Cold Case: Homocide in CT
Champaben Patel and Anita Patel
What is Known
- Champaben was the mother of Anita
- March 21, 1996 their bodies were found dead in their home in Windsor, CT
- Champaben was strangled
- Anita was stabbed
- Both bodies were burned
- Anita had two children, ages 3 and 5, who ran from the house and were found by a neighbor walking to her mailbox who later called the police
- Autopsy done on Anita's body determines she was stabbed 14 times but died from smoke inhalation
- Champaben's face and hands were wrapped in duct tape
What was believed to have happened
The Scene:
- Champaben was killed first in her bedroom by suffocation and then her bedroom was set on fire
- Anita and her two children showed up at the house around 8 A.M., she parked her car in the driveway and entered the house through a door connected to the garage. They started to walk upstairs at the house and Anita sensed something was wrong and told her kids to go and run to get out
- The children ran down the street and told the women who found them what happened and then called the police
- Anita tried to escape but was stabbed in the kitchen with a pair of kitchen scissors. The killer then took 4 knives out of the drawer and stabbed her with them 14 times in all
- Anita then tried to escape again and made it out of the house (her bloody handprint was found on the sliding door) but believed to be dragged back into the house by her panty hose, then a ring of gasoline was poured around her and set on fire and she died from smoke inhalation
Suspected Killer:
- Jatin Patel (son of Champaben and brother of Anita)
Motive:
- The family was involved in a bitter family dispute because Jatin was not happy about how Champaben and Anita treated his wife
- Jatin was having financial problems and was trying to take money from them
The case is not solved but he Windsor Police still believe that Jatin is the murderer and they have been in court to try and convict him. They are willing to give a $50,000 reward to anybody who knows anything more about this case.