Shivangi Sinha
In June 2009, when Joanne Witt of El Dorado Hills, California, failed to show up for work, her colleagues grew concerned. After being unable to reach her, they informed her parents and contacted law enforcement. When police arrived at her home, they found Joanne in her bed with multiple stab wounds that had ended her life. As investigators began searching for clues, they quickly identified the direction their pursuit would take. The full timeline of the case, along with the motivations of her perpetrators, is detailed in ID’s ‘People Magazine Investigates: Star-Crossed Killers.’
Joanne Witt’s Remains Were Found by The Police in Her Bed
Joanne Marie Witt was born on January 25, 1962, to Norbert and Judy Witt. She grew up in Santa Clara County, California, alongside her two brothers, Michael and Stephen, and she always had a kind and warm nature. Joanne earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering and pursued a career as an engineer in El Dorado County. In 1996, her daughter Tylar Marie Witt was born. Joanne had ended her relationship with Tylar’s father while still pregnant and chose to raise her daughter on her own. Her career provided a comfortable lifestyle for them, and she was determined to give Tylar the same opportunities and stability.
Tylar was five years old when Joanne temporarily lost custody of her for a few months due to an incident in which she had hit her daughter. Tylar had visible bruises, and a teacher reported the situation. Joanne was able to regain custody after completing anger management classes. After that, nothing of the sort ever happened again, and Joanne made a point of being fully present for her daughter in every possible way. Their lives seemed ordinary and routine until June 12, 2009. On that day, Joanne’s coworkers, concerned after she failed to show up for work without notice, called the police to check on her.
Her manager had also tried to reach her but was unsuccessful and suspected that something was wrong. Joanne’s coworkers also contacted her parents, and by the time they arrived at her home, the police were already on the scene. They entered the house and went to her bedroom, where they found her remains covered in blood. She had sustained approximately 20 stab wounds to her neck, face, and arms and had died from her injuries. The scene was shocking and completely unexpected, and the police knew they needed to uncover the truth quickly.
Joanne Witt’s Killers Had Written a Suicide Note After Running Away
The police questioned Joanne Witt’s family about her life to identify anyone who might have had a motive to harm her, and they soon uncovered a lead. Joanne shared her home with her 14-year-old daughter, Tylar Witt, and their relationship had been somewhat strained. In December 2008, Tylar met 19-year-old Steven Paul Colver and began dating him by February 2009. Just a few weeks later, when Colver needed a place to stay, Tylar convinced her mother to let him live with them. She falsely told Joanne that Colver was gay and that there was nothing romantic between them. However, when Joanne discovered that her daughter and Colver were actually involved in a sexual relationship, she was quite upset.
The family claimed that Colver was allegedly using drugs in the house and had also tried to involve Tylar in the same behavior. By March 2009, Joanne had asked Colver to move out and threatened to file a police complaint against him. Tylar promised her mother that she would break up with him, but she did not and continued seeing Colver behind her mother’s back. Shortly before the June 2009 incident, Joanne took her daughter’s diary as evidence, which contained details of Tylar’s relationship with Colver, and used it to file a statutory‑rape complaint against him. After Joanne’s body was discovered, there was no sign of Tylar or Colver. It wasn’t until June 16, 2009, that both of them were located at The Shops at Tanforan in San Bruno, California, and taken into custody.
The couple had rented a hotel room in San Francisco, California, where police discovered food, cake, rat poison, and a note detailing their supposed suicide pact. Initially, Tylar denied any knowledge of her mother’s death and insisted she had no involvement, and Colver made the same claim. However, the two soon turned on each other. Tylar later admitted that she had laced her mother’s food with a sleeping medication, and once Joanne had fallen asleep, she allowed Colver to enter, who then stabbed her. Colver, however, alleged that when he arrived, Joanne was already dead, and Tylar had told him that she had killed her mother. Investigators recovered male DNA from beneath Joanne’s nails that matched Colver, which suggested he may have carried out the attack.
Tylar Witt is Out on Parole and Steven Colver is Incarcerated in California Today
Both Tylar Witt and Steven Colver were charged with first-degree murder, with special circumstances alleged against Colver. Prosecutors argued that Colver had a motive, as Joanne had filed a complaint against him and had allegedly lied in wait to ambush her. In September 2010, Tylar entered a plea agreement, pleading guilty to second-degree murder and agreeing to testify against Colver at his trial. Colver’s trial began in May 2011, during which Tylar described how she had covered her ears and hummed to block out the sounds while still hearing her mother struggle as Colver attacked her. Colver’s defense team attempted to challenge the DNA evidence, but in June 2011, he was found guilty of murder and special circumstances, including lying in wait, use of a deadly weapon, and killing a witness.
In August 2012, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Tylar was sentenced to 15 years to life and was incarcerated at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, California. She was released on parole on August 26, 2022. She has expressed remorse over her actions a few times since then. Steven Colver, now 36 years old, is being held at the California Health Care Facility in Stockton, California, where he will spend the remainder of his life behind bars.
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