"He Was a Quiet Guy-Never Talked"/Arrest Made
tiny dancer
young woman, in her apartment. Word locally was 'this guy, the unknown
perp., had to have done something like this before. That the crime included
some sort of strange rape & bondage 'routine'. The cops had been asking for
anyone who had participated in a similar sort of *bondage* willingly with
anyone, to contact them.
Photo's at link posted below:
Suspect's Mother: Planten An 'Upstanding Citizen'
POSTED: 7:00 pm EDT October 20, 2005
UPDATED: 10:07 pm EDT October 20, 2005
RALEIGH, N.C. -- The mother of a suspected killer said Thursday that her
son, Drew Edward Planten, is a "good person" and "an upstanding citizen" and
that it was difficult to believe the charges he now faces in a
three-year-old homicide case.
Planten, 35, of Raleigh, was arrested Wednesday and charged with
first-degree murder in the May 2002 death of Stephanie Renee Bennett, who
was found dead in her North Raleigh apartment, gagged, strangled and raped,
according to investigators.
Sheriff's deputies wheeled Planten into a Wake County courtroom Thursday,
saying the suspect had been unresponsive since his arrest, refusing to talk
or even stand. Restraining him in a wheelchair, they said, was the only way
to keep him upright.
"They've been watching him for four weeks and there's been no sign of any of
this until after he was arrested," said Wake County District Attorney Colon
Willoughby. "The whole thing is a ruse."
Planten was sent for medical testing and would be watched closely at Central
Prison by doctors. He was moved from the Wake County Jail to the prison for
safekeeping, authorities said.
While authorities have not released much information about Planten, his
mother, Sarah Chandler, of Charlotte, Mich., said the murder charge against
her son is hard to comprehend and something she could not imagine.
"I'm in shock because he's never been in trouble before," Chandler told
WRAL's Julia Lewis Thursday. "It's hard to believe he's even suspected of
something like this."
Raleigh police arrested Planten Wednesday afternoon outside the fertilizer
laboratory where he worked as a chemistry technician for the North Carolina
Department of Agriculture. Making about $32,000 a year, much of Planten's
work involves testing fertilizer samples.
Chandler said her son graduated from Michigan State University in 1995 with
a degree in zoology. He was an honor student with a love of science who
always got good grades, never got into trouble and had never been aggressive
toward anyone.
Five years later, Planten moved to Raleigh to work with the agriculture
department and lived at the Dominion on Lake Lynn Apartments, less than a
mile from where Bennett lived at Bridgeport Apartments on Lake Lynn Drive.
"I always got a weird feeling from him," said Dana Allen, who lived in the
same building as Planten. "I told my husband to keep an eye on him because I
thought he didn't seem right."
A year after Bennett was found dead in her apartment, Planten moved out of
his apartment. Chandler told WRAL that her son never talked about Bennett's
death.
"Had he ever mentioned Stephanie Bennett's name?" WRAL's Julia Lewis asked
Chandler.
"No, I never heard him mention any woman's name," Chandler said.
From all indications, Planten kept to himself at Birchwood Apartments on
Buck Jones Road in Raleigh. Many of his neighbors said they would see him
walking his dog, but said he never spoke. Even at the corner store where he
would shop, there was a sense of mystery around him.
"(He was a) quiet guy -- never talked," said the shop's owner, Mark Samour.
"(He would) just buy something and leave."
Investigators and family members of the victim said Wednesday that they did
not think Bennett knew Planten.
"Stephanie did not know this person, I'm quite sure," said Carmon Benton,
the victim's father. He said police told him that Planten was a recluse.
"He doesn't associate with anyone and doesn't have any friends," Bennett
said police told him. "He was just a very weird individual."
Police believe Planten was also may have been a peeping tom reported in the
area; they also believe he had walked a dog in Bennett's neighborhood weeks
leading up to her death.
Investigators would not say exactly how they linked Planten to Bennett's
death. They said earlier this year, they approached the suspect for a
voluntary DNA sample, but he refused. Still, investigators were able to link
Planten to Bennett's death.
"We've made a positive match from DNA on the suspect in this case," said
Raleigh Police Maj. Dennis Lane.
