ana James Ewell (born January 28, 1971) is a convicted American murderer who was sentenced to three life sentences for ordering the killing of his father, mother, and sister in 1992.
Dale, Glee, and Tiffany were murdered Sunday, April 19, 1992, in their home, near Fresno. At the time of the murders, Dana Ewell lived in the family home but was away with his girlfriend for the Easter weekend. The bodies were discovered two days after the murders when Dana notified family friends in Sunnyside that he was unable to contact his parents.
After the murders, police spent four days at the Ewell home investigating the scene. The case was investigated by Fresno County Sheriff's Office homicide detectives John Souza and Chris Curtice. They suspected the killer was hidden in the house waiting for the family to return. Glee was shot four times while Tiffany and Dale were shot once. The murders had seemingly been planned and executed with care, such as when the shooter took discarded shell casings after firing the fatal gunshots. The shooter's aim was remarkable, missing only once while firing multiple shots. A box of 9mm shells, purchased by Dale in the early 1970s, was found in the home and were believed to have been used to kill the Ewells. The bullets recovered from the victims' bodies showed signs of the gun having been fitted with a homemade silencer. While the home appeared to have been searched for valuables, Souza (with extensive experience investigating burglaries) concluded the burglary was staged in an attempt to make the murders appear as if the family had interrupted a thief.
Police looked into the victims' background and found possible motives for the crime. In the 1970s Dale had sold airplanes for a California man named Frank Lambe who had been convicted for drug smuggling, after which Dale took over the business. Dale had also been involved in a troubled real estate development deal with his brother Ben, which threatened to cost investors millions in losses. The investigation ruled out these factors as possible motives for the murders.
Although Dana had an alibi for his whereabouts at the time of the murders, having spent the Easter weekend with his girlfriend and her family in the San Francisco area some 200 miles away, authorities came to focus on him after eliminating other possible culprits. Extended family members, like Dale's brother, reported that Dana was inordinately interested in the details of his parents' last will and testament, and "visibly shaken and angry" upon learning that he would be unable to access most of his family's wealth until his 30s. Dale and Glee's estate plan created a legal trust that locked up most of their assets upon their death. A trustee was required to pay for Dana's care and expenses until the age of 25, while from 25 to 30 Dana was to receive dividends from investments but had no access to the principal. He would receive half the principal at age 30, and the remainder at age 35.
