Various conspiracy lovers later alleged that some of the sympathetic police officers had covered up the evidence; no proof of it was ever recovered. In the coming years, detectives would theorize that this implies some connection to the neighborhood Brenda Crockett lived in. However, in all of these cases, one kept Romaine Jenkins up at night. He would spent the next several years inside an actual prison, until he was released in January of 1958 - due not to a completion of his sentence or any kind of parole, but a legal snaffu that resulted in his freedom. She didn't do anything.". The police later recovered one of the .38 caliber pistols reported stolen by the two police officers. Investigators had created a timeline of events, which they forced themselves to adhere to. The prior decade had seen some major pieces federal legislation - such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 - and the racial divide was still fresh in everyone's mind. She was found wearing the clothing she had disappeared in, but her shoes had been removed. Now-retired, Musgrove was willing to speak to the Washington Post in 2006, in which he decried the way the victims had been treated in the years since: "Those black girls didn't mean anything to anybody - I'm talking about on the police department. This conviction was overturned in 1958. In 1974, two more names were entered into the suspect fray: Edward Sellman - sometimes referred to as Edward Sullivan in reporting of the case - and Tommie Simmons. Five months after being released in April 1952, Askins strangled 42-year-old Laura Cook to death. Not only did Askins seem to commit a similar crime in the vicinity of the abductions, but he lived and worked in the region. And, over the next several years, it seemed to the community that the police weren't taking it seriously. Among those individuals considered suspects were members of a gang known as the Green Vega Rapists. The Ed Sullivan Show: With Ed Sullivan, Johnny Wayne, Frank Shuster, Ralph Paul. Sellman and Simmons, two ex-cops, were arrested for the murder of Angela Denise Barnes. This inmate - Morris Warren - began feeding investigators information about the Freeway Phantom crimes, which he alleged were perpetrated by a member of the Green Vega's. Hours after the body had been discovered, when police had roped off the scene, she would unknowingly stumble upon the commotion. They didn't believe him to have any real insider information, and remain doubtful that this gang of perverts was responsible for a serial murder spree. No. Mr .. Tommie Simmons in Connecticut 34 people named Tommie Simmons found in Hartford, New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island and 2 . She was the region's first female homicide detective - a feat made all the more incredible when you factor in Jenkins' ethnicity. Edward Emerson Simmons (October 27, 1852 - November 17, 1931) was an American Impressionist painter, remembered for his mural work. It was around 9:20 PM that this call came in, approximately two or so hours after Brenda had left for the store. One of the cases often pointed to as an example of this very behavior is the disappearance of Sheila and Katherine Lyon - two sisters that disappeared from the Washington D.C./Maryland region in 1975. By that time, FBI agents had been distracted and called off to assist with the ongoing Watergate scandal, and the attention of almost everyone was diverted elsewhere. During these interviews, one gang member initially implicated another gang member, who he said told him he was involved and gave information as to one of the beltway homicides. In face, the case of the Lyon sisters was reported on frequently in the media, and in 2017 - just a year or so ago - the case was finally resolved after more than 40 years. Throughout the summer, Diane had fallen in love with her boyfriend, and she had spent a good chunk of the time off from school with him. It's really infuriating, knowing that investigators might have come so close to solving at least one of the major mysteries in this case, but it got lost in a sea of bureaucracy and legalities. He mentioned a cooperating inmate at Lorton Prison, who had recently confessed to investigators, and was currently singing like a bird. Police were unable to uncover much evidence other than what I've just described, but noted that the victim had been strangled to death, just like the first two cases. Romaine Jenkins, the retired homicide detective that I detailed in this episode's introduction, has maintained a lifelong obsession with the case. The investigation was conducted by a law enforcement task force that included Detectives from the MPDC Homicide and Sex Squads, investigators from Prince George's County and Montgomery County, Maryland, Maryland State Police, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Approximately eight hours after Brenda's disappearance - the early morning hours of July 28th, 1971 - a hitchhiker that was traveling on U.S. Route 50 (near the Baltimore-Washington Parkway in P.G. Hence their nickname, the "Green Vega's.". She still regrets not going to the store with her older sister, believing that if they had been together, things might have ended differently. He identified the man who gave him the information, the date and location of the crime, and signature detail which was not provided to the public, but which was known only to the perpetrator, and to detectives. 