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Cold Case Cracked

Updated: March 13, 2007
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badgeTwo years ago a man was beaten, tied up and robbed inside his home near Pesotum. Investigators say they finally know who did it. They say, Matthew Benschneider, Richard Davis, and Lavelle Brigham, all from the Danville area, were behind the crimes.
  On Tuesday, Benschneider was charged for home invasion and armed robbery. He's free on bond.  Champaign County Sheriff Investigators say they've always had the evidence they needed, DNA, but they never had suspects. Recently, the State ran it's monthly checks on a national database, CODUS. This time, it came back with a match.
   On the night of February 15, 2005, a 48 year old man was beaten by a metal pole. Investigators say three men followed the victim home that night. They then dragged him inside his home,  where detectives say they beat him, duct taped him and left with his money.
    Police thought they may never know who did it, but it turns out the suspects left evidence at the scene on a soda can. It was enough to break the case two years later. Lieutenant Ed Ogle with the Sheriff's office says, "it just so happened that dna swap that was done on a soda pop can came up on a hit on a gentlemen by a the name of Richard Davis." Davis is serving time in prison on an unrelated drug conviction, but because of that crime, detectives were able to catch up to him. Ogle says, it's the break they needed in this case, "we were elated to find a hit, even more elated that we were able to locate the potential subject." After talking to Davis and looking into new leads, detectives had a better idea of who else was involved in the crime, Benschneider and Brigham.
   Benschneider is out on bond. As for Brigham, detectives are asking for you help in finding him. If you know where he is, you're asked to call Crimestoppers.
   Detectives believe this crime is not random. They say, the suspects knew the victim, who is still a little shaken up about the whole thing. Investigators though, won't say how they know each other because the investigation is ongoing.


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