GA GA - Eva 'Kay' Wenal, 60, Lawrenceville, 1 May 2008

[dotr]

Kay Wenal was 60 years old when her husband Hal found her in a pool of blood inside their kitchen

She was described as a wonderful person who made others feel special (
Image: CBS News)

April 8 2023 rbbm.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/mysterious-hatred-filled-gruesome-murder-2966181

''At the time, Kay was 60 but looked half her age and had a charming personality that made her the centre of attention.

Her husband, Harold "Hal" Wenal, a real estate developer, had given her a fairytale marriage after sweeping her off her feet.

The Wenals were known for their luxurious lifestyle and extravagant trips''
...............

''On the day of her murder, Hal left for work as usual, and Kay joined him at his company’s offices later.

She stayed for about 30 minutes and returned home feeling unwell.

Kay had intended to spend the afternoon helping to find tenants for her husband's shopping centres but ended up staying home. She was reading a book on the couch with her glasses on when someone knocked on her door.

When she went to answer it, she was met with sudden and shocking violence. The attacker assaulted her several times, slamming her head against the wall or floor and punching her in the face.

Then, the attacker slit her throat twice, a brutal coup de grace that suggested intense personal anger and hatred, police said.''

''When the Gwinnett Police Department started investigating, they uncovered a host of secrets, including a slew of lawsuits against Hal’s companies, sightings of a mystery man wearing wire-rimmed glasses who was lingering near the Wenals’ house, and a bizarre letter to a local newspaper claiming to be from Kay’s lovelorn admirer.''

''A letter sent to a news outlet accused Kay of being a "money-grubbing *advertiser censored*," and the author claimed to have had a relationship with her, although it is unclear if this was true.''


Police reported sightings of a mystery man wearing wire-rimmed glasses (
Image:
Gwinnett County Police Department)
The killer left behind no fingerprints, and there were no signs of forced entry, only a blood-stained towel in the closet of the upstairs master bedroom

 

[dotr]

2012

Is this the man who killed former beauty queen? Police discover pictures of 'killer' and threatening letter in cold case of ex model who was stabbed to death in her home

Police in Georgia are appealing for information regarding the identity of an unknown man in photographs who may have information regarding the murder of former model and beauty queen Kay Wenal.

www.dailymail.co.uk

2012



Police in Gwinnett County, Georgia, are interested in speaking to this man (left) who resembles an artists sketch of a man who was seen near to the Wenal home on the day of Kay's death

Handed a box of Kay Wenal's belongings after her husband Hal Wenal died, police discovered the striking similarities between this unknown man (left and right) and the artists sketch drawn from witness recollections

"Investigators believe Kay Wenal’s killer was someone she knew well, and the letter is written as though it’s from a scorned lover.

'We are very interested in people who resemble that sketch and we are very interested in the person in those photographs,' said Gwinnett County police Cpl. Jake Smith to the Atlanta Journal Constitution

'Not to say that any of those people would necessarily be the suspect in this homicide.'

Police have long suspected that Kay knew her killer and that her murder was a crime of passion.

The letter sent to the Atlanta newspaper hints of an intimate relationship between Kay and the killer.

'You can deduce that it's a personal letter,' said Detective John Richter.''

 

[dotr]

Sorry for serial posting, took a while to read various links, cross-posting with this UK thread, a different time and place, but a few similarities between the two ex- Playboy bunnies each named Eve..
fwiw

UK - UK- Eve Stratford, 21, Bunny @ Playboy Club, posed for mag. cover, later her mutilated & grotesquely staged body found @ home, London 18/03/75 *DNA*

I'll try that, took me ages to delete contents and wasn't sure whether I should report my own posts. Embarrassing. It happens to everyone especially when the site is busy, imo, not embarrassing, if i have too many dbms and space taken up on an active thread, my personal tendency is to try and...

www.websleuths.com

 

[Jmdivers]

The killer stole no valuables. But apparently the killer broke into a filing cabinet. Could they have taken a burner phone or a secret cellphone she used to contact the man/men she had an affair with? I believe what was in that cabinet could’ve tied the murderer to the victim.

