to Jennifer Cave's death as "an accident," prompting grumbles There was a heinous murder and two readily identifiable suspects, but the physical evidence was confounding, and there was never a clear motive. Oh my God, he is pissing on that car.. She's sentenced to five years. Colton testifies, "I can't remember exactly what I told her, but I showed her Jennifer's body.". The former charge originates from the dismemberment of Cave's body. "'Donnie Brasco' and 'Goodfellas' and a series of movies that involved dismemberment," Bishop says. We have many He shot her through the arm, bullet traveled into the chest, through the heart pretty much killing her instantly. a Submit yours now at austinchronicle.com/opinion. On October 28, 2011, the state denied parole to Laura Hall. Asked if the cab driver is lying, Laura says, "I never said that to him. carpet cleaner, gloves. We can help. This would be the last conversation Jennifer Cave would have with anyone except her killer. Jennifer Cave's mother, Sharon, and her fiance, Jim Sedwick, A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austins independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the communitys political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Yes.". 'Amazing support': Nevada neighborhood goes blue for police, New Texas DPS promotions include the first 2 female captains in department's history, Cities like Austin that defund police departments will face freeze on property taxes, Gov. on her son's behalf. Hall was found guilty of tampering with evidence and sentenced to 10 years in prison. She was also a student at UT, a government major with hopes of becoming a lawyer. 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. 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. Two scenarios were in play now and both were nightmares for Jim and Sharon. He was convicted in 2007 of the murder and sentenced to 55 years in prison. [6], Colton Aaron Pitonyak[7] was a finance major at the University of Texas at Austin,[6] originating from Bryant, Arkansas, in Greater Little Rock. So that is how Jennifer Cave ended up partying with Colton Pitonyak on that last night of her life. college. Hall had been sentenced to 10 years in prison for her role in the murder. district. Her battle with drugs and alcohol had been a constant struggle, but now the 21-year-old waitress was imbued with a new level of confidence she never felt before. 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. "I know one of them involves dismemberment with a machete.". Colton Pitonyak's mother wept during the verdict, but he was landed a job as a legal assistant in an environmental law firm. In addition to the gun, Laura's DNA was also found in Colton's apartment. The apartment belonged to Colton Pitonyak, a University of Texas business student. "At about 3 o'clock, the law firm called me," says her mother, Sharon Sedwick. [23] In 2016, Laura Hall was still incarcerated in the Lockhart Unit. In 2007, a jury convicted Laura Hall, 34, for helping her boyfriend Colton Pitonyak dismember 21-year-old Cave's body in his apartment's bathtub at the Orange Tree condominiums in August of. Next Gallery. "I am innocent of the murder. After five days, they were nabbed by a Mexican SWAT team and handed over to American authorities. [10], On the morning of August 17, 2005,[14] the law firm where Cave worked called Cave's family to say that she did not show up for work. Laura Hall was sentenced Tuesday for her role in the 2005 murder of Jennifer Cave. 17, 2005, shooting of his friend, Jennifer Cave. And I said, 'What? That is not my car! 35 photos. Hall was but he did lay the blame on his friend, 23-year-old Laura Hall . is in the bottom right corner. When they started looking into the case, they felt connected to Cave, who died at the same age they were when they started this project, Thomas and Butler said in a statement given to the BrownWood Bulletin publication. Sharon and Jim decided to head to Austin hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst. Colton even had business experience since his father built his own successful business.It is easy to see that Pitonyak was a shoo-in for a successful stay at UTs elite business program. For Thomas (a former Chronicle intern) and Butler, the interest in exploring a notorious chapter of campus lore was born of a curiosity for the story beyond the grisly details of the crime, or the sensationalized on-the-run narrative that characterized the subsequent trials and convictions of Pitonyak and Hall. "It was on a flip flop in the bathroom. a hardware store four blocks away. "We're really getting scared that something bad has happened inside that apartment," says Jim. After a jury sentenced him to 55 years in prison, Pitonyak said, This year, two University of Texas students, Haley Butler and Tinu Thomas, have a long-form documentary podcast called The Orange Tree Podcast, in which they dig through court filings and host interviews with the families of Cave, Pitonyak and Hall. Colton Pitonyak's lawyer suggests Laura Hall murdered Jennifer Cave and her motive was jealousy. I can't go to jail," Laura tells Maher. police found Cave's Saturn sedan parked on a street near the Laura sighs before answering. The police said they could not search the apartment without a warrant. It's also a comprehensive document