September 15th, 1997
This was the home where mass murderer David John Gorton brutally murdered his fiance, Heidi Challand, 28, and her children Robert, 12, David, 9, Calvin, 6 and Jewel, 2. The victims were bludgeoned repeatedly in the head with an axe after Gorton became suspicious that Challand was having an affair. After a nationwide manhunt, Gorton was arrested and plead guilty to the murders. Gorton had a history of violence. In 1977, he lured his 16-year-old girlfriend to a secluded spot and stabbed her 19 times. She was hospitalized for a month. In 1983, he attacked his then-wife with a knife and served two years for aggravated assault.
References:
Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers
As the family of Heidi Challand wiped their tears, David Gorton, her fiancee, pleaded guilty on December 11, 1997, to murdering her and he…