On January 28, 2022, authorities identified Joe Michael Ervin as the lead suspect in four cold case homicides in Denver, Colorado, that took place between 1978 and 1980. The case has been cleared by exception due to the death of Ervin.
Authorities state that the killings were sexually motivated. The victims are as follows:
Madeline Furey-Livaudais, 33, was killed on December 7, 1978. She was stabbed to death in her home in Denver.
Delores Barajas, 53, was killed on August 10, 1980. She was stabbed to death on the street, near the 500 block of East 17th Avenue in Denver.
Gwendolyn Harris, 27, was murdered on December 21, 1980. She was stabbed to death in the street near Andrews Drive and East 47th Street in Denver.
Antoinette Parks, age 17, was murdered on January 24, 1981. She was stabbed to death in the street near Broadway and 64th Avenue in Denver.
Officers state that DNA profiles of the suspect were obtained, and the four cases linked together, sometime between 2013 and 2018. The FGG investigation was conducted by the Denver Police Crime Laboratory. The final confirmation was made by exhuming Ervin’s body from a cemetery in Arlington, Texas, and comparing his DNA to that found at the above crime scenes.
Ervin had a history of violence. He was first indicted at age 17 for a murder that took place in October of 1969 in Tarrant County. He was accused of killing 21-year-old Rodney Gene Bonham, but fled to Colorado. There, he was indicted for rape and murder charges, but was released twice on bond.
On June 27, 1981 he killed Debra Sue Corr, a patrol officer in Aurora, with her own service revolver during a routine traffic stop. A 19-year-old bystander who tried to help Corr was also shot, but survived. Ervin was taken into custody. He committed suicide while awaiting trial. He was 30 years old.
Sources:
Abeyta, Michael. “Denver Police Say Joe Michael Ervin Was a Serial Killer Who Murdered 5 Women More than 40 Years Ago.” CBS News 4 Denver, January 28, 2022. Accessed January 30, 2022. https://denver.cbslocal.com/2022/01/28/joe-michael-ervin-serial-killer-identified-denver-murders-madeleine-furey-livaudais-gwendolyn-harris-antoinette-parks-debra-sue-corr/.
CBSDFW.com Staff. “Denver Serial Killer, Joe Michael Ervin, Had Deep Ties to North Texas.” CBS News Dallas Fort Worth, January 30, 2022. January 30, 2022. https://dfw.cbslocal.com/2022/01/30/denver-serial-killer-joe-michael-ervin-had-deep-ties-to-north-texas/.
Stelloh, Tim. “Four Colorado Women Were Found Dead 40 Years Ago. Their Alleged Killer Was Just Identified.” NBC News, January 28, 2022. Accessed January 30, 2022. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/four-colorado-women-found-dead-40-years-ago-alleged-killer-was-just-id-rcna14040.