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Author Topic: Remains of 3 found in NewBritan,CT Poss.SerialKiller?  (Read 26659 times)
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MsVada
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« on: September 06, 2007, 09:16:15 PM »

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. -- Police are investigating the discovery of three sets of remains behind a New Britain strip mall.

The remains of a third woman were discovered this week, and the remains of the other two women were found last month.

Police said they believe the latest set of remains belong to a woman between the ages of 40 and 60 years old. Neither she, nor the two younger women found in close proximity to one another, had any obvious signs of trauma, according to police.

Investigators estimate that the bones have been on the 30-acre piece of state-owned land anywhere from four to 15 years.  

Residents of the area told Eyewitness News that they believe the women were victims of a serial killer.

"When it happens in your own back yard … I'm getting very scared now," said Shari Taft, who works in the plaza near the remains' discovery. "It's still scary because you don't know what's going to happen next."

Police said it could take several weeks to try to identify any of the remains through DNA or dental records.

Anyone with information regarding the investigation is urged to contact the New Britain Police Department by dialing 860-826-3000.

Click here to e-mail news tips to Eyewitness News, or dial: 866-289-0333.
Refresh WFSB.com often and watch Channel 3 Eyewitness News for the latest news updates. 



Previous Stories:
September 5, 2007: More Remains Found Behind Strip Mall
August 21, 2007: Human Remains Found Behind Restaurant

http://tinyurl.com/38l626

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« Reply #1 on: September 06, 2007, 09:23:23 PM »

 Here is the list of missing for CT, from the nat'l center for missing....wonder if any of the remains are any on the list?


Endangered Missing: APRIL PENNINGTON (CT)
APRIL PENNINGTON, Age Now: 27, Missing: 05/29/1996. Missing From UNCASVILLE, CT. ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT: Connecticut State Police - Missing Persons Unit 1-860-848-6500.
Mon, 08 Jan 2007 03:17:23 EST
Non-Family Abduction: BIANCA LEBRON (CT)
BIANCA LEBRON, Age Now: 16, Missing: 11/07/2001. Missing From BRIDGEPORT, CT. ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT: Bridgeport Police Department (Connecticut) 1-203-576-7671.
Tue, 14 Mar 2006 08:18:56 EST
Endangered Missing: LISA WHITE (CT)
LISA WHITE, Age Now: 46, Missing: 11/01/1974. Missing From VERNON, CT. ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT: Vernon Police Department (Connecticut) 1-860872-9126.
Wed, 23 Mar 2005 03:23:00 EST
Endangered Missing: ROSA CAMACHO (CT)
ROSA CAMACHO, Age Now: 14, Missing: 10/24/1997. Missing From HARTFORD, CT. ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT: Hartford Police Department (Connecticut) - 1-860-527-6300.
Wed, 02 Mar 2005 03:54:45 EST
Endangered Runaway: MARIA ANJIRAS (CT)
MARIA ANJIRAS, Age Now: 46, Missing: 02/12/1976. Missing From NORWALK, CT. ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT: Norwalk Police Department (Connecticut) 1-203-854-3000.
Tue, 22 Apr 2003 03:58:23 EDT
Non-Family Abduction: JANICE POCKETT (CT)
JANICE POCKETT, Age Now: 41, Missing: 07/26/1973. Missing From TOLLAND, CT. ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT: Connecticut State Police 1-860-779-4900 or 1-860-779-4940.
Tue, 22 Apr 2003 03:58:10 EDT
Endangered Missing: DOREEN VINCENT (CT)
DOREEN VINCENT, Age Now: 31, Missing: 06/15/1988. Missing From WALLINGFORD, CT. ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT: Wallingford Police Department (Connecticut) - Missing Persons Unit 1-203-294-2800.
Tue, 22 Apr 2003 03:56:53 EDT
Non-Family Abduction: JOVONNA CRAWFORD (CT)
JOVONNA CRAWFORD, Age Now: 28, Missing: 06/05/1981. Missing From BRIDGEPORT, CT. ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT: Bridgeport Police Department (Connecticut) 1-203-576-7671.
« Last Edit: October 29, 2008, 11:13:39 PM by Nut44x4 » Logged

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« Reply #2 on: September 07, 2007, 09:30:52 AM »

MsVada  I did hear about this on the news the other night.  I did not hear however, how old the remains were (are).  I am shocked  :shock:that there are 3 women in their 40's missing.  That does have serial killer written on it.
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« Reply #3 on: July 12, 2008, 07:36:07 PM »

No Name, No Suspects

The Discovery of Several Unidentified Bodies in New Britain Sparks Fear of A Possible Serial Killer

On September 28, 1995, a patrol officer made a startling discovery behind a Hartford Road Strip Mall just a hundred yards off of Route 9. Wrapped in plastic and a sleeping bag, a dead young woman shot in the head once. To this day, her identity is still unknown. Her age was estimated to be about 17 to 20 years old. Her race was white, possibly hispanic. She weighed 116 pounds, was 5'3, had brown hair and brown eyes. She had a vertical piercing above her naval. She was found wearing white farmer type jeans, white athletic socks, LA Gear shoes size 6 1/2, a size 34B maroon bra, a Gitano watch, a herringbone necklace and a ring with a pink stone on her right hand. There is a $50,000 reward authorized by the State of Connecticut for the arrest and conviction of the perpetrators of this crime. The two pictures at left are composite sketches as to what the victim may have looked like. For another composite sketch please visit this link.

