Police Use DNA To Identify Alleged Serial Killer Responsible For Deaths Of Four Women

Four families have answers after cutting-edge technology linked Joe Michael Ervin to fatal stabbings in the Denver area.

February 09, 2022
A composite of four women who were murdered by alleged serial killer Joe Michael Ervin.

The four victims of alleged serial killer Joe Michael Ervin. Clockwise from upper left: Delores Barajas, Gwendolyn Harris, Madeleine Livaudais, Antoinette Parkes

Photo by: Denver PD

Denver PD

The four victims of alleged serial killer Joe Michael Ervin. Clockwise from upper left: Delores Barajas, Gwendolyn Harris, Madeleine Livaudais, Antoinette Parkes

Joe Michael Ervin may have believed he had gotten away with his crimes in the five months after he stabbed a pregnant teenager to death in January 1981.

His freedom came to an end on June 27, 1981, when he was pulled over by an Aurora, Colorado police officer. The 26-year-old officer, Debra Sue Corr, had been on the job just a year when she attempted to arrest Ervin for a traffic violation. Ervin managed to overpower the officer and shoot her with her service weapon.

As Corr lay dying in the street, a member of the Aurora Police Department’s Junior Explorer program was driving by and stopped to help. Ervin shot the 19-year-old in the back and fled the scene.

According to The Denver Post, police arrested Ervin that day at his home as he was attempting to saw Corr’s handcuffs off his wrist.

Patrolwoman Debra Sue Corr headshot in uniform black and white image

Patrolwoman Debra Sue Corr

Photo by: Aurora Police Department

Aurora Police Department

Patrolwoman Debra Sue Corr

On July 1, just four days after his arrest, Ervin died by suicide in his jail cell.

It took 40 years before police discovered that Corr wasn’t Ervin’s only victim, she was just the last.

Ervin’s Victims

Ervin committed his first murder on December 7, 1978, when he killed Madeleine Furey-Livaudais at her home in northeast Denver. According to The Denver Post, 33-year-old Furey-Livaudais was feeding her children breakfast when Ervin entered her home and attacked her.

Delores Barajas was Ervin’s oldest victim at 53 years old. She was spending the summer with family in Colorado and working a hotel job, according to The Denver Post. She was walking to her last day of work on August 10, 1980, when Ervin attacked her. Her body was found on East 17th Street in Denver.

Ervin struck again just four months later when he stabbed 27-year-old Gwendolyn Harris on Christmas Eve. Her body was found a block away from the home where Ervin lived at the time.

On January 24, 1981, he stabbed Antoinette Parks, a pregnant 17-year-old who was working at Denny’s. She was the only victim not killed within the Denver city limits—her death occurred several miles north of downtown.

The cases were believed to be separate instances until 2013 when DNA evidence linked the four cold cases together, according to the Associated Press. Authorities realized the cases had a common but unknown suspect, and genetic genealogy allowed them to zero in on Ervin. The man was exhumed from his Texas grave in late 2021 and testing linked him to the killings.


Police in Colorado used genetic genealogy to solve two other cold cases in May 2021 when they linked Alan Lee Phillips to the murder of two women near Breckenridge, Colorado, in 1982.

Next Up

‘The Scorecard Killer’: Southern California Man May Have Murdered As Many As 67 Victims

Randy Steven Kraft was caught after police pulled him over with a dead Marine in his front passenger-side seat.

Why Are So Many Serial Killers Born In November? Bundy, Manson & More

Welcome to November, the month when, according to some studies, serial killers and mass murderers are most likely to be born.

How ‘Serial, Psychosexual, Thrill Killer’ Michael Gargiulo Got Caught

The convicted murderer, dubbed the “Hollywood Ripper”, “watched and waited” for the opportunity to stab his female neighbors, prosecutors say.

6 Things To Know About Aileen Wuornos

Wuornos, a former sex worker, claimed that her victims had either raped or attempted to rape her, and her serial killings were committed in self-defense.

5 Facts You May Not Know About Infamous Serial Killer Ted Bundy

From his chilling childhood to his explosive execution, go inside the twisted world of the notorious serial killer.

How Elusive Serial Killer Ted Kaczynski Was Unmasked As The Unabomber

The self-professed anarchist was captured in 1996 hiding out in a primitive Montana cabin.

Jeffrey Dahmer's Murderer Explains Why He Killed The 'Milwaukee Cannibal'

Christopher Scarver, who is serving time for killing his boss during a robbery, insists that Jeffrey Dahmer did not feel any remorse for his crimes.

Infamous Canadian Couple Known As 'The Ken & Barbie Killers' Videotaped Their Crimes

Canadians Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka were arrested for slaying schoolgirls in the early ‘90s, including her teenage sister.

Suspected Hospital Serial Killer Charged With Second Murder Two Decades After Deaths

After two decades, suspected medical serial killer Jennifer Anne Hall has been arrested and charged with murder for two deaths that occurred during her short time at the Hedrick Medical Center in Missouri.

Suspected Texas Serial Killer Taunted Police, May Have Committed Multiple Unsolved Murders, Cops Say

Before his May 2023 arrest, police say Raul Meza Jr. “was ready and prepared to kill again, and he was looking forward to it.”