Kids That Kill

Dana Ewell | Familicide To Inherit | Triple Murder for Hire

Dana Ewell was a privileged California college student whose hunger for wealth led him to orchestrate the cold-blooded murders of his parents and sister in 1992.

Dana Ewell | Murder

Dana Ewell Photot
Dana James Ewell

Dana Ewell | Familicide To Inherit

An American Murderer

  • Full Name: Dana James Ewell
  • Date of Birth: January 28, 1971
  • Place of Birth: Fresno, California, U.S.
  • Crime Date: April 19, 1992 (murder of parents Dale and Glee Ewell, and sister Tiffany)
  • Arrest Date: March 1995
  • Conviction Date: 1998 (found guilty of triple murder)
  • Sentence: Life imprisonment without the possibility of parole
  • Current Status: Incarcerated at Mule Creek State Prison, Ione, California

Classification & Characteristics

Dana Ewell is classified as a power-control offender driven by financial greed. Unlike impulsive killers, his crimes were meticulously premeditated: a calculated familicide designed not from rage but from the desire to inherit his parents’ multimillion-dollar fortune. He displayed traits of narcissism, entitlement and emotional detachment, showing little grief after the murders and instead maintaining a façade of innocence.

Psychologists and investigators have noted his manipulative nature, relying on his college friend Joel Radovcich to execute the killings, thereby distancing himself physically from the act while orchestrating it intellectually. His classification falls closer to a murder-for-profit archetype than a typical spree or serial killer, placing him among rare but chilling examples of heirs who destroy their own families for financial gain.

Dana Ewell Murder To Inherit

The Story

On Easter Sunday, April 19, 1992, tragedy struck one of Fresno’s most prominent families. Dale and Glee Ewell, along with their 24-year-old daughter Tiffany, were gunned down inside their home in a carefully planned ambush. What at first appeared to be a shocking home invasion would unravel into one of California’s most cold-blooded cases of greed and betrayal.

The truth was darker than anyone imagined. Behind the triple homicide stood Dana James Ewell, the surviving son. At just 21 years old, Dana wanted his parents’ multimillion-dollar fortune – and he was unwilling to wait. He enlisted the help of his college friend Joel Radovcich, promising him money from the inheritance in exchange for carrying out the murders. Radovcich waited in the Ewell home with a silenced assault rifle, ambushing the family one by one as they returned that Easter evening.

Suspicion grew quickly. Dana’s behavior at the funeral and afterward was detached, even arrogant. Investigators noticed his sudden display of wealth, financed not by inheritance but by hidden financial maneuvers. A lengthy investigation followed, involving the FBI, wiretaps, and years of painstaking surveillance.

By 1995, the evidence was undeniable. Dana Ewell and Joel Radovcich were arrested and charged with three counts of first-degree murder. Their trial captured nationwide attention – the privileged son and his loyal accomplice standing accused of one of the most calculated familicides in U.S. history.

In 1998, both men were convicted. Dana Ewell was sentenced to life in prison without parole, his dreams of wealth replaced by the reality of a prison cell. Today he remains incarcerated at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, California.

The case remains infamous as a chilling reminder of how greed, entitlement, and cold calculation can destroy even the closest bonds of family.

The Motive

Dana Ewell dreamed of being a millionaire by 25, but at 21 he was still living at home, fully supported by his wealthy parents. To friends, he boasted of stock-market success and even claimed to own a business, lies his father eventually exposed. Dale Ewell warned his son that financial support would soon be cut off, and Dana’s entitlement turned to rage.

On April 19, 1992, his greed took shape in a plot to eliminate his family. Ironically, his father’s will revealed Dana was already set to inherit the fortune – but in installments. His furious reaction and lack of grief after the murders fueled suspicion, leading relatives to alert investigators.

Dana Ewell Murder To Inherit

The Plan

Dana Ewell had grown up in privilege. His father, Dale, was a successful businessman and his mother, Glee, a beloved philanthropist. The family’s wealth included planes, real estate, and millions in assets. But Dana, then a college student, was not content to wait for his inheritance. He wanted the money now.

While studying at Santa Clara University, Dana met Joel Radovcich, a fellow student and close friend. Radovcich, impressionable and loyal, became the tool Dana needed. Ewell promised Joel a share of the fortune if he would help eliminate his family. Together, they planned the perfect crime: a triple murder carried out with a silenced assault rifle, staged to look like a burglary gone wrong.

For months, Dana orchestrated every detail. He provided Radovcich with access, knowledge of his family’s habits, and the promise of wealth beyond imagination. Dana would ensure he was away from Fresno during the murders to create an alibi, leaving Joel to carry out the slaughter alone.

