Serial Killer Timothy Wilson Spencer aka The Southside Slayer (Crime Documentary)
- 5 years ago
Timothy Wilson Spencer (March 17, 1962 – April 27, 1994), also known as the ""Southside Strangler"", was an American serial killer who committed three rapes and murders in Richmond, Virginia and one in Arlington, Virginia in the fall of 1987. In addition, he is believed to have committed at least one previous murder, in 1984, for which a different man, David Vasquez, was wrongfully convicted. Spencer grew up in one of the toughest black neighborhoods in Arlington, called Green Valley. He was known to police as a prolific home burglar.
Spencer became the first serial killer in the United States to be convicted on the basis of DNA evidence, with David Vasquez being the first to be exonerated following conviction on the basis of contradictory DNA evidence.
Debbie Dudley Davis, a 35-year-old account executive, was murdered between 9:00 p.m. on September 18, 1987, and 9:30 a.m. on September 19, 1987, in her Westover Hills apartment, where Richmond Police discovered her naked body lying on the bed. She had been strangled with a ligature and ratchet-type device. The medical examiner determined that her cause of death was ligature strangulation.
Dr. Susan Hellams was murdered in her West 31st St. home on the night of October 2, 1987, or the early morning of October 3, 1987. The police were called by her husband after he returned home and discovered her partially clothed body on the floor of the couple's bedroom closet. Hellams was a resident in neurosurgery at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond. Her attacker apparently gained access to the house by cutting out a large portion of a second-story bedroom window screen. The medical examiner determined that the cause of Hellams' death was ligature strangulation, apparently caused by two belts found around her neck.
On November 22, 1987, Diane Cho, a 15-year-old high school student, was found in her family's apartment located on Gavilan Court in Chesterfield County, near Richmond. She too was raped and strangled in circumstances similar to the Davis and Hellams murders.
Spencer's final known victim, Susan Tucker, 44, is believed to have been raped and murdered in her condominium in Arlington, Virginia, on or about November 27, 1987. However, her body was not found in her apartment until December 1, 1987. Despite the change in location, her injuries left detectives certain that her death was caused by the murderer now dubbed by the press as the ""Southside Strangler"".
On January 16, 1988, Rena Chapouris and Michael St. Hilaire were found dead within a few blocks of each other, in circumstances which appeared similar to the previous murders. Though initially thought to be the work of the Southside Strangler, Chapouris' death was subsequently determined to be the work of a copycat, as she had not been raped as previous victims, and St. Hilaire's death was ultimately determined to be a suicide.
Spencer became the first serial killer in the United States to be convicted on the basis of DNA evidence, with David Vasquez being the first to be exonerated following conviction on the basis of contradictory DNA evidence.
Debbie Dudley Davis, a 35-year-old account executive, was murdered between 9:00 p.m. on September 18, 1987, and 9:30 a.m. on September 19, 1987, in her Westover Hills apartment, where Richmond Police discovered her naked body lying on the bed. She had been strangled with a ligature and ratchet-type device. The medical examiner determined that her cause of death was ligature strangulation.
Dr. Susan Hellams was murdered in her West 31st St. home on the night of October 2, 1987, or the early morning of October 3, 1987. The police were called by her husband after he returned home and discovered her partially clothed body on the floor of the couple's bedroom closet. Hellams was a resident in neurosurgery at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond. Her attacker apparently gained access to the house by cutting out a large portion of a second-story bedroom window screen. The medical examiner determined that the cause of Hellams' death was ligature strangulation, apparently caused by two belts found around her neck.
On November 22, 1987, Diane Cho, a 15-year-old high school student, was found in her family's apartment located on Gavilan Court in Chesterfield County, near Richmond. She too was raped and strangled in circumstances similar to the Davis and Hellams murders.
Spencer's final known victim, Susan Tucker, 44, is believed to have been raped and murdered in her condominium in Arlington, Virginia, on or about November 27, 1987. However, her body was not found in her apartment until December 1, 1987. Despite the change in location, her injuries left detectives certain that her death was caused by the murderer now dubbed by the press as the ""Southside Strangler"".
On January 16, 1988, Rena Chapouris and Michael St. Hilaire were found dead within a few blocks of each other, in circumstances which appeared similar to the previous murders. Though initially thought to be the work of the Southside Strangler, Chapouris' death was subsequently determined to be the work of a copycat, as she had not been raped as previous victims, and St. Hilaire's death was ultimately determined to be a suicide.