Wolf Mask Killer Brutally Kills 2 in Halloween Murder Mystery on Oxygen’s ‘Homicide for the Holidays’
The scene was right out of a Halloween horror movie. A man who wore a big bad wolf mask took an axe to a pregnant woman and her unborn child on Halloween night 1984.
The body of Doreen Rae Hitchens and her fetus were dismembered. Blood covered the home and investigators were greeted with one horror after another as they toured the house. Who savagely murdered Hitchens and why? Investigators raced against the clock to find the killer before the Halloween wolf-masked murderer struck again.
The Halloween wolf mask was a big clue in the double murder
Investigators recalled the scene in the latest Halloween true crime special Homicide for the Holidays on Oxygen. In a sneak peek clip, they recounted seeing a wolf mask as they made their way into the San Jose, California house, which was decorated for Halloween.
“It was something that an adult would wear or an older teenager,” an investigator said, referring to the Halloween wolf mask. “Wasn’t sure if it was just a Halloween prop put out there like the jack-o-lanterns were. Or if it belonged to somebody.”
Upon approach to the home, investigators found paramedics in the home performing CPR on Hitchens. Because so much blood covered the home, investigators were convinced the vicious murder was more than a single stab wound.
“The victim had body parts missing,” the investigator said. “And gouges to the head not done by a knife. These were done by a heavy instrument.”
That’s when detectives noticed a man pacing outside the house, covered in blood and noticeably distraught. They quickly identified the man as the victim’s husband, Charles Erbert. Was Erbert responsible for killing his wife and was the Halloween wolf mask his?
Was the killer an angry ex-husband?
The Halloween double murder rocked the community. Was a serial killer on the loose and could he strike again?
Investigators looked into Erbert as a suspect. But they also talked to Hitchens’ ex-husband Michael Dennis. Dennis and Hitchens endured a bitter divorce and custody battle over their young son Paul. Hitchens retained custody of Paul and married Erbert.
In 1980, 4-year-old Paul fell into a swimming pool and drowned unbeknownst to his mother. Dennis blamed his ex-wife for the death of his son and harbored a grudge. He even launched a wrongful death lawsuit against Erbert and Hitchens but lost the case.
Dennis’s anger boiled over when Hitchens became pregnant. He believed that his ex-wife was fully responsible for their son’s death and his mental health deteriorated over the years.
Who killed Doreen Rae Hitchens?
Investigators had two suspects: Erbert and Dennis. Dennis had a motive to want his ex-wife dead. But Erbert was at the crime scene.
They gathered clues at the scene, which included blood samples. Detectives also had the actual Halloween wolf mask, found at the murder scene.
Police took Dennis into custody after noticing a significant gash on his hand, which he tried to cover with bandages. He claimed that he cut his hand trying to carve a pumpkin. He denied that he killed his ex-wife.
But who did?
Find out on Friday the 13th. Homicide for the Holidays airs on 10/13 at 8 pm ET/PT.
