Joseph Michael Ervin, an American serial killer, was implicated in two murders occurring in Texas and Colorado in 1969 and 1981, respectively, and has been posthumously linked to four additional murders in the Denver area from 1978 to 1981. The first incident took place on August 9, 1969, in Fort Worth, Texas, where Ervin shot 21-year-old Rodney Gene Bonham during an attempted robbery; Bonham died four days later from his injuries. Ervin was apprehended on June 27, 1981, in Colorado but died by suicide in Adams County Jail on July 1, 1981, before standing trial for the final murder. Significant evidence includes Ervin's confession to the Bonham family and his subsequent flight to Colorado, where he assumed a new identity to evade capture.

COMMUNITY INTELLIGENCE (THEORY-BASED)

Joe Michael Ervin is believed to have committed multiple murders across Texas and Colorado, with speculation suggesting he may have been involved in at least six homicides between 1969 and 1981. Some theories propose that his violent behavior escalated over time, leading to the murders in the Denver metropolitan area. Additionally, there is a belief that his suicide while awaiting trial prevented further investigation into his potential connections to other unsolved cases.

FULL CASE FILE

The Sinister Trail of Joe Michael Ervin

Beginnings of a Killer

Joseph Michael Ervin, born on June 25, 1951, in Fort Worth, Texas, would become an infamous American serial killer known for a series of brutal murders spanning over a decade. Under an alias, Joe Michael Erwing, Ervin left a bloody mark on both Texas and Colorado before his own life ended in a jail cell. His crimes, tied together only posthumously, paint a chilling portrait of a man who evaded justice time and again.

First Blood: The Murder of Rodney Gene Bonham

On a warm summer evening, August 9, 1969, 17-year-old Ervin, then a high school student in Fort Worth, was loitering near the Berry Bowl bowling alley with a friend. They approached a car where 21-year-old Rodney Gene Bonham and his friend, Larry Holt, were sitting. The two were students at the Tarrant County Junior College. In a seemingly innocuous moment, Ervin leaned into the driver's window, either offering beer or inquiring if the pair were expecting someone. As Bonham prepared to go inside, Ervin unexpectedly drew a pistol and shot him in the neck. Holt, quick on his feet, managed to escape to the safety of the bowling alley to call for help.

Though rushed to St. Joseph Hospital, Bonham succumbed to his injuries four days later, leaving police baffled by the senseless act. The randomness of the attack confounded investigators, who received an unsettling call from Ervin himself, expressing a hollow apology to Bonham's family. Detective L.V. LeFils, through persistent questioning, identified Ervin as a suspect. A $650 reward was posted for his capture, but Ervin had already fled to Colorado.

A New Identity and a String of Charges

In Colorado, Ervin assumed a new identity as Joe Michael Erwing. From 1970 to 1977, he found himself repeatedly in legal trouble, facing charges of burglary, rape, child sexual abuse, and assault with a deadly weapon. Yet, each charge ended in a verdict of not guilty due to diminished responsibility, leading to his internment at the Colorado State Hospital in Pueblo instead of prison time. Notably, clerical errors allowed him to slip through the cracks, avoiding capture on the active warrant in Texas.

A Darker Path: The Serial Murders

On December 7, 1978, Ervin committed his first known murder under his new alias. Madeleine Furey-Livaudais, a 33-year-old housewife, was brutally stabbed to death in her Denver home while her young daughters were present. The police, overwhelmed by other cases, were unable to properly investigate her murder at the time.

Ervin's brutality continued with the murder of 53-year-old Delores Barajas on August 10, 1980. He attacked her on her way home from work at the Fairmont Hotel, leaving her body behind an apartment building. Just a few months later, on December 21, 1980, the body of 27-year-old Gwendolyn Harris was discovered in the Montbello neighborhood, not far from Ervin's residence. She had been viciously stabbed, her identity confirmed only after an autopsy.

The horror escalated on January 24, 1981, when Ervin murdered 17-year-old Antoinette Parks in a field in Adams County. Parks was six to seven months pregnant at the time, making her death particularly tragic.

The Capture and Untimely Death

On June 27, 1981, Ervin was pulled over by Officer Deborah Sue Corr in Aurora for driving under the influence. In a struggle, Ervin seized Corr's weapon, fatally shooting her. He also wounded 19-year-old Glen Spies, an Explorer Scout who tried to assist Corr. Ervin fled but was soon tracked to his apartment, where he was attempting to remove a handcuff bracelet. Charged with Corr's murder and the attempted murder of Spies, Ervin was taken into custody.

While awaiting trial, Ervin was held in solitary confinement at the Adams County Jail. On July 1, 1981, he took his own life, hanging himself with a makeshift rope fashioned from a towel. A suicide note found in his cell expressed remorse and begged forgiveness for his crimes.

Posthumous Unraveling: Linking the Murders

At the time of his suicide, Ervin was not linked to the murders of Furey-Livaudais, Barajas, Harris, and Parks. It wasn't until between 2013 and 2018 that DNA evidence connected these cases. The Denver Police Crime Laboratory began reinvestigating in 2019, ultimately tracing an ancestral link back to Ervin in Texas. His body was exhumed, and DNA from his remains conclusively tied him to the murders in January 2022.

With this revelation, the Denver Police Department closed the cases, bringing a measure of closure to the victims' families, who expressed relief at finally learning the truth about their loved ones' deaths.

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CASE ACTIONS

CASE TIMELINE

Aug 9, 1969

First Murder Committed

Joe Michael Ervin shoots Rodney Gene Bonham in Fort Worth, Texas.

Aug 13, 1969

Bonham Dies

Rodney Gene Bonham succumbs to injuries from the shooting.

Dec 7, 1978

First Known Serial Murder

Ervin stabs Madeleine Furey-Livaudais to death in Denver.

Aug 10, 1980

Second Known Murder

Ervin stabs Delores Barajas multiple times in Denver.

Dec 21, 1980

Third Known Murder

Gwendolyn Harris is found murdered in Montbello, Denver.

Jan 24, 1981

Fourth Known Murder

Ervin stabs pregnant Antoinette Parks to death in Adams County.

Jun 27, 1981

Arrest Attempt

Ervin shoots police officer Deborah Sue Corr during arrest attempt.

Jul 1, 1981

Suicide in Jail

Joe Michael Ervin hangs himself while awaiting trial.

Jan 28, 2022

Case Resolved

DNA links Ervin posthumously to four murders; cases closed.

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