Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware, USA. Route 40 Killer Steven Brian Pennells mugshot. The driver was white, with Tashner noticing that the floor had a blue carpet. According to anAmerican Journal of Public Healthstudy published in 2014 that claimed sex workers have a 45 to 75% chance of being a victim of violence on the job. Ultimately, a jury convicted him for killing Ellis and DiMauro but acquitted him for Gordon's murder for lack of evidence. Death. Amy Grossberg and Brian Peterson Brutalized and discarded in a dumpster, the victim of Amy Grossberg and Brian Peterson was their unnamed, newborn child. lifetime prison term for the murder of two women The first victim was 23-year-old Shirley Anna Ellis, a nurse. View more cases in this series here. Steven Brian Pennell would travel up and down the Route 40 highway in Delaware for victims to torture and kill using a twisted torture kit he kept in his car. View popular celebrities life details, birth signs and real ages. Weve updated the security on the site. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. The newlyweds were celebrating Olga Connell's 39th birthday, which they'd spent on the Wilmington Riverfront. amazingly accurate psychological profile of Delaware's serial killer. vinyl-covered gurney. Plain A sex worker is easily accessible, making quick contact with them possible. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! "We observed cylindrical blows to the head, there was evidence she had been bound at the wristsand ankles." Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. Pennell was arrested on November 29, 1988, a year after he murdered the first victim, and was charged with killing three - Ellis, DiMauro and Gordon. Cohen then headed downstairs calling for his mother, Ethel. Shirley Ellis and Catherine DiMauro were both strangled and bludgeoned to death with a hammer to the head. Her stepfather reporting her missing that day, had received a phone call from a friend of hers the following day. Please enter your email and password to sign in. Pennell was 34 years old and he was the first man in more than fourty-five years to be executed in Delaware. Shirley Ellis and Catherine DiMauro were both strangled and bludgeoned to death with a hammer to the head. This post is part of our 50 Cases of America series. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. "It was actually a body.". SMYRNA, Del. Pennell became a qualified electrician in 1987. It was unclear if Dimauro, a sex worker, was working that night when approached by a blue van. Two days later, 22-year-old Gordon, a local sex worker known for frequenting Route 40, disappeared. Employees at a construction site Route 40found a naked young woman dead along a dirt road. There had been no executions After months of around-the-clock surveillance, Steven Pennell was death chamber and an adjoining room for Investigators found rolls of duct tape and a buck knife. "Apparently it's been left like this for many years. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. Pennell had not shown that her husband was Steven Brian Pennell abducted most of his victims off Route 40 in Delaware. Their plans were halted when they saw something strange in the road. Mom! Pennell, graduating in 1976, spent two semesters studying criminology at a now defunct college. Yet it's never quite been able to shake off its macabre past. Steven Brian Pennell Biography, Age, Height, Husband, Net Worth, Capano brought Fahey to his home and shot her with a gun purchased by another of his mistresses, Deborah MacIntyre, whom Capano later would blame for Fahey's murder. They identified the victim as Catherine DiMauro, a 31-year-old divorced mom of two who was known to hitchhike and frequent establishments along Route 40. He wasthe Route 40 Killer, recognized as Delaware's only known serial killer. Det. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Not much is known of Pennell's childhood except that for the most apart, Nicknames or Aliases: The Route 40 Killer, MO: Abduction, strangulation, beating to death, Sentence: sentenced to death by lethal injection, convicted of 2 counts of first-degree murder, Number of Victims: 5, suspected of 2 additional murders. to keep expanding and making Murderpedia a better site, but we really Her body was later found by the roadside by two boys. Discover today's celebrity birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday. She was used to hitchhiking, though, and herfamily believed that's how she met her killer. Through their knowledge and He received two life sentences for the crime. She had been turning over a new leaf, however, her family said. With a depraved sexual sadist driving up and down Delaware highways, and the killer deriving his pleasure from the extreme pain he was subjecting his victims to, the FBIs BSU recommended proactive tactics. I'd never really seen that type ofdamage to a victim," Swiski told producers. His execution cost the state a grand total of $47,085, a mentally impaired, and later in the day the When somebody is delivering pain that far exceeds what is necessary to kill the person, theyre getting pleasured based on the pain inand of itself. Victims: Shirley Ellis, Catherine DiMauro, Margaret Lynn Finner, Michele Gordon, and Kathleen Meyer. He was By June 1988, Steven Brian Pennell was suffering from insomnia and arguing regularly with his wife, so took long drives in his beloved blue Ford van. Finally caught in November 1988, the married electrician and dad-of-two was convicted of abducting and murdering two women whilst being suspected of killing three others. A map presented as evidence at the trial of Steven Pennell shows where the body of Catherine Anne DiMauro was found in 1988. On September 24, the blue fibers between Steven Brian Pennells van and the second victim were a confirmed match. Originally published 10/10/14. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. WebWhen Steven Bryan Pennell was born on 22 November 1957, in Wilmington, New Castle, Delaware, United States, his father, William S. Pennell, was 23 and his mother, Elaine he ended up in Delaware and applied for numerous positions in the state You may not upload any more photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 30 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this memorial. He was the 166th person Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. Edit. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. At 6:25 AM, construction workers found her naked body at a construction site. There is a problem with your email/password. Gordon and Meyer killings and was sentenced to We don't have much information about She's past relationship and any previous engaged. The killer's case has long since been a source of morbid curiosity after the depraved killer was found to have hidden 29 of his victims beneath its floor. Burial. Indiana UniversityPurdue University Indianapolis professor of criminology Kenna Quinet told USA Today that as many as one-third of "repeat killers" will have preyed upon a sex worker at least once. police department. criminology, having completed several semesters at the University of Ellis autopsy revealed she had been bound at the hands and feet and tortured with work tools before death, according to Delaware Today. Meyer once DNA evidence linked him to the case. After moving to a place on Route 40 that wasn't as brightly lit, the blue van stopped, its driver encouraging Renee Taschner to climb aboard. Renee C. Lano posing as a prostitute on route 40, was able to gather The signs of torture on each women, particularly to their breasts, seriously alarmed investigators. Crime News is your destination for true crime stories from around the world, breaking crime news, and information about Oxygen's original true crime shows and documentaries. They sent the fibers death chamber and, over an intercom, announced Failed to delete flower. execution in Delaware. The cooler was pitched into the ocean and shot to sink it, but it remained afloat. She was born in Glasgow on November 22, 1957. Also, Cohen said, he saw the murder of his parents profiled on the television show America's Most Wanted and feared Lutz would recognize him. They found a young woman dead with her pants pulled down and her bra cut open to expose her breasts. Delaware and federal authorities found blue carpet fibers on a dead woman's body. Most of his victims were abducted from U.S. Route 40, near Bear. killing two others before his capture. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Rivers had hiredJoshua Bey, his drug dealer, to put out a hiton the Connells. executed in the United States since the Supreme Finner had been last seen getting into a blue Ford van. the police could not retrieve any evidence. (AP) _ Serial killer Steven Brian Pennell was executed by injection today for the torture murders of two women, the first time a death sentence has Thank you very much in advance. Steven Brian Pennell abducted most of his victims off Route 40 in Delaware. He decided to enact his right to remain silent. would hit them with a hammer until they were battered and bloody (and new content, we kindly appreciate any donation you can give to help outlook proved that he was mentally incompetent. Halloween of 1991, Steven Brian Pennell was sentenced to die by lethal We have largely lost our ability to be appalled, an experton America's true crime and celebrity killer obsessions, University at Buffalo associate professor David Schmid, told The Atlantic in 2014. Up until this point he had pursued a career in We will update Steven Brian Pennell's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible. They discovered she was covered in tiny blue carpet fibers, indicating wherever she had been attacked and killed, there was a specific type of carpet. Steven Pennell was Thomas Capano was a well-known political operative, Fahey's lover and the primary suspect in her disappearance. She had been known to hitchhike along Route 40, just like the other victims. Most, As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. In November of 1987, Steven Pennell began what was to become the most experience with other serial killers, the FBI was able to make an ", But a judge in New Castle was causing his family anguish. It was the fate Pennell asked for himself. Subscribe Birth. He was executed by lethal injection on March 14, 1992. Mary Elizabeth followed her a day later on Aug. 12. Pennell finally went back home, and when investigators observed the lights going out, they departed, thinking their suspect had gone to bed. Steven Brian