Karen and Karissa Lofton (top) Delores and Ebony Dewitt (bottom)
This is a case that caught my interest from the start, and one that’s been on my mind ever since. Two mothers and two daughters murdered in the same neighborhood in Prince George’s County, Maryland. The murders occurred within weeks of one another, and now investigators believe they may have the man responsible behind bars.
This Upper Marlboro, Maryland neighborhood isn’t far from one of my homes, and is just miles outside of Washington, D.C. I always thought the cases were connected in some way, even though authorities, specifically an FBI profiler, said early on it appeared they were not. Another thing that caught my attention was the fact that more than 40 burglaries occurred from 2008 up until the murders in the same neighborhood. The evidence wasn’t adding up, and now we have a little more information about the person who may be responsible even though we don’t know his name yet. Prince George’s County Police Chief Robert Hylton said he is positive the man responsible for the murders is behind bars and is about to be indicted, and he may go down in history as one of the most dangerous and notorious criminals in the county’s history.
It all began on January 26, 2009. Investigators told me Karissa Lofton, 16, called 9-1-1 just after 2 a.m. Karissa told the dispatcher her mom was shot inside their home on Southall Drive. When police arrived on location, they not only found Karen Antoinette Lofton, shot inside her room, but Karissa was shot as well. I have personally been inside the bedroom where Karen and Karissa were both shot to death. I can also tell you the family had a security system downstairs and a motion detector near the front entrance. It was cut off shortly after the suspect entered the home.
In an odd twist, less than two months later on March 15, 2009, a car fire was reported to 9-1-1 just blocks away from the Lofton home. At first glance, it appeared to be just a car. Prince George’s County firefighters arrived on the scene, and to their surprise, when they extinguished the flames there were bodies inside the vehicle. Autopsies were performed and police identified the bodies as Delores Renee Dewitt, 41, and her daughter, Ebony Dewitt, 19.
CASE SIMILARITIES:
• Both mothers and daughters are close in age
• Both murders happened just blocks away from each other in a middle class suburban neighborhood
• Both crime scenes are located in cul-de-sacs
• The murders both happened on Mondays in the early morning hours
• In this neighborhood, police confirmed to me that there have been 40 burglaries since October 2008
Investigators believe they have the man responsible; he’s 26-years-old and is behind bars already. Police are not naming him because he has not been officially charged with the murders. The alleged suspect is behind bars facing charges of gun crimes, carjacking and possession of pornographic images of a minor. Reports indicate he is a serial burglar, and that makes me wonder if he is connected to the other burglaries in the neighborhood.
There’ s a chance the same suspect could be responsible for the murder of Vilma Butler, 47, who was killed and her home was set on fire two years ago. The lot is now vacant.
There is a chance this suspect has committed more murders and crimes across the country. If you have any information, please contact Prince George’s County Police (301) 772-4420
Tags: behind bars, D.C., fbi, maryland, prince george's county, Prince George's County Police, serial killer, two daughters, two mothers, Upper Marlboro
