The Girl Who Lived: Vanessa Bennett’s Haunting Journey as the Lone Survivor of the Hammer Killer
It took 38 years for the so-called “Hammer Killer” to face justice, but for Vanessa Bennett—the lone survivor of his brutal rampage—the nightmare never truly ended. The man responsible, Alex Christopher Ewing, shattered her world in a single night of terror, leaving behind a lifetime of trauma, struggle, and resilience.
A Night of Horror
On January 16, 1984, the unthinkable happened in Aurora, Colorado. Ewing broke into the home of Debra and Bruce Bennett, viciously attacking and killing them along with their 8-year-old daughter, Melissa, whom he also sexually assaulted. Their youngest daughter, 3-year-old Vanessa, was left barely clinging to life. Six days earlier, Ewing had already claimed another victim, Patricia Smith, in a similarly gruesome attack in Lakewood, Colorado.
Despite the horror he inflicted, Ewing escaped justice for decades. It wasn’t until 2018, when DNA testing connected him to the crimes, that he was finally held accountable. By then, he was already serving a 110-year sentence in Nevada for another brutal assault. In 2021, he was convicted of the Bennett family murders, followed by a conviction for Smith’s murder in 2022.
The Survivor’s Story
Vanessa Bennett, now 42, has lived through unimaginable pain, but she continues to fight for her future. In an exclusive interview, she shares what it’s like to be the only survivor of a massacre that stole everything from her.
The Memories That Haunt
Vanessa has no recollection of her parents or her sister. “I don’t remember them,” she admits. “The only thing I remember is the Pink Panther insulation from the house—we had just moved in.” She also has no memory of the attack itself, a fact she struggles to accept. Some have suggested hypnotherapy to unlock those lost memories, but she hesitates. “A part of me wondered if it could help, but I was scared of what else it might bring out.”
The Lasting Scars
The attack left Vanessa with permanent injuries. “I have paralysis on the left side of my body. I can’t feel if I’m holding things tight or letting go,” she explains. “I have a metal plate in my forehead. My jaw was shattered.” These physical wounds, though devastating, pale in comparison to the emotional ones.
A Childhood Stolen
Raised by her paternal grandmother, Vanessa grew up angry and restless. “I had insomnia. I was always mad,” she says. “I was bullied for my disabilities.” Her teenage years were turbulent—after bouncing between relatives, she was eventually sent to a boarding school.
Battling Addiction and Homelessness
Pain followed Vanessa into adulthood. “I started smoking weed and drinking in high school, but it got worse when my son was taken from me at 19,” she confesses. “I turned to cocaine and heroin. It hit me hard. I didn’t know how to be a mother.”
At her lowest, she was homeless, living under a bridge with her boyfriend. “We washed our hair in a hospital bathroom. I was arrested for shoplifting, assault, trespassing—just to survive.”
The Fight for Redemption
Despite her struggles, Vanessa never gave up. She fought her addiction and has been in treatment for years. She also reconnected with her son in 2018. “He’s a straight-A student,” she says proudly. “It’s nice to see that I created someone who portrays good things.”
She longs to reunite with her two daughters, who are being raised by extended family. “They won’t let me see them or even know where they live,” she says, the pain evident in her voice.
Facing Her Family’s Killer
When Ewing was finally identified, Vanessa was stunned. “I figured they’d never catch him. I thought he was either dead or already in prison somewhere.”
Sitting through his trial was agonizing. “Hearing my grandmother’s 911 call—she didn’t even know our address because we had just moved in. That was hard,” she recalls. But it was the evidence that broke her. “Seeing the carpet they cut out, the crime scene photos—I had to leave before they showed my sister’s. I couldn’t bear it.”
When she gave her victim impact statement, the courtroom fell silent. “Everyone was crying. I told them everything I had been through.”
Finding Strength in Survival
Today, Vanessa is in a better place, though life is still far from easy. She and her husband, who is also disabled, survive on minimal income and food stamps. “We get by. I’m very resourceful,” she says.
Writing has become her therapy. “I love writing. It releases a lot for me. My emotions can go from 1 to 100 so easily, and I don’t always process them in the moment. But on paper, I can.”
She plans to write a book about her journey—not just as a means of healing, but to help others who have suffered. “People always ask me, ‘How did you go on after losing your family?’ For me, it was my will to live. No matter what, I never gave up. And I never will.”
