A Descent Into Hell: The True Story of an Altar Boy, a Cheerleader, and a Twisted Texas Murder

Kathryn Casey

Oct 2009 · Sold by Harper Collins

About this ebook

Bright, attractive, and both from good families, University of Texas college student Colton Pitonyak and vibrant redhead Jennifer Cave had the world at their beckoning. Cave, an ex-cheerleader, had just landed an exciting new job, while a big-money scholarship to UT's prestigious business school lured Pitonyak to Austin. Yet the former altar boy had a dark, unpredictable streak, one that ensnared him in the perilous underworld of drugs and guns. When Jennifer failed to show up for work on August 18, 2005, her mother became frightened. Sharon Cave's search led to Colton's West Campus apartment, where Jennifer's family discovered a scene worthy of the grisliest horror movie. Meanwhile, Colton Pitonyak was nowhere to be found.

A Descent Into Hell is the gripping true story of one of the most brutal slayings in UT history—and the wild "Bonnie and Clyde-like" flight from justice of a cold-blooded young killer and his would-be girlfriend, who claimed that her unquestioning allegiance to Pitonyak was "just the way I roll."

Ratings and reviews

Enjoyed this book immensely. Casey is fast becoming one of the very top true crime writers, her books are always well researched and written in an easy to read style. Another clergyman who didn't live the standards he preached to his flock and eventually is caught out. Great read and recommended.

After I paid for the full version, I found so many errors about Austin that I stopped reading it. I figure that means the entire book is error-filled.

If you love true crime and don't mind gruesome detail then you'll love this book! I found myself crying on the beach while reading this book. It was the part that describes her death and her family's reaction that had me crying hard. Very sad! I'm a mother and can't imagine what it must feel like and pray I never do!

About the author

Kathryn Casey is an award-winning journalist, who has written for Rolling Stone, TV Guide, Reader's Digest, Texas Monthly, and many other publications. She's the author of seven previous true crime books and the creator of the highly acclaimed Sarah Armstrong mystery series. Casey has appeared on Oprah, Oprah Winfrey's Oxygen network, Biography, Nancy Grace, E! network, truTV, Investigation Discovery, the Travel Channel, and A&E. She lives in Houston with her husband and their dog, Nelson.