Kim Magaraci graduated Rutgers University with a degree in Geography and has spent the last seven years as a freelance travel writer. He is currently serving his sentence in prison. Although not many cases where Dover murders DNA was used to bring new information to light currently exist, law enforcement continues to use advancements in DNA technology to reopen and reinvestigate cold cases. Steven Pennell was arrested November 29, 1988, and convicted of the November 1987 murder of Shirley A. Ellis, and the June 1988 murder of Catherine A. DiMauro. In 2002, he was in jail for fraud and convinced the FBI to let him out as an informant. 2010 The Thought & Expression Company, LLC. Married with four daughters, Capano separated from his wife Kay the following year. Two of his kills took place in Nebraska when he worked with the Air Force and the third happened in Maine when he abducted an 11-year-old boy who went out for a jog. Even so, she was well aware that the best way to catch a ride into the city was to hitchhike along Route 40, the area just south of Wilmington where shed plied her trade. Gerry owned a boat and, when it was sold, its two anchors were missing. Thomas Capano, a prominent Democrat, was one of four brothers. Together we can reach 100% of WHYYs fiscal year goal. One woman he brutally raped and murdered when she was vacuuming her car. Investigators were stumped. He was the Route 40 Killer,. He was sentenced to death and met the electric chair in 1989. Thank you! Each state has a connection to an infamous serial killer. . Unfortunately, though, there have been some brutal murders here in the First State, and one of the most notorious remains unsolved to this day. It's even reported she threw one child in a fire to stop her from crying. He was sentenced to death but died from pneumonia in prison in 2013. Delaware has dealt with its fair share of Delaware killers throughout its history, ranging from mass murderers to even serial killers. The majority of the names on the list of Delaware murders on the Delaware State Polices cold case website may not soundfamiliar; however, a handful of the names on the list of all murders inDelaware, list of Delaware murders, and notorious Delaware criminals have seemingly become household names as time passes. She was working the streets along U.S. 13. Shortly before 6 p.m., she left the warmth of her familys home in Newarks Brookmont Farms development and began the 14-mile trek. He is even said to have worn a mask made from the skin of one of the victims. The Incredible Restaurant In Delaware With Almost As Many Desserts As Main Dishes, Thousands Of Singing Spring Peepers Are A Welcome Sound Of Normalcy Here In Delaware, Best Hotels & Resorts In Delaware: 12 Amazing Places To Stay, Everyone In Delaware Should Visit This Epic Flea Market At Least Once, The Deadly History Of This Delaware Prison Is Terrifying But True, The Deadly History Of This Delaware Bridge Is Terrifying But True, The One Delaware Town With The Most Intriguing And Almost Unbelievable History, 5 Abandoned Forts In Delaware That Hold Historic Keys To The Past, Read more about the Ghosts of Woodburn here, Read more about the Strange History of Delmar here, Read more about Terror at Fort Delaware here, hike that will take you to a U-Boat observation tower, Read more about the modern Delaware serial killer here, Haunted Road Trip To Visit Some Of The Spookiest Places In Delaware, Fort Delaware, where you can even sign up for an overnight tour. The 1935 Delaware Execution of a Mother & Son 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. Maurer initiated the lengthy appeals process, alleging that the fiber seizure was unconstitutional, among other things. On her behalf, church followers killed upwards of 40 people. John Joubert once said that when he was young he fantasized about killing his babysitter and eating her. [8], Capano, aged 61, was found dead in his jail cell at 12:34p.m. on September 19, 2011, by an officer performing a routine security check at the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center state prison in Smyrna, Delaware. By 1980, the couple killed 10 teenagers in Nevada and California. Ross became a devote Catholic while in prison, and supported the death sentence against him saying he did not want to cause his victims families any more pain. 1900-1924. Boston nurse Jane Toppan admitted to first eleven murders, then later to 31. In 1994, Capano was a partner at the Wilmington office of Saul Ewing LLP when he became involved with 28-year-old Anne Marie Fahey, the appointments secretary to then-Governor Tom Carper. He lived on a farm in Indiana with his wife of 25 