http://www.angelfire.com/ct3/unsolvedct/


« Last Edit: July 12, 2008, 07:40:35 PM by Nut44x4 » Logged

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« Reply #4 on: July 12, 2008, 07:45:59 PM »

The report above and this one I presume are the first 2 found...then 3 more were found more recently as stated in the first post here....I think. Anyway...here is one victim found there in 1991.
The Second Unidentified Murder Victim (picture of composite sculpture on the right)was a female estimated to be in her mid-twenties that was found in garbage bags near the railroad tracks on Myrtle Street across from what used to be the Fafnir Bearing Company. The victim was found by a survey crew on October 11, 1991, she is probably white or light skinned Hispanic. She has been described as being five feet, five inches tall and around 130-135lbs. She was shot in the head and was deceased for approximately two months. The victim was wearing a white sun dress with no sleeves. The sun dress has a pattern of panda bears consisting of a panda holding a red ice cream, a panda holding a red umbrella, a panda holding a yellow heart, and two pandas holding each other. She had a small tooth that protruted from her mouth that gave her a distinctive smile. See picture. IF you have any information about these two crimes, please call the police at 860-826-3069 or 860-826-3000. All calls will be confidential.
http://www.angelfire.com/ct3/unsolvedct/
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« Reply #5 on: October 29, 2008, 11:18:38 PM »

SNIPPED FROM msvadas post #2

Non-Family Abduction: BIANCA LEBRON (CT)
BIANCA LEBRON, Age Now: 16, Missing: 11/07/2001. Missing From BRIDGEPORT, CT. ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT: Bridgeport Police Department (Connecticut) 1-203-576-7671.
Tue, 14 Mar 2006 08:18:56 EST

NEWS from October 28, 2008 at 08:32 pm

It's Been Seven Years, Bianca is Still Missing

Bianca was a fifth grade student at Elias Howe School in her hometown of Bridgeport, Connecticut in 2001. She arrived for classes during the morning hours of November 7, 2001 and told her friends and a teacher that her uncle was taking her shopping during the day. She invited friends to come along but they declined. Witnesses told authorities that Bianca entered an older-model two-tone brown and tan van with tinted windows and chrome trim at approximately 8:30 a.m., before classes began. The vehicle appeared to have been sanded in several areas and the exterior was in poor condition. A photo of a similar van and a sketch of its driver are posted below this post. Bianca has never been heard from again.

The driver is described as an Hispanic male, approximately 20 to 30 years old. Witnesses said he stood 5'8 to 5'11 with an average build. The individual had black curly hair styled in a short afro with long sideburns and a beard, brown eyes, a prominent nose and scratches on both of his cheeks. He was wearing a long-sleeved blue pullover shirt with Gap imprinted on the front and along the right sleeve, Fubu jeans with an image of the cartoon character Fat Albert on the right rear pocket and scruffed brown Timberland boots.

Bianca's classmates believed that the unidentified man was her uncle and did not interfere when she entered his van. Her family members told authorities that Lebron does not have an uncle. None of her relatives owned a van similar to the vehicle involved in her abduction.

School officials received widespread criticism for their handling of Bianca's disappearance. Administrators did not realize Bianca was missing until the day after her abduction. Her teacher counted her absent. Stronger security measures and new attendence policies were put into place after Bianca disappeared. The teacher who heard Bianca's statements about plans with her uncle on the day of her abduction was suspended with pay. Bianca's mother believes she is alive, but had her declared legally dead so she could bring a wrongful death lawsuit against the school. The case is expected to go to trial in the fall of 2005.

Bianca resided with her mother and stepfather, Carmelita Torres and Angelo Garcia, in Bridgeport at the time of her disappearance. Bianca's family noticed that she was missing at approximately 4:30 p.m. They initially believed that she may have been at a friend's house and did not remember to call them. When Bianca failed to return home by 8:30 p.m., her mother called the authorities. She often went to the homes of relatives other than her parents after school, and once disappeared overnight but turned up safe at a friend's house. Bianca's mother and father had an amicable relationship at the time of Bianca's disappearance; neither is suspected of involvement in her disappearance.

No suspects have been identified in Bianca's disappearance. In late April 2002 police announced that they wanted to question Jason Gonzalez, 20, as a possible witness in Lebron's case. He had lived in Bridgeport but left about a month after Bianca's disappearance. Authorities characterized him as an acquaintance of Lebron. A photograph of him is posted below this post.

In November 2003, Jason Gonzalez, whose real name is Jason Lara, called the police department to deny that he knew anything about Bianca's disappearance. The police traced his call to Fort Myers, Florida, and arrested him for second-degree forgery. The arrest is not related to Bianca's case, but authorities used it as an opportunity to bring him up to Bridgeport for interrogation about Bianca. Investigators began to question him intensely about Bianca's disappearance. He resembles the sketch of Bianca's presumed abductor and one of his friends owns a van similar to the one Bianca was seen getting into.

Bianca's loved ones stated Lara was her secret boyfriend and she had been seen kissing him, but Lara's fiancee says the allegations are false and are the result of a feud between Lara's and Bianca's families. Lara has a criminal record; he was sentenced to seven years in 1998 for carjacking, but was released from prison early. He was eventually cleared of suspicion in Bianca's disappearance; he had an alibi for the time she disappeared. He pleaded guilty to a charge of interfering with a police officer and received a suspended sentence in December 2003.

