New development in Dorothy Donovan murder - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Kane · 01-23-2006, 01:34 PM

Have you heard that there is a suspect in the 1991 murder of Dorothy Donovan? The man's name is Gilbert E. Cannon. Here is one of the articles:

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/p...0334/-1/NEWS01

The case was shown on UM at the end of the 1994-95 season, and has been discussed at this board in the past. However, just in case you're unfamiliar with it, here is a concise synopsis:

Dorothy Donovan was a 70-year-old woman who was found stabbed to death in her Delaware home in 1991. The alleged culprit was an unknown hitchhiker that her son, Charles Holden, picked up earlier; Charles soon got rid of the hitchhiker and sped away when the man became violent. The hitchhiker was later allegedly seen approaching Dorothy's home. Charles was suspected, but the blood at the crime scene ruled him out.

crystaldawn · 01-23-2006, 02:01 PM

Nice find Kane. The suspect does resemble the sketch that was profiled on UM. I'm happy for the family that possibly the person responsible was finally captured!

Thinman · 01-23-2006, 02:19 PM

Wow! Good article. That was easily one of the creepiest segments ever profiled on UM. It was also beyond belief that this hitchhiker could randomly choose the property of the same man who had given him a ride miles away. Add that to the fact that robbery and/or sexual assault were not motives, and it is clear why the police assumed that she and possibly her son knew the killer.

DNA has nabbed another one.

Awsi Dooger · 01-24-2006, 12:25 AM

I'm continually impressed how Kane and others here find those updates so soon. I mean, that article is two days old. Do you guys frequently search for specific names involved in the cases, and once in a while a new entry pops up atop the Google list? I'm asking in amazement as much as curiosity.

Yes, I'll echo Thinman: Wow! Very memorable case and one I doubted would be solved.

That article is excellent, very detailed. But if left me with little respect for the two sisters since they apparently doubted their brother's story and, at least partially, blamed him for the mother's death. To the point of estrangement which is sick.

I never had a negative impression of the murdered woman's son at all. He seemed very genuine and devastated. I thought he took sensible precaution to avoid the specific location where he lived after eluding the guy. Maybe you can question driving back to Hardees and calling police instead of finding a closer phone after he saw the guy at the residence, or of leaving the residence instead of contronting the person. But after being threatened by a wild nutcase with a screwdriver, or similar, I'm not sure I wouldn't have embraced the same stategy.

Nice flub by the profilers in 2001, concluding Mrs. Donovan knew her killer. I would have bet against that from the first day it was proposed. Just further evidence of a lack of understanding of probability among law enforcement.

Thinman · 01-24-2006, 09:46 AM

I think it was a reasonable assumption that Mrs. Donovan knew her killer. She had not been sexually assaulted and her house had not been ransacked. It appeared as though murder was the only motive. Also, the brutality of the crime made it seem personal, as if this person really hated Mrs. Donovan.

The part of the article I didn't understand was when it said that Holden saw the hitchhiker looking out the window of his trailer when he returned home. I thought I remembered, from the UM segment, Holden seeing the guy walking across the yard toward the farmhouse.

Kane · 01-24-2006, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thinman

The part of the article I didn't understand was when it said that Holden saw the hitchhiker looking out the window of his trailer when he returned home. I thought I remembered, from the UM segment, Holden seeing the guy walking across the yard toward the farmhouse.

I remembered that part from the segment. Either the UM segment or the news article made an unfortunate mistake.

Kane · 01-24-2006, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Awsi Dooger

I'm continually impressed how Kane and others here find those updates so soon. I mean, that article is two days old. Do you guys frequently search for specific names involved in the cases, and once in a while a new entry pops up atop the Google list? I'm asking in amazement as much as curiosity.

I search through Google (as well as other search engines). When I'm at the Google news section (which is very frequent), I would often type in "Unsolved Mysteries". However, I should stress that articles about UM cases don't always mention the fact that the case in question was profiled on the show. Therefore, it is sensible to type in other words and/or combination of words. Sometimes, typing in a combination of generic words can help.

That's how I finally discovered some links on the 1981 Texas murders of a mother and son. For years, I couldn't remember the names of the victims since I had only seen the segment once, and the case was apparently never rerun on cable. But what I remembered about the case (which UM profiled in 1994) was that the little boy was murdered on his fifth birthday in December 1981. After some digging, I eventually learned that the victims' names were Roxann Jo Jeeves and Kristopher Korper. In addition, I discovered that a man was arrested in connection to the case; in 2003, a man named George Washington Hicks was linked to the murders through DNA.

nohwheregirl · 01-24-2006, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Awsi Dooger

Nice flub by the profilers in 2001, concluding Mrs. Donovan knew her killer. I would have bet against that from the first day it was proposed. Just further evidence of a lack of understanding of probability among law enforcement.

