lovers' lane murders killer lovers' lane murders killer

There are enough unsolved lover's lane murders that Listverse was able to create a list of ten. Naval Academy graduate and her girlfriend are . In 1986, a 23-mile scenic road run by the National Park Service in Virginia became indelibly linked with a series of double homicides that came to be called the Colonial Parkway murders. While the search for answers continues, theories have emerged. Theres often a weird symmetry with serial killers. From a macro view of the murders, the fact that they all took place in close proximity bolsters the popular belief that a serial killer stalked the Colonial Parkway. Bill Thomas is also part of the project. Both had had their hands bound with rope and their throats slit. [1] In each incident, a young couple sitting in a vehicle was targeted and both were killed. Again, the victims were a couple of sweethearts out for a night of intimacy on a local lovers' lane, but this time the Phantom Killer didn't leave anyone alive. Youre on a date. 2 The Atlanta Murders Of 1977 "Lovers' Lane Murders" plays out over four hours on the Oxygen network's two-night special event Thursday and Friday night. These lines are delivered back and forth betweenformer FBI Agent Maureen OConnelland formerProsecutor LoniCoombs whodiscuss what likely happened. Texarkana was on high alert, but despite the best efforts of the authorities, the violence continued. Urban legends give narrative to our subconscious fears, and the fear of sexuality among teenagers is high on that list. The remains were too decomposed to reveal the manner of death. Lovers Lane Murders an American serial killer who was active every 28 days for 3 months in 1977. Lovers lanes have played a backdrop in urban legends for decades and there are real-life reasons for that. There are enough unsolved lovers lane murders that Listverse was able to create a list of ten. It was at a lovers' lane in Benicia, California in December of 1968 where the still-unknown Zodiac killer apparently murdered his first victims. The posters claimed that the killer still stalked the streets of Texarkana, and though neighboring cities protested to get the tagline removed, it remained, sparking a new wave of anxiety for the area. Hill stood trial for the murders (including the murder of Mary Myatovich, who died days after giving her eyewitness account) in December 1944. Seeing the similarities between their cases, Homer Garrison Jr., the Director of Public Safety for the state of Texas, contacted Sheriff Walter Clark in Florida to see if the Texarkana Phantom Killer was still at large. "You have an admitted serial killer who was in town on the day that we have a double murder of a couple on lover's lane in 1956," Cameron said, noting that he was struck by the similarities . These disparities initially led some investigators to believe that the Starks were not attacked by the Phantom. After a deep dive into the four Colonial Parkway murders, Coombs and OConnell reviewed commonalities and dissimilarities in terms of location, treatment of bodies, method of murder, time and date, victims, motive, and crime scene. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Instead, detectives suspected that either Tonzillos wife or Myatovichs father was responsible. Neither Hollis nor Larey managed to see their attackers face. On August 22, 1990, Cheryl Henry and Andy Atkinson drove to "Lovers Lane" in a wooded area of Houston. He was never caught, and in 1937 another double murder was possibly connected to him, but this time the victims were both found dead and with red lipstick circled on their foreheads. According to Texas Monthly, however, local journalist James Presley's book The Phantom Killer: Unlocking the Mystery of the Texarkana Serial Murders: The Story of a Town in Terror presented a compelling case for Swinney's guilt in 2014. There isa strongpossibilitythatCathyandBeccamay have known theirkiller I think it is a very strongpossibility.. Forensic psychologist Katherine Ramsland discusses serial killers, the fascination of true crime and the Colonial Parkway Murders with "Mind Over Murder" co-hosts Bill Thomas and Kristin Dilley in this brand new episode. Lovett had been shot four times in the head, stomach, arm, and leg. Specifically, there had been 27 days between his first two attacks, then 28 between his second and third. Wallets found open in the victims vehicles on the floor and on the dashboard respectively inthe first and third homicides add heft to the law enforcement theory, former FBI profiler Jim Clemente told Lovers Lane Murders. They could have been preparing to show their license or registration. They had also been shot to death. Cathy Thomas, 27, and Rebecca Dowski, 21, were strangled and had their throats cut in 1986; David Knobling, 20, and Robin Edwards, 14, were shot in 1987; Keith Call, 20, and Cassandra Hailey, 19, disappeared after a college party in 1988 and are still missing; and the remains of Annamaria Phelps, 18, and Daniel Lauer, 21, were found by hunters in 1989. [2], At around 2:00am on February 12, 1977, 18-year-old Dennis Langston and 17-year-old Deitira Tatum were having sex in a parked car in West Manor Park when an unknown individual approached the passenger window and fired six shots. It was the 11th execution this year in the United States and the sixth in Texas, which has executed more inmates than any other state since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated capital punishment in 1976. Both Henry and Atkinson had worked at exotic dance clubs. HOUSTON - Cold case detectives are trying a relatively new DNA approach to the notorious Lovers Lane murders. Then something hits the windshield. