LAKEWOOD, Colo.—DNA evidence has found that one suspect was responsible for two unsolved homicide cases in 1984 involving four people in Aurora and Lakewood, investigators said Tuesday.
The Denver Post reported that authorities believe one person is responsible for the deaths of a Lakewood woman and an Aurora family of three. They haven’t linked the DNA evidence to a specific person.
Authorities planned to announce their findings later Tuesday.
Patricia Louise Smith, 50, was killed at her Lakewood home after being beaten with a hammer on Jan. 10, 1984. Authorities said the same person went to an Aurora home six days later, sneaked in and attacked a family of three: Bruce and Debra Bennett, and their 7-year-old daughter Melissa.
Police said Bruce Bennett was also struck with a hammer and stabbed to death. Investigators said they believe the killer brought a hammer to the home.
Authorities tried to solve the homicide case using a laser to get fingerprints in the home, and removed part of the concrete in the garage floor to preserve a shoe print.
In 2002, the Arapahoe County District Attorney’s office filed an arrest warrant on 18 charges for an unidentified man in the Aurora case. The charges included three counts of first-degree murder and two counts of sexual assault.
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Information from: The Denver Post,
