Are you obsessed with SERIAL KILLERS?
hat Defines a Serial Killer?
According to the FBI, a serial killer commits a series of murders, often with no apparent motive and typically following a characteristic, predictable behavior pattern. For example, Ted Bundy killed at least 36 people over a five-year time span. Usually, he tricked them into coming to his car, then he attacked and murdered them. Once they were dead, he defiled their corpse to sexually gratify himself.Serial Killer Nathaniel Code
Nathaniel Code lived in Shreveport, Louisiana. At the age of 20, Nathaniel was in serious trouble with the law. For the next eight years, he spent time in prison for aggravated rape. In 1984, the Department of Corrections released him. That’s when Shreveport began experiencing some unusual murders.
Nathaniel Code’s Killings
Vivian Chaney lived with her boyfriend, Billy Joe Harris, her brother, and three daughters in a small house in Sherveport. Vivian, her oldest daughter Carlitha, and her brother Jerry all had severely impaired vision. In addition, Vivian’s two youngest daughters, Tomika and Marla were described in court records as “mentally retarded.”
Sometime between 11:30 p.m. on July 18, and 5:00 a.m. the next morning, a serial killer entered the Chaney house. It wasn’t until the next morning at 6:00 am the horrific events of the night before were discovered.
In an unfortunate happenstance, Shirley Culbert, Vivan, and Jerry’s sister arrived from out of town to surprise her family. She knocked on the front door, but no one answered. From outside, she heard music blasting from the stereo. Next, she walked around to the back of the house and knocked on the backdoor. When she did, it opened up. Once inside the house, Shirley found Tomika and Marla still asleep in their bed. However, everyone else living there lay slaughtered throughout the house. Shirley grabbed Tomika and Marla called the police.
The police and coroner, Dr. McCormick, arrived at the scene, and what they witnessed matched the horrors seen in the movies. After a thorough examination, they were able to piece together the night’s events.
Nathaniel Code’s Signature
The horrors of the Chaney murders weren’t Nathaniel’s first nor would they be his last murders. Listen to “Louisiana’s Signature Serial Killer” to find out more about this ritualistic serial killer.
Serial Killer Chester Turner
Chester was a serial killer and rapist who roamed the southside of Los Angeles, raping and murdering sex workers for years.Being that he was already a convicted felon, Chester had to submit his DNA to California’s CODIS system. The police tested unsolved murder cases and solved murder cases against his DNA. The results were stunning.
Chester Turner’s Killings
His DNA matched evidence found in dozens of murders. Even more shocking, the DNA led to the exoneration of 28-year-old David Allen Jones. David Jones was a mentally disabled janitor living in southside LA. Years earlier, he admitted doing drugs with three women who later ended up murdered: Tammie Christmas, Mary Edwards, and Debra Williams.
- Tammie Christmas, found strangled in September 1992 at the 97th Street Elementary School.
- Debra Williams, 32, found lying at the bottom of a stairwell that led to a campus boiler room in November 1992.
- Mary Edwards, 42, found inside a carport next to the 97th Street Elementary School in December 1992.
The next year, a jury found David Jones guilty of those three murders. All of those crimes occurred in the same manner, location, and time-frame as the murders committed by Chester Turner. On a hunch, the police followed tested the evidence in those cases. When compared to Chester’s DNA, they were a match.
Chester Turner’s Murder Spree
Listen to this Online-Only episode, The South Slayer, to hear more about the killer dubbed “The Southside Slayer” due to Chester’s favorite hunting ground: being his own neighborhood.
