Police say recent assault similar to 1992 slaying

Herald-Leader Staff Report

Kentucky State Police are investigating whether the man arrested in a brutal attack in Breckinridge County last month was involved in the unsolved murder of an Elizabethtown woman in 1992.

Ernest Pine, 58, of Breckinridge County, has been charged with rape, sodomy, burglary and attempted murder. State police said he attacked a woman on Aug. 25 and slit her throat.

Before she was flown to University Hospital in Louisville in critical condition, the woman told police that Pine attacked her, trooper Steve Pavey said.

State police said there are similarities between the attack and the 1992 murder of Elena Sanchez Hawkins, 29, who was found dead by her husband at their home on Jan. 8, 1992.

Her wrists had been bound, she had been sexually assaulted and her throat had been cut, according to the state police Web site. She died from blood loss.

The Herald-Leader does not name people who allege sexual assault.

The Herald-Leader allows readers to comment on stories. The views expressed here are not those of the Herald-Leader or its staff. Readers must avoid personal attacks and libelous or inappropriate remarks. See our commenting policy here. Some comments may be reprinted in the newspaper. Registered user names are posted with comments.