Jury finds Alex Ewing guilty in 1984 “Hammer Killer” murders of Aurora family

An Arapahoe County assemblage connected Friday recovered 60-year-old Alex Ewing blameworthy of first-degree execution successful the horrific 1984 killings of a 7-year-old miss and her household successful Aurora.

The blameworthy verdict connected each counts, which came aft a assemblage reached an impasse Thursday, is the culmination of a 37-year odyssey for the Bennett family, and different illustration of caller DNA grounds coming to airy and reviving a acold lawsuit from decades ago.

Ewing, 60, was facing a first-degree execution charge successful the Bennett family’s slaying, 1 successful a string of seemingly random attacks crossed metro Denver that terrified residents during a two-week span successful aboriginal 1984.

The perpetrator of the grizzly crimes became known arsenic the “Hammer Killer.”

Prosecutors allege that Ewing utilized a hammer and a weapon to termination Debra Bennett, 26, her hubby Bruce Bennett, 27, and their daughter, Melissa Bennett, who besides was raped. The family’s youngest, 3-year-old Vanessa Bennett, was severely injured but survived the Aurora location invasion.

During closing arguments Thursday, 18th Judicial District Attorney John Kellner said semen matched to Ewing’s DNA from the Bennett’s location ties him to the country of the crime.

Ewing’s attorneys, meanwhile, argued that 1 idiosyncratic could not person carried retired this crime, and that the prosecution’s grounds had been tainted implicit the years.

Authorities were stumped for decades by the horrific killings, but prosecutors accidental DNA grounds successful 2018 matched Ewing to semen collected from the carpet and comforter successful the Bennett sisters’ bedroom.

Ewing was already serving a 40-year condemnation successful Nevada for attempted execution aft beating a mates astir to decease with an ax grip successful August 1984, conscionable months aft the Bennets were recovered dormant successful Aurora.

He was extradited to Colorado aft the Nevada Supreme Court ruled the determination was warranted.

Ewing besides stands proceedings successful October successful the sidesplitting of 50-year-old Patricia Smith, who was attacked astatine her Lakewood location with a hammer six days earlier Bennett slayings.