Bianca is described as having an outgoing personality with high self-esteem. She is a very good student and enjoys dancing and singing to all types of music. Bianca enjoys shopping at Milford Mall and Trumball Mall near her family's residence. She had a pet hamster named Nina at the time of her disappearance. Her case is unsolved.
http://www.nowpublic.com/world/its-been-seven-years-bianca-still-missing
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« Reply #6 on: July 20, 2009, 05:48:00 PM »

RE:

APRIL PENNINGTON, Age Now: 27, Missing: 05/29/1996. Missing From UNCASVILLE, CT. ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT: Connecticut State Police - Missing Persons Unit 1-860-848-6500.
Mon, 08 Jan 2007 03:17:23 EST

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cold case murder suspect to go on trial in January 
Published on 7/20/2009
 
A convicted sex offender accused of murdering 15-year-old April Dawn Pennington in 1996 will go on trial in January 2010, according to the New London state's attorney's office.

Prosecutor John P. Gravalec-Pannone said that the state and George M. Leniart could not resolve the case short of trial. Judge Susan B. Handy informed Gravalec-Pannone and Leniart's attorney, Norman A. Pattis, that the trial would commence in January.

State police charged Leniart, 43, of Montville last year with three counts of capital felony and one count of murder after spending thousands of hours investigating Pennington's disappearance. He is accused of kidnapping Pennington before sexually assaulting and murdering her. Her body was never found, so the state is not seeking the death penalty against Leniart.

Leniart is being held on a $2 million bond at the MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution. He was convicted of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl and nearly strangling her to death in 1995. The charges were pending and Leniart was free on bond when he allegedly killed Pennington. In the ensuing years, he has been charged with sexual assaults and with risk of injury to a minor, reckless endangerment, assault, marijuana possession and parole violations. He is a registered sex offender.

http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=25ca83a4-463c-4f40-9735-03dde95a9ac8
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« Reply #7 on: September 19, 2009, 01:01:47 PM »

No Name, No Suspects

The Discovery of Several Unidentified Bodies in New Britain Sparks Fear of A Possible Serial Killer

On September 28, 1995, a patrol officer made a startling discovery behind a Hartford Road Strip Mall just a hundred yards off of Route 9. Wrapped in plastic and a sleeping bag, a dead young woman shot in the head once. To this day, her identity is still unknown. Her age was estimated to be about 17 to 20 years old. Her race was white, possibly hispanic. She weighed 116 pounds, was 5'3, had brown hair and brown eyes. She had a vertical piercing above her naval. She was found wearing white farmer type jeans, white athletic socks, LA Gear shoes size 6 1/2, a size 34B maroon bra, a Gitano watch, a herringbone necklace and a ring with a pink stone on her right hand. There is a $50,000 reward authorized by the State of Connecticut for the arrest and conviction of the perpetrators of this crime. The two pictures at left are composite sketches as to what the victim may have looked like. For another composite sketch please visit this link.

http://www.angelfire.com/ct3/unsolvedct/


Police: Two Cold Cases May Be Linked
New Britain and New York Police To Discuss Cases Tuesday

Updated 12:37 PM EDT, Sat, Sep 19, 2009

The cases have been cold for over 14 years, but police are hoping for a break in two unsolved murders in Connecticut and Massachusetts. The first murder happened in September 1995 when police discovered a woman’s body behind the Brittany West Plaza in New Britain.  Authorities said she had been killed by a single gunshot wound to the head, her body wrapped in a sleeping bag. 
 
The second case from Tolland, Massachusetts where a woman’s body was found near the entrance to the Tolland State Forest just a month later in October 1995.
 
Neither of the bodies were ever identified but police think the two cases may be linked. New Britain Police Detectives and Massachusetts State Police detectives think the two women might have lived or spent time in the Albany, N.Y. area and could somehow be related.
 
New Britain Police Lt. James Wardwell said, “These cases are moving in a positive direction after all these years,” and added the two police agencies will be joined by New York State Troopers Tuesday for a press conference in Albany to discuss evidence they’ve collected, including photographs of the victims’ clothing and their possessions.
 
Wardell hopes that by displaying some of the evidence, people with knowledge of the crimes or the women will come forward.
 
He said police never stopped investigating the case and are hoping a break in one case can help them solve both.
http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local-beat/Police-Two-Cold-Cases-May-Be-Linked--59861127.html
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« Reply #8 on: February 27, 2010, 04:07:49 PM »

Update to my reply # 6 >>>>>>>>>>>

Updated 02/27/2010 01:45 PM

Detectives take case of missing teenager to heart

Emotions running high in Leniart trial as jurors continue deliberations

Cops learn quickly that it's unhealthy to "take their work home," but the state police detectives who investigated the disappearance of Montville teenager April Dawn Pennington could not help themselves.

The case of the missing 15-year-old girl and the repeat sex offender charged with kidnapping, raping and killing her has consumed members of the Eastern District Major Crime Squad, and now all they can do is wait as a jury deliberates the fate of George M. Leniart.

