In October 1996, a young student with her whole life ahead of her was brutally murdered. Everyone involved in the case was deeply affected, and Berry Bryant’s family has been dealing with the fallout ever since.
The Evil Lives Here: Shadows of Death: The Dark Road show on Investigation Discovery tells the story of how Berry was killed and how the police arrested the person who did it. So, let’s get more information about this case, shall we?
How did Berry Bryant die?
In March 1978, Berry Alexis Bryant was born in Montana. In high school, she was considered a well-rounded person, doing things like sports, band, and drill teams. The saxophonist was a sophomore at Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming. He was described as a kind, loving person who got along with everyone. Berry made good friends and was popular in college in just a month.
The 18-year-old went to a school prom and dormitory party on October 5, 1996. Berry left the room sometime during the night, but little did she know that she would never come back. After police received more information, police found Berry’s body about 16 miles from Powell. It looked like she and her attacker had fought hard. She had multiple defensive wounds and was lying on the ground in a pool of blood. Berry’s throat was cut so deep she was almost headless.
Who took the life of Berry Bryant?
When Berry didn’t come back, her roommate began to worry. Her car was still in the parking lot and no one by that name was being treated at the local hospital. The investigation revealed that another teenager named Levi Collen, who was 19 at the time, was also at the party. He had met Berry at a conference before. From what I saw on the show, Levi seemed crazy about Berry, but she wasn’t interested.
Berry and Levi were last seen leaving the party. After a while, Levi came back to the dormitory covered in blood and said he fought another man. At the time he was bleeding from some cuts on his body. Levi told his friends along the way that he killed Berry after raping her. So they held him and immediately called the police.
First, Levi told different versions of what happened. According to the show, he said they were in his car having sex before Berry got out and hit him with a beer bottle. Levi said he stabbed her to defend himself. However, the police did not believe him and asked him to show them where the body was. Levi told police what happened after showing them where Berry was.
Levi said that he and Berry left the party and drove 16 miles from Powell. He tried to have sex with her, but she said no, according to the show. Levi pulled out his knife, but Berry kept fighting. He then raped her, slit her throat from ear to ear and laid her body in a bush. Aside from that, police also heard from another woman who said Levi assaulted her sometime in the summer of 1995.
The woman said that she and her friend were at a bar when they met Levi and took him for a walk. According to the show, Levi wanted to sleep with her, but she declined. He pointed a gun at her, drove to a lonely place, and then raped her. The escaped person told police he bit her face and arms and threatened to kill her if she ever told anyone about the incident.
Where is Levi Collen right now?
Levi was found guilty of first-degree murder, sexual assault, and kidnapping in November 1996. He was also charged with sexual assault in connection with the summer 1995 incident. As a result, he was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences. According to prison records, Levi is still being held at the Wyoming Medium Correctional Institution in Torrington, Goshen County.
As a permanent monument, the granite bench will be placed west of Campus Mall near the Nelson Performing Arts Building.
On the 25th anniversary of her death, which occurred last October, some of Bryant’s family and friends came to the campus for a small group lunch and planted daffodil bulbs near the garden and bench. They hope the flowers will bloom by March 21, which would have been her birthday.
The college and the NWC Foundation are also working with Bryant’s family and friends to establish the Berry Bryant Memorial Scholarship Endowment to honor her legacy in a positive way.
Bryant has been involved in many social activities on the NWC campus such as 4-H, band, sports, music and junior leadership. A scholarship in her name will help students who, like her, are involved in their communities.
Light snacks and drinks will be available at the event. Those who come are invited to hear stories about Bryant and to share their own. In the event of inclement weather, the inauguration will take place indoors.
For more information, call 307-754-6110 and ask for Shelby Wetzel, Executive Director of the NWC Foundation, or write to Shelby
BUCYRUS—For the second week in a row, a talented young golfer from Colonel Crawford won the Heart of Ohio Junior Golf Association tournament.
Last week Bryant Berry hit a 35 in Marion. He blasted a 42 on the back nine this week and is now up 2-0 in Division 12 and below this summer. From the red tees he had a birdie, three pars and four bogeys.
