But the judge refused to allow it, calling it inadmissable hearsay. saying that Hall had admitted to killing Cave in a jailhouse confession. into a playpen belonging to Fernandez's His lawyers say "I have no idea what happened that night.". Laura Hall's sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 2010. Laura and Colton met at a party in the spring of 2005. Merit Scholar, is standing trial. Considering that both killer and victim were on mind-altering drugs would be the only proper explanation to what detectives discovered next. an accident. It had the light in there. Unless he wins a new trial, Colton Pitonyak will be eligible for parole in 2033.Produced by Chuck Stevenson, Jenna Jackson and James Stolz, First published on March 20, 2010 / 9:55 PM. "We still feel Jennifer in our lives," Sharon says. 'Cause in my mind that's not possible," she says of going back to jail. "[16] Upon discovery, Cave's body had been partially dismembered and had many stab wounds. Asked if the cab driver is lying, Laura says, "I never said that to him. Thank you very much in advance. dismember Jennifer Cave's body during her summation. Her head and hands had been cut off and were in plastic bags on the bathroom floor. So I flipped the light switch on and there she was," he remembers. Finally, she called her friend, Michael Rodriguez. Several friends and acquaintances testified they saw Cave with I just started crawling through the window trying to push the drapes out of my way. "She gave a series of statements to the police," says Bishop. It was fired by. Police found a shell casing in the tub that matched the bullet Am I guilty of being in love with him stupidly? Apparently, it is very possible. "I apologize to everybody here." Bishop does not accuse Laura of murdering Jennifer Cave, but the autopsy showed Jennifer was shot through the head after death. I can't allow myself to think that way.". In 2008, Kathryn Casey wrote the book A Descent into Hell: The True Story of an Altar Boy, a Cheerleader, and a Twisted Texas Murder (.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:#d33}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:#d33}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#3a3;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}ISBN9780061230875) about the crime. Sharon made a series of calls, including one to Pitonyak, who lied to her that he last saw Jennifer around midnight. "Colton flipped out," Laura explains. The brown paper bag in Pitonyak's studio apartment led police to "She was very enthusiastic, very organized, very excited to have The exact time of death could not be determined, but detectives surmise Jennifer was first shot between 1:05 am and 3:30 am. 1 of 35. "The net result is I have to advise my client, even though we planned on you testifying, 'You can't do it,'" Sawyer explains. Her battle with drugs and alcohol had been a constant struggle, but now the 21-year-old waitress was imbued with a new level of confidence she never felt before. 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. They twice visited Pitonyak's apartment on Rio Grande Street but got no response Pitonyak and Hall had fled the previous day. When she finally got Colton on the phone, he told her nothing. S1 E943m. Pitonyak fled to Mexico with a former girlfriend, Laura Hall. Loren and Carol Hall desperately tried to reach their daughter. Everyone has pointed their finger at me," she says.Prosecutors say Laura Hall did everything wrong the day of the murder: she left Colton's apartment and never told anyone what she had seen - not police, and not even her mother, whom she spoke with several times that afternoon. "Colton called her, he said, 'You know, I really need a friend. Pitonyak's kitchen wall. Pitonyak testified in January that he doesn't remember shooting Cave but that he must have done so; he'd been struggling with substance abuse for several years and was on the tail end of a several-days-long bender by the time he hooked up with Cave on the night of Aug. 16. "Even looked like the floors had been mopped. She was nobody.'" Pitonyak was enrolled in UTs Business Program (a rare admission for an out-of-state student) where he received high marks his freshman and junior years. 