The Murders

On Easter Sunday, April 19, 1992, Joel Radovcich lay in wait inside the Ewell family’s Fresno home. He had prepared carefully – sitting on plastic sheeting, wearing multiple layers of latex gloves, and armed with a silenced Intratec assault weapon. The Ewells had just returned from their beach house at Pajaro Dunes: Tiffany and Glee driving back, Dale flying home separately in his private plane.

The first to die was Tiffany Ewell, 24, a Fresno State graduate student. As she walked past the room where Radovcich was hiding, he stepped out and shot her in the head.

Next was Glee Ewell, 57. She entered the den, where Radovcich confronted her directly. She managed to see the face of her killer – a man she recognized as her son’s guest in their home just weeks earlier. In her final moments, she must have realized the unthinkable: her own son was behind this. Radovcich straddled her and fired at close range. She was shot four times, her body found with one arm raised as if to shield her eyes.

Radovcich then paused, reloading his weapon and pulling on a fresh pair of gloves while waiting for Dale’s return. Dale Ewell, 59, entered through the garage carrying a newspaper. As he walked into the house, unaware of what awaited him, Radovcich shot him once from behind. It is likely Dale never knew his wife and daughter were already dead.

The bodies of Glee, Dale, and Tiffany were discovered two days later by the family’s housekeeper and a neighbor, after Dana Ewell – conveniently away at dinner in Morgan Hill with his girlfriend’s family, including her FBI agent father – called asking someone to check on them.

The crime scene was staged to look like a botched burglary. Drawers were pulled out and items scattered, but detectives quickly noted the ransacking seemed deliberate rather than genuine. The execution-style murders suggested planning, not panic.

Dana Ewell | Murder To Inherit

The Investigation of Dana Ewell

From the beginning, Fresno County detectives were puzzled. The Ewell home appeared ransacked, but nothing valuable had been taken. It looked staged – a burglary meant to disguise something more sinister. With no forced entry and a silenced weapon used, investigators suspected the killer had been let in or had inside knowledge.

Attention soon shifted toward Dana Ewell. At the time of the murders, Dana had been with his girlfriend Monica and her family in Morgan Hill – an alibi that seemed airtight, especially since her father was an FBI agent. Yet Dana’s behavior after the murders raised red flags. He showed little grief and seemed more concerned about his inheritance than about burying his parents and sister.

For years, the case remained unsolved until investigators caught a break through Ernest “Jack” Ponce, a friend of Joel Radovcich’s brother. Ponce testified that Radovcich had confided in him, admitting to the killings in chilling detail: how he sat on plastic sheeting with layers of gloves, waited in ambush, shot Tiffany as she passed, executed Glee at close range and then gunned down Dale when he walked in with his newspaper.

Surveillance, wiretaps, and financial trails tied Dana and Joel together. Prosecutors later showed that Radovcich’s Intratec AT-9 rifle was the murder weapon, and that the ammunition used came from a 20-year-old box of bullets belonging to Dale himself – taken from his nightstand.

Dana’s own uncles also testified that he reacted with fury when learning his father’s will distributed his inheritance in installments, and they informed investigators of their suspicions.

By March 1995, both Dana Ewell and Joel Radovcich were arrested. The trial was lengthy and complex, but prosecutors James Oppliger and Jeffrey Hammerschmidt built a strong case. In 1998, both men were convicted of three counts of first-degree murder. Neither ever took the stand in their defense.

Dana Ewell was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Radovcich received the same. Today, Dana remains incarcerated at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, California – a privileged son who destroyed his own family in the name of greed. Instead of becoming a millionaire, Dana Ewell is isolated at Corcoran State Prison.

source: murderpedia | Corin Hoggard |wickedwe

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👉Related WickedWe Cases

This page is part of the WickedWe True Crime Archive – a resource for researchers, students, and true crime enthusiasts seeking verified facts, case records, and deeper historical context.

9th Circuit Appeal – Justia — The appeals court’s decision on Ewell’s petition, including Fourth Amendment and evidentiary claims.
↪️ Dana Ewell Appeal – 9th Circuit PDF Justia Law

Fresno Superior Court – Case Information System — Public portal for checking case status and court documents (where permitted).
↪️ Fresno Superior Court – Case Info Fresno Superior Court

California Bar Journal – “Wheels of justice grind slowly in Ewell murders” (1997) — A contemporaneous article summarizing filings, delays, and the volume of legal documentation (4,700 pages of sheriff’s reports, 1,000 pages from DA’s office).
↪️ Wheels of justice grind slowly in Ewell murders – Cal Bar Archive California State Bar Archive

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