COPS CRACK 1974 EILEEN FERRO COLD CASE MURDER

Eileen Ferro was just 21-year-old when she was viciously stabbed to death in her Shrewsbury, Massachusetts home. Now, 40 years later cops have finally made an arrest in the grisly crime. Thanks to DNA evidence detectives arrested a 69-year-old Austell, Georgia man, Lonzo Guthrie and charged him with mCNN
urder. For more, check out

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CHEESE NABS ELEONARA KNOERNSCHILD'S 1984 KILLERS

MURDERED

A PIECE of cheese helped cops finally catch up with the brothers who viciously battered and strangled an senior back in 1984.
Cops had long suspected Brian McBenge, now 49, in the horrific murder of Eleonara Knoernschild, 84, but at the time there was insufficient evidence to charge him with the heinous crime in St Charles, MO.    
Investigators had long suspected there was an accomplice involved, but with little to go on the case soon went cold and no charges were ever filed.
But now thanks to a bite into a piece of cheese, they finally got their man, after DNA testing linked not only him, but his brother Cecil, now 46, to the murder.
Authorities said: "The piece of cheese had been bit into," adding that Cecil's DNA was on a pair of her stockings.
Knoernschild's daughter, Doris Wines told KSDK that she was glad that the people believed responsible had finally been arrested adding that she had thought that probably wouldn't happen after so many years.
She added: "They'll get their justice now."
 St. Charles Prosecutor Jack Banus also told the station: "There was not sufficient evidence to charge Brian McBenge at that time.
"We had never known who was with Brian, although the evidence was consistent with someone being present at the time the homicide occurred until recently when we got the DNA evidence that came back and identified Brian and his brother, Cecil."

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JILTED RICARDO CRUZ STABBED EX'S MOM: COPS

CRUZ

A JILTED lover will now face a murder charge for the brutal November 2003 stabbing of his girlfriend's mom.
Ricardo Cruz, now 34, had known Honey Vitagliano, 31, since high school and the two began to date several years later.
But although he showered her with expensive gifts including $900 pair of diamond earrings, and took her on several outings to upscale restaurants and a Mendocino Coast resort, she made it clear she was not her boyfriend. 
She told a Santa Rosa CA, court: "He spent a ridiculous amount of money for someone who wasn't a boyfriend, but I went along. It was a good time."
She added that Cruz made a habit of calling her mom Kathryn, 55, for relationship advice and would go round while she was at work.
Then a few weeks before her mom was viciously stabbed to death, she broke things off with Cruz and he continually called her.  
But after the murder he stopped calling although it didn't immediately occur to her that he may be a suspect.
Cops initially focused on her ex, but after they obtained a voluntary DNA sample from Cruz last year, they found it was a perfect match for DNA sample taken from a scraping of one of Vitagliano's fingernails after her death. 
Cruz who is denying murder, remains in Solano County Jail custody with bail set at $1 million.

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MELVIN PARKER GUILTY IN 1994 DOROTHY PAIGE SLAY

PARKER

PAIGE

THEY SUSPECTED him at the time, but when Melvin Parker's wife and the chief witness against him went into hiding, the case collapsed.
Fast forward 17-years and cops reopen the case of Dorothy Paige, who in August 1994 was found brutally stabbed and strangled in her Madison, WI, apartment.
And the cold case detectives immediately focus in on Melvin Parker, now 48, who just five years after Paige's murder was jailed on child abuse and burglary convictions.
He had been charged with murder in 1998, but that charge was dismissed after a key witness, Parker's wife Michele went into hiding, claiming that police were bending her story to make it fit their case. 
But it was the discovery that a witness who corroborated Michele Parker had lied to the original case detective, that finally cracked it for them.
So with little choice Parker ended with a no contest plea to first-degree reckless homicide. 
Assistant DA Brian Asmus told The State Journal: "This has been a long time coming for family members of Dorothy Paige, to finally have someone held accountable."
Paige's mother, Doris Koecher did not attend the hearing but said in a victim impact statement written by Amy Olson that Paige's death has been "a living hell" that has left her deeply depressed and withdrawn from the community.
She wrote: "I see no reason to give this person any type of leniency. Doris has expressed to me that if there is a possibility of the death penalty, that would be nice."

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ARREST MADE IN CANDY LADY MARY WRIGHT MURDER

KILLER?

CANDY LADY

SHE was a beloved grandma, known locally as the Candy Lady, because she gave out sweets and treats to the children in her Lubbock, TX neighborhood.
But Mary Wright's delightful tradition came to an end, after cops found her brutally stabbed body on her home. 
Concerned neighbors who had raised the alarm because they hadn't seen her for a few days, were stunned by the news that the popular pensioner had been taken from them.
Former city councilman T. J. Patterson, told KCBD that Davis was well known and thought of adding:
"She wasn't the mayor of Lubbock, she was just Ms. Davis, the candy lady that cared about human beings."
With no immediate leads, even from DNA processing, the case quickly went ice cold. 
A police insider revealed: "It was really frustrating. This was a senseless death of a very popular lady. There was not one person who did not want to see justice for such a heinous crime." 
But in recent months, detectives resubmitted evidence that was recovered at the original scene in hopes that advances in DNA technology would possibly open a new lead in the case.
And the results came back with a match - previously unknown suspect, Clarence Lee Hooker, 46, who was already behind bars on an unrelated charge.
As a result detectives continued the investigation using this new information and eventually were able to submit a murder charge.