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! As a prosecutor I couldnt put that in front of a jury, Coombs said. By what name was Lovers' Lane Murders (2021) officially released in Canada in English? The next morning, their bodies were found in a wooded area not far from the lovers lane. If you want a pest-free patio this spring, the most important thing you can do is take away those elements that bugs find desirable. Both teens were still alive but were seriously injured, and they were rushed to the hospital. [2] Years later, Edwards became a convicted serial killer. Biden announces aggressive new, Newsfeed Now: Biden to launch new plan against COVID-19, Newsfeed Now: Health experts concerned about COVID-19, Newsfeed Now: Pres. When Garcia refused and tried to run away, Castillo shot him seven times, prosecutors said. Detectives speculated that the murderer was a frequent patron of strip clubs in the Houston area. Police were called after witnesses noticed the car occupants weren't coming out. Unfortunately, the law barred Peggy from testifying against her husband, and the detectives lacked evidence strong enough to convict Swinney for murder. The pair was convicted and initially given long prison sentences, but they were released within a few years. On October 9, 1946, Lawrence O. Hogan, a 21-year-old from Miami Beach, and Elaine Eldridge, a 24-year-old from Massachusetts, were shot with a .32 pistol while their car was parked along a desolate stretch of beach not far from Fort Lauderdale. From January to March of 1977 the Lover's Lane Murder sought out couples and then shot them. That led police to suspect that they had ended up arresting the Phantom Killer. Now, a team of former FBI special agents intends to bringing them to justice and providing answers to Read allChilling and eerie connect similarities to four brutal double murders between 1986-1990. Both had been shot in the back of the head and were fully dressed. Chilling and eerie connect similarities to four brutal double murders between 1986-1990. Dennis and Deitira would later make a full recovery. Is there anywhere more casually vulnerable in American popular culture than a parking spot on a dark road meant for making out? The couple was at some point forced to get out of the car by a stranger. The FBI was brought in, as well as the Texas Rangers. Reporting by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Peter Cooney. In June of that year, police arrested Youell Lee Swinney, 29, for stealing cars. Of the four people in the plot, only Castillo was sentenced to death and his lawyers have said there was no physical evidence that linked him to the crime. To everyone that has been there for me you know who you are, love yall. Despite this, Swinney remains the primary suspect and is often named as the man behind the white hood. The unsolved rape case also offered up another lead. Her high heels gave her so much trouble running that the man was able to catch back up and then sexually assault her. I think the offender was targeting Cathy, Dr. Laura Pettler, a forensic criminologist, told Lovers Lane Murders. He dealt with the body with a lot more contempt.. You look over your shoulder and see that the coast is clear. He told Lovers Lane Murders that it suggests the driver was responding to authority. There he raped her and burned some letters she was carrying in her purse before putting her on a trolley and handing her a letter written in red ink that read: Joseph Mozynski 3X3-X-097. While it can be easy to pass The Hook legend off as just another precautionary warning about the dangers of premarital sex, theres always something true behind urban legends. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Prosecutors said Garcia was set up by his then girlfriend, who lured him to the remote spot with the promise of sex and drugs but plotted to have him robbed by Castillo and two others. Genre: Drama, Mystery & thriller . Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. This man would come to be known as the Texarkana Phantom. Today, some people believe that the ghosts of Sloan and Benham haunt Ten Mile Flat. Katy managed to escape to a neighbors house after being shot in the face. A day later, a police officer looking for stolen cars found Peytons corpse inside of his car, which had been left with its doors open. Like the later Son of Sam, the 3X Killer, who targeted the New York borough of Queens in 1930, preyed on lovers lanes. The second attack came about a month after Hollis and Larey were assaulted. Virginias Colonial Parkway, a dark and isolated lovers lane, was the scene of four brutal double murders between 1986 and 1990, with a new young couple meeting their untimely death each year. His year-long murder spree began in July of 1976 with the shooting of two women who were parked in a parking lot. Or a breaking story comes on the radio of an escaped madman with a hook for a hand, and you hear a scraping sound and leave just in time, only to find a bloody hook on the door handle once you arrive safely at home. On January 16th 1977 he shot a couple in their car at Adams Park. But this isnt just the stuff of stories. The Atlanta Lover's Lane Murders were a series of unsolved shooting attacks on three different couples in Atlanta, Georgia from January to March 1977. Then of course, there is American culture screaming at you both to do it and not do it, pushing you out to the fringes of the society. The Atlanta Lover's Lane Murders were a series of unsolved shooting attacks on three different couples in Atlanta, Georgia from January to March 1977. 1:40 Preview Swinney died in 1994, and no evidence has come out to unequivocally prove whether or not he was the Phantom Killer. Desperate to solve the case, investigators relied on a collection of unreliable eyewitnesses and charged Eddie Jorgenson and Robert Brom with the double homicide. Sometime after Peyton parked his 1949 Ford sedan, an intruder caught the two lovers and killed them without remorse. They searched inside where they found 26-year-old LaBrian Lovett and 25 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. McBane and Mann were found weeks later, which sparked a large-scale investigation involving local and statewide agencies. It's difficult to imagine that a community could be infiltrated in that way, he emphasized. Myatovich was rushed to a nearby hospital where she told police that a short, stocky, black man had held them up with a shotgun. There's too many differences.". who has spent more than 20 years looking into the murders. Well, Ive lived [here] for almost 35 years. Lovers: With Seo-jin Lee, Jeong-eun Kim, Chan Jung, Gyu-ri Kim. He explained it might be easier to wrap ones mind around one killer, not four or even more different ones. They chose Forest Park, a secluded spot in the bustling city of Portland, Oregon. Cathy Thomas, 27, and Rebecca Dowski, 21, were strangled and had their throats cut in 1986; David Knobling, 20, and Robin Edwards, 14, were shot in 1987; Keith Call, 20, and Cassandra Hailey, 19, disappeared after a college party in 1988 and are still missing; and the remains of Annamaria Phelps, 18, and Daniel Lauer, 21, were found by hunters in 1989. Lovers lanes have actually been host to a number of real murders, some as high profile as the Zodiac and Son of Sam. They thought that if the killer was following the three-week schedule, then he would strike between the 6 and 8 of April. Those still-resonant questions beat at the heart of Oxygen's new two-night special event "Lovers' Lane Murders," airing February 11 and February 12 at 9/8c and 10/9c on Oxygen. How do I keep bugs off my patio this spring? With Diedre Kilgore, Carter Roy, Brian Allemand, Anna Faris. to a serial killer. The two-day event, "Lover's Lane Murders," is a four-episode series on the locally infamous Colonial Parkway murders. Lovers' Lane Murders will examine both, and it's all kicking off Thursday, Feb. 11 with a two-night special premiere. Could new DNA tech crack the JonBenet Ramsey case? Thats it, he was quoted as saying in his final statement by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. It also reaffirms what H.P. Decades later, after the case was reopened in 1990, 55-year-old Frank Edward Gilley stood trial for the murders after Carolyn Wrobleski and Linda Leveridge gave eyewitness testimonies stating that they had seen another car parked behind Sloans GTO on the night of the murder. For those who don't recognize the crimes, here's what you need to know: Within the same three-week . Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. [1] One attack caused two fatalities, another resulted in one fatality, and the other attack caused no fatalities. Warning: Some descriptions of physical and sexual violence. Darlene did not survive the attack, but Michael did, despite being shot in the head. The murders associated with the series span from the area around the Colonial Parkway around Williamsburg, to New Kent County. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. Get the Android Weather app from Google Play, 192 NC churches aim to leave UMC over gay rights, Community helps send WHS special needs students to, 5 children witness home invasion; Dad dead, mom critical, Croatan National Forest fire: 49% contained, 32,400, 30 Years Later: The Colonial Parkway Murders, 30 Years Later: The Colonial Parkway Murders Part 2, Surprise your mom with one of these Mothers Day. Both victims had red lipstick circles on their foreheads. [1], On March 12, 1977, 20-year-old Diane Collins was with her fianc in Adams Park. In this case, many murderers and serial killers have targeted couples parked in so-called lovers lanes over the years. There is a possibility that the murders happened at the hand of a moral enforcer who