The 12-member jury started deliberating Thursday afternoon and spent Friday relistening to the testimony of four key witnesses. The panel won't resume deliberations until Monday, meaning this will be another unrestful weekend for Sgt. Bill Bundy and his squad.

The detectives know the people most impacted by the trial - April's family - are awaiting the outcome in Pleasant Garden, N.C., but they, too, feel they have a stake in the verdict.

Bundy, who supervised the investigation for the past five years out of the detective bureau at Troop E in Montville, said it was not unusual for one of the guys to call him at home on a Sunday afternon with an idea about the Pennington case. Both Bundy and Joseph "Jay" Masson, the lead investigator, admit their wives are all too aware of the mystery of the missing teenager.

"We've lived this case," Bundy said Friday. "We've put our hearts and souls into this. Regardless of the outcome, we're still looking for her. Her remains are out there somewhere, and if she can be found we want to find her."

Bundy wore the suit he usually puts on only for weddings and funerals to the closing arguments Thursday in New London Superior Court. Masson, who had testified earlier in the week, opted not to attend for personal reasons, as did Sgt. Bill Blanchette, who once took Leniart fishing in an effort to glean information in the case. Detectives John Patterson and Michael Hoagland, who also played key roles, were in court for the attorneys' arguments as were other members of the crime squad.

The detectives conducted searches throughout the region and interviewed dozens of witnesses over the years while keeping close tabs on Leniart, a Montville native who was in and out of prison.

In the spring of 2008, the investigators convinced John P. Gravalec-Pannone, a senior prosecutor with a winning track record in sexual assault and murder cases, and inspector Thomas Pedersen, a former police captain who works in the state's attorney's office, to take a chance on the case. Masson prepared an 11-page arrest warrant, signed by Pannone and Judge Stuart M. Schimelman.

The troopers and television cameras were in court on April 1, 2008, when Judge Susan B. Handy arraigned Leniart on three counts of capital felony and one charge of murder and ordered him held on a $2 million bond. Bundy said that day the objective was to bring closure to the Pennington family, and the arrest was "the first step in a long journey."

In January 2009, while in prison awaiting trial on the capital felony and murder charges, Leniart filed a federal lawsuit against the crime squad detectives and four parole officers. In the "pro-se" lawsuit, Leniart alleges they violated his constitutional rights and falsely arrested him for a parole violation following an unlawful search of his mother's home at 300 Massapeag Side Road in Montville in September 2007. Leniart is seeking $1 million in damages.

Assistant Attorney General Steven R. Strom is representing the law enforcement officers and in June 2009 denied the allegations in an answer to Leniart's complaint. The case is pending.

Pannone and Stephen M. Carney, another senior state's attorney, prosecuted Leniart at trial, and Pedersen coordinated witnesses and paperwork. Leniart qualified for a public defender because he is considered indigent by the state. He drew well-respected defense attorney Norman A. Pattis of Bethany as a special public defender.

In a phone call from North Carolina last year, Hazel Pennington said she would try to attend the trial of the man accused of killing her daughter. But this winter, as the date approached, she was ill and a doctor advised her to stay away. April's father, Walter Pennington, testified at the trial, his voice cracking as he recalled kissing his only daughter good night on May 29, 1996.

The state admittedly faced an uphill battle in convincing a jury of Leniart's guilt without ever having found the girl's body and with a group of convicted felons serving as key witnesses.

The two-week trial, which drew the attention of the legal community because of its unique nature, featured chilling testimony from Patrick "PJ" Allain, who said he and Leniart sexually assaulted April Pennington on the night she went missing and that Leniart told him the next day that he had killed the girl after dropping off Allain and disposed of her body.

Following a ruling by Judge Barbara B. Jongbloed that bolstered the state's case, the jury also heard from a woman who had been raped by Leniart just six months before April went missing.

The most problematic testimony came from the jailhouse informants who said Leniart confessed the murder to them and laughingly boasted that state police would never find the girl's body. Pattis was quick to challenge their credibility during cross-examination and in his closing argument.
http://www.theday.com/article/20100227/NWS02/302279910/1018
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« Reply #9 on: March 03, 2010, 03:15:48 PM »

I am confused why I keep putting this info here, but when I do a search for April Dawn Pennington.......it always brings me back here.

Anyway...he has been convicted...

Leniart convicted of murdering missing girl

Published 03/03/2010
Life-without-parole sentence likely; parents of victim still want answers

A guilty verdict in the capital murder trial of George M. Leniart brought some comfort Tuesday to the parents of a teenage girl who went missing from her Montville home 14 years ago.

Walter and Hazel Pennington know now that Leniart, a 44-year-old repeat sex offender, will be spending the rest of his life in a maximum-security prison. The 12-member jury convicted him on three capital-felony counts and one count of murder, so there is no doubt Judge Barbara Bailey Jongbloed will sentence Leniart to life in prison without the possibility of parole on April 27.

But the parents of April Dawn Pennington, who sneaked out a basement window after they had gone to bed on May 29, 1996, would like to know exactly what happened to their 15-year-old daughter that night. They never saw her again.

"I still have plenty of questions, and he (Leniart) is still not talking," Hazel Pennington said in a phone interview from Pleasant Garden, N.C.

