appeals by lethal injection in 2010. He appealed and the South Dakota Supreme Court (pictured) heard arguments about the case. He was sentenced to life in prison for his crimes and remains in prison. When Joubert was caught, he said was happy because he knew he would kill again, according to the New York Daily News. Although he only killed two women, authorities call him a serial killer that would have killed again if he had not been stopped. Under Delaware law, all such cases are automatically appealed to the state Supreme Court. The official cause of death was from "softening of the brain, due to melancholy,"but some say she died of the lingering effects of sweet revenge. Ocean-going ships that stopped near Cape Henlopen carried news from foreign places; and the ships arriving from Philadelphia dropped newspapers at Lewes that kept residents informed of domestic events. Story by Jason Lucky Morrow Posted: December 9, 2015 On November 9, 1927, twenty-year-old Howard Hitchens of Georgetown, Delaware, was growing concerned for his uncle, Robert, whom he had not seen in several days. 2013], where you will discover forgotten crimes and criminals lost to history. Steven Brian Pennell is the state of Delawares only known serial killer. Delaware Pilot, Oct. 8, Dec. 3, Dec. 19, 1898. He cared very much what people thought of him.. The woman calling said she had been kidnapped. Several law enforcement agencies provide reports and information on their websites if youre interested in knowing more about the number of murders in Delaware by year. Did you know your favorite state park was once the site of a gruesome murder? He has published nine books on coastal history and his latest is "Deadly Storms of the Delmarva Coast." Capano was the last person seen alive with Anne Marie Fahey. He was found guilty of killing 17 women and was sentenced to 203 years in prison, which he is still serving. First, he would abduct them and then he would torture them. He can be reached atspinway@aol.com. In just one instance, a Panamanian United Fruit Company ship "San Gil" was hit by a torpedo. We had access to an airplane, helicopters and rental vehicles,Hedrick says. Gerald would then keep them as sex slaves, ultimately killing them when he was finished. He was found guilty and sentenced to death. She also noticed the drivers coldness. From there, Reid went on to rob four different fast-food restaurants and kill people inside. They had a deal. That couldve been devastating.. For others, he cut them into pieces and threw their bodies into lakes and ravines. After Lopez's arrest in 1980, police found the graves of more than 50 of his preteen victims. 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. They were killed by a blow to the back of the head. As each day passed, I thought maybe we got something going.. One example is the Uniform Crime Report, or UCR, that is released annually by the Federal Bureau of investigation. He did not, however, confess. In his confession, Cullen said he believed he was doing the community a service, helping these sick patients relieve their pain. She pled guilty and said she killed the children she babysat for because she had to satisfy a sudden urge to choke them, according to The New York Times. (AP Photo/Wilmington Police, File), Kathleen Fahey, sister of murder victim Anne Marie Fahey, talks during a news conference after Thomas Capano was sentenced to life in prison Thursday, March 2. 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. 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. He buried the bodies in his "garden" behind a strip mall as a memorial. 1. Woodfield didn't become well known as a football player. I tried to work with him, but people are who they are., The state prosecutor agrees. Before she could stand trial for her crimes, she was shot to death reportedly by a friend of one of the victims. Patty Cannon lived in the Seaford area in the early 1800s. Keep a pulse on local food, art, and entertainment content when you join our Delaware Today newsletter. Rogers is currently on death row. Yet, even now, those close to the case are at a loss to explain what happened. Although there is little recent data on Kent County murders, the homicide rate is higher than in more urban locations due to the countys population. The women who met with him for a date disappeared. He struck again. Maurer hadnt heard from his client in over a year, and he was as surprised as anyone when Pennell agreed to speak to the media before the execution. To this day, I want to know why,says Jennings. Many of both the recent and decades-old murders in Dover, Delaware, have not been solved, and law enforcement continues to use every resource available to them in order to continue investigating each homicide. At one point, there was a line of five or six vehicles with men waiting to talk to her.. He is currently serving his sentence in prison. Most of the time, when you hear about Delaware history, you hear about war heroes, colonial surveys, railroad towns, and of course, the elaborate estates of the Du Ponts. In 1958, for two short months, Starkweather shocked the nation with his crimes. When the ship was evacuated to lifeboats, the U-Boat surfaced and fired shots at the lifeboats and ships. The man then beat 7-year-old Melissa Bennett to death, before attempting to kill 3-year-old Vanessa, who survived the attack but still has weakness on the left side of her body. Thats the lingering mystery: Why?, A 1991 psychiatric evaluation submitted to the Delaware Supreme Court cleared Pennell of depression, paranoia and psychosis. The mere sight of a woman enraged these feelings made them pulsate and grate in the pit of my stomach.". Pennell appeared before the five-judge court on Feb. 11, 1992, to ask for his own execution. This list may not reflect recent changes . 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. Jurors spent eight days reviewing the evidence, which is still the longest deliberation in Delaware legal history. Hasen died in prison in 2014 while serving 461+ years. I thought it was going to be a quick verdict and hed be convicted in two days. Another woman met a similar fate when she was just waiting at a bus stop. Prior to Pennells trial, his defense attorney vigorously attacked the fiber evidence, arguing that Taschner didnt have the authority to seize the strands. A blue Ford panel van with round headlights drove past. She made up a story about being tired from partying all day and needing to sleep. She was an illegal slave trader, involved in the kidnapping of both free and enslaved African Americans. I think that hurt him in front of the jury., Pennell may have come across as unlikable, but the jury still struggled with the three murder charges. As the bodies began to pile up, investigators struggled to find the culprit. He met his fate in the electric chair on July 17, 1996. Her wrists and ankles were bound, and she was silenced with duct tape. Task-force members met with the FBIs Behavioral Science Unit in Quantico, Virginia. The driver became suspicious and drove off. He was found guilty of raping and killing four women and was put to death in 1994. He explained everything. 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. Kimball was the last to see all of them alive. She had been walking Route 40 disguised as a prostitute in an effort to turn up anything that could solve the murders. Why did he refuse to admit guilt but demand to be executed for the crimes? 48 murders but was able to avoid the death sentence with a plea bargain. The body count rose across state lines, as his list of aliases grew. Locals are still stunned by the evil behavior of a local man that was fairly well known. Unfortunately, though, there have been some brutal murders here in the First State, and one of the most notorious remains unsolved to this day. 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