Most, if not all of Delaware was happy to get rid of Mr. Pennell when he executed for his crimes in 1992. The term 'similarities' is really a strongunderstatement, Swiski said. He died on 14 March 1992, in his hometown, at the age of 34. . The first victim was 23-year-old Shirley Anna Ellis, a nurse. get yours now before they are gone forever. I have a fear of having my nipples cut off by a murderer. In chasing the Route 40 killer, police would seek assistance from the FBIs Behavioral Sciences Unit and create a huge task force to capture him. $100K-$1M (Approx.) He ran up credit card bills which put a strain on his marriage, causing incidents of domestic violence. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. There was one key difference between the victims, however: DiMauro was covered head to toe in blue carpet fibers. Sometimes he would simply bind his victim by the hands and ankles while he raped them and beat their buttocks with his whip, other times he would hit them with a hammer until they were battered and bloody, and in another case he used the pliers to squeeze the victim's breasts and cut off her nipples. , money, salary, income, and assets. Steven Brian Pennell - AKA The Route 40 Killer - was Delaware's only known serial killer Blue fibres found on her skin would match the carpet of Pennell's Ford car, ultimately leading to his capture - a search warrant would also uncover the victim's fingerprints, blood and hair. The idea was always to engage these guys to see if we could get the person or persons who initiatedthese crimes to show their hand," Taschner said. Margaret Lynn Finner's body was so badly decomposed when found it was found that the cause of death was undetermined. She was partially nude, her legs spread out, hands and feet tied with adhesive tape. Local officers were aware they were ill-equipped to handle a massive hunt for a serial killer, so they created a task force and called in the FBI as backup. She had been known to hitchhike along Route 40, just like the other victims. Prior to the execution, numerous reporters tried to ask Pennell for exclusive interviews, hoping to reveal the location of Meyer's body. The undercover team proactively drove her to a darker, more secluded area of Route 40, where the blue van drove past and finally stopped in front of her. He was given lethal injection in 1992 and was the first person to be executed since the state instated the death penalty. In addition to his electrical jobs, Pennell worked part time as a bouncer. Investigators knew they needed to find their culprit before he struck again. Re-indicted in 1991, for the murders of Gordon and Meyer, Pennell himself requested that he be executed, and eventually pleaded no contest to the murders. When it came close to his execution date, he agreed to be interviewed by one newspaper, with his lawyer present. "This court has found me guilty on the testimony of witnesses. . She is currently single. Most of his victims were abducted from U.S. Route 40, near Bear. Instead, it was the beaten and mutilated body of Shirley A. Ellis. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Tragically, yet another victim then turned up in the meantime. Thats all I have to say," he said, according to a 2020 Delaware Today article. A "torture kit" was also found, which included pliers, whips, handcuffs, needles, knives and restraints. Check out our sister site VHS WASTELAND. Due to the police's inexperience with serial murder, the FBI had agreed to help, mostly aided by the efforts of special agents John Douglas and Steve Mardigan (Douglas testified against Pennell at his 1989 trial). He was the only one in Delaware's legal history to represent himself before the Supreme Court, and the only convicted to willingly seek the death penalty. On the rainy night of Nov. 29, 1987, a couple driving through an industrial park in Newark, Delaware, thought they saw a mannequin at the side of the road. The dolls were still dressed up, but now covered in dust and faded by the sun next to an aged Bible. He cited two passages from the Bible to explain his position. Steven Pennell was the first man in more than 45 years to be executed in Delaware. Then, learn about the mysterious Chicago Strangler., The Disturbing Crimes Of Steven Brian Pennell, The Only Serial Killer In Delaware History. It is chock full of artwork, rare documents, FBI files and in depth articles regarding serial murder. Investigators took carpet fibers, fabric swatches and photos of the interior and exterior of his van. Explore Steven Brian Pennell Wiki Age, Height, Biography as Wikipedia, Husband, Family relation. A video has emerged showing inside a house of horrors which was once owned by one of the most notorious serial killer s in America. In a video shared on Instagram, which has over 5,100 likes, video clips showed the rundown care and the rotting house which was been discovered frozen in time and filled with creepy kids' dolls. The explorer, who posts as @places_forgotten said: "I do a lot of photography of abandoned houses in the States. Gebelein had to set a legal precedent and listen to the opinions of experts and scientists, who helped verify the DNA evidence. 592K subscribers in the serialkillers community. As he was taken to court to pay his fine, a listening device was installed in his van. A number of witnesses had seen her enter a blue Ford driven by a white male near Route 13. A police officer saw her board a blue Ford on Route 40, at 9:30 PM. We have estimated Steven Brian Pennells net worth, money, salary, income, and assets. Those victims are still remembered by the prosecutor and one of the undercover cops who will never forget what it took to nab the suspect. Ellis had been strangled and suffered repeated hammer blows to her head but had not been sexually assaulted. Route 40 Killer Remains an Enigma After Being Convicted 25 Years Ago. However, her case was slightly different. Witnesses saw her enter a blue Ford, identified as a panel car. State of Delaware 1989. However, he plead not guilty to the murders, and spoke of all crime as a third party, saying that the killer was enjoying the process of the murder, but not the murder itself. Jim Hedrick with the New Castle County Police Department told producers. He was the only defendant in Delaware's legal history to represent himself before the Supreme Court, and the only man convicted to willingly seek the death penalty. Eventually he would show mercy by strangling them to death, then bashing in their skulls with a blunt object for good measure. Also learn how She earned most of networth at the age of 35 years old? 1923 There were no signs of sexual assault, but she had been seriously abused, with her killer tying a string around her neck and hitting her head with a hammer before she died.