'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
As NBC air the upcoming episode of Dateline, the the three-decade-long unsolved mystery of the Phoenix Canal Killings involving the Zombie Hunter hunting down his victims 21-year-old Angela Brosso and 17-year-old Melanie Bernas is sure to catch the eye.
Bryan Patrick Miller, a local celebrity going by the alias of Zombie Hunter, was recently charged with first-degree murder on two counts on June 7, 2023 and sentenced to death subsequently by Judge Suzanne Cohen. While Miller has pledged not guilty by reason of insanity, Judge Cohen delivered her verdict after six months of trial.
Let us learn more about the victims of the Zombie Hunter who took the ill-fated path of the Phoenix Canal for their evening bike rides In November 1992.
Who are Angela Brosso and Melanie Bernas? - The Zombie Hunter's victims in the Canal Killings case
The Phoenix Canal Killings started off on November 8, 1992, and remained a cold case for two decades. With the discovery of DNA profiling and genetic genealogy, the murderer of the two women who disappeared in the early 90s, was discovered to be a person already existing in police records - Bryan Patrick Miller.
1) Angela Brosso
The Zombie Hunter's first victim, Angela Brosso, was a 21-year-old tech worker in Arizona. According to Briana Whitney of CBS affiliate KPHO in Phoenix, Angela had stepped out around 7 p.m. for some evening air as usual, hoping to get some exercise with her purple mountain bike ride down the canal road. It was the eve of her birthday and her boyfriend Joe had stayed back home to bake her a cake.
As hours passed, Angela did not return home which prompted Joe to search for her on his bike down the same route three times that night. He called her friends and her mother in Pennsylvania following which he ended up at the local police station to report a missing persons complaint.
The following morning Angela Brosso's headless naked torso was found in an open space next to the trail and around 10 days later, a fisherman discovered her severed head stuck on a grate about a mile and a half away from the canal. The head was found to be in good condition and Angela's bike remained missing.
Angela Brosso suffered stab wounds in the back and there was evidence of sexual assault as well.
2) Melanie Bernas
Approximately 10 days after the first incident, the Zombie Hunter's second victim in the Canal Killings, Marlene Bernas, returned home from dinner to find her 17-year-old daughter not back home past curfew hours. Her daughter, Melanie Bernas, a student of Arcadia High School, stepped out for a bike ride down the canal road. Her mother frantically started calling her friends when she failed to return home post 10:30 p.m. that night.
The next morning Charlotte Pottle, a local resident, discovered a puddle of blood and drag marks as she came out of one of the distinctive interstate tunnels along the canal road. Melanie's body was found by the police by the I-17 underpass at Castles N' Coasters, a place close to where Angela's head was found.
The autopsy reports came back with evidence of a stab wound that punctured her lung and aorta along with signs of sexual assault. Melanie's body was found in a teal bodysuit - one that she did not own.