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FRANK NARVAEZ KILLER HAD OKC CONNECTION: COPS

DETECTIVES in Texas have found an Oklahoma City connection to the three decade old cold case killing of businessman Francisco "Frank" Narvaez. Narvaez, 42, was found stabbed to death on Sept. 30, 1983 in a Denton, Texas hotel. His car--a 1983 gray Oldsmobile Cutlass--was later found abandoned in Oklahoma City. Det. Kevin Smith said: “We feel strongly that the suspect has ties to the area where the vehicle was left. We hope to generate some interest in the
case; hopefully generate some leads.”
But so far it was been almost 28 years of dead ends, DNA came back empty. Cops believe Narvaez was stabbed about 1 a.m. in his room at a Holiday Inn and the killer then fled to Oklahoma. The car was found four hours after investigators believe Narvaez was killed. Smith said that was enough time to drive from Denton to Oklahoma City. A witness told cops at the time he heard suspicious noises outside his residence in the 5700 block of NE 138 between 4 and 4:30 a.m. on Sept. 30, 1983. About 8 a.m. he saw the vehicle parked across the street from his residence. Waitresses in the Holiday Inn cafe told police they saw Narvaez having breakfast with an unknown man the day before his body was discovered. That man has never been found. Smith added: “We believe that may be a potential suspect in the case."
Anyone with information is encouraged to call Denton police at (940) 349-7912.

FEW LEADS IN 1983 TEXAS SLAYING

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WHO MURDERED U. STUDENT BRITTANY ZIMMERMAN?

COPS in Madison, Wisconsin are certain a big break isn't far away in solving the tragic Brittany Zimmerman. The pretty 21-year-old was a student at the University of Wisconsin when she was stabbed and strangled to death in her Madison apartment during lunch hour. The murder in April 2008 stunned the quiet college town and triggered a wave of terror. Police said the outside door was forced open. Last December, police said there might have been a link between Brittany's murder and a tavern burglary a few months later which involved three teens with gang connections. That went nowhere. Police say detectives are still actively investigating
the murder.
Meanwhile, the second annual Brittany Zimmermann 5-K run-and-walk will take place September 17th in Madison on a scenic path along Lake Mendota. Proceeds benefit the Crime Stoppers’ reward fund. Last year’s event raised 20-thousand-dollars. There’s also a $40,000 private reward fund for information leading to an arrest in Brittany Zimmermann’s murder.

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JANE & CATHRYN JOHNSON'S MURDER 'NOT GOING AWAY'

TRAGIC

YOU know what they say about Mounties always getting their man.
Well 15-years have passed but they're still working on the brutal murder of a pregnant mom and her eight-year-old daughter and they've vowed not to stop until they catch their killer.    
Back in September 1996 were Jane Johnson, who was five-months pregnant, and her eight-year-old daughter Cathryn in their Turner Valley, B.C home.
And despite the length of time cops are confident that someone who moved away to Parksville, 150 kilometres northwest of Victoria, is holding the deadly secret which will unlock the case.
Sgt. Patrick Webb told the Calgary Herald: "Investigators firmly believe that there are persons who know the final details which, if they came forward, would be enough to lay a charge and provide some closure to the family and friends of this 15-year-old crime.
"We want them to realize this is not going to go away,"
Firefighters found Jane, 36, who was five months pregnant, and Cathryn dead in their green and white bungalow sitting near the Turner Valley Golf Club.
It was originally thought the mother and daughter had died from smoke inhalation, but an autopsy revealed Jane - a daughter of the Cartwrights, a well-known Alberta ranching family - had been stabbed to death.
Police have never released how the little girl died, nor have they said how or where in the house the fire started, but they did say it was deliberately started. 
Robbery and sex have been ruled out as motives.
Johnson's fiance, Henry Reichert, was also a person of interest during the investigation, although he has never been charged.
A $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer sits untouched.
Cathryn's father Sam Johnson, who is not a suspect, says his daughter would have no doubt carried on as a barrel racer.
He told the paper: "She'd have been 23. I know I'd be going to lots of rodeos. Nobody has forgotten it here. Lots of times, people come up to me and ask if anything is new.
"It reminds me that people are legitimately interested in getting this solved."
With the passing of another anniversary of the killings, Johnson says he's holding out hope.
"I hope the next time we talk, it's to celebrate. We'll see."

