Where Are Alex Ewing’s Survivor Kim Haubenschild and Vanessa Bennett Today? – At the age of 3, she witnessed her family being slain with a hammer. On an episode of People Magazine Investigates airing on Investigation Discovery and discovery+, Vanessa Bennett’s tragic tale is presented.
Colorado experienced a great deal of uproar and panic in January 1984 as a result of a series of savage attacks, leaving both police and locals wondering who was to blame. Four people were ultimately killed, while others lived to tell their tales. The “People Magazine Investigates: The Colorado Hammer Killer” special on Investigation Discovery focuses on Alex Ewing’s reign of terror and the alleged attacks on Kim Haubenschild and Vanessa Bennett. Consequently, let’s learn more about the two survivors, shall we?
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Who Are Vanessa Bennett and Kim Haubenschild?
Kim married Jim Haubenschild in 1984, and the two made their home in Aurora, Colorado. She was only 21 at the time, and the couple spent their time together with friends and a pet dog. However, a horrific attack occurred on Kim and Jim a few days after the New Year. On January 4, 1984, early in the morning, Jim was creating some music tapes while Kim was getting ready for bed.
Jim came to sleep at 2 o’clock in the night and forgot to lock the garage door. Later in the evening, someone with a hammer attacked the two. A hammer strike to the face awoke Jim, and the attacker later threw the same weapon at Kim, concussing her. Kim dialled 911 as a wounded Jim chased the attacker. However, that evening, the police were unable to track down the offender.
Vanessa tells PEOPLE magazine that, “There’s no fixing what he took from me.”
They didn’t find out that Alex Ewing might have been behind the attack until 2018; at the time, he was suspected of two other incidents that also claimed lives. They told us they had a DNA match, and that’s when the truth set in, Kim remarked. At that meeting, I was really emotional. I found it hard to believe they were informing us of all of this.
When Vanessa Bennett was just three years old and sharing a bedroom with her elder sister, Melissa, her life underwent a drastic upheaval. In January 1984, Alex stormed into their house and used a hammer to beat everyone. Her sibling and dad died as a result of this. Despite the attack and sexual assault, Vanessa was discovered to be still alive; she was pinned between the wall and the bed and was barely hanging on.
But Vanessa’s physical injuries also required a long time to heal. She suffered fractures to her pelvis, legs, arms, and skull in addition to her broken jaw. She spent some time in a coma, and when she came to, she was paralysed on her left side. In addition, Vanessa discussed how she was made fun of as a young child in school. She mentioned recalling some of the family’s 1983 Christmas even if she couldn’t recall anything about the attack’s night.
Since I was 17, I had a lot of suicidal thoughts, she says PEOPLE.
Vanessa’s journey has been far more difficult than most, but she now believes she can overcome anything. She claims, “I am unbreakable.” “I have survived,”
She describes Ewing as being a coward.
Where Are Vanessa Bennett and Kim Haubenschild Right Now?
Kim tried to deal with the incident in those days, assuming that her attacker had died. She said it was comfortable. Because I didn’t have a real person or anything to compare it to, I couldn’t understand how serious it was. It’s starting to click now. I guess there will be no problem. I believe I can deal with this. Since that time, Kim divorced her ex-husband and started her own family. She still lives in Aurora, Colorado.
While growing up, Vanessa suffered from the loss of her family and the consequences of her injuries. Bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder were all mentioned in her speech. Vanessa furthermore battled drug addiction. She gave birth to a boy at the age of 18, but CPS removed him. Vanessa once described being homeless and residing beneath a bridge.
Vanessa made the decision to alter her behaviour, nevertheless, after turning 30. She stopped using drugs and has been happily married to Frankie Willard ever since. In Tucson, Arizona, they share a two-bedroom apartment with their cat. She narrates her story across the country and eventually aspires to complete college and work as a drug counselor.