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The driver was white, with
Taschner noticing that the floor had a blue carpet. The man appeared nervous, hardly looking her in the eyes, but still attempted to convince her to enter the car. She refused, claiming that she was tired, but managed to tear some fiber from the blue carpet and write down the license plate number. Upon examination of several license plates, it emerged that the vehicle belonged to Stephen Brian Pennell, a 31-year-old electrician, married and father of two, with no criminal record.
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in the DiMauro killing, were found. A "torture kit" was also found, which included pliers, whips, handcuffs, needles, knives and restraints. Pennell was arrested on
November 29, 1988, a year after he murdered the first victim, and was charged with killing three - Ellis, DiMauro and Gordon. He decided to invoke his right to remain silent.
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Two days later, 22-year-old
Michele Gordon, a local sex worker known for frequenting Route 40, disappeared. Witnesses saw her enter a blue Ford, identified as a panel car. On September 20, her body was found on the rocks in the Chesapeake-Delaware Canal. In the autopsy, it was discovered that she had
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However, he pleaded not guilty to the murders, and spoke of the murderer in the third person, saying that the killer was enjoying the process of the murder, but not the murder itself. The
Delaware State Attorney General objected to the death penalty, but the judges sentenced Pennell to death anyway.
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On
October 31, 1991, the court sentenced Pennell to death. Under the Delaware State Constitution, every death penalty judgment requires a further hearing from the Supreme Court, and on February 11, 1992, Pennell appeared before them, demanding that he be sentenced to death. He was the only defendant
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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. While searching the vehicle, prints matching the blood and hair of the victims, as well as the same adhesive tape used
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Two people appealed against
Pennell's execution, but both were unanimously dismissed by the court. His wife, Vera Catherine Pennell, appealed the Supreme Court's decision. She received help from the local branch of the American Citizens Association, and a law professor who was one of its directors.
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dismissed these allegations, saying that the carpet was visible to
Taschner's eyes as soon as she opened the vehicle, so evidence from these fibers was legal. Once the fibers were examined, it was shown that they had DNA residues belonging to the victims. It was the first trial in the United States
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On
September 14, 1988, Renée Taschner, an undercover police officer posing as a sex worker, roamed Route 40 in an attempt to capture the killer. After passing several vehicles, she spotted a blue Ford seven times in 20 minutes. She went to a more isolated area, and the vehicle stopped next to her.
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The second victim was 31-year-old
Catherine A. DiMauro. On June 28, 1988, about seven months after the first murder, around 11:30 PM, she was seen walking down Route 40. At 6:25 AM, construction workers found her naked body at a construction site. No signs of sexual assault were found. Like Ellis,
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patient, catching a lift on her way home on Route 40. Her body was later found by the roadside by two boys. She was partially nude, her legs spread out, hands and feet tied with adhesive tape. There were no signs of sexual assault, but she had been seriously abused, with her killer tying a string
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Prior to the execution, numerous reporters tried to ask Pennell for exclusive interviews, hoping to reveal the location of Meyer's body. He turned down every request. When it came close to his execution date, he agreed to be interviewed by one newspaper, with his lawyer present. During this
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Pennell's lawyer appealed the court's decision on the grounds that the fiber was obtained illegally. The court dismissed it, and based on new evidence introduced in the case, convicted Pennell of murdering Gordon and Meyer. At this point, Pennell dismissed his lawyer and asked to
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About three months later, her body was found by a hunter near the Chesapeake-Delaware Canal. Her body was so badly decomposed that the exact cause of death could not be determined, although signs of torture were visible on her remains. Finner was identified using dental records.
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On September 23, 26-year-old Kathleen Anne Meyer, of Brookmont Farms, disappeared. A police officer saw her get into a blue Ford on Route 40, at 9:30 PM. He was able to write down the license plate number, which turned out to belong to Pennell's car. Her body was never found.
