He replaced Joel Dabney Courtney, who portrayed Nathaniel Malick in the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. As a result, the Freeway Phantom case files are now incomplete - some have been discarded entirely and others are incomplete with pages or articles of evidence having been lost, along with their associated notes, and all the primary or task force investigators have either long retired, or are deceased. [20], Common practice at the time was that case files at MPDC Detective Divisions were retained by the detectives assigned to the case. This was the rhetoric that seemed to follow around the case in the early years of the investigation: that the police weren't doing enough to catch the killer. In face, the case of the Lyon sisters was reported on frequently in the media, and in 2017 - just a year or so ago - the case was finally resolved after more than 40 years. Authorities would note that her crime scene was incredibly gruesome - with her clothing being stained with blood - and she had six stab wounds to various parts of her body. Early 1970's newspaper reports hint at a perceived hatred of those names by the killer, but police have not stated that this was a belief of theirs. If you may know anything, please contact Washington D.C. authorities or the FBI. That was when she learned of her 18-year old daughter's brutal murder. On April 25th, 1971 - a Sunday, which was described as being unusually warm for the springtime - Carol and her siblings were shut up inside their apartment, in Washington D.C.'s Congress Heights. Heavy footsteps were heard in the background and Crockett said "I'll see you" and hung up. On Saturday, May 1st, 1971 - six days after the disappearance of Carol Spinks - a group of kids were playing in a grassy area behind St. Elizabeths Hospital. It wasn't until 2001 that the case was officially re-opened, when Detective James Trainum took it on as a personal challenge. They had done the brunt of the early investigation, such as speaking to key witnesses and canvassing the neighborhoods of the abductions, but were unable to advance the case in any major way. The most notable case, which police had originally attributed to the Phantom, was the murder of 14-year old Angela Barnes. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. Part of me was just killed. After all, Brenda had asked specifically "Did my mother see me?" He was able to get close to his victims, and then overpower them. Before her death, it appeared that the victim had been brutalized, having been hit in the face more than once. Likely, it had been dictated to her by the killer. [5] About two hours later (around 9:20 pm) the Crocketts' phone rang and was answered by her 7-year-old sister, who had waited at home while her family searched the neighborhood. Of those effected by the Freeway Phantom crime spree, none were hit harder than the loved ones - whose children and siblings were taken by the unknown killer, and their lives ended way too prematurely. Upon his arrest, Askins declared to police that he was a "woman hater" and was placed under mental observation at Washington, D.C.'s Gallinger Hospital. As he later recalled: "I shined my flashlights into her eyes to see if there was life. The usage of the word 'tantamount' had often stood out to investigators, and here was a prime suspect that seemed to use the word regularly - as verified by his coworkers, who said as much. Remember when I told you that police had initially found semen on Diane Williams' clothing, and ruled it out as her boyfriend's? Today, Williams and other relatives of the victims will hold a memorial service in honor of the girls, whose slayings, with the exception of one, remain unsolved. Neno's stepmother had actually just given birth, so the girl's father ended up juggling his time between being at the hospital (to be with his wife and newborn baby) and being at home (to take care of Neno). I have not read anything that indicates she made it to the store, so I can just assume that on her way to Safeway, Brenda was abducted. Because the body of Diane Williams - the sixth and final victim - had been found near the D.C.-Maryland border, Maryland State Police had initially handled the investigation. FRee-wAy PhanTom. Police would use that hair over the coming years to test for suspect validity, but were unsuccessful in linking them to anyone. This semen sample would remain untested for several decades, but needless to say that would come up much later. Patricia Williams sat at a table near a window in a restaurant in Northwest Washington this week, her hands clasped. In 2013, an employee at the Maryland Chief Medical Examiner's officer spoke (under the veil of anonymity), and stated that trying to find out any information about the Freeway Phantom case: It is unknown if the DNA sample from Diane Williams' clothing still exists, and if it can be tested. The investigation into the abduction and murder of Neno Yates was just as unsuccessful as the first three murders. On the evening July 27th, 1971, at around 8:00 PM, many of the kids in Brenda's neighborhood were settling in for a movie night. I will admit the others when you catch me if you can! It was around 9:20 PM that this call came in, approximately two or so hours after Brenda had left for the store. They didn't even get out of the car to look for the remains, before using their radio to