43 Winn Street Burlington, MA 01803. He would probably be masked and not want to show his victims his face. Two days later, police discovered the body of Angela Denise Barnes, 14. insensititivity [sic] to people Investigators eventually obtained a search warrant for Askins' home, and a search revealed many tantalizing clues about the man. Lewis Crockett, 39, was 14 when his 10-year-old sister, Brenda Fay Crockett, disappeared and was found dead a day later. The 50-year anniversary of the Freeway Phantom's crime spree continues to loom large over the D.C. region, and - despite the efforts of many hardworking investigators - the case is unlikely to be solved anytime soon. With the cooperating inmate no longer speaking, this lead quickly wilted. Investigators would continue to ponder this theory over the coming months, as they began to inquire into possible leads. Edward Sullivan and Tommie Simmons. But ours have been forgotten.". Numerous investigative tips came from the general public by a telephone hotline operated by the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia (MPDC) and information also came by way of the mail. In 1983, Harper and Helen B. Collins wrote and published a book called "The Mystery of the Freeway Phantom," which details the killings. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled, her body dumped about 200 yards south of the Suitland Parkway near Interstate 295. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Namely, the fact that this was the first case that the victim had been stabbed multiple times, but investigators excused this with the notion that the victim was much older - the killer had almost exclusively targeted children prior to Brenda Woodward. This hints at some kind of urgency, such as the killer being rushed. [24] Barnes, 14, was at one point thought to be a victim of the serial killings. especiAlly women. We found 15 records for Tom Sullivan in Maumee, Holland and 10 other cities in Ohio. However, one of the victims was too decomposed for authorities to rule out it out, and another was found with semen on her clothing - raising the possibility that five had been the victim of sexual assault. In 1971, a town hall was arranged in Congress Heights by a local antipoverty agency. Name Heavy footsteps were heard in the background and Crockett said "I'll see you" and hung up. He may have begun with a series of attacks dubbed the "Green Vega Rapes" which occurred from 1968 to 1970. Because the body of Diane Williams - the sixth and final victim - had been found near the D.C.-Maryland border, Maryland State Police had initially handled the investigation. Are Green Vega Rapists Freeway Phantom? Freeway Phantom No physical evidence was obtained and Askins was not charged in connection with the Freeway Phantom killings. D.C. Phantom Murder", "Six black girls were brutally murdered in the early '70s. 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. During his trial, it was revealed that he'd been a police informant, aiding law enforcement in the arrests of prostitutes. 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. Hairs of two unknown males were found on the clothing of Brenda Woodward, hairs whose origin is unknown. However, despite there being no sign of sexual assault, police would find semen on Diane's clothing. This time, the call would be answered by Brenda's mother's boyfriend, who had returned to the news of the first call. In April 1939, Askins was found criminally insane and committed to St. Elizabeths Hospital. It wasn't even a case she investigated at the time, but watched unfold from afar. "From that moment on, our lives were never the same," said Williams, 40, who is a police officer. They were a small gang that had operated in the region around Washington D.C. - primarily along the Washington Beltway, but extending out into Maryland. In another striking similarity to the other crimes, green fibers would be found on her clothing. Likely, it had been dictated to her by the killer. Organized ng bi lc Thng Mt 19, 2023. Of those effected by the Freeway Phantom crime spree, none were hit harder than the loved ones - whose children and siblings were taken by the unknown killer, and their lives ended way too prematurely. She had been sent to buy sugar, flour, and paper plates, and all indications would point to her having done so. So, Trainum took back the evidence, and submitted it to the FBI forensic database where the same thing happened. Speaking to the Post, Williams stated: "If it was a white girl, the police would have found the person. The body also had a coat on its chest, in the pockets of which was a note with a poem , this is tAntAmount to my Likely, the inmate he was implicated in the Freeway Phantom murders. He seemed to be an amiable man, who was known for his propensity to use the word "tantamount" - seemingly at random - but a further look at Askins revealed a bit of a sketchy past. "She had said she wanted to be a model," Harper, now 81, said of her niece. Her education policy was cashed in to bury her.". Following this casual dinner, they each began heading home. Coroner reports of the Freeway Phantom's victims tell us that the victims were brutally raped with penetration up to 9 inches deep, with both anal and vaginal assaults taking place. After that announcement, the inmate who provided the information declined any further interviews, and denied that he had ever provided the information. This was the rhetoric that seemed to follow around the case in the early years of the investigation: that the police weren't doing enough to catch the killer. They rode together on a bus for a few blocks, but eventually had to split up. 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. 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. Carolyn Spinks Morris - the identical twin sister of Carol Spinks, the first victim - recalls the day that her family learned of Carol's murder. A store clerk would later recognize the girl from photographs, and state she had purchased the items that evening, just after 7:00 PM. 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.". Brenda got off to catch a transfer, and said goodbye to her classmate. Another exception of the modus operandi was the body of 14-year-old Angela Denise Barnes; her bullet-riddled body was found on an abandoned Maryland road in 1971. Four victims had their bodies left in Prince George's County, Maryland, while another two were disposed of inside Washington D.C. 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