Meet Steven Brian Pennell – Delaware’s first and solely serial killer.
Between 1987 and 1988, Pennell murdered and mutilated no less than 5 younger girls, most of whom he kidnapped from Route 40.
On November 29, 1987, a younger couple stumbled upon the physique of Pennell’s first sufferer at a development web site.
The younger lady, later recognized as 23-year-old Shirley Ellis, was discovered together with her pants pulled down and her bra minimize open to reveal her breasts. Investigators found ligature marks in addition to indicators of mutilation on one among her nipples.
An post-mortem revealed Ellis was killed by a blow to the pinnacle, however to everybody’s shock, the health worker discovered no indicators of sexual assault.
Seven months after the primary homicide, Pennell struck once more.
On June 28, 1988, development staff discovered the physique of 31-year-old Catherine DiMauro.
After arriving on the scene, police instantly realized the case bore eerie similarities to the primary homicide.
Nevertheless, this time, the post-mortem revealed greater than only a comparable homicide technique – DiMauro’s physique was lined in tiny blue carpet fibers.
Throughout the subsequent three months, Pennell claimed three extra victims.
The foremost breakthrough got here on September 14, 1988, when an undercover police officer posing as intercourse employee noticed a blue Ford seven occasions in 20 minutes.
The driving force ultimately pulled as much as the officer, who instantly observed the blue carpet. The person tried to persuade her to enter his automobile, however she refused, claiming that she was drained. Nevertheless, the officer managed to acquire some carpet fiber and wrote down the license plate quantity.
Car registration data recognized the suspicious driver as 31-year-old electrician Stephen Brian Pennell.
Pennell was arrested on November 29, 1988, and, regardless of his lawyer’s efforts to argue that the fiber pattern was obtained illegally, sentenced to dying three years later.
On March 14, 1992, Steven Brian Pennell was executed by deadly injection. His final meal consisted of crab truffles, steaks, corn on the cob, french fries, bread and butter and a cola.