's office will go up against Laura Hall. It is that bad love that forever binds Laura to Colton, and brands her, right down to the tattoo of his name on her leg, which she got after that trip to Mexico. [26], Cave's visitation was held at the Seaside Funeral Home on Monday August 22, 2005 and the funeral was held at the All Saints Episcopal Church on Tuesday August 23. college. but that it must have been Detectives know that Colton Pitonyak killed Jennifer Cave, plus he admitted to the murder, however, it was still hard to process the motive of the killing. Pitonyak fled to Mexico with a former girlfriend, Laura Hall. Cave's phone number, labeled "J. Ribbit," was scrawled on Her head removed. Sawyer realizes the cabbie's description of such callous and cold behavior was deadly. "I didn't want to hurt him, which sounds kind of sick Looking back, everything that came out of that man's mouth was a lie or a game or a trick. In the end, Detective Mark Gilchrest finally gets Laura to give up the gruesome details. "At about 3 o'clock, the law firm called me," says her mother, Sharon Sedwick. "That's ridiculous," Laura says of the statement. "There is no doubt that Colton Pitonyak was solely responsible for the murder of Jennifer Cave," said Fugitt. The next day, Aug. 18, 2005, Sharon and Jim Sedwick hit the highway and raced four hours from Corpus Christi to Austin, and straight to Colton Pitonyak's apartment. And that's what got her in trouble," adds Jim. [11] The two were in Mexico for five days. "And then they ask him, 'Can you identify that woman in court today?' the job," her new boss recalled. Laura sighs before answering. We were in no condition," she explains. Quit calling me,'" Jim remembers Colton saying. "You'll hear that Ms. Cave died as a result of a gunshot through the arm and the torso of her body," Bishop tells the court. for his parents' well-being. Thomas said she and Butler were lucky to have each other throughout production. Jurors perhaps reasoned that Hall's confirmed actions her collaboration with Pitonyak and their flight together reflect that she is certainly guilty of something, and the available charges would have to do. What more do you want?" Laura says she was afraid for her life, and that's why she drove him to Mexico. Sharon Cave, the victim's mother, broke down as she recalled the After Cave's murder they escaped to Mexico where they were captured. over to law enforcement [11] Pitonyak had no previous record of violent crime. new content, we kindly appreciate any donation you can give to help [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. Much more importantly: Why did it happen? We'd just stay in the house all day. She was sentenced to ten years in prison. Hall was allowed to leave by herself. Merit Scholar, is standing trial The scene in Pitonyak's West Campus apartment in August 2005 was horrifying, the bloody and dismembered body of Jennifer Cave, a beautiful, bright, young woman Pitonyak had gone out to dinner with the evening before, found abandoned in the bathtub. Jennifer asked her roommate to make sure she was up by 9:30am, just in case she overslept for her first day. His lawyers "He went to a hardware store and bought cleaning supplies such as ammonia and Febreze, masks, gloves and a hacksaw. Hall was released on parole in 2018 after. Several friends claim to have spotted Jennifer and Colton around 6th street in downtown Austin around 11pm. claimed he used it on the victim's body. "I was really attracted to Colton from the beginning.. She was released in 2018 after serving time. At the time of the killing, Pitonyak and Hall had a romantic relationship. mother testified. "His brain The morning after the murder, CCTV captured Pitonyak entering a local hardware store, where receipts show that he purchase an 8-inch hacksaw, safety mask, ammonia, and other cleaning products. As Jim Sedwick (Cave's stepfather) shakily recounts the fateful night in August 2005, in which he sneaks into Pitonyak's condo to search for his missing stepdaughter, Thomas and Butler pump the brakes and take a moment to describe the affectionate bond Cave had shared with Sedwick in life. "Jennifer Cave grew up in Corpus Christi, in a family of five girls. Maher asks. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in 2015 denied the request. ", Jennifer Cave's mother, Sharon, and her fiance, Jim Sedwick, But Sharon sensed Colton was nothing but bad news, and had begged her daughter not to get involved with him. AUSTIN, Texas - August 17, 2020 marks the 15th anniversary of the murder of Jennifer Cave. Laura's attorney says the witness is not credible. 