In October 1996, a young student who had her whole life ahead of her was brutally killed. Everyone involved in the case was deeply affected, and Berry Bryant’s family has been battling the fallout ever since. The events leading up to Berry’s murder are detailed in “Evil Lives Here: Shadows Of Death: The Dark Road” on Investigation Discovery. Let’s investigate this case further, shall we?
Murder of Berry Bryant
How did Berry Bryant die?
In March 1978, Berry Alexis Bryant was born in Montana. She was seen as a multifaceted person throughout high school and participated in activities such as sports, music, and drill teams, among others. The saxophonist was known as a pleasant and compassionate person who got along with everyone. He was a sophomore at Powell, Wyoming’s Northwest College. Berry became popular and gained good friends in just a month of college.
The 18-year-old went to a school dance on October 5, 1996, followed by a dorm party. Berry left the room at some point that night, but little did she know she would never return. Later, other details helped authorities locate Berry’s body 16 miles outside of Powell. She was lying in a pool of blood on a floor and had multiple defensive wounds, suggesting she had been engaged in a tug of war with her attacker. Berry had nearly lost his mind after having his throat slit so severely.
Who Killed Berry Bryant?
Berry didn’t come back and her roommate started to worry. The local hospital did not have anyone with that name currently receiving treatment there, and his automobile was still in the parking lot. Investigation results showed that 19-year-old Levi Collen was present at the party along with the other teenagers. Berry was someone he knew from a previous conference. According to the show, Berry didn’t seem interested despite Levi appearing to be in love with her.
Berry and Levi were last seen walking out of the celebration. Later, a bloodied Levi entered the inn and claimed to have been involved in a fight with another man. He was bleeding at the time and had light scratches on his body. Levi revealed to his friends that he killed Berry after raping her on their way there. So they overpowered him and immediately called the police.
Levi first offered a variety of accounts of what happened. He said they had consensual sex in his car, as shown on the show, before Berry jumped up and attacked him with a beer bottle. Levi defended himself by saying he stabbed her. The cops demanded he take them to the body because they didn’t believe him. Levi admitted to the incident after giving police instructions to Berry.
According to Levi, he and Berry left the party together and walked about 16 miles outside of Powell. He attempted to have sex with her, but she refused, as shown in the episode. Berry persisted in fighting as Levi brandished his knife. She was then sexually assaulted before her throat was cut from ear to ear and her body was buried in undergrowth. Additionally, authorities received information from a second lady who was assaulted by Levi in the summer of 1995.
The woman claimed that while drinking with a companion, they bumped into Levi and eventually went for a drive together. Levi wanted to have sex with her, but she refused, according to the episode. He drove to a barren place, pulled a gun on her, then raped her. The victim told police the attacker bit her on the face and arms and threatened to kill her if she ever mentioned what happened to anyone.
Levi Collen
Where is Levi Collen today?
Levi was convicted 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. He received three convictions to consecutive life sentences accordingly. According to prison statistics, Levi is still being held at the Wyoming Medium Correctional Facility in Torrington, Goshen County.
