The Murders Of : The Ewell Family

Intentions To Murder : The Murders Of : The Ewell Family

Dale, Glee and Tiffany were murdered Sunday April 19, 1992, in their home, near Fresno.  At the time of the murders, Dana Ewell lived at the family home but was away with his girlfriend for the Easter weekend. The bodies were discovered two days after the murders, when Dana notified family friends in Sunnyside that he was unable to contact his parents.

After the murders, police spent four days at the Ewell home investigating the scene. The case was investigated by Fresno County Sheriff's Office homicide detectives John Souza and Chris Curtice. They suspected the killer was hiding in the house waiting for the family to return. Glee was shot four times while Tiffany and Dale were each shot once. The murders had seemingly been planned and executed with care, such as when the shooter took discarded shell casings after firing the fatal gunshots. The shooter's aim was good, missing only once while firing multiple shots. A box of 9mm shells, purchased by Dale in the early 1970s, was found in the home and were believed to have been used to kill the Ewells. The bullets recovered from the victims' bodies showed signs of the gun having been fitted with a homemade silencer. While the home appeared to have been searched for valuables, Souza (with extensive experience investigating burglaries, concluded the burglary was staged in an attempt to make the murders appear as if the family had interrupted a thief.

Police looked into the victims' background and found possible motives for the crime. In the 1970s Dale had sold airplanes for a California man named Frank Lambe who had been convicted for drug smuggling, after which Dale took over the business. Dale had also been involved in a troubled real estate development deal with his brother Ben, which threatened to cost investors millions in losses. Investigation ruled out these factors as possible motives for the murders.

Although Dana's alibi for his whereabouts at the time of the murders, included having spent the Easter weekend with his girlfriend and her family in the San Francisco area some 200 miles away, authorities came to focus on him after eliminating other possible culprits. Extended family members, like Dale's brother, reported that Dana was inordinately fixated in the details of his parents' last will and testament, and was "visibly shaken and angry" upon learning he would be unable to access most of his family's wealth until his 30s. Dale and Glee's estate plan created a legal trust that locked up most of their assets upon their death. A trustee was required to pay for Dana's care and expenses until the age of 25, while from 25 to 30 Dana was to receive dividends from investments, but had no access to the principal. He would receive half the principal at age 30, and the remainder at age 35. However, Dana was the beneficiary of over $300,000 in life insurance payments which were not subject to trust restrictions or probate court oversight.

Joel Radovcich, a college friend of Dana's, abruptly dropped out of school shortly after the murders and also came under suspicion. Dana was described as being obsessed with money and social status, while Radovcich was preoccupied with guns and explosives. Dana had come under suspicion only days after the murders; Detective Curtise walked Dana through the crime scene and thought his reactions highly unusual, later recalling he thought; "that kid's dirty."Dana and Radovcich attracted additional suspicion by both occupying the Ewell family home only a few weeks after the murders.  In the months after the murders, the pair were reported making many cash purchases like helicopter flight lessons (despite Radovcich being unemployed) and communicating via a complex system of pagers and pay telephonecalls seemingly designed to avoid being overheard. The police kept Ewell and Radovcich under close surveillance for several months. In one instance, a police detective wore a recording device and stood close to Radovcich at a pay phone in May 1993, overhearing him make comments such as; "they don't have evidence. They will try to catch you in a lie."

Forensic analysis found the murder weapon was a high-end 9mm specialty rifle manufactured by Feather Industries in Trinidad, Colorado. Company records showed one such rifle had been purchased by Ernest Jack Ponce, a friend of the Radovcich family, shortly before the murders. Ponce admitted buying the rifle for Radovcich, but denied knowing it would be used for a crime. Ponce had further concealed evidence after the murders, making him an accessory. Ponce was granted immunity from prosecution and agreed to testify against Dana and Radovcich, who were arrested in early 1995

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