Leniart had bragged that state police would never find April's body and would, therefore, never charge him with murder, according to jailhouse informants who testified at the trial. He fished commercially out of Point Judith, R.I., in a boat he had named after his own young daughter, and told a fellow prisoner he had dismembered April's body and put it in lobster pots. Others said Leniart told them April's body was "in the mud" in the Thames River, in Long Island Sound or in a well.

Despite his bravado, the Eastern District Major Crime Squad did charge Leniart in April 2008 after prosecutors agreed to take on the murder case without a body or other physical evidence. They relied heavily on jailhouse witnesses, whom Leniart's attorney called "snitches" and repeatedly attempted to discredit at the trial.

The state had another key witness, however, whose testimony the jury listened to a second time Tuesday before announcing the verdict. A 28-year-old Norwich woman had described being sexually assaulted by Leniart just six months before April Pennington disappeared.

The woman said she is pleased Leniart is locked away.

"I think that he is where he should be, and April's family can have a little closure," she said. "May April rest in peace with the angels."

Leniart, who opted not to testify on his own behalf, shook his head slightly but did not change his facial expression when the jury foreman announced the verdicts. Somebody whispered "Yeah!" from the back of the courtroom.

Prosecutors John P. Gravalec-Pannone and Stephen M. Carney were "psyched."

"We're grateful on behalf of the Pennington family and for the jury's hard work in this difficult task they had," Pannone said as well-wishers congregated in the state's attorney's office.

State troopers who investigated the case hugged and high-fived each other in the courthouse hallway.

"I'm thankful for the state's attorney's office for having the courage to prosecute what was a difficult case, and thankful to the jury for seeing George for what he is," said Sgt. William Bundy, who had supervised the investigation for the past five years.

"I'm proud of all the guys who have investigated this case over the years," Bundy added. "It goes back many, many years."

Bundy said that if April's body is out there to be found, the detectives want to find it.

Defense attorney Norman A. Pattis spoke to Leniart in a holding cell following the verdict and left the courthouse without taking a pile of dress clothes he had provided his client. He could not be reached to comment later in the day, but is expected to be heard at Leniart's sentencing.

The jurors also left quickly after Jongbloed thanked them for their service. Reached later by phone, the foreman said he had no comment.

Walter Pennington, a retired Navy sailor who was stationed at the Naval Submarine Base in Groton when his daughter disappeared, flew from North Carolina to testify on the first day of the trial and caught a return flight the same day. Hazel Pennington has been ill and was advised by a doctor not to attend the trial.

The family, who moved back to their hometown of Pleasant Garden in late 1996, has been reading on the Internet of the graphic testimony about the last hours of their daughter's life.

Patrick "PJ" Allain, a friend of April, testified he and Leniart picked her up and raped her that night in May 1996. Allain said Leniart dropped him off at home first and told him the next day that he had killed the girl and disposed of her body.

Hazel Pennington said she would like to have seen Allain prosecuted, though she knows the statute of limitations for rape has expired.

"He's the one who lured April out that night," she said. "April never knew Leniart. She met him that night, and PJ lured her out knowing he was putting her life in danger."

Allain, who is serving a 10-year prison sentence for an unrelated sexual assault, is hoping to have his sentence reduced in exchange for cooperating with the state.

The testimony of the woman who, at age 13, was raped by Leniart had also bolstered the state's case. The judge had ruled the damaging testimony admissible because of similarities between the two cases. The rape victim told the jury she sneaked out to meet her 15-year-old boyfriend, Allain, in November 1995. Leniart, who was 30, picked her up, she said, and they went back to a camper behind Leniart's parents' home on Massapeag Side Road to wait for Allain.

She said Allain never showed up, and when she tried to leave Leniart locked her in and forced her to have sex with him. She said Leniart choked her until she passed out, and that she woke up the next morning and ran for her life when he left to make a phone call.

Leniart was free on bond, awaiting trial for that case, when April Pennington disappeared. He later pleaded guilty in the first matter and was sentenced to four years in prison.

Thomas A. "Tad" DiBiase, a former federal prosecutor in the District of Columbia who tracks "no-body" murder cases, lists two other such convictions in Connecticut on a Web site devoted to the issue.

In the infamous "woodchipper murder," Richard Crafts was convicted in 1989 of killing his wife, Helle, even though Crafts had put her remains through a woodchipper and only fragments were recovered.

In October 2003, Miguel Estrella of Meriden was found guilty of murdering a rival gang member. He suffocated Juan Disla, then dismembered his body with a chain saw and dissolved it in acid.

"It's amazing the lengths some people will go through to dispose of a body," DiBiase said in a phone interview Tuesday.
http://www.theday.com/article/20100303/NWS02/303039930/1017
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« Reply #10 on: March 05, 2010, 09:11:53 PM »

News & Record (Greensboro, NC) 
March 05, 2010 Friday
 
Parents disagree over missing daughter's fate

Walter and Hazel Pennington don't agree on what happened to their daughter 14 years ago.

April Dawn Pennington, then 15, disappeared from the family's home in Uncasviile, Conn., in the middle of the night, May 29, 1996 .

Walter Pennington, 49 , believes that a jury got it right this week when it convicted George Leniart, 44 , of kidnapping, raping and killing April.

Newspapers reported during the two-week trial that testimony showed Leniart, a longtime suspect in April's disappearance, had bragged to prison cellmates about the killing.

Patrick J. "PJ" Allain testified that he and Leniart raped April but she was alive when he left her with Leniart.

