He says the place looks like a wreck, as if there had been a struggle. "I was really attracted to Colton from the beginning.. Fifteen years ago this week: The tragic death of Jennifer Cave, Send hate mail to: TalkocastPO Box 1102Isle of Palms, SC, 29451. Her hands removed. I had just gotten away from him. the gun used in the shooting Cave's phone number, labeled "J. Ribbit," was scrawled on Police would soon learn the butchered victim was 21-year-old Jennifer Cave. When Jennifer Cave walked out of the local law firm newly employed, she was ecstatic. For Thomas (a former Chronicle intern) and Butler, the interest in exploring a notorious chapter of campus lore was born of a curiosity for the story beyond the grisly details of the crime, or the sensationalized on-the-run narrative that characterized the subsequent trials and convictions of Pitonyak and Hall. I said, 'Thank you so much for giving her this opportunity.' ", The emotional toll of the case hit particularly close to home for the hosts who both have sisters when they sat down to interview Cave's own sister, Lauren. S1 E743m. "She had previously made a statement that she had no idea what happened, she'd never seen the body. 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. Defense attorney Sam Bassett holds a machete found in Pitonyak's All rights reserved. [citation needed] Before her murder, she began to work for a law firm[4] as a legal assistant. ", Maher asks, "Did you have any concern for the girl who was dead?". The reporters were acutely aware of the gravity that came with securing an interview with Pitonyak himself, who is serving his 55-year sentence for murder in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice French M. Robertson Unit maximum security prison, just outside of Abilene. ", Colton also had a collection of gangster movies. "But then we did the Lauren Cave interview, and then it was like, 'Oh my God, not only what if this happened to me, but what if I was alive and this happened to my sister? This podcast isn't a summer project to giddily decode and solve on Reddit, but instead a nuanced and empathetic portrait of the human lives, emotions, and relationships that tragically collided on August 17, 2005. Ascension Seton breaks ground on new womens health tower in Austin, Cowboy Breakfast, BBQ Austin scheduled ahead of official start of Rodeo Austin, Timeline: Severe storms possible on Thursday, Forecast: Severe storms possible Thursday, 'The Orange Tree' | 2005 murder of Jennifer Cave the topic of successful UT podcast, Person involved in 2005 murder of Jennifer Cave released on parole. Quit calling me,'" Jim remembers Colton saying. 0:00. Pitonyak fled to Mexico with a former girlfriend, Laura Hall. When it came to relating anecdotes about being young and at college? 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. district. Hall was nowhere near Pitonyak's apartment during the hours that Cave was apparently killed, and there is no certain evidence that Hall participated in the dismemberment of Cave's body. in court were her sisters, Vanessa. 'Oh man, no, I wasn't with her. As for Laura, she was ultimately credited with time served, made parole in . Sanderson, Pitonyak seemed high. All rights reserved. I'd certainly want that evidence presented to a jury," said Turner. Mr. In the bathroom, he discovered Cave's Several friends and acquaintances testified they saw Cave with And I opened that door. Jordan Smith of the Austin Chronicle said "The relatively light sentence, after an emotional appeal from Hall's father, suggests that the delay in reaching a verdict reflected some division in the jurors' judgment of Hall's culpability. "stumbling" drunk. Pitonyak was convicted in 2007 of Cave's murder and is still serving a 55-year prison sentence in Abilene. "I remember that night - when we were trying to figure out what we were gonna do and getting some clothes packed. Sawyer countered that in fact Hall took no part in the abandoned dismemberment, a version of the story that the jury apparently found unpersuasive. "[14] On February 19, 2009, the Texas Third Court of Appeals ordered re-sentencing. They quickly found out something they didn't expect. "Hall gets maximum sentence in Cave case.". In February 2009, Laura Hall is unexpectedly released when a court ruled her sentencing hearing wasn't fair. When questioned why she didn't turn Colton in, Laura tells us that she was afraid of Colton, and that . I can't live in Texas," she says. Jennifer Cave's mother, Sharon, and her fiance, Jim Sedwick, He has sincefiled another appeal disputing the timeline of the murder. [4] She attended