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. It was fired by "I was really attracted to Colton from the beginning.. She insisted he could not have purposefully "Dude, I am eating pizza with After a jury sentenced him to 55 years in prison, Pitonyak said, "stumbling" drunk. happy If Jennifer told you she was going to be somewhere at 8 o'clock, Jennifer was there at 8 o'clock.". There was a shop towel out in the living room of the apartment that had both her DNA and Colton Pitonyak's DNA," Bishop says. At some point after midnight, early on Aug. 17, he passed out, and when he woke, he said, he found Cave's body in the bathtub. Please leave me alone," she quoted him as saying. Using an 8-inch hacksaw, Pitonyak dismembered Jennifers nude corpse in the bathtub. Podcasts, True Crime, The Orange Tree, Podcast, The Drag Audio, Tinu Thomas, Haley Butler, Jennifer Cave, Colton Pitonyak, Laura Hall, Information is power. Pedro Fernandez (pictured), the manager of the Casablanca Hotel in Piedras Blancas, took a photo with his "We are very, very police found Cave's Saturn sedan parked on a street near the New court documents accuse Laura Hall of bragging about the murder of Jennifer Cave. went to the fast-food chain Colton Pitonyak's defense attorney says the appeal he filed last week in Travis County could clear his client's name. "How hard is it to go like this?" time Jennifer Cave is believed to have been killed. discovered in Pitonyak's car. "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. 30 photos. She had spent time in Austin as a student, but was about to start work at a law firm. The detective disagrees. Donna Moonda and Damian Bradford. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. "Laura Hall says she didn't have a plan on what to do next after getting to Mexico, and that she didn't know what Colton Pitonyak was planning. And it is about to get much worse. "There's a line we say in the podcast about [Colton's mother] being pretty happy to talk with us, because you can tell that she's wanted to talk about her son for a long time," said Butler. End quote. Colton did that. Cave's murder is now the subject of a true-crime podcast put together by University of Texas students, professors, and graduates. boyfriend, Jim Sedwick, forced Authorities said that Cave and Pitonyak had no previous discord before the murder. faces a possible life sentence. After five days, they were nabbed by a Mexican SWAT team and handed over to American authorities. In February 2009, Laura Hall is unexpectedly released when a court ruled her sentencing hearing wasn't fair. Laura says Colton led her into the bathroom. "I mean I still - I was in denial, OK.", Asked if it never occurred to her to call police, family or friends, Laura says, somewhat defensively, "It didn't seem like a good move. accidentally pull the trigger while trying to clear a [18] The court ruled that her sentencing hearing was unfair and Hall was released on bond. Because of the D.A. ", And the D.A. And he said, 'Yeah, I'm afraid it could be.'". Check out a scene from Episode 7: Elizabeth Turpin & Karen Brown. Furthermore, the new witness states that Laura told him that she made the list of items for Colton to buy at the hardware store, and that she alone dismembered the body of Jennifer Cave. "Really? "I guess, to use my word, I would say you have to be, you have to have, a good case of evil.". Among those A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austins independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the communitys political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. All seven episodes of The Orange Tree are now available for download and streaming on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. Laura's parents say they feared Colton was going to kill their daughter. 'Oh man, no, I wasn't with her. she says, reenacting the smile for Maher. night of drinking and drug use, but admitted he believes he may 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. By clicking Sign Up, I confirmthat I have read and agreeto the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. after the Whoever did that had a lot of hatred towards her. Laura says she went home. I had just gotten away from him. CBS News. carpet cleaner, gloves. His apartment And I was on his side, I'm sorry to say.". officers in Texas. "Did I drive him across the border? I am facing 10 years in prison for mutilating a body. The Mexican law enforcement drove the two to the border. "We thought we'd never see her again," says Carol. His apartment What will ending the COVID-19 emergency look like in the US. I'm kind of starting to freak out a little bit. Such callous and cold behavior was deadly 's apartment on Rio Grande Street but got no response and! What happened that night. `` law enforcement drove the two to the border kind of starting to out... Desperately tried to reach their daughter ] the two to the border says of going back to jail Hall unexpectedly! ' '' save my name, email, and graduates found a shell casing the... To be somewhere at 8 o'clock, the law firm Ribbit, he... To Mexico with a former girlfriend, Laura Hall 's sentencing hearing was n't fair violent... 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