Berry was 10 shots better than Delaware’s Griffin Gates and Pleasant’s Nolen West, both of whom had 52 scores.
Galion’s Nick McMullen and Pleasant’s Nathan Newell both shot 76 for second place in the 16-18 age group. Minoy Shah of Mount Pleasant won his first tournament of the summer with 73 points, including an eagle, three birdies and ten pars.
Galion’s Logan Keller was fifth with 79 points and Buckeye Central’s Logan Niese was seventh with 83 points.
Wynford’s Wes Prenger was ninth (84) and Micah Greene was tenth (87). Galion’s Nate Barre and Braylan Hart were 11th (88), Bucyrus’ Cody Pennington was 14th (90) and Noah Burke was 17th (100) and Galion’s Gavin Crim was 19th with a 111.
Pleasant’s Maura Murphy won the girls 13-18 age group with a score of 75, including three birdies and nine pars. Colonel Crawford’s Lucy Myers (89) and Sophie Beck (95) finished third and fourth.
Kaden Ottley from Olentangy won the boys 13-15 age group with a score of 79. Carson Walker from Galion was second with 85.
The next HOJGA tournament will be held on June 22 at Marysville Golf Club.
A young college student with her whole life ahead of her was brutally killed in October 1996. Everyone involved in the case was deeply affected, and Berry Bryant’s family has since dealt with the fallout. Evil Lives Here: Shadows of Death: The Dark Road on Investigation Discovery details what happened before Berry was killed. Let’s find out more about this case, shall we?
Berry Alexis Bryant was born in Montana in March 1978. During high school, she was considered a versatile person, doing things like sports, band, and drill teams, among other things. People liked the saxophonist because he was nice, friendly and got along with everyone. He was a sophomore at Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming. In just a month of college, Berry became well known and made good friends.
On October 5, 1996, the 18-year-old went to a school dance. After that, she went to a party in her dormitory. At some point during the night, Berry had to leave the room, but little did she know that she would never come back. Later, when they had more information, police were able to find Berry’s body 16 miles outside of Powell. She was lying on some dirt in a pool of blood and had multiple defensive wounds. This suggests that she had fought her attacker hard. Berry almost lost her head from having her throat cut so badly.
Berry didn’t come back and Berry’s roommate began to worry. No one by that name was treated at the local hospital and her car was still in the parking lot. The results of the investigation showed that 19-year-old Levi Collen was with the other teenagers at the party. Berry was someone he had previously met at a conference. Though it appeared Levi was in love with Berry, the show said she wasn’t interested.
Berry and Levi were seen leaving the party for the last time. Later a damn Levi came to the hostel and said that he and another man got into a fight. At that time he was bleeding and had small cuts on his body. Levi told his friends that he killed Berry because he raped her on the way there. So they arrested him and immediately called the police.
Levi first told different versions of what had happened. As shown on the show, he said they had consensual sex in his car before Berry jumped out and hit him with a beer bottle. Levi said he stabbed her to defend himself. Not believing him, the police asked him to show them where the body was. Levi said that he did what happened after telling police how to find Berry.
Levi says he and Berry left the party together and were about 16 miles from Powell. As the episode shows, he tried to get intimate with her, but she said no. Berry continued to fight while Levi held out his knife. Then she was raped and her throat was cut from ear to ear. Her body was then buried in some bushes. A second woman who was attacked by Levi sometime in the summer of 1995 also gave information to police.
The woman said she and her friend met Levi while drinking and then went for a walk with him. According to the episode, Levi wanted to sleep with her, but she said no. He drove her to an empty location, showed her a gun, and then raped her. The victim told police that the person who injured her bit her face and arms and threatened to kill her if she ever told anyone about the incident.
In November 1996, a judge found Levi guilty of first-degree murder, sexual assault, and kidnapping. He was also charged with sexual assault in connection with the summer 1995 event. As a result, he was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences. Prison statistics show that Levi is still a prisoner at the Wyoming Medium Correctional Institution in Torrington, Goshen County.
