Grisly Triple Murder Mystery In Florence, Montana 24 Years Later

• November 6, 2001, there was a triple homicide in Florence, Montana
• The homicides occurred at The Hair Gallery, just off of Highway 93
• A man in a trench coat and top hat was seen exiting the salon just before the 3 bodies were discovered

November 6, 2021, Hair Gallery Florence, Montana

As a customer was parking, she noticed a strangely dressed man exiting the salon from the front, a door that was rarely used by the salon. The man was thin and said to be wearing a trench coat and top hat or fedora.

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When she entered the salon, she immediately encountered the owner, Dorothy Harris, lying in a pool of her own blood, in the fetal position, on the floor.

She immediately called the police, who later discovered two more victims in the back room.

The victims, salon owner, 62 year old Dorothy Harris, 44 year old manicurist, Brenda Hatch and 71 year old Cynthia Paulus, who was in the salon for her weekly manicure, were all found with their throats brutally slashed along with other injuries that were never clarified. The police only said it was NOT sexual assault.

The Murders Were Brutal And Shocking To The Small Town

A triple murder is rare anywhere in Montana, but especially in the town of just over 900 residents.

Investigators of the crime, including those at the Ravalli County Sheriff's Office, said this crime was one of the most ferocious they'd seen in their entire careers.

The Investigation Was Difficult From The Get-Go

• Nothing but a couple of styling capes were missing
• There was no sexual assault
• The man in the coat and hat was never located

In 2005, A Lead Suspect Was Announced In Ravalli County

• Brian Walter Weber, mid-twenties

Weber was a small town drug dealer that lived in Nampa, Idaho at the time of the murders. Weber was in Missoula when the murders occurred and made a trip to Florence with his then girlfriend.

In 2008, Weber and Another Suspect Were Tried In Missoula, Montana

• Lincoln Benavides, 33

Benavides is believed to have led a drug distribution ring that operated in Idaho and Montana from 1999 to 2001. Weber is thought to have been an enforcer for the ring, from time to time.

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In Russell Smith Courthouse of Missoula, Montana, lawyers for the prosecution tried to convince a jury the two were guilty of the triple murder.

Ultimately, they could never tie the men to the crime, beyond a reasonable doubt.

In October 2009, The Case Changed Forever

Benavides took a plea deal for federal drug charges and the triple murder charges were dropped.

In January 2010 Feds Dropped The Case

January 22, 2010, a motion was filed to dismiss the charges against Weber.

The Court Records For The Triple Homicide Have Been Sealed

Judge Donald Malloy sealed the records for the case soon after charges were dropped against Weber. There's much speculation as to why, but no one knows.

There has been no activity on the case since.

Check out the pictures and video below, from NBC Montana from the original report in 2001. I LOVE how they used footage from the original reporting. A thank you to Unresolved for the best reporting I found on this unsolved crime.

Sources: NBC Montana, YouTube, and the incredibly detailed reporting from Unresolved