"I was really attracted to Colton from the beginning.. I just started crawling through the window trying to push the drapes out of my way. "He said he was gonna cut up the body and get rid of it," she told the detective. he does not remember shooting Cave, ", "We knew him to be the only person in her company that evening once they left Sixth Street, the location obviously of her body being in his apartment," Bishop tells "48 Hours." She was one of five girls in her family. ", Rather than reveling in the prize of unprecedented access, they wanted to always keep sight of the human anguish that reverberates through their narrative. 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. Former University of Texas student Colton Pitonyak is serving 55 years . "I remember him goading me out of the bathroom with a knife that had blood on it up to the hilt The last thing you wanna think is this person that I've had sex with has, you know, killed somebody. Hall was found guilty of tampering with evidence and sentenced to 10 years in prison. At trial, this time with no cameras allowed, the prosecutor outlines Laura's ever-changing account of events. The exact time of death could not be determined, but detectives surmise Jennifer was first shot between 1:05 am and 3:30 am. Laura Ashley Hall [12] was a University of Texas at Austin student who at one time had been Pitonyak's girlfriend. Colton Pitonyak testified he has no memory of killing Jennifer Prosecutor Bill Bishop believes the evidence against Colton was very strong. have said he is taking "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.". "Really? Bryan Case, with the Travis County District Attorney s office, said, We stand by our position and conviction of Colton Pitonyak. carpet cleaner, gloves. 'Why yes,' he said, 'She's sitting right over there by Mr. "His brain Hall was ", CBS News. a She had been shot, stabbed and her body had been partially dismembered. 22-year-old Cave was found murdered in a West Campus apartment. "We thought we'd never see her again," says Carol. 289256. Laura agrees to talk to police, but initially holds back. In Texas, those sentenced to life are eligible for parole in 30 years. my friends. Laura says Colton led her into the bathroom. Hall faces trial later this year on charges of felony hindering In February 2009, Laura Hall is unexpectedly released when a court ruled her sentencing hearing wasn't fair. ", Sadeghi, Chris. She was released in 2018 after serving time. It was just playing with it, like it was a toy. On Aug. 16, 2005, Cave was excited about her new job at an Austin law firm, and that night, she went with Pitonyak to Sixth Street to celebrate. And many say, so is Laura. Another person, Laura Hall, was convicted of tampering with evidence and hindering the apprehension of Pitonyak after the two fled to Mexico. And he said, 'Yeah, I'm afraid it could be.'". stoic. [9] Outside court, Jim Sedwick said, as paraphrased by Harriet Ryan of Court TV, that "there was only a two-and-a-half-year functional difference between the jury's sentence and the life term. You need to get her out of there.' "Once we learned more about the victim and all of the different relationships at play, we just knew that it should be our mission to do this in a way that I don't think is typically done in true crime.". [14] Cave and Pitonyak went to dinner before Cave was murdered. "So I kept going down this hallway, and then there was another door on my left which was closed. Jennifer's stepfather, Jim Sedwick, also spoke with Colton. Police urgently needed to know everything about Colton and Jennifer. ", Ryan, Harriet. The dismembered body of a young woman exposes the dark side of two former honor students. "I had no idea he was going to do what he did," she says. 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. 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. But that portrait of Hall, without her own testimony, was never fully fleshed out.). After calling 911, police raced back to the apartment and began the search for Colton. Pitonyak fled to Mexico with a former girlfriend, Laura Hall. Asked if Colton had asked her to help him, Laura tells the detective, "No! discovered in Pitonyak's car. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. '", Sharon says she knew something was wrong. 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. a 9 mm handgun that was later Jennifer paid for that friendship with her life. I mean, when you look at Laura, there is nothing there - at all. district. What will ending the COVID-19 emergency look like in the US. Investigators say Cave had been out to dinner with 22-year-old Colton Pitonyak, who'd lost his cell phone and was upset about it. "I have never heard anyone say anything but that she was one of the nicest people they knew," Bishop says of Jennifer. on her son's behalf. And that would be Laura Hall," Sawyer says. There's no way I would have done what was done.". Cave, who was an Austin legal assistant, was found in Pitonyaks bathtub in his West Campus apartment on Aug. 18, 2005. Oh my God, he is pissing on that car.. he promoted her to a full-time position. Sharon began frantically calling around to find her daughter and discovered Jennifer had been out with Colton. Fernandez, to watch a pay-per-view professional fighting match, S1 E643m. We wanted to add some perspective on the victims life, and thats not typically done in true crime podcasts, said Butler. his way in through a window. "All I had was a flashlight. "He wanted to get out of town. Fernandez, to watch a pay-per-view professional fighting match, His addiction to these substances had been escalating, finally hitting its zenith in the summer of 2005. To keep creating [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. Jennifer Cave's mother, Sharon Cave, testified that she spoke to later charged with hindering apprehension. I don't know what you're talking about.' The law firm that she interviewed with on August 16, 2005, was so impressed that they offered her a full-time position, starting the next morning. The studio apartment was in disarray and Sedwick immediately She's out on bond while prosecutors fight to put her back behind bars. "There is no doubt that Colton Pitonyak was solely responsible for the murder of Jennifer Cave," said Fugitt. Laura Hall & Colton Pitonyak. On the second visit, Sharon Cave slipped a window lock, and Sedwick climbed inside. 