Woman Confesses to Murdering Teen Over 30 Years Ago, but Avoids More Prison Time
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. There was no shortage of tips about who killed Pamela Pitts, a rowdy but compassionate 19-year-old whose body was found burned beyond recognition in a pile of trash in 1988.
A Satanic cult. A drug dealer. A cowboy. An ex-lover. A guy nicknamed “Halftrack.” Or maybe it was an overdose at a spot in central Arizona where people went to party.
It would take more than 30 years, some prison calls and an eyebrow-raising plea deal before a convicted murderer would confess and the mystery would partly be solved. But in a shocking twist, a court recently agreed Pitts’ killer wouldn’t spend any more time behind bars.
May 10, 2021 Share
There was no shortage of tips about who killed Pamela Pitts, a rowdy but compassionate 19-year-old whose body was found burned beyond recognition in a pile of trash in 1988.
A Satanic cult. A drug dealer. A cowboy. An ex-lover. A guy nicknamed “Halftrack.” Or maybe it was an overdose at a spot in central Arizona where people went to party.
It would take more than 30 years, some prison calls and an eyebrow-raising plea deal before a convicted murderer would confess and the mystery would partly be solved. But in a shocking twist, a court recently agreed Pitts’ killer wouldn’t spend any more time behind bars.
Pamela Pitts killer confesses, avoids prison
10 May, 2021 12:30 AM
8 minutes to read
This undated photo provided by police shows a law enforcement official discovering a photograph of Pamela Pitts in the wood stove of a home she shared with two others. Photo / AP
This undated photo provided by police shows a law enforcement official discovering a photograph of Pamela Pitts in the wood stove of a home she shared with two others. Photo / AP
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There was no shortage of tips about who killed Pamela Pitts, a rowdy but compassionate 19-year-old whose body was found burned beyond recognition in a pile of trash in 1988.
Felicia Fonseca May 09, 2021 - 5:22 PM
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - Pamela Pitts body was found burned beyond recognition in a pile of trash in 1988. Tips flooded in blaming a Satanic cult, a drug dealer, an ex-lover, an overdose at an Arizona party spot.
It would take more than 30 years, some prison calls and an eyebrow-raising plea deal before a convicted murderer would confess. But in a shocking twist, a court recently agreed the 19-year-oldâs killer wouldn t spend any more time behind bars.
Over the years, investigators couldn t pin down the evidence they needed to arrest anyone in the slaying that stoked fear about a killer on the loose around Prescott, a tourist town about 100 miles (160 kilometres) north of Phoenix.
Prosecutors tried to draw similarities between the two cases to back up a theory that when Harmon felt threatened or abandoned, she killed. Cates called that a stretch.
Prosecutors knew Harmon was furious with Pitts over money, for wanting to move out and for sharing news of Harmon s pregnancy, according to court documents obtained by The Associated Press.
Pitts went missing on Sept. 16, 1988, the day that Harmon drove around Prescott looking for her and saying she d kill her if she found her, the documents say. Harmon also said she knew how to conceal a killing: by burning a body or dumping it down a mineshaft a statement a judge said could be included at a trial that was supposed to start last week.