"Judge Flowers found it appropriate to remand her into custody without bond," says D.A. In the end, Detective Mark Gilchrest finally gets Laura to give up the gruesome details. 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. 2023 FOX Television Stations, Lake Travis party cruise company working to survive COVID-19 pandemic, Barricaded suspect who shot 3 Cedar Park police officers surrenders peacefully, Future cadets who moved for Austin police academy feel 'lied to', Austin surgeons shocked by injuries protesters sustained by bean bag rounds, It's put together by The Drag Audio Production House and KUT, Severe storms possible Thursday; all of Central Texas under slight risk, South Carolina kidnapping survivor Kara Robinson reveals tips for escaping abduction, This week's 10-year fixed private student loan interest rates dip below 8 percent, Governor Abbott makes economic development announcement, Saddleback Church stands firmly behind female pastors after SBC expulsion, Austin police searching for missing teen, her infant son, Victim shot multiple times in North Austin, TSCO says, Dallas mayor calls on APD officers to work for Dallas Police Department instead, Police searching for 2 armed robbery suspects in Buda, Texas Lottery $1 million scratch ticket prize claimed by Dripping Springs resident, Severe weather possible for all of Central Texas Thursday, LCRA parks near Austin offer archery, electric mountain bikes, kayaking and more, Austin Travels talks about visiting places in and around Nashville, TN, Another US agency assesses COVID-19 origin likely a Chinese 'lab leak': report, FDA approves combination flu-COVID test for home use, Governor Abbott gives 2023 State of the State Address, Austin Mayor Kirk Watson tests positive for COVID-19. "It upsets me tremendously to be in the same room with her and see her flitting about and talking on her cell phone. Bipartisan Senate group unveils rail safety bill in response to Ohio derailment, What to know about Shigella bacteria as drug-resistant strain spreads, How a tragic boating crash is connected to the family of Alex Murdaugh, Husband of woman murdered with an ax convicted 40 years after her death, Expert: Violent images sent to victim's family is "psychological terrorism", The Brighton ax murder: A timeline of the 40-year-old cold case. 8 among true crime. Colton Pitonyak's defense attorney says the appeal he filed last week in Travis County could clear his client's name. The hosts of "The Orange Tree" dive into the court records and interview people involved in the case. Bridgett Pitonyak, the defendant's mother, wept as she testified . 2023 www.statesman.com. 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. The after the "I did not want to go to jail. We stood right here in [the] hallway. His apartment medication for depression. There's no way I would have done what was done.". They weren't in Mexico for long. Among those new content, we kindly appreciate any donation you can give to help "I was trying to stay alive. The brown paper bag in Pitonyak's studio apartment led police to Check out a scene from Episode 7: Elizabeth Turpin & Karen Brown. You can find the Orange Tree Podcast on podcast listening apps or at the Drag Production Houses website here. "I know one of them involves dismemberment with a machete.". "His brain Midway through The Orange Tree's first episode, there's a small moment that is instructive of their approach. "I'm ready to be acquitted," she 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. [11] Pitonyak had no previous record of violent crime. 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. "In your mind you're 100 percent convinced that Laura Hall was absolutely a part of the dismemberment and mutilation?" the Murderpedia project stay alive. Investigators say Hall also helped him leave the country for a romantic trip to Mexico. smelled a bad odor. A former University of Texas student who was convicted for her role in the 2005 killing and dismemberment of 21-year-old Jennifer Cave was released from prison on Thursday. Jury finds former UT student Colton Pitonyak guilty of "knowingly and intentionally" murdering Jennifer Cave, gives him 55 years . Right away. And he said, 'Well, there's a problem,' and he said, 'We're concerned." "And he inquired, 'Oh, who is he accused of killing, Miss?' Laura Hall & Colton Pitonyak. Fifteen years ago on Aug. 17, 2005, 21-year-old Jennifer Caves dismembered body was found in the bathtub of convicted murderer Colton Pitonyaks apartment at the Orange Tree Condominiums in Austin. The list of confirmed facts is brief. Pitonyak's cell. She said, 'After all, [Cave] was nothing. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. Pitonyak stated during the trial that he must have killed Jennifer as he was the only other person there at the time he just couldn't remember the details. detailing his son's childhood and academic "He was incoherent and in a sense, so was I. Police urgently needed to know everything about Colton and Jennifer. to keep expanding and making Murderpedia a better site, but we really Police would soon learn the butchered victim was 21-year-old Jennifer Cave. Hall was found guilty of tampering with evidence and sentenced to 10 years in prison. "All I had was a flashlight. The Investigators said Hall helped to dismember Cave's body. "I'm definitely not a sociopath.". boyfriend, Jim Sedwick, forced "I am innocent of the murder. The next day, Cave's mother filed a missing persons report. Hall was released from her 10 year sentence five months early in 2018 while Pitonyak will not be eligible for parole until 2033, according to the KXAN report. 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. "I know what's coming," she tells Maher. He's got my daughter," Loren Hall recalls thinking at the time. At around 8 p.m., Jim calls 911, but when the cops arrive, they wouldn't break in without a search warrant. I had just gotten away from him. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Submit yours now at austinchronicle.com/opinion. I mean, when you look at Laura, there is nothing there - at all. he promoted her to a full-time position. "But it certainly wasn't a pattern of misconduct, or an attempt to railroad or conspire against Miss Hall, as Mr. Sawyer would have you believe.". S1 E843m. Fernandez, to watch a pay-per-view professional fighting match, "All of a sudden I'm in a courtroom and then they're just taking me into jail. "That's just not who Jennifer was. '", "It's hard for listeners to really put themselves in the shoes of someone close to this case," added Thomas, who says these shades of personal perspective were integral to properly telling their story. S1 E1043m. At his trial, Pitonyak testified that he had been in an alcohol-and-drug-induced stupor the night of Caves death. Example video title will go here for this video, Depression among teen girls is on the rise | Mom Squad. [7] Pitonyak had high grades and earned a scholarship to attend UT Austin. he does not remember shooting Cave, This was a brutal case; she was stabbed 29 times. Thomas said she and Butler were lucky to have each other throughout production. 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. 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. When India and Pakistan became two separate countries, it reshaped world history. He shot her through the arm, bullet traveled into the chest, through the heart pretty much killing her instantly. Would you please help me? "She had a heart as big as Texas. "[16] Upon discovery, Cave's body had been partially dismembered and had many stab wounds. Hall, who has since completed her prison sentence, even provides fresh insight to the reporters in a delicate, yet riveting, exchange over Facebook Messenger. After calling 911, police raced back to the apartment and began the search for Colton. The state's highest criminal court on Wednesday dismissed without comment the latest appeal from Colton Pitonyak, who is serving 55 years in prison for killing and dismembering an acquaintance . I thought, 'Yeah, I'm very aware of that. It's something she regrets. Colton and Laura fled Austin 16 hours after the murder. 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. The apartment belonged to Colton Pitonyak, a University of Texas business student. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); You have entered an incorrect email address! And then, it got worse when the district attorney failed to tell Laura's attorney about that - which was a significant legal mistake. Apparently, it is very possible. Colton Pitonyak's mother wept during the verdict, but he was The case packed the courtroom and drew breathless media coverage although this time, unlike Pitonyak's Court TV melodrama, Judge Wilford Flowers excluded the TV cameras. 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. His defense has implied it will ask jurors to find Cave was reported missing after not appearing at work the next day, and less than 48 hours after her mother and stepfather arrived from Corpus Christi, her dismembered body was discovered in Pitonyak's apartment. was fried on drugs," he told police. young son. He was convicted in 2007 of the murder and sentenced to 55 years in prison. She invoked her Fifth, Colton Pitonyak's mother wept during the verdict, but he was His lawyers say Using an 8-inch hacksaw, Pitonyak dismembered Jennifers nude corpse in the bathtub. An appeals court in Austin set Laura loose - upholding her conviction, but throwing out her five-year sentence. [18] The court ruled that her sentencing hearing was unfair and Hall was released on bond. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. shot her accidentally. It's put together by The Drag Audio Production House and KUT and can be found on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. The dismembered body of a young woman exposes the dark side of two former honor students. So after they left, Jim muscled his way in through a window. Karim said the gun did not The Orange Tree podcast has gained national acclaim. She invoked her Fifth You need to get her out of there.' He admitted he had killed her but that her death had been an accident. On the second visit, Sharon Cave slipped a window lock, and Sedwick climbed inside. [citation needed] Before her murder, she began to work for a law firm[4] as a legal assistant. Eddie Pitonyak, the defendant's father, read a statement For Butler, the overwhelming popularity is still a little hard to comprehend. Laura Ashley Hall [12] was a University of Texas at Austin student who at one time had been Pitonyak's girlfriend. "She told me, 'Dad, Colton's killed someone and they found a body.' I want people to look at me for what I am. And it kind of got quiet. [11] There, U.S. "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? Next Gallery. '", Prosecutors produced witnesses who claim Laura told them about her involvement in the mutilation. discovered in Pitonyak's car. ", Three days later, Laura was questioned again. Colton testifies, "I can't remember exactly what I told her, but I showed her Jennifer's body.". According to Fugitt, this is not the first time that this case has been covered but it is the first time that Pitonyak has ever agreed to speak about the incident to the press. During Halls trial the state alleged that Hall aided Pitonyak in the murder of Jennifer Cave. We'd just stay in the house all day. Eddie Pitonyak, the defendant's father, read a statement He ended up saying, 'Take me to Mexico,'" Incredulously, she adds, "So, I did.". Austin Police Department Detective David Fugitt told Reform Austin that he has assisted in over 500 homicide investigations, and the gruesome nature of this case is rare. HarperCollins Publishers published the book. But Jennifer's parents feel they must bear witness. She was nobody.'" Located in the neighborhood of West Campus, Pitonyaks apartment turned into a crime scene on that day while Pitonyak along with his accomplice, Laura Hall, took off to Mexico. They have just created a fictional character and put my name on it. 'Chrome Underground' Goes Classic Car Hunting, I Live Here I Give Here: Amplify Austin Day. "I felt he was innocent. "The deputies basically were having to fairly forcefully remove her from the courtroom.". Defies reason, said Fugitt. "And in making the small talk people do, he found out her boyfriend was accused of murder," Laura Hall's lawyer, Joe James Sawyer, explains. She's out on bond while prosecutors fight to put her back behind bars. Podcast Revisits Gruesome Texas Murder, Including Rare Interview. Prosecutors ", And he couldn't he explain the shooting. Mr. Jennifer Cave was on track to putting her life back in order. As of 2013, Colton Pitonyak is still imprisoned at the Robertson Unit, a maximum-security state prison in Abilene, Texas. There was nothing I could have done to save her life at that point. Remember the difference between feeling and proof.'". Laura Hall is currently in prison on charges of tampering with evidence and hindering apprehension after Caves murder. "He thought Cave's murder is now the subject of a true-crime podcast put together by University of Texas students, professors, and graduates. It was great," she says smiling. [10] Pitonyak had also once entered a rehabilitation program for drugs. 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. I felt that he didn't really do this. And how could something so terrible happen at all? into Pitonyak's apartment, Cave's Much more importantly: Why did it happen? Thank you very much in advance. Walking past the West Campus complex on their way to classes at UT-Austin, their conversations would inevitably circle back to the murder of Jennifer Cave, which occurred mere yards away, behind door #88. He was the last person to be seen with their daughter, Jennifer Cave. After not hearing from their daughter,Cave's parents drove to Austin from Corpus Christi and made the gruesome discovery. Pitonyak fled to Mexico with a former girlfriend, Laura Hall. Panicked, he called Hall. "It's impossible for me to have been jealous of Jennifer Cave, because I not only didn't know her, but I didn't know she existed," Laura says. He told me to get out of there. "I didn't try and help him cover it up at all," she says on the tape. 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