Yeah, I'd agree that conclusion is pretty absurd. Talk about not looking at the big picture. That's the kind of conclusion one might make if they had no witnesses and nothing else to go on. Did they just completely ignore the son's eye witness account?

Awsi Dooger · 01-25-2006, 01:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nohwheregirl

Yeah, I'd agree that conclusion is pretty absurd. Talk about not looking at the big picture. That's the kind of conclusion one might make if they had no witnesses and nothing else to go on. Did they just completely ignore the son's eye witness account?

Precisely, nohwheregirl. That's exactly what I was going to stress before seeing your post. An inability to grasp the big picture is something that often infuriuates me regarding law enforcement. You would think all the witnesses at Hardees would have been more than enough to certify it was a stranger offense. Either that, or conclude the person who the son gave the ride to was not the murderer, an outrageous excursion beyond probability since it requires multiple variables instead of one.

For the profilers to conclude Mrs. Donovan knew her killer, they absolutely had to disregard the son's story. The aspects of a rage killing, indicating overkill, and no sexual assault only make sense if you conclude the son made it up or was part of a conspiracy. Otherwise, you have clear evidence of a deranged person in the area who had a weapon, plus he may have had knowledge the son would be returning soon so there wasn't time for a sexual assault or robbery without placing himself in jeopardy of capture.

Admittedly the last part requires some guesswork, but also an understanding of likely course of events. It's unclear whether the murderer knew the residence was connected to the person who gave him the ride. My estimate would be yes. First of all, it's a small town. That was stressed early in the UM segment and is very clear if you do some research online.

The suspect, Cannon, was in the son's truck for several miles. It's hardly inconceivable he saw a letter or a magazine or something that listed the Donovan's address. More likely, he simply connected the specific vehicle and/or person to that trailer and residence via previous knowledge. Just look at the article. Cannon was sentenced to 12 years on robbery. You tell me a guy like that couldn't have cased the entire small town for potential targets with an awareness of who lived where and which vehicles they owned? They only drove a few miles after leaving Hardees.

My guess would be Cannon was enraged when the son outsmarted him and headed straight to the residence after the son sped off.

Thinman · 01-25-2006, 10:04 AM

Just because the police originally thought that Mrs. Donovan knew her killer doesn't mean that they were tunnel-visioned by that thought. Police have to come up with a theory as soon as they see a crime scene. That points to certain suspects and leads the initial investigation. I'm sure after that theory proved fruitless they explored other avenues of possibilities. This would still have been an extremely hard case to solve, regardless of what the police originally thought. Without the help of DNA, it still would be unsolved. There was a psychotic killer on the loose in a small town who nobody recognized and who didn't belong. Then, he fled after committing his crime. That's a hard one to solve even for the most sophisticated police force.

Awsi Dooger · 01-26-2006, 01:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thinman

Just because the police originally thought that Mrs. Donovan knew her killer doesn't mean that they were tunnel-visioned by that thought. Police have to come up with a theory as soon as they see a crime scene. That points to certain suspects and leads the initial investigation. I'm sure after that theory proved fruitless they explored other avenues of possibilities. This would still have been an extremely hard case to solve, regardless of what the police originally thought. Without the help of DNA, it still would be unsolved. There was a psychotic killer on the loose in a small town who nobody recognized and who didn't belong. Then, he fled after committing his crime. That's a hard one to solve even for the most sophisticated police force.

Thinman, I probably didn't emphasize enough I wasn't criticizing law enforcement as being tunnel vision early in that case. I agree that was an extremely difficult case. The article says profilers concluded in 2001 that Mrs. Donovan knew her killer. That was my primary beef, the profilers many years after the fact, not the original investigation. I bet that faulty conclusion in 2001 further divided the son and his sisters, which is regretful. It's not really surprising the son didn't comment once Cannon was identified and charged.

Without seeing the area it's difficult to guess how the suspect found that specific house. If there were 100 residences and he somehow picked the right one, that is beyond belief. We didn't hear or read any reports of the strange frenzied man rustling through other yards and homes, so that's partially what leads me to conclude he knew just where to go. Plus, why would he kill the woman unless he had particular reason to be enraged at someone else in the family? There are no other reports of this guy being a murderer.

The son might have said something during the brief ride from Hardees that indicated where he lived, and/or that he lived on the same property as his elderly mother. Remember, at that point he didn't consider the guy a threat. You can't take the UM dialogues as an absolute, that nothing else was said. That's ludicrous.