call in "10-8" (aka "nothing to see here"). Abduction and rapeManual strangulationLigature strangulation (once)Stabbing (once) So, Detective Trainum then took back the evidence, and re-submitted it to the Maryland State Police. On the evening of November 15th, 1971, Brenda met up with a male classmate of her's, and the two had dinner together at a D.C. staple named Ben's Chili Bowl. Like the other two victims, she had been strangled. The Freeway Phantom case has seen a myriad of investigators and garnered much interest over the years. An autopsy of the victim's body showed that she had been sexually assaulted before her death; in a grisly detail, police also learned that she had been sodomized. County, Maryland. He walked her to a bus stop nearby, along Martin Luther King Avenue. They didn't believe him to have any real insider information, and remain doubtful that this gang of perverts was responsible for a serial murder spree. Approximately six hours later, a police officer discovered her body, which had been stabbed multiple times and strangled, in a grassy area near Prince George's County Hospital, along an access ramp to Route 202 from the BaltimoreWashington Parkway. There were long gaps between the crimes (sometimes as long as 2.5 months between each), but five young women had been killed over the span of 1971. Now, on the other side of town, another child found themselves walking along the side of the road as evening approached. This neighbor had thought nothing of it at the time, since one of her family's friends drove a similar car. These members included men such as Morris Joseph Warren, Paul Fletcher, John Davis, and Paul Brooks - whose exploits you can find in detailed newspaper archives. We know that this article of clothing was not tested for DNA by either the Maryland State Police or the FBI, but it was last in the possession of the Maryland State Police - who have not confirmed that they actually have the evidence. She, however, had been 18 years old, and likely much more aware of what was happening to her. edward sullivan and tommie simmonsthe hardy family acrobats 26th February 2023 / in was forest whitaker in batteries not included / by / in was forest whitaker in batteries not included / by [5] By that time, Johnson's body (again dressed but without her shoes) was far too decomposed to determine the cause of death or if she had been sexually assaulted, but law enforcement was able to find evidence of strangulation. He didn't want to risk being exposed to the other gang members, for fear of retribution. Jury Convicts Man Accused in Green Vega Rapes, Talk Murder With Me - The Freeway Phantom Murders, Baltimore Afro American - Is he the Freeway Phantom (October 21st, 1972 issue), Indiana Evening Gazette - Washington, D.C. Police Seek Clues To Freeway Phantom (November 19th, 1971 issue), Santa Ana Register - 5-Man Gang Tied To Rapes, Killings (July 9th, 1975 issue), Two ex-cops from Washington held for Freeway Phantom murder of girl', Kimberly Riley & Jeremy Britt-Bayinthavong, Paul Skiba, Sarah Skiba, and Lorenzo Chivers, June & Jennifer Gibbons (The Silent Twins). She, however, was sent by her mother to a nearby Safeway grocery store to pick up some bread and some food for the family's three dogs: Ringo, Rex, and Romeo. The fact that this victim had been stabbed multiple times pointed to this being a separate incident - perhaps one perpetrated by an individual that wasn't connected to the first four crimes. [19] All these leads were investigated to their logical conclusion. He identified the man who gave him the information, the date and location of the crime, and signature detail which was not provided to the public, but which was known only to the perpetrator, and to detectives. This particular inmate was also serving a sentence at Lorton Prison for the Green Vega convictions. One of the original Freeway Phantom detectives, who long suspected Askins to be the killer, continued corresponding with the convict until his death in 2010. "You never forget. [16] She was last seen boarding a bus at 11:20 pm near his house. The body also had a coat on its chest, in the pockets of which was a note with a poem , this is tAntAmount to my I will admit the others when you catch me if you can! edward sullivan and tommie simmons. Diane would spent the next few hours with her boyfriend, before the time came to head home. Signature The Phantom after abducting his victims is assumed to have taken them to abandoned houses where he proceeded to rape the victims multiple times before killing them. Unfortunately, their questions regarding her fate would be answered less than a week later. The other, they claimed, belonged to an African American man. "This is tantamount to insensititivity [sic] to people especially women. He drove her to a secluded area, where she was then sexually assaulted. Most unusually, three of the victims shared the middle name Denise. She, like the majority of people in Washington DC, also happens to be black. Their apathy would be noted on at least one more occasion. He also owns a car or truck, which he would drive the distances between the stores where the victims were abducted. Unfortunately, they would be unable to link these to any particular victims. However, along the way, she encountered her mother, who just-so-happened to be returning home. 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