Several women in the late '80sShirley Ellis, Catherine DiMauro, Michele Gordon and Kathleen Anne Meyer then were abducted, tortured and killed. To use this feature, use a newer browser. He was able to write down the identification plate, which turned out to belong to Pennell's car. They sent the fibers to the lab to see if they were a match to the ones found on DiMauro. He says, 'Oh,somebody threw a mannequin out there,'"Joseph A.Swiski, a Newark, Delaware detective told "Mark Of A Serial Killer," airing Monday, April 12 through Friday, April 16 at 8/7c on Oxygen as part ofSerial Killer Week,a special nine-night event. "Then, as I was leaving the neighbour and local sheriff came over and said that this was once the house of Steven Pennell. This account has been disabled. half a century, putting to death a man who had The news comes after the home of serial killer John Wayne Gacy was shown in the new Netflix documentary Conversations with a Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes. and simple. At 9 o'clock Verify and try again. "We were seeing evidence of torture where one of the nipples of her breast was mutilated. this morning, the United States Supreme Court I guess its time, Pennell reportedly said to arresting officers. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Steven Pennell (232112375)? Though53 homicides were recorded across the state in 2018, it's Delaware's most notorious killers and murders who keep us enthralled. Steven Brian Pennell (November 22, 1957 March 14, 1992), aka The Route 40 Killer, was Delaware's only known serial killer, convicted of the murders of two New Castle County, Delaware women and suspected of killing three others. "This offender is every womans worst nightmare. warden, Robert Snyder, whether he had any last Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Sign up to the Daily Star's newsletter. Patricia was born in Perkins Camp, WV on March 16, 1951 to the late Ernest and Mildred Rippeth. a whip, handcuffs, needles, knives, and other types of restraints. On September 14, Taschner took note of a blue van that drove by her seven times and radioed in the license plates. Duct tape was found in her hair, and she was killed in the same fashion. woman, whose body was found so decomposed that Try again later. Bey then hiredtwo men, Dominique Benson and Aaron Thompson, to kill the Connells for him, evidence revealed. I want to take away their pain, but I cannot.". Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Steven Brian Pennell I found on Findagrave.com. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. Pennell was finally caught when an undercover state police officer named lethal injection. Steven Brian Pennell was a Killer. Family members claimed that Ellis was used to hitchhiking, and they believed that she was doing this near Route 40. It takes a very, very extreme crime for us now to recover that.. Last October, already She said she was pleased by the execution. an "irrational act and one which Mrs. Pennell See also Other Works | Publicity Listings | Execution Since '46. The trial still captivates Delawareans. However, he plead not guilty to the murders, and spoke of all crime as a third party, saying that the killer was enjoying the process of the murder, but not the murder itself. 22 Nov 1957. WebOn Halloween of 1991, Steven Brian Pennell was sentenced to die by lethal injection aftering have been convicted of two of the five murders he was suspected of having committed. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. Pennell was placed under surveillance, and on the night of September 18, was observed driving circuits of Routes 13 and 40. Mr. Pennell was a serial Steven Brian Pennell was Delaware's only known serial killer, suspected of five murders in the late eighties and convicted of two. On November 29, 1987, she left Wilmington Hospital around 6 PM, where she was aiding an AIDS patient, catching a lift on her way home on Route 40. Joseph and Olga Connell died in front of theirPaladin Club condominium in the Fox Point area on Sept. 22, 2013. How Delaware's Only Known Serial Killer Was Finally Caught, New Castle County Department of Public Safety. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. Try again later. When police arrived, they noticed black duct tape in Ellis' hair and evidence of ligature marks around her neck. Learn How rich is She in this year and how She spends money? In November of 1987, Steven Pennell began what was to become the most appalling case of murder in the history of Small Wonder WebAnother Documentary on The Ominous Files, Subscribe and enjoy To keep creating His The second victim was 31-year-old divorced prostitute Catherine A. DiMauro. Executed by Lethal Injection in 1992 at James T. Vaughn Correctional Institution, U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007, Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. A number of witnesses had seen her enter a blue Ford driven by a white male near Route 13. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. With the blue fibers being analyzed, the police began surveillance on Steven Brian Pennell. injection aftering have been convicted of two of the five murders he He confirmed polices worst fears, Delaware had its first serial killer. Claiming he didn't want to upset his family with another trial, he pleaded no contest to Meyer and Gordon's murders. Kathleen Meyer's body was never found, but a police officer wrote down the license plate of a car that Meyer got into, which happened to be Pennell's car. This browser does not support getting your location. Top Podcasts Episodes In the last two days, Mr. Gerry Capano testified he saw her foot sink below the waves. On September 14, 1988, Rene Tashner, an undercover cop posing as a prostitute, roamed Route 40 in an attempt to capture the killer. Web"The Route 40 Killer" Steven Brian Pennell Pt. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. 14 Mar 1992 (aged 34) Smyrna, Kent County, Delaware, USA. On November 12, a hunter discovered skeletal remains near the canal, and the autopsy revealed it was Margaret Finner, missing since August 22. Shortly after the decision, a bouquet of flowers was sent to the prosecutor's office, with a note reading: "You made us feel human again, from the women of Route 40.". Steven Brian Pennell - a married electrician and dad-of-two - became notorious in the 1980s for prowling the Route 40 highway in Delaware for someone to murder, using a twisted torture kit he'd keep in the boot of his car. The victims, all women, bore disturbing marks of torture and police strongly suspected they were up against a serial killer and a ticking clock. The motions for a Mr. Pennell was a serial killer who prosecutors say lured women into his van with a promise of money for sex. need your help for this. There were ligature marks on her and a bloody wound on her head. according to a 2020 Delaware Today article. van with a promise of money for sex. arrested on November 29, 1988, one year to the day after the first Peterson was attending college in Pennsylvaniabut rushed to Newark when Grossberg's water broke. When his case reached the superior court, Pennell requested that he be allowed to defend himself, which was allowed. "The hardest part is seeing how much pain Christopher Rivers has caused my father, my mother, my brother, my children. However, her case was slightly different. Though married with two children and a seemingly normal electrician by day, Pennell drove Delawares Route 40 by night, torturing and killing five women throughout the late 1980s. It was a candy boxcontaining a handkerchief, chocolate creams and a small slip of paper that said: With love to yourself and baby. more. Four nights later, as reported by Delaware Online undercover cop, Renee Lano, noticed a blue van passing her seven times near Route 40, the van making U-turns at each pass. He also plead no contest to the murder of Kathleen One was On September 20th, her body was found on the rocks in the Chesapeake-Delaware Canal. A woman's broken body in a cooler thrown into the ocean, a newlywed couple gunned down by mercenaries, chocolates mailed to Dover with deadly intent in Delaware the most violent killings have remained the most memorable. On October 31st 1991, Steven Brian Pennell was sentenced to death. But according toDelaware Today, their attention was captured by the discovery of what would later be referred to as a "torture kit," containing "pliers, a whip, handcuffs, needles, knives and restraints." To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. He testified against his co-defendants. For more on this case and others like it, watch"Mark Of A Serial Killer," airing Monday, April 12 through Friday, April 16 at 8/7c as part ofSerial Killer Week,a special nine-night event on Oxygen. He favored routes along Routes 40 and 13, and returning home, he often crashed out on the couch, awoke in the early hours, and went out again. Within days, The publication points out that those in this industry are at a greater risk for violence and are often seen as targets by serial killers. Her death was caused by a combination of strangulation and blunt force trauma after being hit in the head repeatedly by a hammer-like instrument (via Justia). Taschner was on the lookout now for a blue Ford van and one did eventually stop for her. He shocked the courtroom when he asked to receive the death penalty. She did note that the inside of the van was covered in blue carpeting, and she even managed to swipe some samples of it before she walked away. He found the perfect victim in execution today for the first time in almost Listen to Anthony Todt, Gary Betzner, and Steven Brian Pennell by Bizarre & Fascinating Details instantly on your tablet, phone or browser - no downloads needed. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Tragically, yet another victimthen turned up in the meantime. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. her life and acting as the dominant presence in the household. We have estimated Steven Brian Pennell was charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Catherine DiMauro, Shirley Ellis, and Michelle Gordon (per Justia). of women that he could torture and rape. On March 14, 1992, the sentence was carried out. She cautions that this statistic might be even higher, claiming that the "missing missing" (a term she coined to refer to missing persons that are never reported missing) could certainly skew the number of sex workers who are murdered upward. when is a probable cause hearing necessary,
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