After not hearing from their daughter,Cave's parents drove to Austin from Corpus Christi and made the gruesome discovery. Asked who's the other possible suspect, he replies, "Well, there's other suspects and Laura Hall is as good as any. '", Prosecutors produced witnesses who claim Laura told them about her involvement in the mutilation. [13] Murder [ edit] Laura says he's lying and that she had nothing to do with the dismemberment. You can find the Orange Tree Podcast on podcast listening apps or at the Drag Production Houses website here. Several friends and acquaintances testified they saw Cave with Dismemberment of a human corpse is also rare.. Pitonyak "There was a dead woman curled up in his bathtub. But the judge refused to allow it, calling it inadmissable hearsay. "I think my life has been destroyed. had died from a single gunshot wound to her right chest. Marshals[14] arrested Pitonyak. I said, 'She's so excited.' Investigators said Hall helped to dismember Cave's body. Several friends and acquaintances testified they saw Cave with a hardware store four blocks away. I want people to look at me for what I am. Hall was released on parole in 2018 after. The murder of Jennifer Cave occurred in the West Campus area of Austin, Texas. "With all due respect, which one is it? she says, reenacting the smile for Maher. There was a heinous murder and two readily identifiable suspects, but the physical evidence was confounding, and there was never a clear motive. Jennifer Cave, 21, had struggled with drugs and dropped out of Cave, the young woman he considered, About 12 hours after he shot Cave, Pitonyak stopped for a meal And I'm not talking the four-legged kind.". The Mexican law enforcement drove the two to the border. "All I had was a flashlight. Bishop does not accuse Laura of murdering Jennifer Cave, but the autopsy showed Jennifer was shot through the head after death. [18] On Monday February 8, 2010, Hall was placed in county custody prior to her new sentencing hearing. They quickly found out something they didn't expect. She was sentenced to ten years in prison. And Bishop says Laura's DNA was found on a key piece of evidence. She would get credit for two years that she had already spent in confinement prior to the sentencing. In the bathroom, he discovered Cave's Sawyer realizes the cabbie's description of such callous and cold behavior was deadly. An appeals court upheld the convictions but overturned the sentence. She may have been Colton's friend, but the allegation is that Laura Hall was his accomplice.On Feb. 8, 2010, Laura reports to court to be given the date for her new sentencing hearing. Colton Pitonyak was found guilty and sentenced to 55 years in prison. Previous Pause Next. I felt that he didn't really do this. Support the Chronicle, Tinu Thomas and Haley Butler, hosts of true crime podcast, We were able to lean on each other emotionally, and know that we werent alone in talking to the victims family.. Laura says Colton had been drinking and says he didn't remember what had happened. "There's no question the most volatile component in this case is that people are going to be repulsed by what happened to Jennifer Cave," Sawyer says. "We did have the realization that this was going to be a different story from any other that's been told about this case," said Thomas. She said her daughter was "I'm still just so excited that the UT community seems to like it," she said. "She's still a part of us.". "Not that big of a deal," Butler recalled. Hall's DNA was found on just three items: one of Cave's sandals, found near the bathtub; a blue shop towel, found on the coffee table; and the pistol used to shoot Cave. left the courtroom with the victim's So like, I definitely feel shackled.". "He wanted to get out of town. "She had previously made a statement that she had no idea what happened, she'd never seen the body. About 12 hours after he shot Cave, Pitonyak stopped for a meal and New court documents accuse Laura Hall of bragging about the murder of Jennifer Cave. Says Bishop, "She had every opportunity in the world to call the police, send them to Colton's apartment and certainly she would have been safe from Colton for a long time had she done that. comprehension that Colton would ever intentionally harm someone, "Colton's going, 'No man, I don't know. But, as is usually the case with Laura Hall, that was not the end of this story.Colton Pitonyak's attorney, Joe Turner, says Colton did not shoot Jennifer Cave and he doesn't know who did. Nothing. [6], Colton Aaron Pitonyak[7] was a finance major at the University of Texas at Austin,[6] originating from Bryant, Arkansas, in Greater Little Rock. The podcast highlights Halls possibility of being the true murderer of Cave and according to a KXAN report, Pitonyaks lawyers tried to convince a jury that she was the real murderer. Prosecutors charged Pitonyak with murder. Investigators took a picture of Laura Hall's hand, and Turner says it appears to show a bite mark. Motoreum's Yusuf & Antonio talk about the biz and their reality TV