Except for some minor traffic charges, Planten does not have a criminal
record.
http://www.wral.com/news/5136392/detail.html#
tiny dancer
Drew Edward Planten Arrested Outside N.C. State Agriculture Laboratory
POSTED: 9:00 pm EDT October 19, 2005
UPDATED: 12:12 pm EDT October 20, 2005
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Three years ago Stephanie Bennett had just graduated from
college when she was raped and murdered in her apartment on Lake Lynn Drive
in Raleigh, police said. She was 23 years old.
On Wednesday, at about 4:30 p.m., Raleigh police arrested 35-year-old Drew
Edward Planten in the 4000 block of Reedy Creek Road and charged him with
Bennett's murder.
Sources said Planten worked as a chemistry technician in a fertilizer
laboratory for the N.C. Department of Agriculture and graduated from
Michigan State University with a degree in biology. He was arrested outside
the laboratory.
"Tonight is a night of relief," Carmon Bennett, Stephanie Bennett's father,
said. "We're just happy to know that this animal is off the streets and this
can't happen to another young lady."
Carmon Bennett said he did not know Planten, and he does not believe his
daughter knew the suspect.
"Stephanie did not know this person, I'm quite sure," he said.
He said police told him that Planten was a recluse. "He doesn't associate
with anyone and doesn't have any friends," Bennett said police told him. "He
was just a very weird individual."
Police said a male entered Stephanie Bennett's apartment through a window
during the night of Monday, May 20, 2002, and raped and killed her. Police
found Stephanie's body in her apartment the next day.
Carmon Bennett said Planten lived near Stephanie, who was a native of Rocky
Mount, Va., and had moved to Raleigh after graduating from Roanoke College
in Salem, Va.
"Making an arrest in this case has remained a priority for the Raleigh
Police Department since the moment officers responded to the crime scene
more than three years ago," Raleigh Police Chief Jane Perlov said in a
written statement. "In the end, the case was solved by outstanding,
old-fashioned police work coupled with modern science."
Police have not released any additional information about what led to
Planten's arrest. They said more information would be provided at a news
conference Thursday morning.
Sources said Planten would make his first court appearance Thursday
afternoon.
http://www.wral.com/news/5129289/detail.html
Previous Stories:
a.. May 23, 2005: Police Looking For 'Person Of Interest' In 3-Year-Old
Murder Case
b.. May 22, 2005: Raleigh Police Seek Clues About Woman's Murder Three
Years Ago
c.. May 19, 2005: Stephanie Bennett's Parents Vow Not To Rest Until
Murderer Brought To Justice
d.. June 21, 2004: Stephanie Bennett Lawsuit Heads To Federal Court
e.. May 24, 2004: Lawsuit Filed By Stephanie Bennett's Family Questions
Safety At Apt Complex
f.. May 21, 2004: Stephanie Bennett's Family Files Lawsuit
g.. May 21, 2004: Police Create Videotape In Hope Of New Leads In
Stephanie Bennett Case
h.. April 30, 2004: Pain Endures For Stephanie Bennett's Parents
i.. August 26, 2003: Family Offers $100,000 For Info Leading To Arrest In
Stephanie Bennett Case
j.. July 29, 2003: Police Hope New Details Provide Break In Stephanie
Bennett Murder Case
k.. June 9, 2003: Police Release Part Of Behavioral Profile In Stephanie
Bennett Case
l.. May 29, 2003: Raleigh Police Hope La. Case Provides Insight Into
Stephanie Bennett Case
m.. May 21, 2003: One Year Later, Family, Police Seek Closure In Stephanie
Bennett Case
n.. April 13, 2003: Family, Friends Gather At Roanoke College To Remember
Stephanie Bennett
o.. November 21, 2002: Search For Bennett's Killer Yields Few Clues
p.. August 10, 2002: Boyfriend Of Murdered Raleigh Woman Says He Wants
Justice
q.. August 1, 2002: Bennett Family Talks About Lost Loved One
r.. July 25, 2002: Police Offer Look Inside Raleigh Murder Victim's
Apartment
s.. July 24, 2002: Police, Neighbors Want Answers In Stephanie Bennett
Murder
tiny dancer
POSTED: 5:41 pm EDT October 20, 2005
UPDATED: 7:04 pm EDT October 20, 2005
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Strapped to a wheelchair with his head propped up, the man
suspected of raping and killing Stephanie Bennett three years ago appeared
in court Thursday morning.
