AR AR- Gordon Alexander, 13 & Karen Alexander, 14, Both fatally stabbed @ home, 8 Apr' 81, *DNA*

[dotr]

rbbm

DNA evidence links father to cold case butter knife killings of son and daughter: Police

DNA evidence from semen and blood linked a man to the sexual assault and murder of his teenage daughter, who was killed with a butter knife along with her brother more than four decades ago.

lawandcrime.com

''Calvin Seward, a retired Texarkana officer who worked the case over the years and is credited with solving it, said he thinks the father killed his children when his daughter tried to resist his sexual assault, and her brother heard it.

“It just got out of hand,” he said at the news conference.

The father called the police back then, reporting the horrifying discovery after he said he arrived home from his graveyard shift at Cooper Tire around 7:15 a.m. on Wednesday, April 8, 1981.''

''At the time of the killings, their mother, Vera Alexander, had been in a hospital, admitted as a patient for mental health issues since the weekend before the murders, authorities said. She killed herself three years later.''

 

[Seattle1]

I was just kicked off of the page after making a simple comment that the fund set up for the father back then no longer aged well. I believe the admin were somehow connected to the family, so I guess they're sensitive to anything at the moment. Their page count will drop on its own, though, as sadly I'm sure most were just cold case gawkers.

I think it's clear the founders of the "Justice" FB Page never suspected that forensic test results would determine the lead suspect for the murders of the two children was the father of the children. There were also many family members that followed and shared memories on the Justice page.

I think not narrowing down the time of death probably impacted the investigation because authorities likely believed Weldon's alibi (he worked the graveyard shift) and came home and found the children deceased and/or dying.

What a tragedy. Poor Vera (mother of the children) had her own problems when this murder occurred and took her own life not long after. MOO

 

[Seattle1]

TAPD: Father identified as killer in 1981 cold case murder of Alexander siblings

Siblings Karen, 14, and Gordon Alexander 13 were attacked near their home on April 8, 1981, in the Carmichael Hill area of Texarkana, Arkansas.

www.ktalnews.com

10/19/23

Press conference at the link above.

 

[Seattle1]

WATCH | Child murders in 1981 solved, Texarkana police, prosecutor announce

TEXARKANA, Ark. — Investigators have answered a question that has haunted locals for more than 40 years: Who stabbed teenage siblings Karen and Gordon Alexander to death in 1981?

www.texarkanagazette.com

Miller County Prosecuting Attorney Connie Mitchell, retired police Capt. Calvin Seward and state forensic criminologist Dr. Todd Steffy were also present at the announcement during a news conference Thursday in the Bi-State Justice Building.

Weldon Alexander died in 2014 at age 80. The children’s mother, Vera Alexander, died by suicide in 1984 at age 37.

Based on evidence Seward and Steffy presented to her in a probable cause affidavit Oct. 4 — including DNA collected at the crime scene — Mitchell would issue an arrest warrant for Weldon Alexander, were he alive, for two counts of capital murder, according to the statement.

The police statement alleges Weldon Alexander repeatedly stabbed Gordon, 13, and Karen, 14, with “a weapon of opportunity” — a butter knife — in their home in the Carmichael Hill neighborhood. Gordon died on the scene. Karen was hospitalized and died three days after the attack, having never regained consciousness.

Weldon Alexander reported the bloody crime scene upon his return home from work the morning of April 8, 1981, long thought to be the date of the murders. But according to Seward’s and Steffy’s theory of the crime, the actual date was April 7.

 

[Seattle1]

Oct 19, 2023
News conference on the murders of Karen and Gordon Alexander in April 1981. Bi-State Justice Building, Texarkana, Arkansas, Oct. 19, 2023.

 

[Seattle1]

Girl raped, killed; brother also slain; authorities ID suspect 42 years later

“Sadly, he will never face an earthly judge or jury to answer for his crimes”

www.ksla.com

Published: Oct. 19, 2023 at 3:35 PM PDT
TEXARKANA, Ark. (KSLA) — The father did it.

More than 42 years after the slayings of Karen Alexander and her brother Gordon, advancements in DNA technology coupled with the tenacity of a retired Texarkana, Ark., police captain and a well-known forensic criminologist have led to that conclusion.

That was the focus of a news conference Texarkana, Ark., Police Chief Michael Kramm held Thursday morning. He shared an account of how the investigation came to this point accompanied by a letter from Miller County Prosecuting Attorney Connie Mitchell.