 

[Rush4087]

This case has always been a huge mystery to me. I live in the area and remember when it happened.

Not only was I surprised that it was not solved within the first year (given there were so many clues), but there didn’t seem to be much interest - especially for a case with a salacious aspect to it.

There were a few AJC and Gwinnett Post articles in the first year, and then a couple of years there was the CBS 48 hours show, but after that it seems the case went cold.

It was a terrible crime, and EKW deserves justice. I’m hoping some talented WS’ers will become interested in Kay’s case and lend their expertise. It’s certainly not a mystery with no clues:

- the murder of a former model in the Atlanta suburbs
- a supposed millionaire developer husband (several years older than Kay)
- both Hal and Kay and one of Kay’s ex-husbands had at one time been associated with (or actually were involved in operating) Bally’s casino in Las Vegas
- an unidentified mystery man seen in EKW’s own photos - and a man (who looked like the mystery man in the photos) seen walking in the Wenal’s neighborhood on the day before, and the day of, Kay’s murder
-Kay didn’t like living where they were living
-no fingerprints or footprints or forced entry, no blood other that belonging to Kay
- Kay had been punched, and then (as she tried the escape through the kitchen) had her throat cut, twice
- no murder weapon was ever found
-nothing BG was taken - including supposedly over 100k in jewelry locked in a safe upstairs
- X-rated “kinky” lingerie and bedroom items (along with photos of mystery man) found (I think) in a shoe box which (I also think) had been locked in a file cabinet in the bedroom closet off the master bathroom
- a bloody towel found in the same closet (I think it was found folded, on top of the locked file cabinet)
- the towel contained unknown male DNA
- a possibly strained relationship between Kay and her stepdaughter
- a bizarre “hate note” composed of letters and words cut out of one or more magazines providing a supposed reason for the murder: a jilted lover
-the note was mailed from Augusta, GA (3 hours east) to local Atlanta media
- LE has stated that they believe the note was composed and sent by the killer
- a $250,000 reward (at least up until Hal’s death)
- a “mystery man” who looked much like the mystery man in the photos found in Kay’s shoe box) seen walking on the Wenal’s street on the day before the murder, carrying an “Open House” flyer for a house on the other side of the neighborhood. Police later discovered that not only were the flyers were only given out to people who had visited the Open House - but that the Open House was not open on that day…
- The mystery man was again seen on the Wenal’s street, near their house, on the day of the murder
- LE believes Kay let murderer in, and that murdered exited out a back door and escaped through the woods
Hal’s business was not as well off as many expected. He was not as wealthy as many expected
- Kay’s husband Hal supposedly had an airtight alibi
- Hal hired a private investigator. Gwinnett LE was apparently understaffed at the time
- Hal’s administrative assistant (referred to by some as his right hand man) was actually a woman (but not EKW)

Will advancements in DNA technology and firms like @othram allow LE to identify the person whose DNA was on the bloody towel?

Apparently Hal and/or his business was being sued by multiple parties. It sounds like he was not always honest in business, and may have made some enemies.

Did Kay have a large life insurance policy? Did Hal? Did somebody stand to benefit financially if Kay was no longer in the picture?

Why is the case receiving so little attention? I joined WS in ‘16. Looking back, four years passed between the first and second posts on EKW’s thread.

Is LE still working on EKW’s case today? My guess is they are not, and that’s sad.

All just my opinion

 

[Rush4087]

The killer stole no valuables. But apparently the killer broke into a filing cabinet. Could they have taken a burner phone or a secret cellphone she used to contact the man/men she had an affair with? I believe what was in that cabinet could’ve tied the murderer to the victim.

I didn’t know that the killer “broke into a filing cabinet”. Is there a link for that? Tia

 

[Jmdivers]

I didn’t know that the killer “broke into a filing cabinet”. Is there a link for that? Tia

It was mentioned on Evil Lives Here. But it’s mentioned in this article.