years and had three children. Then she sent a box of chocolates with the note, "With love to yourself and baby." Just as on previous stakeouts, men routinely approached Taschner. In 1892, Fall River, Massachusetts buzzed with talk of the 19th century's most incendiary story - that well-to-do local couple, Abby and Andrew Borden, died at the hands of an axe-wielder. In fact, he was called "The Candy Man." More than 200,000 unsolved cases have gone cold since 1980, and murder clearance rates continue to drop. Doss was sentenced to life in prison and died in 1965. What the NFL didn't know was that they just drafted one of America's deadliest serial killers. At the time, only two other criminal cases in the country had permitted its introduction. 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. The case remains open. In 2017, he was beaten to death in prison. After confessing Falling was convicted to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 25 years. He called his truck the toy box, so he took on the name "The Toy Box Killer.". He was looking right through me.. One of the most haunted hotels in Delaware is known as the Addy Sea B&B in Bethany Beach. WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. In San Francisco, Cordeilia Botkin was charged with murder, and two Delaware detectives, several witnesses and some of their spouses set out for California. 1. Despite the fact that some of the women were stabbed to death, the killer earned the name the "Boston Strangler." The murder became the subject of worldwide press coverage at the time as well as several books, films and . At just 17 years old, Robinson attacked and raped five women, killing three of them, The Morning Call reports. You made us feel like human beings.. Capano was convicted of killing Anne Marie Fahey. Mason ordered Charles Watson to take Susan Atkins, Linda Kasabian, and Patricia Krenwinkel to go to Terry Melchers house and murder anyone who was there. Route40 was the only connection between the two victims. Also known as The Route 40 Killer, Pennell was found guilty for the torture and murder of 2 New Castle County women and is believed to have murdered 3 others. When police arrived at the home, the place was filled with garbage to the ceiling. By this point, the task force was monitoring Pennells every move. Gabby Petitos Family Says There Is No Doubt Brian Laundrie Murdered Her. A police officer took her skull as a souvenir, and you were once able to visit it at the Dover Public Library. Every three weeks to the day this murderer would shoot a couple to death in their car. Gerald was found and was sentenced to death in both California and Nevada, but died of cancer before he was executed. 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. It makes sense because "Psycho's" Norman Bates and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" were based on this killer. 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. Officially, though, the identity of the murderer remains a . After picking up an undercover policewoman, fibres from the back of Pennell's van linked him to the crimes. Thats the lingering mystery: Why?, A 1991 psychiatric evaluation submitted to the Delaware Supreme Court cleared Pennell of depression, paranoia and psychosis. Other killers are so famous they are known all over the country, like Ted Bundy, the BTK Killer, and John Wayne Gacy. 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. He died in prison. Bundy graduated from the University of Washington in 1972. Kimball killed his uncle, his cellmate's girlfriend, and a 19-year-old girl. There was no reason for Shirley Ellis to be killed,recalls Kathleen Jennings, the state prosecutor who eventually stared the accused down in a tough cross-examination. Wayne is in jail for two other murders and has never been tried for the Atlanta Child Murders, but there is evidence that points to him, including the fact that fibers from his home and dog were found on the victims. It is believed that Wayne Williams a freelance photographer may have been responsible for the murders. The bureau concluded the unthinkable: A serial killer had come to Delaware. While Taschner was engaged in small talk, Hedrick ran the vans plates. The case was portrayed in Law and Order season 11 in an episode titled "Ego". Black children in the neighborhood were being targeted and murdered one-by-one, murdered her four former husbands, her brother-in-law, and ever her own daughter by poisoning. Charlene would kidnap the girls and lure them in with the false promise of safety. A hearing was held to determine if the convicted murderer should be spared. Uncovered is where the