“After reviewing your comprehensive report and meeting with you personally to discuss the case, your findings and theories, it is my opinion that Weldon Alexander, father to Karen Alexander and Gordon Alexander, is the sole, viable suspect in their murder,” Mitchell wrote Oct. 11 to Capt. Calvin Seward and Dr. Todd Steffy. “I believe probable cause exists for the issuance of a warrant for two counts of capital murder.

“Specifically, Mr. Alexander committed or attempted to commit rape against his daughter Karen and in the course of and in furtherance of said rape, he caused the death of his daughter, Karen. Further, Mr. Alexander, in the course of and in furtherance of the rape of Karen Alexander, or in the immediate flight therefrom, he caused the death of his son, Gordon Alexander.

“It is my understanding that Weldon Alexander died in 2014. Unfortunately, his death prohibits me from seeking a warrant for his arrest for the offenses of capital murder. Sadly, he will never face an earthly judge or jury to answer for his crimes.”

 

[Seattle1]

Texarkana police say DNA finally solves 1981 double murder of teens

Investigators have answered a question that has haunted area residents for more than 40 years: Who stabbed teenage siblings Karen and Gordon Alexander to death in 1981?

www.nwaonline.com

10/19/23

Weldon Alexander died in 2014 at age 80. The children's mother, Vera Alexander, died by suicide in 1984 at age 37.

Based on evidence Seward and Steffy presented to her in a probable cause affidavit Oct. 4 -- including DNA collected at the crime scene -- Mitchell would issue an arrest warrant for Weldon Alexander, were he alive, for two counts of capital murder, according to the statement.

The police statement alleges Weldon Alexander repeatedly stabbed Gordon, 13, and Karen, 14, with "a weapon of opportunity" -- a butter knife -- in their home in the Carmichael Hill neighborhood. Gordon died on the scene. Karen was hospitalized and died three days after the attack, having never regained consciousness.

[..]

Weldon Alexander reported the bloody crime scene upon his return home from work the morning of April 8, 1981, long thought to be the date of the murders. But according to Seward's and Steffy's theory of the crime, the actual date was April 7.

Because he was working at Cooper Tire and Rubber Company the night of the murders, Weldon Alexander had never before been considered a suspect.

But in a news release, the Texarkana Arkansas Police Department said recent advancements in DNA processing technology, applied to evidence in the case last tested in 2012, pointed to him as the killer.

"In 2022 DNA was extracted from both victim's fingernail tissue to be used as known samples to be compared to questioned DNA located at the crime scene. A familial relationship in the DNA determined that Weldon Alexander's semen was discovered on Karen Alexander's bedding.

 

[Seattle1]

DNA Evidence Links Arkansas Father to Murders of His 2 Young Children 42 Years Later

Weldon Alexander is believed to have killed his 14-year-old daughter Karen Alexander and 13-year-old son Gordon Alexander in 1981

people.com

 

[Seattle1]

Obituary for Weldon E. Alexander at Texarkana Funeral Home - Texas

Weldon E. Hip Alexander, age 80, of Texarkana, Texas, died Thursday, November 6, 2014 in a local hospital. Mr. Alexander was born December 18, 1933 in Bloomburg, Texas and was retired from the Cooper Tire and Rubber Company. He was preceded in death by a daughter, Karen Alexander and a

www.texarkanafuneralhome.com

 

[Seattle1]

Father named as lone suspect in Texarkana children's 1981 deaths

TEXARKANA, Ark. -- Gordon and Karen Alexander were brutally murdered on April 7, 1981.

www.ktbs.com

10/19/23

NEW EVIDENCE

These new pieces of evidence led the team to a theory that the children were assaulted before Weldon Alexander left for work around 11 p.m. the previous day. They knew that there was no sign of forced entry into the home and that Weldon Alexander was the last known person to see Gordon and Karen alive just before 11 p.m. the night before.

Both children were still in the same clothes they had been wearing the previous day. Weldon Alexander had been the person to discover their bodies and the weapon used was considered a weapon of opportunity, a butter knife likely from the kitchen of the Alexander home.

More pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place. There was no foreign “outside intruder” DNA evidence discovered throughout the investigation. The autopsy revealed that Karen Alexander had been vaginally penetrated 48 to 72 hours prior to her death. Trace evidence discovered in the dried blood on Gordon Alexander's hands and Karen Alexander's body contained fibers, brass, copper, and zinc, all of which were materials used in the construction of tires at Copper Tire and Rubber.

"The leads when seem like they run out or got cold, I kept a picture of the kids right above me desk, and I would look at them and I would go to the photos, It would break your heart," Seward said at today's news conference.

LONE SUSPECT

Based on the "robust body of physical evidence," Seward and Steffy prepared a statement of probable cause affidavit naming Weldon Alexander as a probable suspect in the case and presented this affidavit to the Miller County Prosecuting Attorney for review. After thorough review of the evidence presented to her, Mitchell agreed Weldon Alexander is the "sole, viable suspect" in the murders of Gordon and Karen Alexander.

Miller pointed out at the time of the Alexander homicides, forensic science was new and a developing science used by law enforcement agencies. She believes law enforcement officers conducted a thorough investigation in 1981 with the resources and science available then.

 

[Seattle1]

rbbm

DNA evidence links father to cold case butter knife killings of son and daughter: Police

DNA evidence from semen and blood linked a man to the sexual assault and murder of his teenage daughter, who was killed with a butter knife along with her brother more than four decades ago.

lawandcrime.com

View attachment 454760
''Calvin Seward, a retired Texarkana officer who worked the case over the years and is credited with solving it, said he thinks the father killed his children when his daughter tried to resist his sexual assault, and her brother heard it.

“It just got out of hand,” he said at the news conference.

The father called the police back then, reporting the horrifying discovery after he said he arrived home from his graveyard shift at Cooper Tire around 7:15 a.m. on Wednesday, April 8, 1981.''

''At the time of the killings, their mother, Vera Alexander, had been in a hospital, admitted as a patient for mental health issues since the weekend before the murders, authorities said. She killed herself three years later.''

I've been reading public comments in various publications that are being viciously critical of local AR LE and all should be reminded that DNA testing was nowhere near the norm in 1981 that we see today! In fact, it wasn't until 1986 that DNA was first used in a criminal investigation and this wasn't even in the US -- it occurred in Narborough Leicestershire, UK.

LE and the Coroner's office should be applauded for both not contaminating the crime scene and collection and preservation of DNA evidence that could be successfully tested 40+ years later to solve this crime.

I'm sorry Weldon could not be held accountable before his death. It's sad the mother was also ill, lost in grief, and herself a victim of suicide, and she could not be an advocate for her children, seeking justice -- knocking on the door of the PD, seeking updates on the case. I don't imagine Weldon pestered the investigators for details once he left the area and started a new life.

Good on the local friends and family who saw the power of social media to light a fire under this cold case. MOO

 

[Warwick1991]

I would speculate that there must have been a history of sexual abuse and domestic violence in this family. Karen may have been abused before. I can imagine a scenario where Weldon was abusing Karen, and Gordon objected or tried to intervene in some way. Alcohol may have been involved as well. While family members may not have suspected Weldon of a double murder, they may have been aware of a dysfunctional household. Perhaps the children's mother had an inkling of what happened - she lived with Weldon and probably understood his character better than outsiders would. She may have blamed herself for not being able to protect her children.

 

[Seattle1]

I would speculate that there must have been a history of sexual abuse and domestic violence in this family. Karen may have been abused before. I can imagine a scenario where Weldon was abusing Karen, and Gordon objected or tried to intervene in some way. Alcohol may have been involved as well. While family members may not have suspected Weldon of a double murder, they may have been aware of a dysfunctional household. Perhaps the children's mother had an inkling of what happened - she lived with Weldon and probably understood his character better than outsiders would. She may have blamed herself for not being able to protect her children.

I agree. From the press conference, it seems the Coroner speculated KA had been abused for about six months prior to her death.

I've previously read that Karen desperately tried to get friends to come spend the night when her mother went to hospital but this (murder) happened on a school night. I also understand that KA had moved her bed into the living room believing she might be safe if she was located in the "open" living area. Instead, nothing seemed to divert the pervert, and it probably led to the death of both children -- the victim and her brother who tried to protect her. MOO

 

[fred&edna]

These poor children

 

[LadyL]

I've been reading public comments in various publications that are being viciously critical of local AR LE and all should be reminded that DNA testing was nowhere near the norm in 1981 that we see today! In fact, it wasn't until 1986 that DNA was first used in a criminal investigation and this wasn't even in the US -- it occurred in Narborough Leicestershire, UK.

