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A Known Enemy: The Horrifying Murders of Karen and Gordon Alexander
The Mystery Man
On the morning of April 8, 1981, Weldon Alexander returned home from his overnight shift at the Cooper Tire & Rubber Company in Texarkana, Arkansas to find the front door of his home standing open. Curious as to why his children — fourteen-year-old Karen and her thirteen-year-old brother Gordon — had neglected to close and lock the door after he left for work the previous evening, he made his way inside.
Upon entering the residence, Weldon found Gordon lying in a pool of blood on the kitchen floor. Hoping against hope that Karen had somehow managed to avoid the same fate, he went searching for his daughter. In her room just off the living area, he discovered the teenager lying face up on her bed, barely breathing. Stunned at the unthinkable turn of events, he had gathered his wits and phoned emergency services.
When help arrived, paramedics noted that Gordon was ice cold, indicating that he had been dead for quite some time. Karen, who had clearly suffered trauma to the facial area, was clinging to life. First responders noted that there were obvious signs of a sexual assault, though this was not elaborated upon at the time. The gravely injured girl was rushed to the nearest hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries three days later, having never regained…
