In October, in the 1984 Patricia Smith rape-murder trial, a mistrial was declared as the defense questined Alexander Christopher Ewing’s sanity to stand trial. Yesterday, a judge declared Ewing competent to stand trial. Jury selection is scheduled for March 25, 2022. The Case Patricia Louise Smith (50) was born on Sept 19, 1933. She was […]
Cold Case News
Found: David Virgil Neily
In 2011, Sue Carney wrote a guest blog post about the disappearance of David Virgil Neily. Now, he had been found. On May 7, 2020, a private nature reserve employee called the Mendocino County Sheriff. He had found what he believed to be human remains. The remains were in a forest near Branscomb and just […]
Patricia Smith: mistrial
Today, a mistrial was declared in the rape-murder case of Patricia Smith. The defense team for Alexander Christopher Ewing filed a motion early this morning. They argued that Ewing “was not competent to stand trial.” That motions will remain sealed until further notice. This does mean that the content is not public and therefore, we […]
Patricia Smith Trial Day 1
Today, the long-awaited trial against Alexander Christopher Ewing started for the rape-murder of Patricia Louise Smith. Ewing is represented by Katherine Powers Spengler. The State left no doubt about it: it will show all the similarities between the Bennett Family Murders and the rape-murder of Patricia Smith. In Aug 2021, Ewing was found guilty and […]
Barbara Blatnik: suspect dead
The suspect in the 1987 rape-murder of Barbara Blatnik has passed away of natural causes on Aug 24, 2021. James Zastawnik (69) was going to trial on October 22, 2021. He was free on $35,000 bond and per court conditions, lived with family. Cause of death: cancer. Due to Covid19, many trials have been rescheduled. […]
Bennett Family Murders: three life sentences
Yesterday, Aug 17, District Judge Darren Vahle sentenced Alexander Christopher Ewing to three life sentences, one for each member of the Bennett Family. Ewing was found guilty on Aug 6, 2021 in the 1984 Bennett family Murders in Aurora, Colorado. Ewing didn’t speak during his sentencing hearing. The life sentences will be served consecutively. As […]
Arrested: Michael Scott Glazebrook
A reader alerted me that the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office had posted that Michael Scott Glazebrook had been arrested August 15, 2021. He is held on 1 mio bond. This has to be in connection to the 1981 murder of Sonia Carmen Herok Stone. However, as there is nothing else in the media we will […]
Bennett Family Murders: Jury Impasse
UPDATE: the jury found Alexander Christopher Ewing guilty on all six counts ( three counts of first-degree murder after deliberation and three counts of first-degree felony murder) on Friday August 6, 2021. Ewing faces life imprisonment however, he will be sentenced under the law as it was at the time of the crime. In 1984, […]