Paul Holes Hunts Former Model’s Killer Who Sent Confessional Letter Using Magazine Cut-Outs | Oxygen Official Site

On the evening of May 1, 2008, multimillionaire real estate developer Hal Wenal came home to find his wife, 60-year-old former model Eva “Kay” Wenal, lying face down in a pool of blood on their kitchen floor. Kay had been punched several times, and her throat had been slit almost to the point of...

www.oxygen.com

 

[Rush4087]

It was mentioned on Evil Lives Here. But it’s mentioned in this article.

Paul Holes Hunts Former Model’s Killer Who Sent Confessional Letter Using Magazine Cut-Outs | Oxygen Official Site

On the evening of May 1, 2008, multimillionaire real estate developer Hal Wenal came home to find his wife, 60-year-old former model Eva “Kay” Wenal, lying face down in a pool of blood on their kitchen floor. Kay had been punched several times, and her throat had been slit almost to the point of...

www.oxygen.com

I’ll have to check out Evil Lives Here again.

The article however doesn’t state that the killer broke into a filing cabinet. It states that the towel was found on top of a locked cabinet.

Jmo

 

[Rush4087]

I’ll have to check out Evil Lives Here again.

The article however doesn’t state that the killer broke into a filing cabinet. It states that the towel was found on top of a locked cabinet.

Jmo

Just following up on the issue of the file cabinet again, as I think it is an important detail.

I just watched the Evil Lives Here episode again, and the file cabinet in the closet was locked. The cabinet had not been broken into.

After the murder, LE asked Hal for a key to the cabinet but he didn’t have one - so he allowed Gwinnett PD to break it open.

The cabinet contained the kinky leather lingerie that Hal claimed to know nothing about, as well as Kay’s jewelry.

The photos of the mystery man were not in the file cabinet. Apparently they were found amongst his things in the closet by Hal’s family after Hal died of a heart attack approx two years after Kay’s murder.

Also, to correct my previous post in which I mentioned the jewelry, the Gwinnett PD detective on the Evil Lives Here episode estimated that there was close to a million dollars of jewelry in the file cabinet, not the $100k I had previously (incorrectly) stated. (and, a related note note, the expensive rings Kay was wearing when she was murdered were also not taken)

I think the file cabinet being locked is an important detail for those trying to investigate or sleuth Kay’s murder; to know that nothing at all was taken from the house. It means that the perp came to kill Kay, not to steal or leave with anything valuable.

Jmo

 

[Meffy]

Contract killing. The husband Hal. He was the only one who knew she would be sick at home that day, and also about the jewelry cabinet. They just gave him a pass because he was rich and seemingly distraught.

The killing was clearly meticulously planned. The killer knew she was home sick, had manufactured an excuse if questioned why he was in the neigbourhood (the house for sale flyer), planted the glove tips with fake DNA and had parked his car far away and knew the perfect getaway.

Hal poisened her breakfast or similar so she would be sick and go home on the pre-planned day (exactly May 1st). The hitman was reconnoitering the day previous which is why the he was seen there 2 days in a row. The way she let him in the door likely means he would have mentioned Hal's name, or maybe even knew him (the guy in the picture from Las Vegas?).

The hitman was to make it look like a burglary so was told about the jewelry cabinet which is why he went up there, but didn't want to stay too long or make noise so just left. He thought maybe just the bloody towel left on top of the cabinet would do the trick, but just reveals it was a ruse. The killer already had his money from the contract anyway and didn't want traceable jewelry.

Hal pretending not to know about the keys for the jewelry cabinet tells me he wanted to give the impression he didn't know about the kinky stuff that was in there because it was incriminating and telling of the motive.

The glove tips were obviously planted. Latex glove tips don't come flying off even after a punch. They are actually quite hard to pull off. The purpose was to plant fake DNA. Again shows how meticulous the planning was.

The way Hal acted in the police interview was fake ah. Even checking his watch to see how long he had to keep up the act for, and the act was just about getting sympathy for himself + blaming someone else.