debut, One click gets you all the newsletters listed below, Breaking news, arts coverage, and daily events. Hall will serve five years in state prison for tampering with evidence and one year concurrently in jail for hindering the apprehension of convicted killer Colton Pitonyak. young son. The list of confirmed facts is brief. The detective disagrees. examiner Greg Karim about whether, Colton Pitonyak testified he has no memory of killing Jennifer Check out a scene from Episode 7: Elizabeth Turpin & Karen Brown. She was one of five girls in her family. Bridgett Pitonyak, the defendant's mother, wept as she testified In the summer of 2005, police were called to an apartment in Austin, Texas. because he had owned Mr. For the young journalists, obtaining these rare interviews was understandably electrifying. Next Gallery. 48 Hours In Too Deep: Laura Hall. Pitonyak's neighbor, Nora Sullivan, testified that in the spring of 2006, Hall told her that after Pitonyak shot Cave, he sat in his living room drinking beer and watching TV instead of using the tools he'd bought at the hardware store. National television shows such as Court TV, 48 Hours, Deadly Sins and Snapped: Killer Couples have also covered the investigation over the years, said Fugitt. and Lauren, brother Clayton, mother,Sharon, and her mother's fianc, Jim Sedwick. stoic. urinating on a car. "Did you have anything to do with the dismemberment of Jennifer's body?" Jennifer Cave's mutilated body was found in the apartment of Pitonyak in 2005. "I remember that night - when we were trying to figure out what we were gonna do and getting some clothes packed. The hosts of "The Orange Tree" dive into the court records and interview people involved in the case. And it eventually grew into, 'I was a victim, I was kidnapped, I had nothing to do with it. Support the free press, so we can support Austin. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. ", "Until you get to know Colton," she continues, "you can't see on the surface that there's something wrong underneath.". The Thomas said she and Butler were lucky to have each other throughout production. "Hall gets maximum sentence in Cave case.". The court rejects Colton's appeal. went to the fast-food chain I'd certainly want that evidence presented to a jury," said Turner. apprehension. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. DNA recovered on a buck knife, a machete, and the hacksaw left resting on top of Cave's body matched only Pitonyak and Cave. Ultimately, Thomas and Butler remain confident that emotional sincerity is as important as getting the facts straight. have said he is taking To understand how Jennifers life was destroyed in such a grisly way, we must retrace her steps the night of her murder. Pitonyak is serving 55 years for the slaying. His lawyer later said the only 291131. "Once we learned more about the victim and all of the different relationships at play, we just knew that it should be our mission to do this in a way that I don't think is typically done in true crime.". discovered in Pitonyak's car. faces a possible life sentence. The official cause of death was determined to be a single gunshot from a .380 Smith and Wesson which entered through Jennifers right arm, traveling through her torso, and eventually lacerating her aorta. For Travis County Prosecutor Bill Bishop, the case is indelible. [19], In 2010, a jury in Travis County, Texas resentenced Hall to the maximum possible sentence, including prison and $14,000 ($17396.92 when adjusted for inflation) in fines. partially dismembered body in the tub. Murderpedia has thousands of hours of work behind it. [17] On Monday, January 29, 2007 Pitonyak, then 24, was convicted of murder. Pedro Fernandez (pictured), the manager of the Casablanca Hotel in Piedras Blancas, took a photo with his Laura Hall & Colton Pitonyak. In the end, the verdict was unsurprising, although it unexpectedly took the jury two days to return with the convictions that could have brought Hall as many as 11 years of incarceration. She was sentenced to five years for the tampering and one year for the hindering, with the sentences to be served concurrently. The book A Descent Into Hell by Kathryn Casey highlighted the trials. Colton will remain in prison for most of his life after receiving 55 years. Fernandez, to watch a pay-per-view professional fighting match, [11] Pitonyak had no previous record of violent crime. in Piedras Blancas, took a photo with his "He went to a hardware store and bought cleaning supplies such as ammonia and Febreze, masks, gloves and a hacksaw. A Connecticut woman says her two 10-year-old German Shepherds, Cimo and Lieben, were shot, beheaded, and killed by a hunter from New York. Laura says she was afraid for her life, and that's why she drove him to Mexico. Their project went live on July 14 and has since ranked No. Inside, a woman's body lay in the bathtub; her hands and head severed. [14] Cave and Pitonyak went to dinner before Cave was murdered. Prosecutors are fighting for the new sentence to be as long as possible. Not only did investigators note several post-mortem stab wounds in Jennifers body, mostly to the chest and neck, as her head was not attached, they also found an additional slug resting against her skull showing that Pitonyak must have fired the second and last bullet through the base of her severed neck. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. "Of course he remembers all that - then incriminates me and nothing about his own actions," Laura comments sarcastically. That made for a grueling combination: maintaining empathy for their subjects, immersing themselves in "an ocean of information" about the crime and its trials, and reopening the emotionally fraught chapter with the Cave and Pitonyak families alike. was fried on drugs," he told police. 8 among true crime. Maher asks in disbelief. The police said they could not search the apartment without a warrant. carpet cleaner, gloves. to keep expanding and making Murderpedia a better site, but we really Prosecutor Bill Bishop believes the evidence against Colton was very strong. "That was when it got big to us. 30 photos. [23] In 2016, Laura Hall was still incarcerated in the Lockhart Unit. In 2004, police found cocaine, prescription sleeping pills that he had unlawfully obtained, and anxiety medication in his apartment. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. "Even looked like the floors had been mopped. Sharon made a series of calls, including one to Pitonyak, who lied to her that he last saw Jennifer around midnight. carpet cleaner, gloves Episode 5: Tylar Witt & Steven Colver. On Aug. 16, 2005, Cave was excited about her new job at an Austin law firm, and that night, she went with Pitonyak to Sixth Street to celebrate. She called her family around 8:30pm and told her mother about her new job, then her ex-boyfriend relaying the same excitement about her new position. Cave's murder is now the subject of a true-crime podcast put together by University of Texas students, professors, and graduates. a I am facing 10 years in prison for mutilating a body. But there is one other critical item on the docket: deciding whether Laura will remain free while she waits for that new sentence or if she will be back behind bars. ", "We knew him to be the only person in her company that evening once they left Sixth Street, the location obviously of her body being in his apartment," Bishop tells "48 Hours." And I'm like, 'Oh yes, I know.' He was the last person to be seen with their daughter, Jennifer Cave. Laura's parents say they feared Colton was going to kill their daughter. Colton Pitonyak and his new accomplice, Laura Hall, were quickly arrested by Mexican police officers and extradited back to face his crimes. He and Cave were friends and the two had gone out for drinks the night she died. After her death, she had been shot in the head once. him guilty Asked what she told police, Laura says, "Just that I thought we were on vacation, I don't know anything about it, Colton's a great guy and he didn't do it. Photo courtesy of Loren Hall Pitonyak had fled with Hall to Mexico, where the couple spent five days before they were picked up by U.S. marshals and returned to Austin. "Mistakes were made," he says. Her statement then became she'd seen the body but didn't know what had had happened. Police urgently needed to know everything about Colton and Jennifer. She will get a new sentencing hearing. In the end, Butler says, "We really do believe that being sensitive to a family who's been through a lot is not mutually exclusive to good journalism.". Merit Scholar, is standing trial "You'll hear after her death she was dismembered. He was also a small-time dealer. So you kind of want to know, who came in here and did this? 0:00. But Hall's trial, like Pitonyak's, in the end produced little understanding either of what really happened to young Jennifer Cave or, most especially, why her supposed friends ended her life with such brutal, emotionless, and unthinking cruelty. "48 Hours Mystery: In Too Deep", Jurors find college student guilty of killing and dismembering woman, sentence him to 55 years, Laura Hall asks for new review of convictions, "Woman sent to prison after gruesome West Campus murder released", "Person involved in 2005 murder of Jennifer Cave released on parole", "Laura Hall, involved in 2005 West Campus murder of Jennifer Cave, out of prison", Pitonyak Seeks New Trial in Jennifer Cave Murder Case, Appeals court denies Colton Pitonyak a new trial, Court review could be Pitonyaks last chance for new trial, "Woman sent to prison after gruesome West Campus murder to be released", "Appeal denied for Austin man in jail for 2005 murder", "Man Convicted Of 2005 West Campus Murder Fighting For New Trial", Former UT Student Sentenced To Prison For Gruesome Murder, My Fox Austin Timeline of Jennifer Cave Murder Trial, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Murder_of_Jennifer_Cave&oldid=1126519502, This page was last edited on 9 December 2022, at 20:05. 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