most passionate true crime enthusiasts can learn from and teach others. The highly publicized case went to trial on October 26, 1998, and lasted twelve weeks. Before she could stand trial for her crimes, she was shot to death reportedly by a friend of one of the victims. Harvey Robinson is known for being one of the youngest serial killers reported in the United States. [5], Investigators did not have a murder weapon or a body, nor any evidence that Capano had purchased a gun. He drove her to a secluded area and sexually assaulted her in the front seat of his pick-up truck. ", 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. Bardea Food & Drink Launches a New Menu and Outdoor Dining Garden, How Middletown Grew From Farm Country To Mini-Metropolis. The psychiatric evaluations never diagnosed him with any mental-health issues.. All they had for clues were blue carpet fibers on the bodies, WHYY reports. A blue Ford panel van with round headlights drove past. Between the years of 1987 and 1988, Pennell preyed on the sex workers who worked on Route 40. 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. It was the fate Pennell asked for himself. He hanged himself in jail just hours after confessing. In the '90s, Metheny would lure sex workers to his trailer to stab and strangle them. The discovery of the corpses led to another newsflash: The area had a serial killer. She made up a story about being tired from partying all day and needing to sleep. Some believe Williams has nothing to do with these crimes and think that police pinned them on him because they wanted an answer. She was also strangled with a ligature and bludgeoned with a hammer. Ellis had been bound at the feet and the ankles. In some cases, he would break into the victim's home. In 1829, she was arrested on charges of murder. Welcome to HistoricalCrimeDetective.com [Est. In 1971, he started to abduct sex workers and strippers and bring them to his remote cabin in the woods where he would torture them. It was the home of a Quaker man named Dan Cowgill. OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. Crime rates in our small state hover around the national median, and its not common to ever fear for your life while exploring our beautiful state. In January 2006, the Delaware Supreme Court affirmed Capano's conviction but remanded the case for sentencing because the death penalty was imposed by a non-unanimous jury verdict. Candy From a Stranger: The Cordelia Botkin Case of 1898, Lovers, murder and madness: Revisit Delaware's most sensational killings, http://www.historicalcrimedetective.com/candy-from-a-stranger-the-cordelia-botkin-case-of-1898/, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Read more about it here: The One Place To Sleep In Delaware Thats Beyond Your Wildest Dreams. During those years free from jail, he killed four people. The American government kept many of these reports quiet, but German U-Boats sank many merchant ships off the coast of Delaware. Despite this, Delawares numerous law enforcement agencies will continue to attempt to investigate and solve every one of Delawares true crimes which remain unsolved. However, during their one day trial held on April 8, 1935, May took responsibility for the crime and said "I drove the children to do it.". All of this thanks to a gas leak in the kitchen. Delaware was the scene of the crime, but the authorities decided that the murder trial would be held in California. 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. One of his more brutal cases was when he broke into a 5-year-old girl's home, raped, and strangled her. Thomas Carper. Delaware Pilot, Oct. 8, Dec. 3, Dec. 19, 1898. Cullen only confessed to the 40 murders, but investigators and experts believe his body count might reach the hundreds. Taschner estimates the van drove past her seven times in 20 minutes. Gaskins claimed he killed 200 hitchhikers. [3] In September 1995, while still involved with Capano, Fahey began another relationship with Michael Scanlan.