school in Bishop, Texas, before moving to Corpus Christi in 2000. ", Ryan, Harriet. She was initially assigned to the Plane State Jail. I watched my jury and I saw women and men flinch at that answer.". Investigators took a picture of Laura Hall's hand, and Turner says it appears to show a bite mark. Woman sent to prison after gruesome West Campus murder to be released Watch on Laura was released in 2018. End quote. The studio apartment was in disarray and Sedwick immediately Laura says Colton had been drinking and says he didn't remember what had happened. Donna Moonda and Damian Bradford. Hall did not testify during her trial, but her attorney, Joe James Sawyer, painted a completely different picture for the jury. And it kind of got quiet. Her statement then became she'd seen the body but didn't know what had had happened. "That photograph to me means nothing," Laura says dismissively. His lawyers say But Jim and Sharon Sedwick, Jennifer's parents, weren't surprised by these latest accusations, because Laura Hall had frightened them since the first minute they saw her. "I'm innocent of all this. And it is about to get much worse. The He'd called her saying he needed to talk. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Jim Sedwick broke into the apartment after the police departed. For the prosecutors, Travis Co. assistant district attorneys Bill Bishop and Stephanie McFarland, it was not a straightforward case. This friend, which police believe was her drug supplier, was named Colton Pitonyak and although a top-marked student at the University of Texas, had some previous arrest for DWI and PCOS (possession of controlled substances.). Michael Rodriguez, a friend, said he spoke to Cave at 1 a.m. and Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! This was a brutal case; she was stabbed 29 times. Ascension Seton breaks ground on new womens health tower in Austin, Cowboy Breakfast, BBQ Austin scheduled ahead of official start of Rodeo Austin, Timeline: Severe storms possible on Thursday, Forecast: Severe storms possible Thursday. His lawyers say 2023 www.statesman.com. She was sentenced to ten years in prison. the Murderpedia project stay alive. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands. Prosecutors charged Pitonyak with murder. he The list of confirmed facts is brief. HarperCollins Publishers published the book. The AUSTIN, Texas Jennifer Cave was just 21 years old when her body was found in a bathtub at a West Campus condominium near the University of Texas on Aug. 18, 2005. detailing his son's childhood and academic "I'm still just so excited that the UT community seems to like it," she said. 17, 2005, shooting of his friend, Jennifer Cave. I can't go to jail," Laura tells Maher. I felt that he didn't really do this. "I will have a heart attack and die, probably on the courtroom floor if they come back with a guilty verdict. 'Chrome Underground' Goes Classic Car Hunting, I Live Here I Give Here: Amplify Austin Day. She had spent time in Austin as a student, but was about to start work at a law firm. The owner told police Pitonyak had bought a hacksaw and other supplies about 12 hours "There is no doubt that Colton Pitonyak was solely responsible for the murder of Jennifer Cave," said Fugitt. stoic. On August 18, 2005, Cave's body was discovered. Laura says Colton led her into the bathroom. From September 2005, when she was arrested, until Colton Pitonyak's trial in January 2007, Laura Hall stood by Colton. In Hall's trial, prosecutors were left to develop a portrait of intent mainly through conversations the 24-year-old Hall allegedly had with others in the months following the murder. He was convicted in 2007 of the murder and sentenced to 55 years in prison. Jim Sedwick called 9-1-1. "Did I drive him across the border? Also included in the appeal is Hall's alleged confession to two jail inmates. police found Cave's Saturn sedan parked on a street near the 2023 Talk Murder To Me. I mean, look, I didn't know what was gonna happen if I called the police, OK? suffered a number of bizarre wounds after death, including a She admits that she saw the body in the bathtub, but claims it was Colton's idea to dismember it. examiner Greg Karim about whether, Colton Pitonyak testified he has no memory of killing Jennifer If convicted, 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. I thought, 'Yeah, I'm very aware of that. I mean, when you look at Laura, there is nothing there - at all. "The net result is I have to advise my client, even though we planned on you testifying, 'You can't do it,'" Sawyer explains. "I was really attracted to Colton from the beginning.. As the jury deliberates, Laura tries to remain optimistic. Sawyer can only hope the jury sees it his way. And I'm kind of like, sitting up, 'Colton, what's the deal, what's going on?' "And what did she say?" 