Drew Edward Planten, 35, of 418 Buck Jones Road in Raleigh, was arrested
Wednesday afternoon at a North Carolina Department of Agriculture and
Consumer Services lab where he works as a chemist.
Since his arrest, Planten has acted almost catatonic -- he has a dazed look
and hasn't spoken to anyone -- although Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison
said Planten has used the bathroom a few times while in custody.
"For three years, he's walked around, and all of a sudden, when he's
arrested, he goes into this state," Harrison said. "You figure it out for
yourself."
Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby called Planten's behavior 'a
ruse."
"(Investigators have) been watching him for weeks, and he's been functioning
perfectly well. There was no sign of any of this until after his arrest,"
Willoughby said.
Still, a judge ordered Planten to undergo a medical evaluation at Central
Prison before his next court appearance Nov. 9.
Bennett, 23, was raped and strangled in her apartment off Leesville Road on
May 20, 2002. Her body was discovered when her co-workers at IBM, worried
that she hadn't come to work, called the apartment manager.
The case baffled police for years, since there was little physical evidence
at the crime scene. The only item missing from the apartment was a small
boom box, and just a small amount of DNA was recovered, police said.
Police said one person -- a man wearing a sweatshirt and walking a dog who
peered into apartments -- had been seen in the vicinity of the apartment in
the weeks before the crime, but a composite sketch turned up few promising
leads.
Investigators brought in experts to develop a profile of the killer. Police
also operated a special tip line in May of this year -- the third
anniversary of the slaying -- and Bennett's father, Carmon Bennett, offered
a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
Police wouldn't disclose how Planten initially became a suspect in the case,
saying only that his name first surfaced in May.
He previously lived in an apartment about a mile away from Bennett's
apartment, police said. He also owns a dog, which officers took to an animal
shelter Wednesday night following his arrest.
Because he had no prior criminal record, Planten had no DNA on file for
police to match against what was found at the crime scene. But they
eventually obtained a sample of his DNA -- they wouldn't disclose how -- and
finally got the break they had waited for more than three years.
"This is where old-fashioned police work meets new police work. It's where
the shoe leather pays off and the DNA pays off," said Maj. Dennis Lane, of
the Raleigh Police Department.
Detectives Ken Copeland and Jackie Taylor were credited for doing much of
the legwork on the case, which involved hundreds of interviews with people.
"If you don't go knock on people's door and talk to people, you'll never get
what you need," Copeland said.
"You have to reach back out to people and give them an opportunity to tell
you what they know, and they will," Taylor said.
Investigators spent much of Thursday combing through Planten's apartment and
car for evidence. They are asking anyone who knows anything about Planten to
call police to help in the investigation.
http://www.nbc17.com/news/5135755/detail.html
ronniecat
23:31:48 -0400 "tiny dancer" <tinyda...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>Odd Behavior Of Murder Suspect Called 'Ruse'
>
>POSTED: 5:41 pm EDT October 20, 2005
>UPDATED: 7:04 pm EDT October 20, 2005
>
>RALEIGH, N.C. -- Strapped to a wheelchair with his head propped up, the man
>suspected of raping and killing Stephanie Bennett three years ago appeared
>in court Thursday morning.
>Since his arrest, Planten has acted almost catatonic -- he has a dazed look
>and hasn't spoken to anyone -- although Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison
>said Planten has used the bathroom a few times while in custody.
>
>"For three years, he's walked around, and all of a sudden, when he's
>arrested, he goes into this state," Harrison said. "You figure it out for
>yourself."
Wow, very weird case, Tiny, from the request for pervious consensual
bondage partners to the "sudden catatonic state". Keep us updated.
ronnie
--
return address altered. remove my collar to reply.
"I try to be cynical, but it's so hard to keep up." - Lily Tomlin
http://www.hearingloss.blogspot.com * a weblog about deafness
netuse...@yahoo.com
ronniecat wrote:
> Recklessly waiving the right to remain silent, on Thu, 20 Oct 2005
> 23:31:48 -0400 "tiny dancer" <tinyda...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> >Odd Behavior Of Murder Suspect Called 'Ruse'
> >
> >POSTED: 5:41 pm EDT October 20, 2005
> >UPDATED: 7:04 pm EDT October 20, 2005
> >
> >RALEIGH, N.C. -- Strapped to a wheelchair with his head propped up, the man
> >suspected of raping and killing Stephanie Bennett three years ago appeared
> >in court Thursday morning.