Serial Killer William Suff
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the bodies of young women were showing up around the Lake Elsinore, California area. The increasing body county caught the attention of the police. They knew they had an active serial killer in the area. Each victim underwent unspeakable horrors. Some of the women suffered greatly, evidence by their battered bodies. When police finally tracked down a viable suspect, all the evidence pointed to a suspect no one would have ever thought capable of such a crime, William Suff.Escaping a Serial Killer
In January 1989, Rhonda Jetmore sat on a bench on Main Street in the City of Lake Elsinore. Rhonda, a sex worker, hoped to encounter a date. As she waited, a man pulled up in a station wagon alongside the curb. Rhonda got in his car. After she got in, the man told her his name was Bob. They agreed on a price of $20 for “straight sex.” Next, Rhonda directed “Bob” to a nearby vacant residence. Once inside, she requested prepayment for her services. The man handed her a bill. When Rhonda looked at the bill, she realized it was only $1.00. Before she could say anything, “Bob” grabbed her around her neck with both hands, pushed her down, and began choking her. As he choked her, she looked at his face, and also noticed his belt buckle spelled out the name “BILL.” She began to lose consciousness as he strangled her. Realizing she had a flashlight, she struck him on the side of his head. Stunned, he immediately released his grip on her neck. She attempted to escape and a struggle ensued. While they struggled, Bob’s eyeglasses fell off his head. Surprisingly, Bob told Rhonda he would release her if she helped find the glasses. After looking around the car, Rhonda found the glasses. She pointed to them, and as Bob reached for the glasses, Rhonda escaped.Less Fortunate Victims of William Suff
Rhonda got lucky. Unfortunately, at least another 13 women didn’t escape William Suff’s clutches. Listen to podcast Episode 49: The Lake Elsinore Serial Killer to find out all the details of this story.Serial Killer David Allen Rundle
In November of 1986, the bodies of two young women, 18-year-old, Caroline Garcia, and Lanciann Sorensen, 15, were found in rural areas of Placer County. The bodies were unclothed and the arms of both victims were bound tightly behind their backs. Eventually, the police were able to link the crimes to 23-year-old David Allen Rundle, who confessed to a third murder of a young woman. Find out the details of his confession…as you can tell by the title, this story it’s pretty nasty.David Rundle Kills A Friend
In the afternoon of September 7, 1986, 18-year-old Caroline Garcia left her home in Roseville, California. She took a bus to visit her estranged husband Trinidad “Trino” Garcia. Later, that night she met up with Trino at a park. While there, she mentioned to him that she planned on going to the house of a mutual friend, Chris Paoli. When she got to Chris’s house, Caroline told Chris a strange story. Earlier a drunken man harassed her at the bus stop. Luckily for her, her friend David Allen Rundle intervened. He chased the drunk man away and offered Caroline a ride home from Chris’s house. She never made it home.David’s Next Victim
Approximately one month after Caroline failed to return home, 15-year-old Lanciann Sorensen disappeared. She and her friend Laura went to a friend’s house to drink some beer. Later, the two teens went to Laura’s sister’s house. Unfortunately, Lanciann decided to leave alone and walk in the dark. She told Laura she planned on hitchhiking home. Like Caroline, she never made it. Caroline and Lanciann weren’t the only victims of David Rundle. Listen to the podcast episode “Aroused By Death” to find out more about this serial killer.Serial Killer Keith Jesperson
In 1990, a woman confessed that she and her boyfriend raped and murdered Taunja Bennett then dumped her body along the Old Scenic Highway in Oregon. However, a long-haul trucker, Keith Jesperson was very surprised to hear this news because he was the actual killer and went on to murder seven more women before he was finally stopped…Keith Jesperson Murders Taunja Bennett
Keith Jesperson spent a lonely night playing pool at the B&I Tavern. He noticed Taunja Bennett and thought she looked pretty. Taunja had some mental disabilities. Later, Keith saw Taujna sitting alone in the parking and asked her to get a bite to eat. He had decided that he was going to try to get Taunja back to his house he could get her to have sex with him—or maybe if she didn’t want to, he would force her. Later, he not only raped her but brutally killed her. Strangely, another person confessed to committing the crime with her boyfriend to escape the violence of her lover. Both she and her boyfriend were convicted of the murder.The Next Victim
Keith waited 2 and a half years before killing again. The body of a Jane Doe was discovered on August 30, 1992. Her name was Claudia, and that’s all anyone knows about her. According to Keith, he met Claudia at a truck stop in San Bernadino, California. She asked him for a ride. Later, he tried to initiate sex with her. When she said no, he raped her and beat her. After he finished, he had sex with her again, only this time he said she tried acting as if she enjoyed it so he wouldn’t hurt her.The Smiley Face Serial Killer
Unfortunately, Taunja Bennett and Claudia weren’t Keith’s only victims. Keith murdered at least eight women and attempted to kill at least five more. Listen to Crimes & Consequences to podcast episode “The Smiley Face Killer” to learn all the details of his crimes.Serial Killer Ward Weaver Jr.
Many people know about the horrible murders of Ashley Pond and Miranda Gaddis committed by Ward Weaver III. But not many people know that Ward Weaver’s father, Ward Weaver Jr., was a serial killer. No one knows exactly how many people he murdered while driving his semi-truck around northern California. Police estimate he may be responsible for as many as 26 unsolved homicide cases.
Barbara and Robert
On the afternoon of February 5, 1981, Robert and Barbara arrived in Pinedale on the and spent the day visiting with Robert’s grandmother. Around 7:00 pm, they left Pinedale and head to Las Vegas, which is about a six-hour drive. Unfortunately, their car broke down 2.5 hours into their drive near Tehachapi, California, about a mile away from the exit. A man named James Powell was driving home from work around 11:00 p.m. when he noticed Robert and Barbara, and the broken down car on the side of the road with its emergency lights flashing. He offered the couple a ride back to Tehachapi, but they declined because it was in the opposite direction of where they were headed, so James left and headed home. This ended up being a fatal mistake.
How Many People Did Ward Weaver Jr. Kill?
Ward Weaver Jr. murdered Robert and Barbara. Unfortunately, they weren’t his only victims. Listen to this Crimes & Consequences podcast episode “Meet the Ward Weavers” to learn more.
Listen to Part 2 of Meet the Ward Weavers: “Finding Ashley & Miranda” to find out what happens.