Motive was likely a costly divorce on the horizon as Hal was skint. Also anger for her looking elsewhere. Hal knew he was husband number 4 and realized she was looking for no. 5 when he found her sexy lingerie and maybe even saw on her browsing history she was checking dating sites. The way she was complaining she hated even their upscale house, it's easy to imagine she felt the same for Hal getting old and fat with breasts bigger than hers and not even having that much money. Maybe he even thought the whole marriage was a scam for money on her part, which maybe it really was too. He knew she would readily be unfaithful as that's how they met to begin with.

Hal's exorbitant reward money that he couldn't even afford was because he knew full well the DNA from the gloves were not going to be a match to the killer so had a foolproof case. Hal not cleaning all the blood months after, and even leaving her shoes and book out in the living room like they were from the day of the murder, gave him satisfaction of revenge or a job well done. It tickled him.

Police should have checked every corner of his life where he could possibly have met people to contract (interview people). Someone who would not look too out of place in an upscale neighbourhood, was smart enough to follow the plan to the letter, and could pull off pretending to be a (expensive) house buyer. The planning would have been done months in advance in order to hide any contact and transfer funds without it showing up in Hal's books. Maybe even offshore accounts as Hal was a fraudster. That's where they should have focused their efforts. A professional auditor to follow up on where any big amounts really went the year before or after.

They should even have interviewed the restaurant (Taco Bell?) where Hal had his lunch the day of the murder whether he met someobody there, seemed nervous (did he eat all his food?), did he have a bag etc.

Police should also have done a toxicology study of Kay and they might have found a poison and realized that was why she was home sick and 2+2=4.

Police should also have realized the glove tips could have been planted and tried to find the source, what type of gloves, where does one get used gloves etc.

 

[scriabina]

Contract killing. The husband Hal. He was the only one who knew she would be sick at home that day, and also about the jewelry cabinet. They just gave him a pass because he was rich and seemingly distraught.

The killing was clearly meticulously planned. The killer knew she was home sick, had manufactured an excuse if questioned why he was in the neigbourhood (the house for sale flyer), planted the glove tips with fake DNA and had parked his car far away and knew the perfect getaway.

Hal poisened her breakfast or similar so she would be sick and go home on the pre-planned day (exactly May 1st). The hitman was reconnoitering the day previous which is why the he was seen there 2 days in a row. The way she let him in the door likely means he would have mentioned Hal's name, or maybe even knew him (the guy in the picture from Las Vegas?).

The hitman was to make it look like a burglary so was told about the jewelry cabinet which is why he went up there, but didn't want to stay too long or make noise so just left. He thought maybe just the bloody towel left on top of the cabinet would do the trick, but just reveals it was a ruse. The killer already had his money from the contract anyway and didn't want traceable jewelry.

I think 95% of what you wrote is entirely feasible and I'm inclined to agree that it was a contract killing hired by Hal. However, I'm not convinced with the part I bolded above re: "the hitman was to make it look like a burglary..." If he was to make it look like a burglary, he did a really horrible job. He was so professional in every other way but completely dropped the ball on the burglary part. Even if he couldn't get into the locked cabinet, he could have stolen the expensive rings off her fingers and other jewelry around the house more readily available. Why not at least do that?

Re: gloves that were planted with someone else's DNA, it is surprising that the DNA wasn't pursued using forensic genetic genealogy.

 

[amandab]

Just watched the 48 hours coverage of this case/ Does anyone know who the executor of Hal's estate was, who canceled the Private Investigation funding?

 

[dotr]

HUGE article, hard to choose which snippets to include.

Investigators seek public’s help in solving ex-model’s cold case murder

The brutal murder of a former model in her Georgia home in 2008 remains unsolved. Can you help investigators find her killer?

sandhillsexpress.com

July 28 2024

May 1, 2008, wasn’t a typical day for Kay Wenal.

“She woke up that morning with all the intentions of going to work,” said Insogna.

Usually, she was out finding tenants to fill her husband’s shopping centers.

“Then she changed her mind, says, ‘I don’t feel well,'” Insogna explained. “So whoever did this knew she was home.”