viewed homosexuality, public sex, or a 20-year-old man with a teenaged girl as punishable acts, according to Clemente. Your date screams and scrambles out of the car, but its already too late. Although it is compelling and plausible, there is no evidence that it was law enforcement, said former prosecutor and series co-host Loni Coombs. In Cathy Thomas case, what Thomas learned revolved around victim RebeccaDowski. Ifacilitatedall of the interviews with family members, and investigative journalists like yourself, he told WAVYs Andy Fox. Unlike OConnell, Coombs doesnt see the work of a serial killer. Crime scene photos show the skulls. The bullets the perpetrator fired were tested and it was determined that they came from the same gun that killed LaBrian Lovett and Veronica Hill a month earlier, which was a .38 caliber gun. It combines sex with death. HUNTSVILLE (AP) The lure of drugs and sex was too enticing to ignore for a San Antonio rapper with a . At around 1:00am on January 16, 1977, an out of control car drove full speed into an intersection and hit a street sign in Atlanta, Georgia. The mixture of pressure and condemnation, its a lot for a teenager. In 2014, retired Great Falls police Detective John Cameron wrote a book claiming Edward Wayne Edwards, a serial killer implicated in several murders similar to Kalitske's and Bogle's, had done the deed. He may have been watching victims, the former profiler theorized, and when the opportunity arose he became a predator.. They put him behind bars for car theft. The 3X Killer went silent after the Sowley killing. In April, Paul Martin, 16, and Betty Jo Booker, 15, were found murdered after a high school dance. While detectives were investigating whether or not Lovett or Hill had any enemies or jealous ex-lovers, the killer attacked again. Stars It was known, not only by the homosexual community, but by the haters of the homosexual community, he said. The Phantoms final attack was his most unusual. Theory: A Savage Hate Crime Set Off The Series Of Killings, In the 1980s, the Colonial Parkway was known as a gay lovers lane, according to, It was known, not only by the homosexual community, but by the haters of the homosexual community, he said. Between 1986 and 1989, four double homicides occurred on or near the Colonial Parkway in Virginia. Lovers' Lane Murders Premieres February 11th Watch on The outlet noted that there were no clear signs of robbery or rape for any of these cases. WAVYs Andy Fox has covered this before, and was featured in the trailer. A passing driver noticed the car and thought the couple had fallen asleep, but upon inspection saw that they had been shot and killed, with Richards pockets turned inside out. On the night of August 22, 1990, the couple decided to park in a lovers lane area on the westside of Houston. He is aconsulting producer and the brother of the first victim Cathy Thomas. Six months laterinApril 1988, Keith Call and Cassandra Hailey disappeared. When it did not, the investigation went ice cold. He explained it might be easier to wrap ones mind around one killer, not four or even more different ones. "It was difficult," Thomas admitted. Now, a team of former FBI special agents intends to bringing them to justice and providing answers to the victims' families. I think there are links here in theColonial Parkway murdersand toother unsolved murders inVirginia and elsewhere., I dont think all four ofthese doublehomicides isnecessarilypartof thesame sequence and I believe the last one with Lauer and Phelps is not related to the other three.. A small town sheriff tries to solve a series of murders before the killer takes his next victim, but the killer is always one step ahead. Theory: A Serial Killer Stalked The Parkway AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Texas executed an inmate on Wednesday dubbed the Lovers Lane killer who was convicted of a 2003 ambush in which he tried to rob a man in a parked car on a remote road in San Antonio and then fatally shot him. It continues to follow her where ever she goes, a slow walk, but a steady one that never ceases. The violence suggests, Pettler said, that the killer may have been someone who knew Thomas. Calls carwas discoveredabout a mile from where Thomas and Dowskiwere found, It happenedearlier andelsewhere, and then the car brought to the ColonialParkwaysite whereKeithsToyotaCelicawas found. Prosecutors said sources pointed law enforcement to the suspects and that Castillos co-defendants told authorities he was the person who shot Garcia. Roadway Killers Are Still Active In United States Today, How Behavioral Profiling Works To Catch Killers. Both bodies were dumped not far from Spring Lake Park, another lovers lane used by Texarkana teens. Although it is compelling and plausible, there is no evidence that it was law enforcement, said, former prosecutor and series co-host Loni, Theory: Murders Are Linked By Location, Not One Killer. Lovett attempted to drive for help, but his injuries overtook him and caused him to lose control of the car. Murders all occurred, she said, within a 30-mile radius and all on a weekend or holiday., Moreover, the slayings occurred at