The Murder of Betty Limbrick
For this case I watched an episode of Homicide Hunter. It’s season 2 episode 9, titled ‘Shot Through The Heart.’
A 42 year old mother is found dead in her home.
Background
Betty Limbrick was married to a man named Charles Sr., and they had several children. Their children were grown up and had already moved out of the home, all except for Charles Jr., who was 15 years old at the time.
Betty was a school bus driver, and enjoyed doing charity work for the community, and involved in her church. She was described as an amazing person, mother, and was very close to her youngest son. She was often at home alone with Chuck because Charles Sr., was a truck driver.
The Discovery
On September 27, 1988, Chuck and his best friend Christopher Marrow arrived at the Limbrick home after school. The front door was locked which was unusual because Chuck knew his mom was home from work. He told Christopher he lost his key, so they went to the neighbor’s home to get a spare.
Chuck decided to go back to the house after getting a key, while Chris stayed behind talking to the neighbor, a man named Bill. They were talking, and suddenly heard a scream. They entered the house, and found Betty lying at the bottom of the basement stairs. Bill took the boys back to his home and called the police.
Detective Donald Chagnon was one of the first responding officers. He walked into the home, and immediately knew Betty was dead. He called in Lt. Joe Kenda.
Joe Kenda and his team arrived at the Limbrick home on Potter Drive, a nice neighborhood in east Colorado Springs. Betty had been shot once in the head at close range, and once in the right hand. There was also blood spatter on the wall. A shell casing was discovered from a .357 magnum revolver, but the gun was missing from the crime scene.
Robbery Gone Wrong?
The police did discover that there was forced entry in the home. A window was open, the screen was cut and there were footprints in the dirt outside.
The police searched the rest of the home, and found Betty’s purse. Her wallet and credit cards were still inside, but there was cash missing. Betty’s car which was usually parked in the garage, was also missing. A description of her car was put out to all local agencies.
The police went next door to talk to Chuck and Chris. The interview didn’t last too long because both boys were shaken up, but they did say they arrived home, asked the neighbor for a spare key, and discovered Betty in the basement.
The police spoke to Bill, the neighbor, and asked him if anyone would want to hurt Betty. Bill said he did hear a rumor that there was some infidelity going on, and that Charles Sr., had purchased a gun for Betty for protection. However, he said that everyone loved Betty.
An Interesting Lead
The police looked into Charles Sr., but he was ruled out right away. He was at work, driving his truck 800 miles away.
A patrol unit called Lt. Kenda, and let him know that Betty’s car was discovered in a nearby shopping center parking lot. The car didn’t turn up any new leads, there was no blood or gun found in the car. The police questioned witnesses, but no one remembered how long the car had actually been there.
The police decided to return to the Limbrick home. The Limbrick’s neighbor, a 14 year old named Nikki Lindquist, told the police that she had some information. She said she had been walking home from school, and saw Betty’s car driving down the road. Nikki said that she didn’t see who was driving, but that Chris Marrow was in the car. Nikki said she tried to distance herself from Chris because he had been in trouble before for stealing cars.
The police ran a background check for Chris, and did discover he had been arrested for auto theft, and had turned in the other people involved. The police knew immediately that Chris was going to be the key to solving Betty’s murder.
A Murderous Plot
The police wanted to speak to Chris, but first they needed to speak with his parents. The police arrived at Chris’ home, and asked his dad if he owned a gun. Chris’s dad said he did, but that it was missing. The gun just so happened to be a .357 magnum revolver.
The police asked if they could speak to Chris, and they said yes. Chris was stunned to see the police again, and at first he gave them the same story as before. Lt. Kenda knew Chris was lying, and decided to ask him if he could look at his shoes. He acted like he was studying the tread marks, and that it made Chris even more agitated.
Chris was asked to tell the truth. Chris said that a month before the murder, Chuck told him that he wanted to run away to Canada. Chris decided he would go to since his parents were on his case about the car incident. On the morning they were planning to leave, Chuck called Chris and asked him to bring a gun, so he stole his dad’s.
Chris and Chuck took out Betty’s car, but Chuck became nervous when they saw Betty driving the other family vehicle home from work. Chuck said that they needed to beat her back to the home. When they arrived back at the home, they went through the back window and waited for Betty to arrive.
Chris said he stayed in another room, and heard Betty call out to Chuck. He then said he heard the gun click, a gun shot, a scream, another gun shot, and then he finally heard Betty hit the ground. Chris also told the police that he heard Betty say “Chuckie, I love you,” before she passed away.
The boys wanted to dump Betty’s body, but then decided they would stage it as a robbery, and dump Betty’s car. They also planned what their cover story would be. Chuck threw his keys, and decided to ask the neighbor for a spare key, so they could “discover” Betty in the basement. They also tossed the gun in a dumpster at Emerson Junior High, where Chuck went to school. It had Chuck’s fingerprints on it, and it was registered to Chris’ dad.
The police asked Chris one final question, why did Chuck kill his mom? Chris said Chuck couldn’t take it anymore. He was sick of being disciplined by his mom.
Arrests and Convictions
Chuck Limbrick was arrested at his aunt’s house. When the police searched him, he had $114 in his sock, that came from Betty’s purse.
At trial, Chuck was found guilty of first degree murder. He was sentenced to life in prison. However, in 2011, his life sentence was commuted, and he was released after 23 years in prison.
Christopher Marrow received an 8 year sentence for being an accessory to murder.
Chuck’s mug shot from his 2015 DUI arrest
Other
Chuck struggled after he was released, mostly with alcohol. In 2015, he was back in prison on a DUI. He did turn his life around, or so people thought, by discovering religion and becoming involved in music ministry. He did pass away after a car accident. The investigation said that alcohol and speeding was involved.
Chuck and his music
I couldn’t find an actual picture of Betty.
FINAL THOUGHTS
It’s tragic that a young mother lost of her life at the hands of her son. It’s also heartbreaking that she told her son that she loved him, even though the last thing she saw was her son shooting her. I feel so sorry for Betty’s family, especially her husband. I couldn’t find any information on if he had a relationship with his son, or if anyone in that family did. Chuck had many demons, and they caught up with him even when he tried to turn his life around.
Sources
https://www.kktv.com/content/news/1-killed-in-rollover-near-Calhan-461333253.html