But Hazel Pennington, 52 , doesn't believe the men killed her daughter. A childhood friend reported seeing her alive, with a small child and older man, about 18 months after she disappeared, Hazel Pennington said Thursday from the Penningtons' home in Pleasant Garden.

"Hazel, she's a hopeful person. She's a mother," Walter Pennington said. "But I try to look at the reality of situations. Looking at things logically and all, I just don't believe that she's (alive)."

The parents agree that Leniart, a registered sex offender, harmed their only daughter. He'll be sentenced April 27 .

"He belongs in jail," Hazel Pennington said. "He devastated our family." The couple has two sons, who are April's younger brothers.

The Penningtons moved to Connecticut in 1994 when Walter was transferred to the naval base there. He was a nuclear machinist mate, often taking six- and nine-month tours of duty on carriers. Hazel Pennington worked in a drugstore.

April was a sophomore in high school. She had sneaked out of the house before, but Hazel Pennington knew something was wrong on the morning April was missing.

"She was a pretty good kid, one of the best," she said.

They had long suspected that Allain, a local teenager, was involved. He had left several messages on their phone the night April left, Hazel Pennington said.

But it wasn't until 1998 after they had moved back to the Triad to be near family, that a detective who had interviewed Allain told the family what investigators believed had happened. Investigators believed Allain and Leniart raped and killed April, but they had no body and no physical evidence. The case had stalled.

Less than two weeks later, Hazel Pennington suffered a massive heart attack. She was 38 .

The years crawled by with no new information - just rumors.

Then in April 2008 , Connecticut state police arrested Leniart after new information came to light, including Allain's agreement to testify.

But Allain has never been charged in April's disappearance, which frustrates the Penningtons.

"I feel he should be charged with something," Hazel Pennington said.

Prosecutors told her the statute of limitations for rape had expired, and there was no evidence connecting Allain to April's death.

She refused to testify at Leniart's trial because of health issues.

"I was not going to go on that stand and stress through everything we had been through and have another heart attack."

She's torn about going to the sentencing.

"I would love to go," she said. "But I don't even know if I can handle it."

Walter Pennington sees no reason to be there.

"I don't think there's anything I need to say that people aren't thinking," he said.

As for the conviction, the husband and wife are again of two minds.

Hazel Pennington said it doesn't end the nightmare for her.

For Walter Pennington, the conviction brings some closure. But he said it doesn't change the fact that his daughter is gone.

"She's not here," he said. "I'm always gonna feel that."
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=574&topicId=100020825&docId=l:1138965325&start=3
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One who doesn't trust is never deceived...

'I remained too much inside my head and ended up losing my mind' -Edgar Allen Poe
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« Reply #11 on: August 30, 2010, 06:59:33 PM »

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. -- Police are investigating the discovery of three sets of remains behind a New Britain strip mall.

The remains of a third woman were discovered this week, and the remains of the other two women were found last month.

Police said they believe the latest set of remains belong to a woman between the ages of 40 and 60 years old. Neither she, nor the two younger women found in close proximity to one another, had any obvious signs of trauma, according to police.

Investigators estimate that the bones have been on the 30-acre piece of state-owned land anywhere from four to 15 years.  

Residents of the area told Eyewitness News that they believe the women were victims of a serial killer.

"When it happens in your own back yard … I'm getting very scared now," said Shari Taft, who works in the plaza near the remains' discovery. "It's still scary because you don't know what's going to happen next."

Police said it could take several weeks to try to identify any of the remains through DNA or dental records.

Anyone with information regarding the investigation is urged to contact the New Britain Police Department by dialing 860-826-3000.

Click here to e-mail news tips to Eyewitness News, or dial: 866-289-0333.
Refresh WFSB.com often and watch Channel 3 Eyewitness News for the latest news updates. 

Previous Stories:
September 5, 2007: More Remains Found Behind Strip Mall
August 21, 2007: Human Remains Found Behind Restaurant

http://tinyurl.com/38l626

Police Put a Face on Unsolved Deaths
By BOB CONNORS
Updated 6:11 PM EDT, Mon, Aug 30, 2010

Three years after the remains of three unidentified women were found behind a New Britain Plaza, police are hoping new high-tech tools will help them figure out who they are, and how they died.

It was August 2007 when the remains were uncovered in a wooded area behind a Subway sandwich shop off Hartford Road, and right up against Route 9.

Bones from at least three women were discovered, but police could only find two skulls. Police now refer to them as Jane Doe One and Jane Doe Two.

Forensic technicians and scientists at the FBI laboratory in Quantico, Virginia have spent months with those skulls. They've used a new state-of-the-art forensics to create three-dimensional likenesses based on those skulls.

"We strongly believe identifying these girls is one of the first steps in finding out how they died," Lt. James Wardwell told the New Britain Herald.

The sculpted likenesses give police a good approximation of what the women looked like at the time of their death.

Jane Doe One was most likely African-American, Hispanic or Caribbean, 20 to 30 years old, and most likely somewhere between 5 feet to 5 feet 3 inches tall, the paper reported.

Jane Doe Two appeared to be white, of European decent and in her 40's. She was missing several teeth, but did have a root canal at some point, according to information obtained by The Herald.

"Someone knew them, most likely from the Northeast or this area, we need to get these images out so people can see them. We're hoping someone will recognize their features and give us a call, " Lt. Wardwell told the paper.