night, and mostly in areas that look like lovers lanes. Allans body was found 43 days later in a ditch miles away from Peytons corpse. And hecomes inand helps them reprofile the cases,and basically puts on fresh eyes, Thomas told 10 On Your Side. High school classmates David Faraday and Betty Lou Jenson had stopped on Lake Herman Road, a popular spot for "parking" at the time. Andy was interviewed in the summer of 2019 to offer his recollections coveringthe Parkway murders since October1986, when hefirstreported theDowski-Thomas murders. Hill only served 20 years before being paroled in 1964. Victims were in cars and all were young and killed in pairs. He told Lovers Lane Murders that it suggests the driver was responding to authority. It is there that the female protagonist, Jay, and her date have sex in his car while parked in dirt lot beside an abandoned parking garage. Irvin Wells, retired FBI special agent. Another theory is that Gooderham was killed for skimming 250,000 from the Adams family crime syndicate. Both had been shot in the back of the head. He did write to several major media outlets in the Bay Area, including a letter detailing the murders of both couples and a cipher to be printed on the front page. He would kill six people, injuring seven more in total, often approaching parked cars with couples inside.The incredible 2014 horror film It Follows sets a kind of lovers lane as its initial scene of revelation. In the 1980s, the Colonial Parkway was known as a gay lovers lane, according to Spingola. Chilling and eerie connect similarities to four brutal double murders between 1986-1990. Critics have been quick to name the metaphor as an STD, as the loss of childhood, as time. The man ordered Hollis to take his pants off, then beat him badly enough to put him into a coma for several days. A more micro look reveals that victims werent all killed in the same way. McBane's locked car was found parked at Hillandale Golf Course on a secluded road known as Lovers Lane. Was The Colonial Parkway Killer Pretending To Be Law Enforcement? He shot six rounds in to the passenger side window, killing Collins. Currently, cold case detectives and amateur investigators are looking into two possible suspects, one of whom was affiliated with Watts Hospital in 1971. Although police arrested a habitual car thief named Youell Swinney after his wife accused him of being the Phantom, they could not try Swinney for the murders after his wife refused to sign her multiple confessions. Dr. Ramsland is the author of 69 books, mostly in the genres of crime, forensic It is after they have sex that the Jay contracts a sort of curse in which she is followed constantly by a malevolent force that takes the form of random people. Once again, despite the best investigative efforts of the police, the case went cold. Oxygen does it again with this in-depth series on the Lovers' Lane Murders. Stoking this belief is the fact that victims car windows were found rolled down at crime scenes, according to Irvin Wells, retired FBI special agent. In 1977, while the Son of Sam was busy killing young couples in areas known for being lovers lanes, Atlanta was experiencing something terrifyingly similar. Investigating the terrible murders along lovers' lanes like this one in the beautiful Tuscan countryside, police uncovered a subculture that many Florentines found disturbing: these hills were. When Tonzillo, who was married to someone else at the time, refused to hand over any money, Myatovich said that the man shot him. Almost immediately, the crime scene was ruined by the Multnomah County Sheriffs Department, who rummaged through Peytons car without any consideration toward preserving the integrity of the crime scene. Ibelieve there arerelationships between thesemurders, butI dont think it is one, two, three, four straightlineal relationships. It was then that a brutal killer took the lives of two young sweethearts who were heavily petting one another. Their killer [or killers] then tried toburn up the car and pushed it into bushes down toward the York River from the Parkway. On March 24, 1946, US Navy veteran Richard L. Griffin and his girlfriend Polly Ann Moore were found dead in Griffins car. He provided an alibi though, and was not charged. This is, of course, one of the reasons urban legends tend to center lovers lanes as a nefarious location. Man killed in shooting at 17th St. and Terminal Ave. Local pediatrician takes new approach to weight loss, Chris Brown, Diddy join Pharrell and Phriends at, BestReviews.com - Top gifts to make everyone happy this spring, Mothers Day inspo: This foot massager has 20,000, Drew Barrymores Walmart collection is perfect for, Best Mothers Day gifts for the budding plant mom, Best Mothers Day Gifts for moms obsessed with books, NNPS attorneys ask judge to dismiss Abby Zwerners, Medical examiner: Child drowned outside Edenton home, $357k settlement reached after man dies in VA prison, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! In April, Paul Martin, 16, and Betty Jo Booker, 15, were found murdered after a high school dance. As aninvestigatorIcannotignore thecoincidences, OConnell countered.