There are no signs of forced entry. So John Insogna believes Kay let her killer inside and was immediately assaulted at the front door. The proof, says Ned Timmons, is all that blood.

“And you can see by the — the way the blood droplets hit, her back had to be there and he had to hit her with a very, very powerful blow back that stunned her,” Ned Timmons explained.

A punch that sent her glasses flying across the room.

“She probably realized, ‘I’m in trouble.’ And then … tried to escape,” Insogna reasoned.

“She flees to the kitchen, perhaps to get the phone,” Charlie Bishop explained. “There, he gets her. And that’s where he takes control of her and kills her.”

''The killer slashed her throat. What happened next shocked even veteran investigators.
“Then he decided to do what we call an insurance cut … a second cut,” said Ned Timmons.
… to make sure that she was gonna die,” Insogna added.
“I mean, that’s a cold-blooded killer,” Moriarty noted.
“Exactly right, yeah. It really is,” said Insogna.
And Kay’s killer appeared to have carefully planned his attack.
“Nobody saw him coming in,” Insogna said. “Nobody saw him leave.”

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Solve this case: Who killed Kay Wenal?

Help solve a murder case: a former model brutally killed in her Georgia home. Someone out there knows something ... is it you? "48 Hours" correspondent Erin Moriarty investigates.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[Rush4087]

Just watched the 48 hours coverage of this case/ Does anyone know who the executor of Hal's estate was, who canceled the Private Investigation funding?

Not sure who the executor was. It was posted upthread however that Hal’s daughter received 90% and Kay’s son received 10%.

Although I cannot find a link to it now, I read in the past that EKW and SW may not have gotten along. I remarked upon this in an earlier post.

Interestingly, there was no mention of Hal’s wife Kay in his obituary following his death from a heart attack approx. 2 years after Kay’s murder - which I assume (but don’t know) was written by either SW or one of Hal’s siblings. Imo this was clearly intentional. Who would want to exclude Kay? Who would want her erased from Hal’s life?

I wonder who EKW’s sister PS thinks may have committed the murder? PS seems like a great sister.

Lastly, I wonder if @othram ever became involved in this case, trying to identify the DNA on the bloody towel? The fact that the DNA wasn’t identified back in ‘08 or ‘09 meant to me that either there was no match in any existing database, or the DNA sample itself was perhaps insufficient for testing. Maybe with today’s advancements in DNA testing (things like touch DNA, hair) and investigative/forensic genetic genealogy, a match would be possible.

I continue to be very surprised that EKW’s murder seems to get almost no attention from media (other than the one network documentary) - and here on WS. This is page 3 of a thread that was started back in 2008.. And it’s not as if there is nothing to go on.

The murder happened in an upscale suburb of Atlanta, Kay was a former model, Hal was reportedly a multi-millionaire (who may have had some shady past business dealings..), there was a $250,000 reward, a mystery man from Kay’s past (with photos), a stranger walking in the neighborhood the day before the murder who looked remarkably similar to the mystery man, a salacious aspect, a mystery magazine cut-out style hate note sent to local media, and clues and motives galore. Just speculation on my part, but I can think of as many as 5 people who may have had motive.

Hopefully someday the case will get more attention from LE, the media, and members here on WS, and there will be justice for Kay.

All jmo

 

[dotr]

July 28, 2024

Kay Wenal murder: Can you identify the man in the sketch?

Gwinnett County, Ga., investigators seek clues in cold case

www.cbsnews.com

''One of the couple's neighbors told police that he saw a strange man in their cul-de-sac on the day of the murder and the day before. The sketch, below, was compiled with the help of that neighbor and the Gwinnett County Police Department.

The man in the sketch has never been identified. Do you know who he is?

Can you help police identify this man?

HAVE INFORMATION?​

Anyone with information about the case or the man in the police sketch is asked to contact authorities:

Gwinnett County Criminal Investigation Division anonymous tip line:
1-770-513-5390

Crime Stoppers Atlanta
1-404-577-TIPS [8477]
2017