saving. 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. Romaine Jenkins, the retired homicide detective that I detailed in this episode's introduction, has maintained a lifelong obsession with the case. [1][2], On the evening of April 25, 1971, 13-year-old Spinks from Southeast was sent by (Carlo) an older sister to buy groceries at a 7-Eleven located a half-mile away from her home, just across the border in Maryland. Both Ms. Johnson and Ms. Crockett were victims of the so-called Freeway Phantom homicides.". She, however, had been 18 years old, and likely much more aware of what was happening to her. hugh o'brian estate; senior analyst job description accenture. This neighbor had thought nothing of it at the time, since one of her family's friends drove a similar car. This was less than two miles away from Diane's home. Despite claiming he intended the cyanide for himself, planning suicide, he was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to twenty years to life. Male After all, Washington D.C. would not establish home rule until 1973, meaning that the local residents had no real representation of their own at the time of the Freeway Phantom murders. One of which began talking: Morris Joseph Warren, who had begun to grow fearful that another member of the gang would turncoat before he did. Edward Simmons in North Carolina We found 46 records for Edward Simmons in Charlotte, Tarboro and 29 other cities in North Carolina. Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia, Superior Court of the District of Columbia, List of fugitives from justice who disappeared, List of serial killers in the United States, "DNA discovery could solve 1972 Freeway Phantom slaying", "Up to $150,000 Reward "Freeway Phantom" Murders", "Why the Freeway Phantom Still Hasn't Been Caught", "Black Ex-Cops Arrested In. 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. Hence their nickname, the "Green Vega's.". They were giving the Freeway Phantom credit for six murders: those of Carol Spinks, Darlenia Johnson, Brenda Crockett, Nenomoshia Yates, Brenda Woodard, and now Diane Williams (in that order). Her work wasn't too far away - located in Oxon Hill, a neighboring district of Congress Heights - which sat in unincorporated PG (Prince George's) County. Visiting hours will be held at the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., Burlington on Monday, August 2 from 6-8 p.m. Funeral from the Sullivan Funeral Home on Tuesday, August 3 at 9 a.m. and will conclude with a funeral Mass at St. Margaret Church in St. Veronica Parish, www.stveronicama.org , 111 Winn Street, Burlington, at 10:00 am . Support Center. The girls' bodies were dumped near or along freeways in the District and Prince George's County, more than two decades ago. Follows the Sullivan family during the Second World War. 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. Robert Elwood Askins was a middle-aged black man that worked at St. Elizabeth's Hospital as a computer technician through the 1970's. He also owns a car or truck, which he would drive the distances between the stores where the victims were abducted. This was also supported by the contents of her stomach, which included some kind of citrus fruit. It was around 9:20 PM that this call came in, approximately two or so hours after Brenda had left for the store. Crockett was on the other line, crying. 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 local newspaper "The Evening Star" hoped to inspire tips with a reward, announcing $5,000 for anyone that provided information which led to an arrest. There, she was sexually assaulted and beaten, before being freed by her kidnapper. They may be living somewhere else, doing it again. Allenteen spotted her defiant 13-year old daughter, and let her know that her punishment would be waiting for her at home. Investigators would continue to ponder this theory over the coming months, as they began to inquire into possible leads. The inmate who provided the information said he was not involved in the homicide, and provided an alibi which was found to be verifiable. Vicksburg. Seven young black girls were mysteriously slain in the national capital by a killer known as the Freeway Phantom. Extensive manhunts were conducted in search of the mysterious assailant since the discovery of the probable first victim of the serial killer. Barnes's slaying, originally thought to be linked to the Freeway Phantom killings, was later solved when two former police officers, Edward L. Sellman and Tommie B. Simmons, were convicted of. Bertha Crockett, the younger sister of Brenda Crockett, had been the one to pick up the phone on the night she was abducted. As the group of kids were playing in this area, just off of Interstate 295's northbound lanes, an 11-year-old boy wandered off. I can only guess if police investigated him for any involvement in the Freeway Phantom crimes, but it was theorized in the same article that he wasn't the real killer - just perhaps taking the credit to scare his victim. As you can guess, this early nickname would stick and soon, the killer himself seemed to embrace it. Just one of eight children, Carol had an identical twin sister named Carolyn. In addition to this . Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Among those individuals considered suspects were members of a gang known as the Green Vega Rapists. Since he wasn't incarcerated at the time, I'll refrain from using his name, but he spoke to police and - over the span of a lengthy interview - was able to positively identify three of the murder victims from a photo lineup. A 1975 memorandum order by D.C. Superior Court Judge Fred B. Ugast read: "On May 16th, Mr. Warren began to direct the government agents to the locations he had described to them regarding two Freeway deaths. Want to Read. Authorities later determined that Barnes was not a victim of the Freeway Phantom and resumed their investigation on the murders. Death Notices and Obituaries in the Buffalo News 2010 by Name Robert Askins would be sent to St. Elizabeth's Hospital shortly thereafter, until he was mentally fit enough to stand trial. rancho bernardo country club membership cost; About. The inmate being interviewed stipulated that he would provide the information only if he could remain unidentified, which was agreed upon. Carol Denise Spinks body was discovered by the authorities six days later from the day she was reported missing on April 25, 1971. Heavy footsteps were heard in the background and Crockett said "I'll see you" and hung up. [19] All these leads were investigated to their logical conclusion. 