Apologies in advance for my post - my brain has been everywhere with this for over 30 years, and the thought stream out of my head may be a bit incoherant...
These virtual (mug)snapshots are interesting... When I saw the one had been generated for the Bennett murders, and he was white - I was really taken aback... I remember one of the victims (Jim Haubenschild) saying his wife Kim, was the only one that had seen the attacker and he was African American, and I could have sworn I read (when they officially linked Patricia Smiths murder with the Bennett's - not sure but I'll try and find the actual article and link it) that the DNA pointed to an african american as well... so if this is true then it raises some questions: (to be clear i'm NOT trying to be antagonistic with these, simply trying to follow an objective, hopefully logical - if this, then that - line of reasoning, to try and keep everything out there on the table...)
1) the eyewitness account was inaccurate (from what I understand, eyewitness accounts are difficult and more often than not, for lack of a better phrase, unreliable) and understandably so, being hit with a hammer, in the middle of the night out of a deep sleep would impair any recollection I would think, and perhaps the attacker wore a mask and gloves making it even more difficult to, while groggy, dazed and confused, in the dark to determine skin color... and weren't gloves found at the Bennett's? I seem to remember they tried to get fingerprints out of them with a laser?)
2) It's possible that the person claiming to be one of the victims, (Jim Haubenschild) actually wasn't, pehraps for misdirection? (Personally I think it actually was Jim, but to be thorough just putting this as a possiblity out there...)
3) Let's assume that both the DNA pointing towards a white man is correct, and the eyewitness account of a 6 foot African American attacker is correct. That would mean that there was more than one attacker. Now - I have NO idea what evidence LE has that makes them believe and rule out the possibility of a second attacker, or if they do in fact think there may be more than one, and have never made that public - but just from what I've read, if there were 2 attackers, I'm wondering if one person was the rage killer, and the other was the rapist? I have more on this below**
4) The DNA Snapshot is inaccurate...
Additionally,
It wasn't until I read this story:
http://www.denverpost.com/2015/02/0...serial-killer-seeks-release-of-withheld-clue/
that I was aware that Donna Dixon had been sexually assaulted as well, and I'm not sure if Kim H. was or not, I've never read that she had been, but just as it stands, that's every female that has been attacked has been sexually assaulted (with the exception of Vanessa, and possibly Kim H.) It has puzzled me that if it was the same attacker for Jim and Kim, what made him stop with completing the murders? Or did he think that he had left them for dead? Was Kim sexually assaulted?
It's also interesting in the article it mentions the possibility that at least Donna Dixon may have had more than one attacker, and in her own words - "It would be nice to close this chapter in my life, Holm said. To have people held accountable for what they did. Not "Someone held accountable" but "People/they"... As someone that would have regular contact with LE regarding her case, perhaps over time, they have discussed the possibility that there was more than one attacker?
And the impression of a name transferred!?!? Wow - that's insane - I mean what type of jobs require or typically have a name on the uniform? Technicians, Auto, construction, community maintainence workers...? Contractor, Vendors?
I understand both points of view regarding releasing this bit of info...From LE perspective, there may be so little to tie a suspect to they don't want to release any info, and on the side of Donna - it's been 32 years and maybe some new info will trigger someones memory?
**Another piece of info recently discovered by googling these events, were regarding how Patricia Smith was found - Posed with her hands across her chest and the hammer lay beside the body:
http://truecrimediva.com/the-1984-bennett-family-murder/
Which for me could explain how the attacks were both at once rageful, and the posing of the body was remorseful? 2 different attitudes by 2 different individuals? I wonder if Debra or Melissa were also posed in a similar fashion? And Vanessa - was the attack on her an attempt to have no possibility of an eyewitness? Was she assaulted as well?
I Used google earth to see the residence that Patricia Smith lived in, because one thing that had bothered me before was that all the attacks in Aurora were due to garage doors being left open, and if Patricia Smith lived in an appartment, that would be a different way of getting to attack her, and how would that have happened. However google earth shows that in that neighborhood, there are garages... Unsure if they are attached and can lead into the residence but I definitely saw garages.
Things that continue to puzzle me:
-At one time I thought the victims were perhaps targeted somehow, either in passing and then stalked for instance. But all (as far as I can tell) access to the victims were thru open, unlocked garages... so the attacker would have had to have been super lucky that whomever he was stalking would just happen to leave the doors open/unlocked... So then I was thinking that these were simply opportunities that he took advantage of?
-Motive - there are clearly rage issues from what I have read regarding the severity at which the victims were beaten, but there's a bit of an inconsistency with Patricia Smith - Of course this could simply be due to the way the articles are written/reported or info given from LE, but I'm actively looking in the articles for words to describe how she was murdered, and the descriptions are pretty tame - they typically use words as "blunt force trauma" - however when describing the Haubenschild, and Bennett Murders, it's words like "Brutal, fractured skulls, smashed..." Perhaps it's just a lack of info regarding specifics - I mean up until the above article about Donna Dixon, it had always read that she was simply attacked in her garage, left for dead and survived after having been in a coma... From reading news stories throughout the years, it always seemed that the main motive was to murder people brutally and that the sexual assaults were an afterthought. But now I'm wondering if the sexual assaults weren't the motive all along - I mean consider the weapon of choice, a Hammer (and knife for Bruce Bennett yes, but I'm wondering if that wasn't simply out of necessity given the fight that Bruce was putting up defending his family?) which in order to be effective you have to be in close proximity? I mean if you simply wanted to murder - suffocation, guns - tons of ways would seem to be more efficient. A Hammer, having to smash the head repeatedly... that just says anger and rage, CONTROL and domination to me... but not necessarily in a personal way towards the victims, since they are (as far as we know) random with no connection to the attacker or each other, but in a general way?
-Why was the focal point, save Patricia, Aurora? Close to home? Familiarity? If they did live by, dwell close whatever, could explain why the attacker(s) seemed to have "evaporated" into thin air without a trace as soon as they exited the Bennett's... What led the attacker(s) to Lakewood? Opportunity again?
-How was it that this person just vanished without anyone noticing anything out of the ordinary? From the description of the attack on Bruce, the person HAD to have been injured in some fashion? Did they go to a hospital to have it treated? Did they have knowledge that would have assisted them in caring and treating their wounds?
-Why did the attacks stop? Too much attention after days of being on the front page? Did they attacker(s) move? Die? Change their MO?
-Have any other attacks, from this set of attacks or others that were seemingly unrelated, locally/nationally, been linked via DNA?
-I have no idea the sequence of events regarding the murder of the Bennett's, but just imagining the commotion, its horrible that no one had a chance to dial 911. Maybe they cut the line or picked up an extension making it difficult/not possible to notify authorities?
-Is this person or do these people, fall into the category of serial killer? Did they take any momentos or was that even important to them?
-Have they tried to gain any notoriety regarding these murders, along the lines of BTK or Zodiac?
-Do the killer or killers ever revisit their crimescenes? Read this blog? Worry about returning memory from any of the surviving victims?
-How is Vanessa now?
-So. Many. Questions.
ok that's a lot - again apologies for it being all over the board. Head hurts but i'll post more as I think of it..