Police believe the deaths of these women may be connected to another violent crime. In 1995, the body of a woman was found in the same area behind the plaza on Hartford Road. She had been shot in the head.

Although police found her body intact, she has never been identified.

"We haven't definitely connected her with the bones of the three women found in 2007, but at the time I thought it was a real good coincidence that they were all found close to each other," Capt Matthew Tuttle told The Herald. "It renewed our hope that we could solve them all."

Some of the officers have become very personally connected to the cases, and want to see them solved. "Everyone talks about them as human remains but they were human beings," Lt. Wardwell told the paper. "These were somebody's wives, daughters, sisters. They were real people and they deserve for us to find out what happened to them."

http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local-beat/Police-Put-a-Face-on-Unsolved-Deaths-101826853.html

AT THE LINK:
Forensic likeness of Jane Doe One whose remains were found in August of 2007 behind a Subway in New Britain.

Forensic likeness of Jane Doe Two whose remains were found in August of 2007 behind a Subway in New Britain.

I didn't post them because I fear they will be way huge...perhaps someone can post so they'll not margin bust? Thanks
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Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware/Of giving your heart to a dog to tear  -- Rudyard Kipling

One who doesn't trust is never deceived...

'I remained too much inside my head and ended up losing my mind' -Edgar Allen Poe
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« Reply #12 on: January 19, 2011, 05:52:14 PM »

http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2011/01/police_seek_clu.html
 
Police seek clues in deaths of five women in Mass., Conn.
Posted by Martin Finucane January 19, 2011 05:30 PM

By Travis Andersen, Globe Staff

Law enforcement officials in Massachusetts and Connecticut who are investigating the suspicious deaths of five women are asking for the public's help in identifying two of them, a mother and daughter who were found dead in the fall of 1995.

The remains of the mother were found in Tolland, Mass., in October 1995. She was found at the entrance of Tolland State Park, said Massachusetts State Police spokesman David Procopio. The woman believed to be her daughter was found in September 1995 wrapped in two sleeping bags on a strip of pavement between a New Britain, Conn., shopping plaza and a wooded area. Both women had been shot in the head, authorities said.

"No one has come forward to say, 'My family has been missing two people since 1995,'" Procopio said. "We still hold out hope that that will happen."

Authorities are also investigating the deaths of three other women, whose bodies were found behind the same New Britain shopping plaza in 2007. New Britain Police Lieutenant James Wardwell said there are no suspects in the five deaths and they were linked only by the proximity of the remains at the plaza and the DNA match.

Authorities today released pictures that show what the mother and daughter looked like. The mother's sketch shows her with wavy, neck-length hair. The daughter's picture shows her with curly black hair, a light complexion, and dark eyes.

Procopio said the older woman, who could be anywhere from 30 to 45, was likely killed where she was found in Tolland but it is unclear where her daughter, believed to be between 17 and 20, was shot.

The relationship between the two women was confirmed by DNA testing, authorities said.

Procopio said forensic evidence and items found on the older woman suggested that they both lived for a time in Albany, N.Y.

During a news conference today at the New Britain Police Department, authorities identified one of the other three women whose remains were found behind the plaza at 593 Hartford Road in August 2007. The woman was identified as Diane Cusack 52, whose last known address was in New Britain.

Wardwell said in a telephone interview that Cusack had been arrested for minor incidents such as disorderly conduct and had been living alone. The remains of the other two women found with her have not been identified. Wardwell would only say their deaths were suspicious when asked how they were killed.


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Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware/Of giving your heart to a dog to tear  -- Rudyard Kipling

One who doesn't trust is never deceived...

'I remained too much inside my head and ended up losing my mind' -Edgar Allen Poe
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« Reply #13 on: February 27, 2011, 01:45:58 PM »

Jane Doe Investigation in Massachusetts and Connecticut
Possible Serial Killer Case
Updated: Sunday, 27 Feb 2011, 1:30 PM EST
Published : Saturday, 26 Feb 2011, 5:46 PM EST

This is a case that I find endlessly fascinating, and I think you will too.

It involves a possible serial killer, incredible forensic science work, and a missing mother and child. And all of that is just for starters.

http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/news/crime_files/ne_unsolved/jane-doe-investigation-in-massachusetts-and-connecticut-20110226#

interesting recent article.
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Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware/Of giving your heart to a dog to tear  -- Rudyard Kipling

One who doesn't trust is never deceived...

'I remained too much inside my head and ended up losing my mind' -Edgar Allen Poe
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« Reply #14 on: June 25, 2012, 10:09:31 PM »

SNIPPED FROM msvadas post #2

Non-Family Abduction: BIANCA LEBRON (CT)
BIANCA LEBRON, Age Now: 16, Missing: 11/07/2001. Missing From BRIDGEPORT, CT. ANYONE HAVING INFORMATION SHOULD CONTACT: Bridgeport Police Department (Connecticut) 1-203-576-7671.
Tue, 14 Mar 2006 08:18:56 EST

NEWS from October 28, 2008 at 08:32 pm

It's Been Seven Years, Bianca is Still Missing

Bianca was a fifth grade student at Elias Howe School in her hometown of Bridgeport, Connecticut in 2001. She arrived for classes during the morning hours of November 7, 2001 and told her friends and a teacher that her uncle was taking her shopping during the day. She invited friends to come along but they declined. Witnesses told authorities that Bianca entered an older-model two-tone brown and tan van with tinted windows and chrome trim at approximately 8:30 a.m., before classes began. The vehicle appeared to have been sanded in several areas and the exterior was in poor condition. A photo of a similar van and a sketch of its driver are posted below this post. Bianca has never been heard from again.