[4]. He appealed and the South Dakota Supreme Court (pictured) heard arguments about the case. Looking further into the statistics on the same website, there were around 1,993 murders in Delaware from 1965 to 2019, and through the years, roughly 1,476 of those murders were solved, leaving around 517 unsolved murders in the state of Delaware alone. In October 1976, Thomas Warren Whisenhant abducted Cheryl Lynn Payton from the convenience store where she worked. She first sent anonymous letters to Elizabeth Dunning about affairs she had with Dunning's husband. Although this killer was never identified and spanned two states, The Phantom Killer earns his spot on the list for the terror he caused in 1946. But Jennings planned to introduce more than blue fibers at Pennells September 1989 criminal trial. The 31-year-old divorcee had a history of prostitution arrests, but its unclear if she was working that night when she accepted a ride from a stranger in a blue van. But the jury deadlocked on the Gordon case. Both mother and son denied the charges. When the Golden State Killer was caught in 2018 more than three decades after his crimes the country was stunned. Technically, Charles Starkweather is a spree killer but that doesn't make him any less terrifying. Hansen appeared to be the model father, husband, and business owner but he was harboring a terrible secret. But he just wouldnt talk., RELATED:Surviving an Encounter With a Killer. He asked his attorney to sit next to him, afraid of saying something stupid,Maurer recalls. In an interview with the Daily News in 2010, Rifkin said, "I was surprised I didn't get caught sooner.". Later, Rogers would be connected to two other murders of women with red hair and found slain in their bathtubs. Alaska has more serial killings per its population size than any other state, according to HuffPost. Terry is not the only member of the Blair family who has a murderous past. Pennell delivered a terse argument for his own death, filled with biblical quotes. In 1958, for two short months, Starkweather shocked the nation with his crimes. The mere sight of a woman enraged these feelings made them pulsate and grate in the pit of my stomach.". He broke their bones, bit them, and sometimes acted on his cannibalistic instincts. Dover, Delaware, murders are more common than those in many other Delaware communities or cities, due to its size and population, being the second largest city in the state. Dont let the eerie history keep you away from Blackbird State Forest though. Privacy Policy | Terms | Contact | Sitemap True Crime Historian Blog, Celebrated Criminal Cases of America, 1830-1910, The 1935 Delaware Execution of a Mother & Son, That Time Nevada Executed a 17 year-old, 1944, The Most Miraculous Execution in American History (That Nobody Told You About), 1904. The town of Texarkana which spanned Texas and Arkansas lived in fear, as he apparently attacked eight people and killed five. She was sentenced to life in prison and is still there to this day. Fifty years earlier during the Gold Rush, Sussex County native, Harbeson Hickman, took nearly seven months to sail from Lewes to San Francisco, but with the completion of the transcontinental railroad, the same trip could be completed in a matter of days. In fact, some of the furnishings were made of body parts. He told authorities he started his killing spree because his parents did not approve of his girlfriend, according to Wyoming History's website. (AP Photo/Tim Shaffer, Pool), This is a police handout photo of Thomas Capano, taken in Wilmington Del., Wednesday, Nov. 12, 1997. You'll receive your first newsletter soon! Prior to Pennells trial, his defense attorney vigorously attacked the fiber evidence, arguing that Taschner didnt have the authority to seize the strands. He also recruited two teenage boys as accomplices to help him. They later found 11 bodies just 50 feet from his home. When patients would look for him to care during their darkest times and he would respond by killing them, usually with prescription drugs. No one was ever charged. He was your typical, all-American person,the task forces Hedrick says of his interview with Pennell. Eventually, police started showing up at the Baumeister home asking questions about missing boys. He confessed to several other murders just before dying in prison, according to the Star Tribune. He stuffed their bodies in barrels in the woods. This list may not reflect recent changes . The jury was horrified. He was found guilty and sentenced to death. She walked to a more secluded area. They nicknamed him "The Green River Killer.". After the smoke cleared, they rebuilt only to have a similar fire race through the town just a decade later. The famous rhyme makes it seem as if there has never been any doubt as to whether Lizzie Borden killed her father and stepmother on August 4, 1892. He explained everything. On January 17, 1999, the jury convicted Capano of first-degree murder and he was sentenced to death by lethal injection. Right before he was caught, he killed his mother by smashing her head with a hammer and decapitating her. It was registered to Pennell. As can be expected, until all of these murders are solved, Dover murders discussion will resume on social media outlets such as Facebook, Reddit, and Websleuths, where