Patricia Ann Lange, a 36-year-old White female, had recently embarked on a new chapter in her life, moving from Denver, Colorado, to West Des Moines, Iowa, for a promising job as a database administrator. She was temporarily residing at the University Park Holiday Inn, staying in Room 732 since her arrival on August 13, 1993, while she searched for a permanent home. This new beginning, however, was brutally cut short.
On the morning of Monday, August 23, 1993, a housekeeper entered her room to find a horrific scene. Patricia's body was discovered on the floor near the bed. She had been gagged, her hands were bound in front of her with a piece of a torn pillowcase, and a wire coat hanger had been twisted around her neck. An autopsy would later confirm that she had been strangled to death. Her clothing was in disarray; her top and bra were pushed up to her shoulders, and she was nude from the waist down, wearing only her tennis shoes and socks. Despite the violent nature of the crime, there were no signs of forced entry into the room, and her wallet, containing $209, was left untouched in her open briefcase, suggesting that robbery was not the motive.
The initial investigation into Patricia's murder was a joint effort by the West Des Moines Police Department and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. Investigators initially theorized that Patricia knew her killer, given the lack of a forced entry. They meticulously traced her activities in the days leading up to her death and interviewed hotel guests, employees, and her new colleagues. Despite their efforts, which included sending questionnaires to over 750 hotel guests and employees, the case grew cold. For years, the question of who had so violently ended Patricia's life remained unanswered, leaving her family and the community in suspense. The breakthrough in the case would not come for more than six years.
The relentless march of forensic technology ultimately brought a resolution to the long-unsolved murder. A DNA profile was developed from seminal fluid found on the bedspread in Patricia's room and on a sock found near her body. This profile was eventually matched to a man named Donald Piper. Piper was no stranger to the hotel; he had previously worked there as the chief engineer and head of maintenance, a position that gave him an “E” key, providing him access to any room in the hotel, even those with deadbolt locks. In February 2000, Donald Piper was charged with the first-degree murder of Patricia Lange. His first trial in October 2000 ended in a mistrial. However, he was brought to trial again, and on June 4, 2001, a jury found him guilty of her murder. Piper was also a suspect in other similar crimes in the area and was later convicted of the 1997 murder of another woman, Zurijeta Sakanovic, who was also killed in a hotel.