LE and the Coroner's office should be applauded for both not contaminating the crime scene and collection and preservation of DNA evidence that could be successfully tested 40+ years later to solve this crime.

I'm sorry Weldon could not be held accountable before his death. It's sad the mother was also ill, lost in grief, and herself a victim of suicide, and she could not be an advocate for her children, seeking justice -- knocking on the door of the PD, seeking updates on the case. I don't imagine Weldon pestered the investigators for details once he left the area and started a new life.

Good on the local friends and family who saw the power of social media to light a fire under this cold case. MOO

[bbm]

when and where did he go?

 

[dotr]

Oct 19 '23

DNA, crime scene evidence pointed to father in 1981 child murders | Arkansas Democrat Gazette

TEXARKANA, Ark. – DNA evidence sealed investigators' conclusion that Weldon Alexander murdered his children in 1981.

www.arkansasonline.com

Weldon Alexander, left, and Vera Alexander sit on their porch May 10, 1981, about a month after the murder of their children on Baden Street in Texarkana, Arkansas. (Texarkana Gazette file photo)

 

[Seattle1]

[bbm]

when and where did he go?

Moved from Baden Street in Texarkana, Arkansas to Texarkana, TEXAS (ironic, I know).

Not sure if this was immediately following the murders or three years later when his wife Vera died. The house was knocked down and to this day is an empty lot while the neighborhood remained the same.

I'm inclined to say it was before Vera's death because I believe I read she died in Texas and her remains returned to AR to be buried with her children in the AR cemetery. MOO

 

[LadyL]

Oct 19 '23

DNA, crime scene evidence pointed to father in 1981 child murders | Arkansas Democrat Gazette

TEXARKANA, Ark. – DNA evidence sealed investigators' conclusion that Weldon Alexander murdered his children in 1981.

www.arkansasonline.com

View attachment 455677
Weldon Alexander, left, and Vera Alexander sit on their porch May 10, 1981, about a month after the murder of their children on Baden Street in Texarkana, Arkansas. (Texarkana Gazette file photo)

her body language ...

 

[Seattle1]

WATCH | Child murders in 1981 solved, Texarkana police, prosecutor announce

TEXARKANA, Ark. — Investigators have answered a question that has haunted locals for more than 40 years: Who stabbed teenage siblings Karen and Gordon Alexander to death in 1981?

www.texarkanagazette.com

10/19/23

Weldon Alexander died in 2014 at age 80.

The children’s mother, Vera Alexander, died by suicide in 1984 at age 37.

Based on evidence Seward and Steffy presented to her in a probable cause affidavit Oct. 4 — including DNA collected at the crime scene — Mitchell would issue an arrest warrant for Weldon Alexander, were he alive, for two counts of capital murder, according to the statement.

The police statement alleges Weldon Alexander repeatedly stabbed Gordon, 13, and Karen, 14, with “a weapon of opportunity” — a butter knife — in their home in the Carmichael Hill neighborhood. Gordon died on the scene. Karen was hospitalized and died three days after the attack, having never regained consciousness.

Weldon Alexander reported the bloody crime scene upon his return home from work the morning of April 8, 1981, long thought to be the date of the murders. But according to Seward’s and Steffy’s theory of the crime, the actual date was April 7.

Because he was working at Cooper Tire and Rubber Co. the night of the murders, Weldon Alexander had never before been considered a suspect. But based on a new analysis of evidence, the investigators concluded he murdered his children before leaving home at about 11 p.m.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

For some investigators on the case, bringing a sense of closure to the investigation — and honoring the Alexander children’s memories along the way — was personal.

“I kept a picture of the kids right above my desk and I would look at them and I would go right to the photos and look at those kids,” said Texarkana Police Capt. Calvin Seward, who was a patrolman in his 30s at the time of the Alexander murders. “It would break your heart. I got kids the same age; my daughter was a classmate of Karen.”

DNA Ties Arkansas Man To Son and Daughter’s 1981 “Heinous” Cold Case Killings | Oxygen Official Site

Learn more about now-dead Arkansas man Weldon Alexander being tied to the grisly double murder of his son and daughter, who were stabbed to death 42 years ago.

www.oxygen.com