The suspect also might have seen the son and his mother together previously, and put it together after the son took off in the truck. The UM segment really didn't give any indication how far away the home was, after the son stopped the truck and asked the guy to get out. It might have been just down the road and not many homes/trailers there. Cannon could logically assume the home was down that road and taken off in that direction, if he hadn't already deduced the specific location.

Since I'm always worried about an innocent person being charged, you have to think how close this case could have come. Let's say the son picked up Cannon while the Hardees was relatively empty and there were no other witnesses. I know damn well I've been in rural Hardees and other fast food joints late at night with no one else there. Also, if there hadn't been the bloody palm print on the stair rail, a sloppy mistake by the suspect. The son's story was already bizarre so if you eliminate those aspects he easily could have been the prime suspect and perhaps charged.

Thinman · 01-26-2006, 09:47 AM

Good post. I agree. As a great a show as UM is, I'm sure the writers left out details of certain cases to really play up the mystery element for the audience. This was never as clear to me as it was after I read Neal Hall's book on Cindy James. Hollywood does the same for "based on a true story" movies.

Cannon probably did have some idea where Holden and his mother lived. It could have been as simple as Holden introducing himself by his full name. Then, after getting out of the truck, Cannon found the nearest pay phone to look up Holden's address in the phone book. In other words, the explanation has to be simpler than him picking one of hundreds of houses randomly.

crystaldawn · 01-26-2006, 10:25 AM

I agree with all the above. In the Keith Reinhard segment UM made it sound like he was despondent and obsessed with Tom Young, even writing a novel loosely based on him. After I watched that segment I really thought it was possible that Keith went up in that mountain with the intention of committing suicide. I was able to obtain some newspaper articles dated around the time he was missing. There was absolutely no mention of his fascination with Tom Young, nor of him being despondent. They even published a letter that Keith had written to his wife shortly before he had disappeared. He seemed full of life and enthusiasm and mentioned he had recently tried to conquer the mountain and was unsuccessful and if his friend hadn't helped him he would still be up there. He expressed enthusiasm to get back and try and conquer the mountain again soon and I believe something happened to him on the mountain and he perished there (although he has never been found dead or alive). It seems UM thought it sounded more exciting to play up the whole "I want to be like Tom Young" angle.

hipster91 · 01-26-2006, 10:34 AM

I wanted to add that another interesting item in the article was the long delay before the police officer arrived to accompany the son to the scene. I don't think I picked up that fact from the UM story, which coincidentally aired this week.

7hurricane · 01-26-2006, 08:55 PM

I really think it's sad that Charles' sisters almost blame him for their mothers death. It's not like he actually invited him over he dropped him off miles from their home and took a different route how was he to know?? But I'm glad they caught this creep. And I don't understand why they would think she knew her killer. Like people don't killed by a crazy psycho path ever??

01-23-2006, 01:34 PM	#1
Kane Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Mar 07, 2001 Location: MA, United States Posts: 3,367	New development in Dorothy Donovan murder Have you heard that there is a suspect in the 1991 murder of Dorothy Donovan? The man's name is Gilbert E. Cannon. Here is one of the articles: http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/p...0334/-1/NEWS01 The case was shown on UM at the end of the 1994-95 season, and has been discussed at this board in the past. However, just in case you're unfamiliar with it, here is a concise synopsis: Dorothy Donovan was a 70-year-old woman who was found stabbed to death in her Delaware home in 1991. The alleged culprit was an unknown hitchhiker that her son, Charles Holden, picked up earlier; Charles soon got rid of the hitchhiker and sped away when the man became violent. The hitchhiker was later allegedly seen approaching Dorothy's home. Charles was suspected, but the blood at the crime scene ruled him out.

01-23-2006, 02:01 PM	#2
crystaldawn Member Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 17, 2002 Location: Illinois Posts: 4,261	Nice find Kane. The suspect does resemble the sketch that was profiled on UM. I'm happy for the family that possibly the person responsible was finally captured!

01-23-2006, 02:19 PM	#3
Thinman Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Apr 08, 2005 Posts: 182	Wow! Good article. That was easily one of the creepiest segments ever profiled on UM. It was also beyond belief that this hitchhiker could randomly choose the property of the same man who had given him a ride miles away. Add that to the fact that robbery and/or sexual assault were not motives, and it is clear why the police assumed that she and possibly her son knew the killer. DNA has nabbed another one.

