In the late summer of 1995, a wave of terror gripped the city of Gary, Indiana, as a serial killer preyed on women and children. Among his victims was Betty Askew, a 50-year-old grandmother whose life was violently cut short. Remembered lovingly by her family for her laugh and smile, Betty was a cherished presence whose absence left a profound void.
Her death was part of a string of brutal slayings that would later be attributed to a man known as the "Gary Strangler."
On September 1, 1995, Betty was walking through an alley in Gary when she was accosted by a man named Eugene Victor Britt. According to Britt's later confession to police, he began talking to her, but she sensed danger and started to scream. He then grabbed her by the neck, dragging her into a desolate, weedy lot situated between an abandoned house and a garage. There, he raped and strangled her. After she was dead, he stole $300 from her purse. Her body was discovered in the lot the following day, on September 2, 1995.
The investigation into Betty's murder became part of a much larger and more horrifying picture. In November 1995, police arrested Eugene Britt, a 38-year-old homeless man, for the separate murder of 8-year-old Sarah Paulsen in nearby Portage. During his interrogation for that crime, Britt began to confess to a series of other killings. He admitted to a total of nine murders, providing details that only the killer would know and leading investigators to the locations of his crimes.
Britt's confessions painted a grim timeline of violence that spanned from May to September of 1995. His victims were girls and women ranging in age from 8 to 51. His method was consistent and brutal: he would attack his victims in secluded areas, rape them, and then strangle them to death. Betty Askew was one of seven women he was proven to have killed during this deadly spree.
The legal process that followed was complex. Britt was first convicted for the murder of Sarah Paulsen and sentenced to life in prison plus 100 years. Subsequently, he faced charges for six other murders and one rape. In a plea agreement reached in October 2006, Britt pleaded guilty but mentally ill to the murders of 14-year-old Nakita Moore, 24-year-old Tonya Dunlap, and 41-year-old Maxine Walker. As part of this deal, the charges in the deaths of Betty Askew, Michelle Burns, and Deborah McHenry were dropped, even though he had admitted to killing them. A judge had previously ruled that Britt was intellectually disabled, making him ineligible for the death penalty.
For the three murders and one rape conviction, Britt was sentenced to an additional 245 years in prison, to be served concurrently with his existing life sentence. During his sentencing, Britt, sitting in a wheelchair due to a failed suicide attempt where he threw himself in front of a train, wept and expressed remorse. "I'm truly sorry for my sins and I take full responsibility for my actions," he said. "God knows I'm guilty." He was sent to the Indiana State Prison to serve his cumulative sentence of life without parole plus 345 years.
Years after her tragic death, Betty Askew's family continued to honor her memory. In a 2006 memorial on the 10th anniversary of her passing, her son, Will Askew Jr., wrote, "Gone but not forgotten, I miss you everyday." Her grandchildren also shared a heartfelt message: "TO OUR LOVING GRANDMOTHER WE LOVE AND MISS YOU SO MUCH... WE MISS YOUR LAUGH AND YOUR SMILE BUT REMEMBER YOUR WORDS AND GENTLY KISSES." Their words serve as a poignant reminder of the woman who was stolen from them, a beloved grandmother whose influence continues to guide them.
