Steven Brian Pennell (November 22, 1957 – March 14, 1992), known as The Route 40 Killer, was Delaware's only known serial killer in modern history, convicted of the murders of two New Castle County, Delaware women and suspected of killing three others. He abducted most of his victims from U.S. Route 40, near Bear.he killed my friend ava anderson , he put her in a body of water
First murders
Shirley Ellis
The first victim was 23-year-old Shirley Anna Ellis, a nurse. On November 29, 1987, she left Wilmington Hospital around 6 PM, where she was assisting an AIDS patient, catching a lift on her way home on Route 40. Her body was later found by the roadside by two boys. She was partially nude, her legs spread out, hands and feet tied with adhesive tape. There were no signs of sexual assault, but she had been seriously abused, with her killer tying a string around her neck and hitting her head with a hammer before she died.
Catherine DiMauro
The second victim was 31-year-old Catherine A. DiMauro. On June 28, 1988, about seven months after the first murder, around 11:30 PM, she was seen walking down Route 40. At 6:25 AM, construction workers found her naked body at a construction site. No signs of sexual assault were found. Like Ellis, she was killed by hammer blows and strangulation, but unlike the first murder, DiMauro's body was covered in blue fibers.
Special police forces, along with the FBI's profiling unit, concluded that a serial killer was operating in close proximity to Route 40. Police and federal agents disguised as sex workers in attempt to gather information, with a task force of over 60 people being formed solely to capture the killer, but to no avail.
Margaret Lynn Finner
On August 22, 1988, 27-year-old sex worker Margaret Lynn Finner (née Jordan) disappeared. A number of witnesses had seen her enter a blue Ford driven by a white male near Route 13.
About three months later, her body was found by a hunter near the Chesapeake-Delaware Canal. Her body was so badly decomposed that the exact cause of death could not be determined, although signs of torture were visible on her remains. Finner was identified using dental records.
Initial suspicions
On September 14, 1988, Renée Taschner, an undercover police officer posing as a sex worker, roamed Route 40 in an attempt to capture the killer. After passing several vehicles, she spotted a blue Ford seven times in 20 minutes. She went to a more isolated area, and the vehicle stopped next to her. The driver was white, with Taschner noticing that the floor had a blue carpet. The man appeared nervous, hardly looking her in the eyes, but still attempted to convince her to enter the car. She refused, claiming that she was tired, but managed to tear some fiber from the blue carpet and write down the license plate number. Upon examination of several license plates, it emerged that the vehicle belonged to Stephen Brian Pennell, a 31-year-old electrician, married and father of two, with no criminal record.
Additional murders
Michele Gordon
Two days later, 22-year-old Michele Gordon, a local sex worker known for frequenting Route 40, disappeared. Witnesses saw her enter a blue Ford, identified as a panel car. On September 20, her body was found on the rocks in the Chesapeake-Delaware Canal. In the autopsy, it was discovered that she had been drugged with cocaine, which had caused her heart to stop before the torture had begun.
Kathleen Meyer
On September 23, 26-year-old Kathleen Anne Meyer, of Brookmont Farms, disappeared. A police officer saw her get into a blue Ford on Route 40, at 9:30 PM. He was able to write down the license plate number, which turned out to belong to Pennell's car. Her body was never found.
Capture
Delaware public prosecutor Charles Oberly approved a police search warrant of the panel van, while at the same time searching for other offences for which they could arrest Pennell. While searching the vehicle, prints matching the blood and hair of the victims, as well as the same adhesive tape used in the DiMauro killing, were found. A "torture kit" was also found, which included pliers, whips, handcuffs, needles, knives and restraints. Pennell was arrested on November 29, 1988, a year after he murdered the first victim, and was charged with killing three - Ellis, DiMauro and Gordon. He decided to invoke his right to remain silent.