01-24-2006, 12:25 AM	#4
Awsi Dooger Member Senior Member Join Date: Feb 18, 2003 Location: Miami Posts: 1,537	I'm continually impressed how Kane and others here find those updates so soon. I mean, that article is two days old. Do you guys frequently search for specific names involved in the cases, and once in a while a new entry pops up atop the Google list? I'm asking in amazement as much as curiosity. Yes, I'll echo Thinman: Wow! Very memorable case and one I doubted would be solved. That article is excellent, very detailed. But if left me with little respect for the two sisters since they apparently doubted their brother's story and, at least partially, blamed him for the mother's death. To the point of estrangement which is sick. I never had a negative impression of the murdered woman's son at all. He seemed very genuine and devastated. I thought he took sensible precaution to avoid the specific location where he lived after eluding the guy. Maybe you can question driving back to Hardees and calling police instead of finding a closer phone after he saw the guy at the residence, or of leaving the residence instead of contronting the person. But after being threatened by a wild nutcase with a screwdriver, or similar, I'm not sure I wouldn't have embraced the same stategy. Nice flub by the profilers in 2001, concluding Mrs. Donovan knew her killer. I would have bet against that from the first day it was proposed. Just further evidence of a lack of understanding of probability among law enforcement.

01-24-2006, 09:46 AM	#5
Thinman Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Apr 08, 2005 Posts: 182	I think it was a reasonable assumption that Mrs. Donovan knew her killer. She had not been sexually assaulted and her house had not been ransacked. It appeared as though murder was the only motive. Also, the brutality of the crime made it seem personal, as if this person really hated Mrs. Donovan. The part of the article I didn't understand was when it said that Holden saw the hitchhiker looking out the window of his trailer when he returned home. I thought I remembered, from the UM segment, Holden seeing the guy walking across the yard toward the farmhouse.

01-25-2006, 10:04 AM	#10
Thinman Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Apr 08, 2005 Posts: 182	Just because the police originally thought that Mrs. Donovan knew her killer doesn't mean that they were tunnel-visioned by that thought. Police have to come up with a theory as soon as they see a crime scene. That points to certain suspects and leads the initial investigation. I'm sure after that theory proved fruitless they explored other avenues of possibilities. This would still have been an extremely hard case to solve, regardless of what the police originally thought. Without the help of DNA, it still would be unsolved. There was a psychotic killer on the loose in a small town who nobody recognized and who didn't belong. Then, he fled after committing his crime. That's a hard one to solve even for the most sophisticated police force.

01-26-2006, 09:47 AM	#12
Thinman Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Apr 08, 2005 Posts: 182	Good post. I agree. As a great a show as UM is, I'm sure the writers left out details of certain cases to really play up the mystery element for the audience. This was never as clear to me as it was after I read Neal Hall's book on Cindy James. Hollywood does the same for "based on a true story" movies. Cannon probably did have some idea where Holden and his mother lived. It could have been as simple as Holden introducing himself by his full name. Then, after getting out of the truck, Cannon found the nearest pay phone to look up Holden's address in the phone book. In other words, the explanation has to be simpler than him picking one of hundreds of houses randomly.

01-26-2006, 10:25 AM	#13
crystaldawn Member Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 17, 2002 Location: Illinois Posts: 4,261	I agree with all the above. In the Keith Reinhard segment UM made it sound like he was despondent and obsessed with Tom Young, even writing a novel loosely based on him. After I watched that segment I really thought it was possible that Keith went up in that mountain with the intention of committing suicide. I was able to obtain some newspaper articles dated around the time he was missing. There was absolutely no mention of his fascination with Tom Young, nor of him being despondent. They even published a letter that Keith had written to his wife shortly before he had disappeared. He seemed full of life and enthusiasm and mentioned he had recently tried to conquer the mountain and was unsuccessful and if his friend hadn't helped him he would still be up there. He expressed enthusiasm to get back and try and conquer the mountain again soon and I believe something happened to him on the mountain and he perished there (although he has never been found dead or alive). It seems UM thought it sounded more exciting to play up the whole "I want to be like Tom Young" angle.

01-26-2006, 10:34 AM	#14
hipster91 Hipster91 Occasional Poster Join Date: Jan 11, 2006 Location: Summit, NJ Posts: 10	I wanted to add that another interesting item in the article was the long delay before the police officer arrived to accompany the son to the scene. I don't think I picked up that fact from the UM story, which coincidentally aired this week.

01-26-2006, 08:55 PM	#15
7hurricane Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Aug 08, 2005 Location: NC Posts: 80	I really think it's sad that Charles' sisters almost blame him for their mothers death. It's not like he actually invited him over he dropped him off miles from their home and took a different route how was he to know?? But I'm glad they caught this creep. And I don't understand why they would think she knew her killer. Like people don't killed by a crazy psycho path ever??