How Did Gail Herrera Die?: Disconnected Story focuses on the April 1984 rape and murder of Gail Herrera, age 23, in Denver, Colorado.
In spite of quickly identifying a suspect, it took investigators 11 years to collect enough evidence to charge him with the heinous crime.
But if you’re wondering who was responsible for the attack, we have all the information you need. This new episode of Investigation Discovery promises to be intellectually stimulating and enlightening.
How Did Gail Herrera Die?
Young mother Gail Herrera resided in Denver, Colorado, and sold homemade burritos. On April 27, 1984, an Avon representative who was concerned for the safety of one of her clients, Gail Herrera, called the Denver 911 dispatch center.
When the salesperson called Gail’s house, a 3-year-old boy answered the phone and explained that his mother was dead and covered in blood, so she could not come to the phone.
The salesperson and police met at Gail’s home, where the front door was locked. They observed the disordered living room through a window and spoke with the child from outside.
The child explained that he and his sister had attempted to assist their mother by applying bandages to her wounds. The police entered the residence through the back door and discovered Gail’s body in the bedroom when they arrived.
The evidence at the scene of the crime suggested that Gail had been dead for some time and had been murdered.
The police discovered scattered evidence of food, indicating that the young children had attempted to feed themselves while their mother’s body lay on the ground.
Several puncture wounds on Gail’s upper chest and ligature marks on her neck indicated she had been stabbed and strangled.
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A rape test kit confirmed that she had been the victim of sexual assault. The police collected multiple cigarette ashtray fragments and blood samples from the crime scene.
Murderer of Gail Herrera – Who Was on the Suspect List?
Phil Herrera, the husband of Gail Herrera, arrived at the crime scene after returning from an out-of-state work trip. The police had to prevent him from entering the crime scene and then transported him to the police station so he could be reunited with his children.
The detectives believed that the brutality of Gail’s murder indicated that it was a heinous act committed by someone she knew and trusted.
Gary Garcia and Glenda Gomez, Gail’s siblings, told the police that Gail and Phil had a turbulent marriage with a history of domestic violence.
Phil was eliminated as a suspect when he provided an alibi for the night of the murder, which was supported by several of his colleagues.
PJ Herrera, the son of Gail, claimed to have seen the attacker and that it was not his father, but he provided the name “Eddie,” which could not be confirmed by anyone in Gail’s family or social circle.
In a 911 call made around the time of the murder, a woman was heard saying “Charlie! Charlie!” before the line went dead.
Gail’s family recognized her voice on the recording, and Phil told the police he only knew one person named Charlie: his high school friend Charles Wilson.
Charles’ alibi, which was supported by his wife, was that he had been out drinking with friends and had returned home between 8:30 and 9:00 p.m.
However, the police obtained a search warrant for Charles’s residence after one of his friends reported that they had been drinking in a bar within one mile of Gail’s apartment.
Where is Charles Wilson Now?
Police were unable to find any physical evidence connecting Charles Wilson to the murder of Gail Herrera despite a thorough search of his residence.
On the basis of circumstantial evidence alone, the prosecutors declined to bring the case to trial, so Charles was released.
He and his wife fled the state and did not respond to subsequent inquiries regarding the case. The case remained dormant until Charles was charged with a similar offense in New Mexico, at which point it was reopened.
He stood accused of assaulting a coworker and was incarcerated pending trial. The police re-interviewed Charles’s wife, suspecting that she previously lacked the courage to speak out against him.
When she admitted that she had provided a false alibi and that Charles had not returned home on the night of Gail’s murder, their suspicions were confirmed. However, this admission was not sufficient to charge Charles with murder.
Using the biological evidence from Gail’s rape kit, the police created a DNA profile of the perpetrator and approximately eleven years after the murder, they identified Charles Wilson as a match.
The prosecution charged Charles with first-degree murder with sufficient evidence. He was found guilty and given a life sentence without parole. There are no official records regarding Charles’ current location.
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