[1]. A video, which has gone viral on Instagram, shows inside the abandoned murder house of Steven Brian Pennell, otherwise known as the Route 40 killer. "I had only graduated from the Academy, what, four months before this. She had been turning over a new leaf, however, her family said. In the autopsy, it was discovered that she had been drugged with cocaine, which had caused her heart to stop before the torture had begun. Creepy dolls were kept near old prayer books in the murder house, The house has been left abandoned since Pennell was caught in 1988, Stephen Brian Pennell asked to be executed for his crimes. No signs of sexual assault were found. Address:***** Hill House Farm Ln, Lexington Park, MD. Steven Brian Pennell was Delaware's only known serial killer, suspected of five murders in the late eighties and convicted of two. Steven Brian Pennell (1957 or 1958 - March 14, 1992), aka The Route 40 Killer, was convicted of the murders of two New Castle County, Delaware women and suspected of three more. The jury decided not to recommend the death penalty, but two life sentences. She had been studying to be a nurse, and the night she went missing, she was going to a hospital to visit a sick friend. Steven Brian Pennell, aka The Route 40 Killer, was Delaware's only known serial killer, convicted of the murders of two New Castle County, Delaware women and suspected of killing three others. Includes Address (12) Phone (7) Email (2) See Results. This Wednesday, Investigation Discovery will air his story on Grave Secrets. The house of horrors in Des Plaines, Illinois, was torn down in 1979 and now an entirely new home stands in its stead. Although he maintained innocence to the end, he fought his wife's efforts to appeal his sentence, saying he wanted to die because his continued imprisonment was causing his family anguish. Generally considered a good family man, Pennell played sports with his children, gave neighboring kids rides to school and even dressed as Santa Claus for the holidays. Serial Killer dies. Marlene Simm, the mother of one of Mr. Pennell's victims, Michelle Gordon, was among a crowd of 40 death-penalty supporters and opponents gathered on the prison grounds. The man appeared nervous, hardly looking her in the eyes, but still attempted to convince her to enter the car. It also includes the best true crime artwork from around the world. In November of 1987, Steven Pennell began what was to become the most appalling case of murder in the history of Small Wonder (Delaware). This massive 8.5 x 11 perfect bound book contains over 150 pages of rare interviews, letters, documents, transcripts, art and articles about serial killer, Richard Ramirez (aka the Nightstalker). Plain and simple. He seemed fascinated by police work, often quizzing one of his police neighbors about his work when he arrived home in his cruiser. She is currently single. Yet it's never quite been able to shake off its macabre past. They found a young woman dead with her pants pulled down and her bra cut open to expose her breasts. On November 29, 1987, she left Wilmington Hospital around 6 PM, where she was aiding an AIDS patient, catching a lift on her way home on Route 40. Pennell became a qualified electrician in 1987. On trial for three serial murders according to court records Pennell was convicted though his victims DNA blood and hair found inside his van, blue carpet fiber matches, and witness testimony. On Halloween of 1991, Steven Brian Pennell was sentenced to die by lethal injection after have been convicted of only two of the five murders he committed. Not much is known of Pennell's childhood except that for the most apart, he appeared to come from a normal and stable upbringing. Finally, the bodies would be dumped along wooded areas next to highways 40 and 13. . His execution cost the state a grand total of $47,085, a rather high figure for an execution. It has been 25 years since the 1989 conviction of Delaware serial killer Steven Brian Pennell. Steven Pennell was executed by lethal injection on March 15, 1992. Police created a huge task force with an unlimited budget, and Pennell was placed under 24-hour surveillance. According to our Database, She has no children. Det. He was able to write down the identification plate, which turned out to belong to Pennell's car. Special police forces, along with the FBI's profiling unit, concluded that a serial killer was operating in close proximity to Route 40. please contact [email protected] Email not found. In a surprising move, he announced that he wished to receive the death penalty. At the start of the trial, a panel of defense attorneys claimed that the initial fiber taken by Officer Taschner was obtained illegally because it was taken from his car. A peek inside a serial killer's house left untouched after the murderer was caught shows creepy dolls lining the walls. Still maintaining his innocence, he asked for the death penalty so that he could spare his family further agony. On March 14, 1992, Steven Brian Pennell was the first man executed in Delaware in the last 46 years. My sister used to go to speech therapy with his son, he would drive the two of them to it, my mom always said he was kinda weird cause he was a little too Christian my sister said he never acted weird but I guess she was like 4 and not a hooker on rt 40. "This offender is every womans worst nightmare. She refused, claiming that she was tired, but managed to tear some fiber from the blue carpet and write down the license plate number. "We were seeing evidence of torture where one of the nipples of her breast was mutilated. Best Match Powered by Whitepages Premium AGE 40s Steven L Pennell Sr View Full Report Addresses Garden Creek Rd, Marion, NC Phone Numbers (828) nay - peek View phones Thats right. Delaware public prosecutor Charles Oberly approved a police search warrant of the panel van, while at the same time searching for other offences for which they could arrest Pennell. Pennell was 34 years old. Pennell broke his wifes arm once, which was never reported to the police. Stay in the loop with all the latest Daily Star news by signing up to one of our free newsletters here. Most of his victims were abducted from U.S. Route 40, near Bear. Finner had been last seen getting into a blue Ford van. The wallpaper has begun peeling away from the wall from mould as rubbish has been left all over the floor. We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 22 November. On November 23, 1989, the jury reached a decision and convicted Pennell of murdering Catherine DiMauro and Shirley Ellis, but acquitted him of Gordon's murder because of lack of evidence.