Despite seeming to know specific details about the various murders, this inmate - Morris Warren - had alibis for the days of several crimes, so investigators began to surmise that he had gotten his information from elsewhere. In attendance was a local resident named Glendora Thomas, who stated: "The police are committing crimes by not taking care of our children.". We do know that several investigators were working hard on the case, but simply had very little to work with - this was the 1970's, after all, and barring some kind of explosive eyewitness testimony, there was little for detectives to work with. He was born in Concord, Massachusetts, the son of a Unitarian minister. Police quickly zeroed in on Askins as their suspect, but it wasn't until D.C. detective Lloyd Davis began interviewing Askins, and learned about his past, that he began to connect the man to the unsolved Freeway Phantom murders. The police later recovered one of the .38 caliber pistols reported stolen by the two police officers. But Jenkins, who said she reopened the case in 1987 after it had sat dormant for years, also linked the killing of Teara Ann Bryant, 18, to the Freeway Phantom case. Unlike the rest of the Freeway Phantom victims, she had been shot in the head, but her case was linked to the others in the immediate aftermath. Romaine Jenkins is a retired police officer, who - during her tenure in law enforcement - became a pioneer. However, it's end was just as tragic as the first two abductions. [5] Her body was found within three hours of her abduction, just off the shoulder of Pennsylvania Avenue in Prince George's County, Maryland. It was discovered that the victim had been found in the same clothing that she had disappeared in - a red sweater, blue shorts, and brown socks - but most unusually, her shoes were missing. Mr .. Tommie Simmons in Connecticut 34 people named Tommie Simmons found in Hartford, New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island and 2 . They were a small gang that had operated in the region around Washington D.C. - primarily along the Washington Beltway, but extending out into Maryland. 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. After the 1978 rape charge, Askins' home was searched by police in connection with the Freeway Phantom murders. Court documents were found in a desk drawer in which a judge had used the word "tantamount," an uncommon word that had appeared in the note dictated by the killer of Brenda Woodward. of Victims The investigation was conducted by a law enforcement task force that included Detectives from the MPDC Homicide and Sex Squads, investigators from Prince George's County and Montgomery County, Maryland,Maryland State Police, and theFederal Bureau of Investigation(FBI). However, he traces the killer's origins to the neighborhood of Congress Heights, where, as Trainum states: "He felt safe there, he felt he could do his dirt and get away with it.". In addition, Darlenia Johnson - just like Carol Spinks - had been found in the clothes she was wearing when she went missing, but was missing her shoes. Investigators would continue to ponder this theory over the coming months, as they began to inquire into possible leads. When her mother's boyfriend asked to speak to the other man, he only heard the sound of heavy footsteps on the other end of the line. [19] All these leads were investigated to their logical conclusion. [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. This seems to hint at some connection between Reatha, her mother, and the abduction itself. Currently Reading. Valerie Moore - the older sister that had sent Carol Spinks to the 7-Eleven down the street to fetch some soda and TV dinners - was wracked with guilt. The classic prime time variety show most famous for its vaudeville acts and rock music performances. Ph: (781) 272-0050 The case files had been lost by DC police in the years since, and were nowhere to be found. It was a word that had been used in his prior legal paperwork, during his murder trial from the 1950's and subsequent release, but had also been included in the Freeway Phantom's note. episode Paradise . They didn't care about us. When investigators would examine this coat, they would find a handwritten note inside one of the jacket pockets. This returned him to the scene of the first two crimes, and police would determine that this most recent victim, Diane Williams, had been abducted not too far away from where Carol Spinks and Darlenia Johnson had been kidnapped from. The remains of this young victim were brought in for an evaluation and autopsy. The Ultimate Weapon: The Race to Develop the Atomic Bomb. All these leads were investigated to their logical conclusion. Coroners would later note that the strangulation was excessive, with the girl's esophagus having been broken. It wasn't until September of 1972 that investigators would declare him active once again. Union. Police investigators initially linked a total of seven slayings, including that of Barnes, to the same killer. For close to six months - stretching from April to November - the Freeway Phantom had struck almost regularly. During his trial, it was revealed that he'd been a police informant, aiding law enforcement in the arrests of prostitutes. Carol Denise Spinks body was discovered by the authorities six days later from the day she was reported missing on April 25, 1971. The inmate who provided the information said he was not involved in the homicide, and provided an alibi which was found to be verifiable. Investigators and websleuths alike have wondered if Brenda Woodard might have been targeted by a separate killer, who tried to place the blame for her death at the burgeoning "Freeway Phantom" by having the victim write a note saying as much. james liston pressly; Tags . A witness apparently saw her getting into a blue Volkswagen, and although investigated, the lead led nowhere.