380:'s profiling unit, concluded that a serial killer was operating in close proximity to Route 40. Police and federal agents disguised as sex workers in attempt to gather information, with a task force of over 60 people being formed solely to capture the killer, but to no avail.
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He argued in his appeal that Pennell was insane and could not fully understand the gravity of his actions, so the trial should be reopened, with Pennell being barred from representing himself. The Supreme Court rejected the demand.
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On November 23, 1989, the jury reached a decision and convicted Pennell of murdering DiMauro and Ellis, but acquitted him of Gordon's murder because of lack of evidence. The jury decided not to recommend the
468:, and as soon as the court found two witnesses who could testify to his guilt, he deserved the death penalty under the Bible's laws. He cited two passages from the Bible to explain his position.
456:, but two life sentences. Shortly after the decision, a bouquet of flowers was sent to the prosecutor's office, with a note reading: "You made us feel human again, from the women of Route 40."
464:, a decision the court approved. In a surprising move, he announced that he wished to receive the death penalty. He argued that the entire constitution began with a verse from the
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that used DNA evidence as absolute legal evidence. Gebelein had to set a legal precedent and listen to the opinions of experts and scientists, who helped verify the DNA evidence.
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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.
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in Delaware's legal history to represent himself before the Supreme Court, and the only man convicted to willingly seek the death penalty.
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On August 22, 1988, 27-year-old sex worker Margaret Lynn Finner (née Jordan) disappeared. A number of witnesses had seen her enter a blue
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579:"Serial Killer Pleads - For Execution: The Grisly Delaware Killings Deserve A Swift Punishment, The Killer Calmly Told The Justices"
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she was killed by hammer blows and strangulation, but unlike the first murder, DiMauro's body was covered in blue fibers.
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women and suspected of killing three others. He abducted most of his victims from U.S. Route 40, near
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consisted of crab cakes, steaks, corn on the cob, french fries, bread and butter and a
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interview, Pennell revealed no new information, nor where he had hidden Meyer's body.
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553:"Route 40 Killer Remains an Enigma After Being Convicted 25 Years Ago"
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around her neck and hitting her head with a hammer before she died.
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516:: The I-40 Killer (Season 3, Episode 1, aired April 12, 2021)
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WRITER, By Reid Kanaley, INQUIRER STAFF (17 June 2007).
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On March 14, 1992, at 9:49 a.m, Pennell was executed by
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326:(November 22, 1957 – March 14, 1992), known as
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476:His execution was scheduled for March 14, 1992.
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655:: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
737:Violence against women in the United States
532:List of serial killers in the United States
697:20th-century executions of American people
614:"Delaware killer gets last wish -- death"
106:Learn how and when to remove this message
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633:"Serial killer Pennell executed in Del"
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702:20th-century executions by Delaware
577:Kanaley, Reid (February 12, 1992).
527:List of people executed in Delaware
168:James T. Vaughn Correctional Center
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682:1987 murders in the United States
551:Mordock, Jeff (29 October 2014).
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445:Judge Richard Gebelein
222:; 32 years ago
118:American serial killer
55:"Steven Brian Pennell"
584:Philadelphia Inquirer
439:Trial and conviction
384:Margaret Lynn Finner
324:Steven Brian Pennell
198:Wilmington, Delaware
125:Steven Brian Pennell
40:improve this article
599:Pennell v. Delaware
328:The Route 40 Killer
279:Span of crimes
248:First degree murder
212:The Route 13 Killer
210:The Corridor Killer
208:The Route 40 Killer
194:All Saints Cemetery
180:Cause of death
707:American torturers
508:In popular culture
409:been drugged with
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692:1992 deaths
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671:Categories
642:2021-12-22
538:References
250:(2 counts)
227:1992-03-14
66:newspapers
498:last meal
484:Execution
283:1987–1988
96:June 2024
651:cite web
521:See also
394:Route 13
332:Delaware
302:Delaware
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411:cocaine
350:Murders
288:Country
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265:Details
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