> <snip>
> >Since his arrest, Planten has acted almost catatonic -- he has a dazed look
> >and hasn't spoken to anyone -- although Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison
> >said Planten has used the bathroom a few times while in custody.
> >
> >"For three years, he's walked around, and all of a sudden, when he's
> >arrested, he goes into this state," Harrison said. "You figure it out for
> >yourself."
>
> Wow, very weird case, Tiny, from the request for pervious consensual
> bondage partners to the "sudden catatonic state". Keep us updated.
Don't forget the mysteriously obtained DNA that finally nailed the guy
- interesting stuff.
tiny dancer
"ronniecat" <ronn...@mycollar.ronniecat.com> wrote in message
news:qm9il19j6mocpgll1...@4ax.com...
> Recklessly waiving the right to remain silent, on Thu, 20 Oct 2005
> 23:31:48 -0400 "tiny dancer" <tinyda...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> >Odd Behavior Of Murder Suspect Called 'Ruse'
> >
> >POSTED: 5:41 pm EDT October 20, 2005
> >UPDATED: 7:04 pm EDT October 20, 2005
> >
> >RALEIGH, N.C. -- Strapped to a wheelchair with his head propped up, the
man
> >suspected of raping and killing Stephanie Bennett three years ago
appeared
> >in court Thursday morning.
> <snip>
> >Since his arrest, Planten has acted almost catatonic -- he has a dazed
look
> >and hasn't spoken to anyone -- although Wake County Sheriff Donnie
Harrison
> >said Planten has used the bathroom a few times while in custody.
> >
> >"For three years, he's walked around, and all of a sudden, when he's
> >arrested, he goes into this state," Harrison said. "You figure it out for
> >yourself."
>
> Wow, very weird case, Tiny, from the request for pervious consensual
> bondage partners to the "sudden catatonic state". Keep us updated.
>
> ronnie
This case has been local here, and it happened in a very nice area of town,
within a mile or two of my house. Very nice, upscale apartment complex,
home to the young professional crowd. That's why the whole thing was so
shocking and upsetting to many. Especially because it was such a brutal
crime and went unsolved for so long, with absolutely no suspects. At first
there was very little information coming out about the details of the crime,
but after a year or two, it started leaking out. Until finally the
detectives made a very criptic *plea* for anyone with knowledge of specific
bondage type behaviors in anyone they might know, to please come forward. I
remember the cops saying something like "from the details of this crime, we
feel this suspect had to have participated in similar bondage type
situations with perhaps *willing* partners in his past". IIRC, they went on
to describe specific examples of what they were referring to.
td
tiny dancer
<netuse...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1129916918....@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
I'm guessing it was probably one of those situations where they snuck
around, either going through his garbage, or perhaps asking someone he
worked with to try and obtain a paper cup, cigarette butt, anything they
might be able to get his DNA off of?
td
netuse...@yahoo.com
I like the cigarette angle, seen it in several shows; if the kid didn't
smoke, perhaps a wad of spent chewing gum? Reminds me of the 'Britney
Spears' ABC GUm on ebaY News of a while back!. :-)
> td
netuse...@yahoo.com
But if he 'had' willing partners, why not use one of them? In that, if
he wanted 'un-willing' he could have created that type of situation;
- If he paid them, force them to do without pay.
- If they consented freely, wait for them 'not' to be 'in the mood' so
to speak.
- Change his "routine" to something the partner disagreed with, and
force them then.
Things like that
I don't know - seems that him leaving 'willing' partners or "possible
witnesses" alive would be almost too careless. ?
tiny dancer
<netuse...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1129925746....@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
After reading about this guy, I'm doubting he had any 'willing partners', as
he's described as a total loner. I'm guessing, much like BTK, part of this
guys rush was in killing the victim after the torture/bondage/rape. I think
the local cops were just trying to find some sort of area to begin their
investigation. IIRC, they were asking the local bondage scene about
particular aspects of what ever his 'thing' was. I can't recall if it was
ever totally spelled out in the media what made this guys form of bondage
*different* from the *norm*? ( It does sound a bit strange questioning
about *normal bondage*, 'eh?) ;)
td