In the spring of 1964, the life of a young man on the verge of a new beginning was tragically cut short in Battle Creek, Michigan. Vernon Llewellyn LaBenne, a 21-year-old male, was killed on April 6, 1964. At the time of his death, details surrounding the incident were sparse, leaving a lingering sense of uncertainty. For many years, the specific circumstances remained publicly unclear, with some accounts vaguely attributing his death to gun violence while official records lacked explicit
details of a criminal act.
LaBenne, who was reportedly a serviceman from Southfield, was working at a gas station near Battle Creek on that fateful day. It was there that his life was taken in a violent encounter. The day was particularly poignant as he was just one day away from getting married, a detail that adds another layer of tragedy to his untimely death. The incident left a void of information, with no immediate arrests or publicly identified suspects, leading to a long period where the case remained without a clear resolution.
Decades later, a chilling connection emerged that would shed light on the long-unanswered questions surrounding LaBenne's death. Investigators began to suspect that his killing was not an isolated act of violence but rather part of a string of murders committed by a serial killer. Larry Lee Ranes, who was active in Michigan during the 1960s, became a prime suspect in a series of homicides. While Ranes was convicted for one murder, he was a suspect in several others.
Investigators believe that Vernon LaBenne was one of Larry Ranes' unnamed victims. According to information that surfaced during the investigation into Ranes' crimes, the motive for LaBenne's murder was robbery. This connection provided a long-awaited, albeit grim, explanation for the events of that April day. While Ranes was never formally tried for or convicted of LaBenne's murder specifically, the evidence gathered by law enforcement pointed to him as the perpetrator, finally offering a resolution to a case that had remained a mystery for years.