The driver is described as an Hispanic male, approximately 20 to 30 years old. Witnesses said he stood 5'8 to 5'11 with an average build. The individual had black curly hair styled in a short afro with long sideburns and a beard, brown eyes, a prominent nose and scratches on both of his cheeks. He was wearing a long-sleeved blue pullover shirt with Gap imprinted on the front and along the right sleeve, Fubu jeans with an image of the cartoon character Fat Albert on the right rear pocket and scruffed brown Timberland boots.

Bianca's classmates believed that the unidentified man was her uncle and did not interfere when she entered his van. Her family members told authorities that Lebron does not have an uncle. None of her relatives owned a van similar to the vehicle involved in her abduction.

School officials received widespread criticism for their handling of Bianca's disappearance. Administrators did not realize Bianca was missing until the day after her abduction. Her teacher counted her absent. Stronger security measures and new attendence policies were put into place after Bianca disappeared. The teacher who heard Bianca's statements about plans with her uncle on the day of her abduction was suspended with pay. Bianca's mother believes she is alive, but had her declared legally dead so she could bring a wrongful death lawsuit against the school. The case is expected to go to trial in the fall of 2005.

Bianca resided with her mother and stepfather, Carmelita Torres and Angelo Garcia, in Bridgeport at the time of her disappearance. Bianca's family noticed that she was missing at approximately 4:30 p.m. They initially believed that she may have been at a friend's house and did not remember to call them. When Bianca failed to return home by 8:30 p.m., her mother called the authorities. She often went to the homes of relatives other than her parents after school, and once disappeared overnight but turned up safe at a friend's house. Bianca's mother and father had an amicable relationship at the time of Bianca's disappearance; neither is suspected of involvement in her disappearance.

No suspects have been identified in Bianca's disappearance. In late April 2002 police announced that they wanted to question Jason Gonzalez, 20, as a possible witness in Lebron's case. He had lived in Bridgeport but left about a month after Bianca's disappearance. Authorities characterized him as an acquaintance of Lebron. A photograph of him is posted below this post.

In November 2003, Jason Gonzalez, whose real name is Jason Lara, called the police department to deny that he knew anything about Bianca's disappearance. The police traced his call to Fort Myers, Florida, and arrested him for second-degree forgery. The arrest is not related to Bianca's case, but authorities used it as an opportunity to bring him up to Bridgeport for interrogation about Bianca. Investigators began to question him intensely about Bianca's disappearance. He resembles the sketch of Bianca's presumed abductor and one of his friends owns a van similar to the one Bianca was seen getting into.

Bianca's loved ones stated Lara was her secret boyfriend and she had been seen kissing him, but Lara's fiancee says the allegations are false and are the result of a feud between Lara's and Bianca's families. Lara has a criminal record; he was sentenced to seven years in 1998 for carjacking, but was released from prison early. He was eventually cleared of suspicion in Bianca's disappearance; he had an alibi for the time she disappeared. He pleaded guilty to a charge of interfering with a police officer and received a suspended sentence in December 2003.

Bianca is described as having an outgoing personality with high self-esteem. She is a very good student and enjoys dancing and singing to all types of music. Bianca enjoys shopping at Milford Mall and Trumball Mall near her family's residence. She had a pet hamster named Nina at the time of her disappearance. Her case is unsolved.
http://www.nowpublic.com/world/its-been-seven-years-bianca-still-missing

Biana is still missing.
http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/bianca-lebron/view
BIANCA LEBRON
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« Reply #15 on: June 26, 2012, 11:32:48 PM »

http://www.myfoxboston.com/story/17677823/jane-doe-investigation-in-massachusetts-and-connecticut
Jane Doe Investigation in Massachusetts and Connecticut
Posted: Feb 26, 2011 10:06 PM EST


Quote
Cigarette Pack - Almost immediately after the Tolland Jane Doe was discovered, police began focusing on the upstate NY area. Near the woman's body, police recovered a pack of cigarettes. The tax stamp on the cigarettes was issued to a company in Latham, N.Y. That company sells its cigarettes throughout the Albany, or Capital District area of New York. The stamp also reveals the cigarettes could not have been purchased before July 1995. The woman's body was discovered in October 1995.
 
Sweatshirt Label - Police have closely examined the clothes both Jane Does were wearing when they were killed. The New Britain, Conn. Jane Doe's clothes were sold at big box retailers that are located everywhere. However, the sweatshirt the Tolland, MA Jane Doe was wearing reveals an intriguing clue. It turns out that sweatshirt was bought at one of three stores in the Albany area, probably in 1994. The stores are located in Schenectady, N.Y, the Northway Mall in Colonie, NYand the Wilton Mall in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.


Read more: http://www.myfoxboston.com/story/17677823/jane-doe-investigation-in-massachusetts-and-connecticut#ixzz1yxcBn9lD

How odd that no one has ever reported these women missing.  Could this have been a wife and step-daughter to the killer?
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