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.". So like, I definitely feel shackled.". [9] Pitonyak received a 55-year sentence. Colton Pitonyak was fighting for a new trial and Laura Hall was now fighting the accusation of murder from Colton's attorney.The next legal chapter in Laura's life is about to be written. Fernandez, to watch a pay-per-view professional fighting match, It was just playing with it, like it was a toy. 'Cause in my mind that's not possible," she says of going back to jail. Bridgett Pitonyak, the defendant's mother, wept as she testified The brown paper bag in Pitonyak's studio apartment led police to "When you look at the fact that she say, 'I capped her,' when you look at the evidence that says she deserved it, when you look at all the anger and hatred she had, well what would you do? 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. she was still out with Pitonyak. have [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. It was the post-murder behavior that made it so grotesque. "She is a convicted felon, and it's no longer about whether or not she's guilty," Bishop says. "All of a sudden I'm in a courtroom and then they're just taking me into jail. She will get a new sentencing hearing. 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. "They stated that during the group that inmate Hall confessed to the murder of Jennifer Cave," Turner explains. She had plans to take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) so she could become a lawyer. "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. 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. "I'm like, 'Jennifer, please, just don't - just stay away from that.' He said. Laura's parents say they feared Colton was going to kill their daughter. [2] Bill Bishop, a prosecutor in the Travis County, Texas government, said "As far as murders go, this is a very clean murder. "Did you have anything to do with the murder?". And I said. to cut up a turkey. Both were drinking, and according to witness Jeffrey Asked who's the other possible suspect, he replies, "Well, there's other suspects and Laura Hall is as good as any. The defense had wanted the jury to see the tape of Laura's police interrogation, where for nine emotional hours, she firmly maintained she had nothing to do with the dismemberment. . Panicked, he called Hall. Eddie Pitonyak, the defendant's father, read a statement Support the free press, so we can support Austin. "I have never heard anyone say anything but that she was one of the nicest people they knew," Bishop says of Jennifer. Ultimately, Thomas and Butler remain confident that emotional sincerity is as important as getting the facts straight. 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. "He wanted to get out of town. And that's what got her in trouble," adds Jim. And I was on his side, I'm sorry to say.". . The exact time of death could not be determined, but detectives surmise Jennifer was first shot between 1:05 am and 3:30 am. that killed Cave. lived. They drove Laura's dark green Cadillac some 200 miles to the Mexican town of Piedras Negras, a quiet border town just on the other side of Eagle Pass, Texas. Colton even had business experience since his father built his own successful business.It is easy to see that Pitonyak was a shoo-in for a successful stay at UTs elite business program. But Laura does admit to a problem with men. She would get credit for two years that she had already spent in confinement prior to the sentencing. "Colton flipped out," Laura explains. On Colton's side. "Of course he remembers all that - then incriminates me and nothing about his own actions," Laura comments sarcastically. A jury found Pitonyak guilty and sentenced him to 55 years in prison for killing Cave. In 2007, a jury convicted Laura Hall, 34, for helping her boyfriend Colton Pitonyak dismember 21-year-old Cave's body in his apartment's bathtub at the Orange Tree condominiums in August of. Jennifer's stepfather, Jim Sedwick, also spoke with Colton. It's also a comprehensive document filled with new interview material from most of the key individuals affected by the case, including several members of the Cave family. Cave's parents found her in a bathtub. He later requested a new trial,saying that Hall had admitted to killing Cave in a jailhouse confession. 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