[5]. Edward Sullivan et Tommie Simmons Freeway Phantom taient-ils ? Many of the original detectives had been long-retired, or were even deceased, when Trainum took on the case. She reluctantly agreed, only to discover that the the man had no intentions of taking her to her destination. ". The inmate being interviewed stipulated that he would provide the information only if he could remain unidentified, which was agreed upon. Sellman and Simmons, two ex-cops, were arrested for the murder of Angela Denise Barnes. For the next twenty or so years, Askins seemed to make a conscious effort to become a productive member of society. Twenty of those appearances were included on a DVD titled Muppets Magic from the Ed Sullivan Show in 2003. Brenda was still wearing her black boots, which stood in direct contrast to the first few victims. These men drove around in a Green Chevy Vega, which they used to kidnap and rape young women. Following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968 - and the subsequent riots, which caused extensive damage to the Washington D.C. region - the area had been left reeling. Upon this third - and final - submission, the custody of this evidence became a matter-of-debate. All had been killed by a mysterious killer - or group of killers - who seemed to embrace the nickname that the media gave them. Unfortunately, they would be unable to link these to any particular victims. edward sullivan and tommie simmons. Despite being just seven years old at the time, she continues to describe the day she learned of Brenda's death as the "most devastating" day of her life. ng bi lc Thng Mt 19, 2023. Romaine Jenkins, the retired homicide detective that I detailed in this episode's introduction, has maintained a lifelong obsession with the case. One suspect that I haven't seen discussed in any major publications was a young man named James Groom, whose name was mentioned in the October 21st, 1972 edition of the Baltimore Afro American - a regional newspaper. Criminal profiling was still in its infancy, but the FBI was eager to help solve this case, which they had labeled the work of a "repeat offender.". Bertha recalls her sister crying on the other end of the phone, and sounding somewhat distracted. especiAlly women. A 17-year-old Ballou High School senior, Williams cooked dinner for her family and then visited her boyfriend's house. Nothing seemed to link him to the six victims, and a comparison of the green fibers that had been found on 5 of the 6 victims' clothing didn't match anything that Askins owned. 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. As they spoke, her bus had come and gone, so the man offered to give her a ride home. "From that moment on, our lives were never the same," said Williams, 40, who is a police officer. A number of these grisly cases were heartbreaking, consuming much of Jenkins' time with tragedy. An examination of Brenda's clothing would find two different hair samples: one of which, authorities stated, belonged to a Caucasian man. He also could've complained about how society was wronging him, and probably tried contacting a person of power by some means; however, said person presumably refused to listen to him, further fueling his anger and leading to the murders. The killer might have been someone nearby that wanted to dispose of the victim's remains as soon as possible. Tommy served on the USS INTREPID CVA-11 US Navy, four years MM3 If the killer fit this profile, and was in his 20's or 30's, it is possible that he is still alive. Unfortunately, their questions regarding her fate would be answered less than a week later. View the profiles of people named Edward Sullivan. Diane would spent the next few hours with her boyfriend, before the time came to head home. [7], On July 27, 1971, 10-year-old Crockett from Northwest failed to return home after having been sent to the store by her mother. The Phantom also most likely lives in the Washington area, as he seems to have knowledge of the region, especially the local stores. In the most unusual development in the case thus far, investigators discovered what seemed to be a taunt from the culprit - which was found at the scene. This hints at some kind of urgency, such as the killer being rushed. This particular inmate was also serving a sentence at Lorton Prison for the Green Vega convictions. meadowbrook country club estates; michael mullen obituary; pamela gluckin obituary new york; antonio tonyboy floirendo jr biography The victim, Ruth McDonald, had actually died as a result of the poisoning, and Askins was later convicted for her murder. This statement seems to imply that the investigators had either not properly expressed their investigation to the loved ones of the victims, or had simply failed to take their feelings into account. Likely, it had been dictated to her by the killer. 