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The upcoming episode of Homicide Hunter: American Detective is all set to dive into the brutal and bizarre murder of Tera Lewandowski, a 34-year-old recovering addict who was killed in her Colorado home, where she had just moved in. This remains one of the strangest cases in the history of Greeley, Colorado.
This case is the subject of the latest episode of Homicide Hunter: American Detective. It airs on Wednesday, July 10, 2024, at 9.00 pm EST. The synopsis for the same reads:
"A mother raises the alarm when her daughter goes missing from the Colorado house she had recently moved into; while Det. Ben Endreson is investigating, an unusual suspect comes forward to confess her involvement, but her story doesn't quite add up."
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She disappeared from her Pierce home, and her body was found over seven months later in Laramie County, Wyoming. Ahead of the episode, let us go through the events that transpired with Tera Lewandowski, who became a needless victim of a brutal crime.
Who was Tera Lewandowski and what happened to her?
Tera Lewandowski was a 34-year-old Colorado native, about to begin a new life when it came to an abrupt end. Described as a positive presence, Tera had to undergo two massive surgeries after car accidents in her younger years. She was also a huge animal lover and wanted to become a veterinarian someday.
Due to her life-altering surgeries, she was prescribed a lot of pain medications, which she became addicted to. This also led her to a drug rehabilitation center before she moved to her new house. She met Daniel “DJ” Meyer and his girlfriend Crystal Griffin in the same center. The couple invited Tera to stay with them at DJ’s home when they got out.
Seeing this as a fresh start to her life, Tera moved in with her dog Diablo. Just ten days after she had moved in, her mother Vonda, received a concerning message that read:
"Stay by your phone. I think something’s going to happen."
Soon, her mother started panicking when Tera Lewandowski stopped responding to her calls. Vonda soon sprung to action and called the authorities, especially after a small detail about DJ Meyer and Crystal Griffin seemed off. They showed her a different bedroom than Tera’s when she visited.
As the authorities began the investigation, there seemed to be no leads, yet things seemed very strange. The authorities made discoveries, which included the fact that DJ, a member of the town council and well into his 30s, used to hang out with a few locals, Michael Vassil, Chad Iler, and Karly Hanchett, who were much younger.
Yet, there was nothing to suggest anything odd for a very long time. Out of the blue, Crystal Griffin’s brother wanted to talk to the authorities, saying he knew what had happened to Tera Lewandowski.
Ahead of her brother’s revelations, Crystal agreed to talk to the police and told a strange story. She revealed that DJ, Chad, Mike, and Karly formed a gang of their own, which they called “The 21 Gang.” They also allegedly had a fascination for knife play. Crystal revealed that they had killed her because Tera got into an argument with Karly.
The authorities soon delved into this gang and discovered that Michael Vassil and Michael’s girlfriend, Karly Hanchett, lived with Michael’s father, Thomas Vassil (allegedly the president of the gang), in whose house they found Tera Lewandowski’s burnt iPad. This was enough evidence to get warrants for them.
Soon, a new name was added to the mix- Scott Hanchett, the brother of Karly Hanchett. Crystal had said he delivered the fatal blow on Tera.
Ultimately, Scott was the one to give away the details of the murder, where he and DJ stabbed Tera while Karly beat her with a bat. They murdered her after Michael Vassil, who was the leader of the 21 Gang, ordered the hit. Her body was found in rural Wyoming.
All six of the perpetrators were sentenced to prison, with DJ Meyer receiving a life term.
The upcoming episode of Homicide Hunter: American Detective will cover this case in further detail. Stay tuned for more updates.