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. Not only were the case files lost - they were altogether missing. edward sullivan and tommie simmons; edward sullivan and tommie simmons. It's even possible to imply that Brenda's last words in the phone call - the reflexive "I'll see you" comment - were indicative of her being close to home. Shortly after leaving the store, another kid from the neighborhood saw her walking back home, with a bag of groceries in her hands. 43 Winn Street Burlington, MA 01803. The victim, a 17-year old waitress, had been waiting at a bus stop when a young white man pulled up in his vehicle and asked for directions. Patricia Williams sat at a table near a window in a restaurant in Northwest Washington this week, her hands clasped. However, in the half-mile distance between the 7-Eleven convenience store and her family's apartment, Carol Spinks disappeared. 4 distinct works. This case, which has been closed and opened a number of times over its history, is currently open as a cold case in the MPDC Homicide Division. However, with her body being found not too far away, just eight hours after her abduction, we can reasonably surmise that wasn't the case. Police had openly speculated that the Freeway Phantom was a black man, and James Groom was white. Edward Sullivan and Tommie Simmons Sullivan and Simmons, two ex-cops, were arrested for the murder of Angela Denise Barnes. The investigation into the abduction and murder of Neno Yates was just as unsuccessful as the first three murders. Edward Emerson Simmons (October 27, 1852 - November 17, 1931) was an American Impressionist painter, remembered for his mural work. They didn't care about us. This, at least, provided investigators with some kind of a lead, but finding the driver of a blue Volkswagon - in 1971 - was like finding a needle in a haystack. 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. episodes A Trout in the Milk, Adapt or Die, The Totally Excellent Adventures of Mack and the D, After, Before, As I Have Always Been, Stolen, Brand New Day, The End is at Hand and What We're Fighting For. Brenda's 7-year old sister, Bertha, had remained at-home while the rest of her family was out scouring the neighborhood. 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. The cause-of-death, though, appeared to be strangulation. Police would use that hair over the coming years to test for suspect validity, but were unsuccessful in linking them to anyone. Are Green Vega Rapists Freeway Phantom? However, in all of these cases, one kept Romaine Jenkins up at night. During their correspondence, Askins continued to deny having any part in the Freeway Phantom murders, stating that he did not have: " the depravity of mind required to commit any of the crimes.". I don't believe that police followed the leads they had. Now-retired, she always dreamed of being the one to crack the Freeway Phantom case, hoping to be the one to personally handcuff him. During this period, an election was being held in Maryland, and one of the candidates publicly announced to the press that a break had occurred in the Freeway Phantom investigation, and provided that an inmate at Lorton Prison had given the information. After kissing her boyfriend goodbye, Diane Williams was last seen boarding a city bus, directed towards her family's home in Halley Terrace. 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. So, Detective Trainum then took back the evidence, and re-submitted it to the Maryland State Police. While at home, anxious and slightly unaware of the situation's severity, the phone rang. Some people believe that the Phantom himself called in tips to mislead police and stall the investigation. "I think what has happened is the community has forgotten, the police department has forgotten," Jenkins said. The first of which was from Leon Williams, the father of Diane Williams - the sixth and final murder victim of the Freeway Phantom. In the first murder attributed to this spree - that of Carol Spinks - it was discovered that she had been held captive for some time before her death. He tried to be more forceful on the phone than Bertha had been, but received most of the same information from Brenda: that a white man had picked her up, and she was going to head home in a cab. Bryant, of Maryland, was the only victim not from the District. A witness apparently saw her getting into a blue Volkswagen, and although investigated, the lead led nowhere.[5]. With current evidence and any information of the case from when it happened, no leads produced sufficient evidence for prosecution. Brenda was still wearing her black boots, which stood in direct contrast to the first few victims. FRee-wAy PhanTom. 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. All suspects are charged with state drug offenses and were cited and released with future dates to appear in the Criminal Division of Vermont Superior Courts across the state. Perhaps he was a Vietnam veteran suffering with some untreated PTSD, or perhaps he was someone with a vicious grudge against law enforcement. She was found wearing the clothing she had disappeared in, but her shoes had been removed. 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