In the fall of 2004, the life of 22-year-old Jennifer Hitchcock, a Caucasian female from Lincoln, Nebraska, came to a tragic and violent end. Her death on November 3, 2004, in Middleton, Wisconsin, was the culmination of a terrifying crime spree orchestrated by her ex-boyfriend, Maurice Mason, who was 37 at the time, and his 24-year-old nephew, Bennie Frier. The chain of events leading to her murder began after Jennifer attempted to end her long-distance relationship with Mason.
He convinced her to meet him in Wisconsin to see his family, a trip during which her family claims she was held against her will.
After her family helped her return to Lincoln, Mason followed her. The very next day, he subjected her to a brutal beating, hitting her with a brick and a beer bottle before forcing her into the trunk of her car. With his nephew Bennie Frier, Mason drove Jennifer back to Wisconsin. Their crime spree escalated as they kidnapped and robbed a man, leaving him for dead in a shed. They also murdered a cab driver, John Romberg, in Baraboo. The nightmare for Jennifer ended in a remote, wooded area in Middleton. There, she was sexually assaulted by both men before Bennie Frier shot her in the back of the head with a shotgun.
In a bizarre turn of events, after committing these heinous acts, Mason and Frier went to a nearby hotel, had a meal of steak and lobster, and then turned themselves in to the authorities. They confessed to the crimes and led police to Jennifer's body, which they had left in a shack in Juneau County. An acquaintance who saw Jennifer during her captivity remarked that she thought Jennifer was wearing a Halloween mask due to the severity of her injuries, which included a broken nose and numerous cuts and bruises. Maurice Mason was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Bennie Frier also received a lengthy prison sentence for his role in the brutal crimes.
