Vanessa Bennett Survived Her Family’s Murders, But Still Faces A Difficult Life

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<p>9News</p>
<p>Vanessa Bennett was the sole survivor of the attack that killed her family. She recovered from her injuries, but her life has not been easy,</p>

In 1984, a murderer used a hammer to bludgeon the Bennett family to death in their Aurora home. The only survivor was 3-year-old Vanessa Bennett. She lost her parents and older sister and suffered a fractured skull, jaw and pelvis.

Last week a break was made in the once-cold case. Nevada inmate Christopher Ewing was charged 34 years later in the family's murders, as well as in the slaying of a Lakewood woman who was similarly killed a week before the Bennetts.

9News investigative reporter Kevin Vaughan connected with the now 38-year-old Vanessa Bennett, who lives on the streets in Arizona today. Vaughan talked to Colorado Matters about his conversation with the sole-surviving Bennett, and the ramifications and trauma she still faces.