05.A.Descent.Into.Hell.2008 (27 page)

Eli went with Jennifer to reclaim her possessions, including the star Whitney made for her.
Photo Kathryn Casey

Laura Hall fell in love with Colton Pitonyak, but he “treated her like a muddy little dog,” says a friend.
Austin PD photo

Sharon, Jim, and Vanessa pounded for hours on the door marked 88 at the Orange Tree condominiums.
Photo Kathryn Casey

Michael Rodriguez would later regret that he didn’t ask Jennifer more questions, but at the time she insisted all was well.
Photo Kathryn Casey

Colton Pitonyak’s gun. A week earlier, he’d threatened to shoot Laura Hall with it.
Austin PD photo

When they opened the dishwasher, police found a machete inside, with blood on the blade.
Austin PD photo

The ACE bag inside the apartment, next to blood on the carpet.
Austin PD photo

“That’s just how I roll,” Laura Hall said about her getaway with Pitonyak in her green Cadillac.
Austin PD photo

At first Pitonyak and Hall looked like any other vacationing students. Then Pedro Fernandez grew worried and snapped this photo to have a record of the strange young American couple.
Courtesy of Pedro Fernandez

Despite decades as a police officer and then a DA’s investigator, this was a case that Jim Bergman would never forget.
Photo Kathryn Casey

Stephanie McFarland and Bill Bishop took on one of the most gruesome murder cases in Austin’s history.
Photo Kathryn Casey

From one of the best known law firms in Austin, Sam Bassett (left) and Roy Minton had to separate their client from the aftermath of the murder.
Photo Kathryn Casey

Bridget and Eddie Pitonyak, Colton’s parents, kept to themselves throughout the trial, rarely talking to anyone.
Photo Kathryn Casey