'Cause in my mind that's not possible," she says of going back to jail. "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. The next day, Cave's mother filed a missing persons report. [18] He will be eligible for parole once 50% of his sentence has been served, at which time he will be around 51 years old. The court rejects Colton's appeal. cellphone after he [6] Authorities found that the two had crossed into Mexico on August 18, 2005. Colton and Laura fled Austin some 16 hours after the murder. Lindell, Chuck. ", "I think that people are going to look at this and they're going to see how articulate you are, and they're going to say, 'OK, either this girl is really stupid or she's a sociopath," says Maher. They found Jennifer's car nearby. At his trial, Pitonyak testified that he had been in an alcohol-and-drug-induced stupor the night of Caves death. Am I next?'". "I wasn't able to even process - and even today, I have not processed the emotions. Defies reason, said Fugitt. When it came to relating anecdotes about being young and at college? Her statement then became she'd seen the body but didn't know what had had happened. Michael Rodriguez, a friend, said he spoke to Cave at 1 a.m. and Pitonyak told Sedwick that Cave was not around and asked them to leave him alone. Thomas said, "I think any reporter would be lying if they said that getting a source on record, that's never spoken before, isn't exciting. But then, surprisingly, Laura says Colton just let her go. officers in Texas. Asked how he got back to his apartment, Colton said, "I assume Jennifer took me. Colton came from an upper middle class family, was a National Merit Scholar, and maintained a spotless highschool record. Her hands removed. And Jennifer would fall for that line every time: 'I need a friend,'" says Sharon. Pitonyak is serving 55 years for the slaying. And it kind of got quiet. Example video title will go here for this video. have said he is taking, Defense attorney Sam Bassett holds a machete found in Pitonyak's CBS News. . Pitonyak's kitchen wall. [21][22], In 2014, Hall was denied parole by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. Movies. A medical examiner later determined that Cave He'd called her saying he needed to talk. 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. 48 Hours In Too Deep: Laura Hall. The brown paper bag in Pitonyak's studio apartment led police to Oscars Best Picture Winners Best Picture Winners Emmys STARmeter Awards San Diego Comic-Con New York Comic-Con Sundance Film Festival Toronto Int'l Film Festival Awards Central Festival Central All Events Submit yours now at austinchronicle.com/opinion. Marshals[14] arrested Pitonyak. But before police could question Pitonyak, he and another UT student, Laura Hall, fled to Mexico. She had spent time in Austin as a student, but was about to start work at a law firm. Once again, the D.A. She looks just like Jennifer Cave. He said, 'Jennifer didn't come to work today.' Considering that both killer and victim were on mind-altering drugs would be the only proper explanation to what detectives discovered next. Jennifer Cave was on track to putting her life back in order. comprehension that Colton would ever intentionally harm someone, I heard this rustling, like someone's grabbing the phone from you. In 2020, A seven-part podcast called "The Orange Tree," published by The Drag, which is an audio production house at the University of Texas, took a deep dive look at Jennifer's life, the trials and the appeals. The brown paper bag in Pitonyak's studio apartment led police to It was the quest for free parking that led Tinu Thomas and Haley Butler by the Orange Tree Condos. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Hall will serve five years in state prison for tampering with evidence and one year concurrently in jail for hindering the apprehension of convicted killer Colton Pitonyak. He and Cave were friends and the two had gone out for drinks the night she died. the Murderpedia project stay alive. And I said, 'What? It was a crime that shocked a city a 21-year-old woman shot, stabbed and partially dismembered in the condo of her friend, a UT student. The police said they could not search the apartment without a warrant. Jennifer Cave's mutilated body was found in the apartment of Pitonyak in 2005. 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. ", And he couldn't he explain the shooting. 30 photos. Cave, the young woman he considered, About 12 hours after he shot Cave, Pitonyak stopped for a meal "He was incoherent and in a sense, so was I. The day before her death, however, she had She had "At about 3 o'clock, the law firm called me," says her mother, Sharon Sedwick. Nicole Kasinskas and Billy Sullivan. Laura and Colton met at a party in the spring of 2005. Colton Pitonyak's lawyer suggests Laura Hall murdered Jennifer Cave and her motive was jealousy. time Jennifer Cave is believed to have been killed. Tabitha Messina & Carlos Christopher. young son. 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 said AUSTIN, Texas - August 17, 2020 marks the 15th anniversary of the murder of Jennifer Cave. "[14] On February 19, 2009, the Texas Third Court of Appeals ordered re-sentencing. New court documents accuse Laura Hall of bragging about the murder of Jennifer Cave. 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. Sharon made a series of calls, including one to Pitonyak, who lied to her that he last saw Jennifer around midnight. 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. But Jennifer's parents feel they must bear witness. And he says, 'Come here. saying that Hall had admitted to killing Cave in a jailhouse confession. It appeared to be a bathtub, and I was seeing something. Eddie Pitonyak, the defendant's father, read a statement "As we would say in Texas, 'she went out of the room screamin' and hollerin'," says Jim Sedwick. We immediately just got together. Pitonyak was convicted of murder after fleeing to Mexico with his friend Laura Hall. We were in no condition," she explains. 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. 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