filled with new interview material from most of the key individuals affected by the case, including several members of the Cave family. Come here.'". comprehension that Colton would ever intentionally harm someone, This friend, which police believe was her drug supplier, was named Colton Pitonyak and although a top-marked student at the University of Texas, had some previous arrest for DWI and PCOS (possession of controlled substances.). She said her daughter was This dental device was sold to fix patients' jaws. value meal "out of habit." "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? after the The only real blemishes on his record were the DWI and PCOS previously mentioned. I am facing 10 years in prison for mutilating a body. Am I next?'". she reported that Pitonyak was upset because he had lost his phone and was She looks just like Jennifer Cave. Sullivan said Hall seemed frustrated by Pitonyak's inanition, saying she had been trying to "motivate" Pitonyak to finish the job. Pitonyak is not eligible for parole until 2033. His lawyer later said the only, The victim's relatives embraced after the verdict. And he said, 'Well, there's a problem,' and he said, 'We're concerned." "We just wanted to expand on that," Butler explained. "That was when it got big to us. And many say, so is Laura. He bought the items, he testified, but he did not cut up the body, and he claimed it was Hall's idea to flee to Mexico. Eddie Pitonyak, the defendant's father, read a statement There was a shop towel out in the living room of the apartment that had both her DNA and Colton Pitonyak's DNA," Bishop says. criminally negligent homicide. Sharon made a series of calls, including one to Pitonyak, who lied to her that he last saw Jennifer around midnight. On Tuesday, the same jury sentenced Hall to five years in prison and a year in jail, with the sentences to run concurrently. Hall was convicted in 2007 and sentenced to five years. about her daughter's whereabouts, but both times he was rude and As of 2013, Colton Pitonyak is still imprisoned at the Robertson Unit, a maximum-security state prison in Abilene, Texas. 0:57. Among those And he said, 'Yeah, I'm afraid it could be.'". to keep expanding and making Murderpedia a better site, but we really "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 Chronicle welcomes opinion pieces on any topic from the community. Episode 6: Laura Hall & Colton Pitonyak. custody by Mexican officials and handed. 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. Hall did not testify during her trial, but her attorney, Joe James Sawyer, painted a completely different picture for the jury. [4], On the day that Cave's body had been discovered,[9] Colton Pitonyak and Laura Hall escaped from the United States,[1] using Hall's automobile. Mr. The next afternoon, Jennifer's mother, Sharon Cave, got a phone call in Corpus Christi from Jennifer's new employer, who told her Jennifer had never arrived at work that morning. Defies reason, said Fugitt. So like, I definitely feel shackled.". "I mean he had all the 'Scarface' posters. The But Hall's trial, like Pitonyak's, in the end produced little understanding either of what really happened to young Jennifer Cave or, most especially, why her supposed friends ended her life with such brutal, emotionless, and unthinking cruelty. You need to get her out of there.' cellphone after he later charged with hindering apprehension. [20], As of 2013, Colton Pitonyak, TDCJ#01413729 and State ID (SID)#07004898, is incarcerated in the Memorial Unit. University of Texas student Colton Pitonyak, a one-time National In the summer of 2005, police were called to an apartment in Austin, Texas. And I'm not talking the four-legged kind.". 291131. Pitonyak also bought heavy-duty garbage bags, odor eliminator, carpet cleaner, gloves and face masks at the store. In 2007, a jury convicted Laura Hall, 34, for helping her boyfriend Colton Pitonyak dismember 21-year-old Cave's body in his apartment's bathtub at the Orange Tree condominiums in August of 2005. There's no way I would have done what was done.". And he didn't care who got hurt in the process. Both were drinking, and according to witness Jeffrey [11] Pitonyak had no previous record of violent crime. 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. The interrogation lasts nine grueling hours. Check out a scene from Episode 7: Elizabeth Turpin & Karen Brown. "She had previously made a statement that she had no idea what happened, she'd never seen the body. Michael Rodriguez, a friend, said he spoke to Cave at 1 a.m. and Hall faces trial later this year on charges of felony hindering To keep creating [2], Jennifer Rae Cave[3] moved to Corpus Christi, Texas, in high school. "I loved Colton Pitonyak.". Within days of the murder, Colton ran off with another woman, Laura Hall, to Mexico. So I flipped the light switch on and there she was," he remembers. Pitonyak around midnight on Sixth Street, Austin's party All rights reserved. "Mistakes were made," he says. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands. "We have new evidence that we've developed that establishes that Colton was not responsible even for the killing," says Joe Turner. She will get a new sentencing hearing. But Jennifer's parents feel they must bear witness. 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