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FRANCES MARIE WAITES KILLER GUILTY, 27 YEARS ON

SOLVED

CAUGHT

THE trail of blood told it's own horrifying story.
Frances Marie Waites had been stabbed in her bedroom, before running through the kitchen to lock herself in a back room.
But her killer had followed, smashing his way through  to reach her,
By the time her friend arrived at her Portland, OR home to pick her up for work the next morning, she'd been sexually assaulted and stabbed numerous times.
Her arms and hands had been cut in what police call defensive wounds — signs that she'd fought for her life — and her throat had been slit almost to the bone.
 It was a vicious killing and detectives hit the case hard her killer managed to evade justice for 27-years, until this week when Frederick Alvin Richey agreed to plead for the murder.
At the time they'd gathered evidence, hair found on her body and bodily fluid samples.
They even interviewed Richey after Waites' friend reported seeing a man he didn't know near the house the morning she died and picked him out of a series of mugshots, but he denied ever knowing her. 
Eight months later, he was convicted of manslaughter in connection with the strangulation of a woman in her Northeast Portland home.
A man later told detectives that he'd met Richey in jail and he'd confessed to murdering her in anger after she reneged on a cocaine deal.
Even then, the case languished and was forgotten.
Then in 2008, a retired Portland detective working with the Cold Case Unit started looking into the matter.
By then, advances had been made in DNA technology and he learned that evidence from the Waites case had been properly preserved.
In September 2009, the Oregon State Police crime lab ran DNA from the bodily fluids in the case through a database and Richey was a match.
He was arrested in July 2010.
Wednesday afternoon, the district attorney told the judge that the DNA match was one in a billion. Richey was their man.
Faced with the overwhelming evidence and the possibility of 20-years in jail if he went to trial or plead no contest to murder and hope for less time when he is sentenced in October.
He took the deal.

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DAVID DIXON BUSTED FOR 32-YEAR-OLD MURDER

JUSTICE AT LAST?

HE MUST have thought that after more than three decades they had got away with the vicious murder of security guard Rachel Moncrief.
But now thanks to improvements in DNA technology, cops have arrested David Dixon, now 61, in connection with the 1979 killing which saw her stabbed more than 30 times.
It is the third result for the recently reopened cold case unit at the Santa Clara County district attorney's office who did DNA testing of blood on the victim's clothing and a marijuana cigarette.
The cold case leader Ted Kajani said: "When the lab found that blood stain, obtained a DNA profile, they uploaded it into the system and got a hit."
He added that DNA for both Dixon and the victim was also found on the marijuana cigarette. 
The prosecutor says Dixon's recent stroke will not have any bearing on proceeding with the 32-year-old case.
Deputy DA Angela Bernhard told KTVU: "This is what happens with these older cases is you have older defendants, but we still think it's very important for us to handle this case as we would any other case."
She added that Dixon's DNA was already in a criminal database because felons are required to provide samples, but no one is talking about his past history.
Anyone with information about the Dixon case is asked to call Santa Clara Police Detective Ken Henderson at (408) 615-4812 or Detective Dave Tanquary at (408) 615-4821. 

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MISSING TIMOTHY PITZEN: BLOOD FOUND IN MOM'S CAR

MISSING

COPS investigating the strange disappearance of six-year-old Timothy Pitzen have said there was a "concerning" amount of the boys blood on the backseat of his mother's SUV.  Three months ago tragic Amy Fry-Pitzen picked up her only son from his Aurora, IL school, stopped off at the zoo and water parks, but then she killed herself.

Timothy has yet to be found and three months on cops have released a few more details in the hope that it may spark some more help from the general public. 

Spokesman Dan Ferrelli told the Chicago Sun Times: “We have not made forward progress in the investigation. Hopefully, the information we put out is going to spark the memory of some person or get someone to come forward. Even the smallest piece of information could be important.”

At this point they are continuing to examine Amy’s 2004 Ford Expedition which was found May 14 parked at the Rockford motel where Amy killed herself. 

Before turning the car over to a specialist forensic lab, Aurora investigators found what they called “a concerning amount” of Timothy’s blood in the backseat. 

Ferrelli would not discuss the amount of blood found, but said that no one else's blood had been found.

Cops have also released video taken by the pair, shortly before her death, in which Amy seems happy. 

According to her family, she also seemed normal during her last conversations.

But then on May 14, she switched her phone off for the last time and testimony at a coroner’s inquest revealed Amy stabbed herself in the motel. 

She left behind a five-sentence suicide note saying Timothy was somewhere safe with people who love him and who will take care of him. 

“You will never find him,” she wrote, according to testimony at the inquest where Police testified that Amy made previous suicide attempts.

Investigators have still not found Amy’s cell phone, I-Pass, Timothy’s Spider-Man backpack, or any of the toys or other items that were missing from the Pitzen vehicle.

Ferelli said: "We still have no solid lead. It is frustrating to investigators and it’s frustrating to the community. The fact is, a lot of police officers have kids Timothy’s age and they take this personally.” 

“You’re always hopeful these cases have a positive outcome.”
Police continue to ask people in the I-88 and I-39 corridors to look for the items. Anyone coming across them should leave the item alone and call local police or 911.

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