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Police reportedly found important leads in the cold case of 23-year-old Cathy Sposito after 36 years since her murder. On June 13, 1987, Sposito was brutally killed while she was hiking in Central Ariozona. On Friday, August 28, authorities revealed that they have recently identified a suspect in the case.
According to Yavapai County Sheriff's Office, Cathy Sposito was Bryan Scott Bennett's first of the several victims whom he allegedly s*xually assaulted. Yavapai County Sheriff David Rhodes believes that Cathy Sposito was fatally shot by a .22 caliber gun before being stabbed by Bennett. On the day of her murder, many hikers allegedly heard Cathy's screams, but they couldn't reach her location on time.
Police identified a suspect in Cathy Sposito murder case, that took place over three decades back in 1987
At around 7 am local time on June 13, 1987, Cathy Sposito began her hike along the Thumb Butte Trail near Prescott, Arizona. Some time after that, several hikers reportedly heard her screams but couldn't reach her on time. Years later, in 2017, Sposito's death was connected to another s*xual assault case in the same area in April 1990 through DNA testing.
Now, authorities have recently confirmed the suspect in Sposito's case to be Bryan Scott Bennett, who is now deceased. Bennett was reportedly 16 years old when he possibly shot Sposito in the head and eye. During a press briefing on Friday, Rhodes said:
"How could such an incredibly awful and atrocious thing happen in such a wonderful place?"
He further stated:
"I am saying today with high confidence, Cathy Sposito was murdered by Bryan Scott Bennett."
According to the sheriff, a young girl, who was also camping in the same area with her boyfriend, was attacked and s*xually assaulted in April 1990. Through DNA testing, authorities got hold of a family member of Bryan Scott Bennett, who later died by suicide in 1994.
In order to rule out a relative, authorities had to exhume Bennett's remains to match his DNA to what was obtained from the alleged crime site. Rhodes confirmed that his DNA matched with both the alleged crimes in the area.
Upon further investigation, it was revealed that Cathy Sposito's murder suspect had previously been arrested for two isolated s*xual assault cases, one in July 1990 and the other one in June 1993. However, he didn't get convicted in either of the cases due to lack of evidence. One of the victims even spoke on Friday and said:
"This is a long time coming. I want to start by saying thank you, God. I give you all the glory because he was with me that night. I prayed. He spoke to me. He's the reason that I'm here today."
The victim, who was only 22 years old back then, further added:
"Pray for those people who never had a voice."
All the case, apart from Sposito's, have been closed. The sheriff further stated that although it is highly likely that Bennett killed Cathy, they are still open to any new piece of information.