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. The vehicle was described as an older black model, but no specific details could be given. It alleged that the Green Vega's - all of whom had been locked up for crimes of sexual violence - were responsible for more than 100 rapes in the region. Danh mc . Her body was discovered behind St. Elizabeths Hospital on a grassy embankment next to the northbound lanes of I-295, about 1,500 feet south of Suitland Parkway. Morbidly, the body of Brenda Woodard had been disposed off of another busy road, near a bus-stop that Brenda's mother used almost every single day. He retired the next year, 2010, and had received no word in an official capacity from the Maryland Police. So, Trainum took back the evidence, and submitted it to the FBI forensic database where the same thing happened. [22] [23] Authorities later determined that Barnes was not a victim of the Freeway Phantom and resumed their investigation on the murders. A search warrant was eventually obtained, and investigators dug through Askins' backyard. . The children knew that failure to comply would result in a severe punishment - such as being hit with a switch or a belt - but that did not deter young Carol Spinks. Read More: Are Green Vega Rapists Freeway Phantom? Yeah, that came back into play roughly 30 years later, in 2002, when Trainum submitted that piece of evidence for forensic testing. Robert Elwood Askins was a middle-aged black man that worked at St. Elizabeth's Hospital as a computer technician through the 1970's. At least one witness would claim having seen her with her boyfriend that afternoon, but that boyfriend's mother refused to let police speak to her son. Angela fitted seamlessly into the victim profile of the Freeway Phantom she was a minor, African American, and her body was found near an abandoned road. The other victims had had their shoes taken from them. Carol obliged, and accepted the five dollars from her older sister. The details of this confession were leaked to the press by P.G. Perhaps she knew her abductor, and wasn't too far away from her family's home at the time of the call. Right? Females Vanished in the 70s, The Washington Post - Killings Unsolved 25 Years Later, Ivan Reports - DNA test in Freeway Phantom cold case not confirmed, Washington City Paper - Why the Freeway Phantom Still Hasnt Been Caught, The Washington Post - D.C. Their boss then decided to make a call to a friend of theirs - Charles Baden, a police sergeant in Washington D.C. Baden, was wasn't even on-duty that day, was able to make his way to the scene, where he finally got the police involved. It was believed that these had come from a vehicle or a carpet/rug of some kind, but would provide police a very minuscule lead as the investigation began to stretch out over several weeks. This was just a stone's throw away from the first two abduction scenes - those of Carol Spinks and Darlenia Johnson - from more than a year beforehand. During this encounter, the man also told the victim that he had recently returned from Vietnam, was lonely, and was sick of no one understanding him. January 19, 2023 . In December of 1938 - when Askins was a much younger man - he had poisoned a sex worker in Washington D.C with potassium cyanide. Want to Read. She had also been fully clothed, minus her shoes (which were missing). She had been sent to buy sugar, flour, and paper plates, and all indications would point to her having done so. All but one are still considered victims of the "Freeway Phantom Murderer. Not only did Askins seem to commit a similar crime in the vicinity of the abductions, but he lived and worked in the region. Both Ms. Johnson and Ms. Crockett were victims of the so-called Freeway Phantom homicides.". Barnes, 14, was at one point thought to be a victim of the serial killings. Investigators had created a timeline of events, which they forced themselves to adhere to. He had pulled over to the side of the road, just south of the border separating Washington D.C. and the state of Maryland. Askins also seemed to match the criteria that investigators had established the Freeway Phantom would have: he was a middle-aged black man that lived in the neighborhood, had a proclivity for targeting similar victims, and harbored a violent grudge against women. It is unknown whether or not police investigated Groom as a legitimate suspect, but I have not found any reporting or mention of him in the months and years after this one incident. saving. Trainum was able to recover many of the documents from the Maryland State Police - who had carefully stored the files - but had no idea what had been lost in the preceding decades. Described as both shy and petite, Carol had just cracked five feet tall, and was near the end of her seventh grade year at Johnson Junior High School. 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