Episode 79: The Brendel Family Murders
Christopher Hightower
The evening of September 22nd, 1991 was a normal one for Christine Scriabine and her husband, Alexander, as they were hosting some guests and enjoying dinner. It wasn’t until a strange man appeared at their Guilford, Connecticut home and told an eerie story. The man claimed that Christine’s brother, Ernest Brendel, had been kidnapped, along with his wife and young daughter. According to the man, he needed $300,000 in order to arrange for the safe return of the family. He told the Scriabines that he had some of the money, and that they needed to come up with the rest. Before he left, in the Brendel family car, he told the couple to not call the police. As soon as he was out of sight, the FBI were called.
Turns out, the strange man was 42-year-old Christopher Hightower, an investment adviser and local Sunday school teacher. His life had been falling to pieces around him: his wife wanted a divorce, and his friend Ernest Brendel, a self-employed patent attorney, had sent a complaint that could have led to Hightower losing his license. So, instead of taking steps to right the wrongs, Hightower took matters into his own hands, and in a violent way.
Seven weeks after the conversation at the Scriabine’s residence, two shallow graves in Barrington, Rhode Island were revealed to hold the remains of Ernest, his wife Alice, and their 8-year-old daughter, Emily. It wasn’t long before Hightower admitted to their murders, and he was subsequently charged with three consecutive life sentences.
Image Sources:
housecreep.com - “51 Middle Highway”
providencejournal.com - “Notorious R.I killer Hightower imprisoned in Illinois”