users consider the details of cases by speculating and sharing information regarding Dover murders pictures, Dover murders crime scene photos, and Dover, Delaware, murders autopsy photos, which are almost never released to the general public, although some are released once the criminal trial is completed. It was a little surreal being in the courtroom,Gebelein says. They had all been riding a train on which a fight broke out. The survivors of the attack were brought to Lewes for treatment. In Utah, he murdered three women. Although she confessed, she was not put to death because she was so young instead, she was sentenced to life in prison. Woodfield didn't become well known as a football player. On Friday, December 7, 1934, fifty-six-year-old May Carey and her son, Howard, were arrested and charged with first-degree murder. "The human body taste was very similar to pork. These horrifying Delaware stories prove that even the smallest of states can hold big, dark secrets. Tags: 1920s, 1930s, Delaware, Execution, Murder, Women, Criminal Cases of America70 Vintage True Crime Stories by Thomas Duke, 1910, All Rights Reserved. He can be reached atspinway@aol.com. He was only found guilty of one murder and was sent to a mental institution. In 1927, the American Friendship Society acted as a matchmaking business. She was one of the loveliest, kindest persons Ive ever hadthe privilege of serving with. Until then, though, this mystery will stay on the minds of many Delawareans who remember. Money wasnt an issue. NEW! On Nov. 14, 2017, authorities in Perry County, Pa. charged a local man with the 1983 murder of his wife, providing a reminder that even decades-old "cold cases" are never totally forgotten . Please give today. 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. With modern technology, theres still hope that Janes killer will be brought to justice. If they were sequestered any longer, they wouldnt have been able to go home to their families., In the end, Pennell was convicted of murdering Ellis and DiMauro. Upon their arrivals he told them he had gifts for them but wanted to give them their presents one by one. He was different than any other person who stopped for me,she recalls. Since he did not commit just one, but continued in the same depraved manner on the others, this pleasure is evident., Deputy Attorney General Richard E. Fairbanks Jr. represented the state. No one would ever look at his background and see signs that this could happen. They were all found in pools of blood with their pants pulled halfway down. On Nov. 23, 1989, Thanksgiving Day, the jury reached a verdict. The thought was that the jury shouldve been done before Thanksgiving. Pages in category "People convicted of murder by Delaware" The following 10 pages are in this category, out of 10 total. It's a silly name for a sadistic man who took pleasure in torturing women sexually. In 2016, his nine death sentences were upheld in Phoenix. The state responded by indicting Pennell for the murders of Meyer and Gordon, based on new evidence. Fan Man-yee, a 23-year-old club server, was kidnapped in 1999 by three men. He'd pick them up in his electrician van. According to their crime report from 2019, the violent crime rate in Delaware was roughly 422.6 per 100,000 inhabitants. He was sentenced to life in prison for his crimes and remains in prison. Botkin was furious and she plotted sweet revenge. Pennell was sentenced to two life terms in 1990. The letters stand for "bind, torture, kill" and that is exactly what he did. By 1973, Corll had killed 28 boys in Texas just outside of Houston. It happened again seven months later. The medical examiner testified that the drugs in her system made her heart incapable of withstanding the shock of her beating. Years later, Capano was removed from death row based on questions about whether a jury or a judge should have the final say on a death sentence. Also, some examples of unsolved murders in Dover, Delaware, include the 2014 murder of Christopher Gillis, the 2007 murder of Jerome Hill, the 2016 murder of Tyler Parton, and the 1986 murder of Lonnie Hill, among many others. Woodburn, the Governor's Mansion, is one of the most haunted places in Delaware. One example is the Uniform Crime Report, or UCR, that is released annually by the Federal Bureau of investigation. In the late '70s, Joubert made his fantasies a reality when he killed three boys, strangling them and taking bites into each. Delaware case results in first-ever convictions on charges of cyberstalking resulting in death. "Babysitter from Hell" when she choked and killed five children in the early '80s, including an 8-month-old baby.