The Murder of Cory Edge
For this case I watched an episode of Homicide Hunter. It’s season 4 episode 1, titled ‘Eyes Wide Shut.’
An up-and-coming boxer is found dead near a Colorado creek.
There’s really not a lot out there about this case, and I couldn’t find any pictures of anyone involved in this case.
Background
Cory Edge was born on December 31, 1968. Cory worked hard, and eventually became a very good boxer. He won several events, including a Golden Gloves competition. His trainer told him that if he continued to work hard, he could possibly make it as pro someday.
Cory was also described as a health conscious and popular. His brother Lamar, said Cory was his role model, and told him that he could do anything he put his mind to.
The Crime Scene
On December 6, 1989, a park ranger named Ron Leisure came across some discarded clothing in the North Cheyenne Canon Park. He then noticed the body of a young man in the creek, only wearing underwear.
The young man had been hit several times in the head with a pipe or a similar object, and stabbed 24 times in the face and body. One of the stab wounds had gone through his heart and spine. The pattern of the wounds suggested that he had been stabbed in a fast paced motion.
The police were unsure why the man was in his underwear. The pants found nearby had been unzipped, and neatly placed nearby. He had no identification on him, but the police did find pieces of paper in the pockets of the clothes. The paper had a phone number on it, which belonged to a pager company. The pager company was able to identify the victim as 20-year-old Cory Edge.
A Possible Motive
The police went to the Edge home to notify his family. Lamar was interviewed in this episode, and he said he had been making lunch when the police knocked on the door.
Cory and Lamar’s mom was also there. She told the police that she made Cory get a pager because he received so many phone calls. He had a lot of friends, but he was also a ladies man.
Cory’s mom said she last saw him the previous day around 2pm. Cory had told his family that he was going to hang out with his friends Darryl and Jason Sanchez. He had met them a few months earlier playing basketball.
The police went to speak to 19-year-old Darryl, and 16-year-old Jason. They confirmed that Cory was at their house the previous day. They watched a movie, and Cory left to go to the convenience store around 12am, after he received a page. They said they woke up the next morning, and Cory had never come back.
The police then revealed that Cory had been murdered. It was then that they admitted that Cory had been selling crack cocaine, and would often sell it at the convenience store.
For now, the police didn’t have any reason to suspect that the Sanchez’s were involved. They discovered that Cory had received around 152 pages from his pager, so a drug deal gone wrong moved to the top of their theory list.
A Falling Out
The police turned to Lamar for help. They asked him who Cory hung out with, and if he knew of anyone who’d want to hurt him.
Lamar told them that Cory hung out with Andre and Jimmy, but that Jimmy and Cory had a falling out.
Jimmy Van was brought in for an interview. He told the police that the falling out happened on a night when they had been drinking. Jimmy said he started running his mouth, and Cory started to punch him in front of all their friends. Jimmy said he was embarrassed, but wouldn’t have killed Cory.
The police were able to rule Jimmy out, once they checked his alibi.
Dead Ends
They police received several more tips that didn’t lead to any plausible information about Cory’s case.
One lead came from a man, who said that there were two men that lived in an apartment, that was covered in blood. The police had a forensics team run a Kastle-Meyer test, where the chemical phenolphthalein is used to detect blood. There was no blood detected in the apartment.
The second lead came from a man that had been arrested for breaking and entering. He said Cory had been killed by a drug dealer named ‘Big Daddy,’ and that he had seen the whole thing happen. He said two other men were there, and that they killed Cory because he owed $3,000.
The inmate’s story was unbelievable, and Lt. Kenda believed he had made up the story for a deal.
Lt. Kenda’s Theory
Lt. Kenda now believed that the reason Cory was found in his underwear was because he had been asleep. The last place he was known to be asleep was the Sanchez home.
The police canvassed the surrounding area, and spoke to neighbors of the Sanchez’s. One woman said she saw three people around 5am. She said it was the two sons, and their father, carrying a large tarp to their car.
The police went back to the Sanchez home with a warrant. They used Luminol in the basement, but there was detection of blood. Lt. Kenda believed that the Sanchez brothers were involved, but unfortunately, the case went cold for 5 years.
5 Years Later
Five years after Cory died, the police were called to a crime scene. Darryl Sanchez Sr., the Sanchez’s father, had been attacked by his brother Ralph. Ralph was arrested for first degree assault and attempted murder.
The police went to see Ralph, and told him that Darryl told them that he had been involved in a murder from five years earlier. They told Ralph that they could help him if he told them what he knew.
Ralph said Darryl Jr., and Jason had killed Cory.
The Sanchez brothers had moved to California after the murders. Darryl Jr., was found, and extradited back to Colorado. Darryl admitted that he was doing a lot of drugs during that time, and he waited for Cory to fall asleep, so he could get more from Cory’s jeans pocket.
He said Cory woke up, and pulled a gun on him. Darryl said he grabbed a metal pipe, and hit Cory in the head. Darryl said Cory started to punch him, until Jason came to his defense. Jason grabbed a knife, and stabbed Cory over and over. Cory collapsed on the stairs, and the noise woke up their parents.
Darryl Sr., originally wanted to call 911, but helped his sons cover up a murder instead. The Sanchez’s used five gallons of bleach and paint to cover up all the blood. All four family members were arrested.
The Convictions
Jason and Darryl were convicted of second degree murder, and sentenced to 22 years in prison.
Darryl Sr., and Tannie were given four years of probation.
The police never believed that Cory pulled a gun out that night.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Cory was an up-and-coming boxer, who also found a side job to earn money. It was an unsafe job, but it wasn’t the job that killed him. It was his friends that he trusted, and their parents.
The craziest part of this case is that two grown adults were willing to help cover up a murder. They say blood is thicker than water, and in this case, I would agree. They all deserve longer sentences if you ask me.
There’s not a lot out there about this case, and it’s actually really sad. I hope Cory can Rest In Peace.
Sources
https://billiongraves.com/grave/Cory-A-Edge/21123788
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-02-05-me-19424-story.html
https://newspaperarchive.com/colorado-springs-gazette-telegraph-dec-08-1989-p-14/
