The Denver Prostitute Killer was an American

serial killer A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone: * * * * * (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...

responsible for the

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse committed with the necessary Intention (criminal law), intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisd ...

of at least 17 women and girls in

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

and its various suburbs between 1975 and 1995. In 2005, based upon results from DNA profiling, it was determined that the most likely killer was Billy Edwin Reid who was previously arrested and charged with the 1989 murder of Lannell Williams and Lisa Kelly. Reid was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for those specific murders. The killings were grouped together only in 2008 – until then, each of these crimes was considered to have been committed by different people.

Murders

The killer chose young girls and women, aged 15–25, as his victims, most of whom went missing in different areas in Denver and were later found dead. A common pattern was for them to be

hitchhiker Hitchhiking (also known as thumbing, autostop or hitching) is a means of transportation that is gained by asking individuals, usually strangers, for a ride in their car or other vehicle. The ride is usually, but not always, free. Signaling ...

s, to have visited bars or fast food restaurants, and a majority of them being engaged in

prostitution Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, no ...

. The victims were beaten and strangled, and their bodies dumped in the countryside along

Interstate 70 Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15, I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to Interstate 695 (Maryland), I-695 and Maryland Route 570 (MD 570) in Woodlawn, Baltimo ...

. Some of the bodies were posed in humiliating positions. According to investigators, the offender is responsible for the murder of 18-year-old Karolyn Walker, who disappeared on July 4, 1987, after meeting with her fiancé. After being

kidnap Kidnapping or abduction is the unlawful abduction and confinement of a person against their will, and is a crime in many jurisdictions. Kidnapping may be accomplished by use of force or fear, or a victim may be enticed into confinement by frau ...

ped she was

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse, or other forms of sexual penetration, carried out against a person without consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person ...

d and strangled. During the course of the investigation, police found no incriminating evidence or witnesses, despite the fact that Walker likely resisted fiercely, as she was a good swimmer, did

gymnastics Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...

and had considerable physical strength. Other victims include 17-year-old

prostitute Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-pe ...

Kimberly Jean Grabin, who was found raped and strangled on August 18, 1979, near the I-70; 15-year-old Stephanie Ann Bauman, who went missing in October 1980 after hitchhiking to her home. Her naked body was found in a ravine on the outskirts of Denver on October 28. She had been beaten and tortured, after which she lapsed into unconsciousness. The attacker then threw her in the ravine, where Bauman soon died from

hypothermia Hypothermia is defined as a body core temperature below in humans. Symptoms depend on the temperature. In mild hypothermia, there is shivering and mental confusion. In moderate hypothermia, shivering stops and confusion increases. In severe ...

among the thickets of reeds and needles. 18-year-old Donna Wayne went missing on July 14, 1986, after visiting a bar with her friends. Her body was found a month later in the vicinity of

Aurora An aurora ( aurorae or auroras), also commonly known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly observed in high-latitude regions (around the Arc ...

. In all of the killings, the murderer had the same ''

modus operandi A (often shortened to M.O. or MO) is an individual's habits of working, particularly in the context of business or criminal investigations, but also generally. It is a Latin phrase, approximately translated as . Term The term is often used in ...

'', and it is supposed that he committed seven similar murders in Denver, five in Jefferson County and one in

Larimer County Larimer County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 359,066. The county seat and most populous city is Fort Collins, Colorado, Fort Colli ...

Investigation

Since the bodies of many of the Prostitute Killer's victims were found at various stages of decomposition, any fingerprints or biological traces of the suspect could not be located quickly enough, and therefore, the killer's identity is still unknown. A local resident, who was about 30 at the time of the first killings and knew the neighborhood well, was declared a suspect, but never charged. In two instances, police found witnesses who described the criminal as a middle-aged white male. In 2005, based upon results from

DNA profiling DNA profiling (also called DNA fingerprinting and genetic fingerprinting) is the process of determining an individual's deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) characteristics. DNA analysis intended to identify a species, rather than an individual, is cal ...

, 52-year-old Billy Edwin Reid was arrested and charged with the 1989 murders of Lannell Williams and Lisa Kelly. Reid was convicted and sentenced to

life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence (law), sentence of imprisonment under which the convicted individual is to remain incarcerated for the rest of their natural life (or until pardoned or commuted to a fixed term). Crimes that result in life impr ...

. He is suspected of committing several more murders, including some committed by the Denver Prostitute Killer, but no evidence incriminating him has been located. Another possible suspect is Vincent Groves, a man linked to several murders in Denver almost two decades after his death. According to the Denver Police Department, Groves could have been responsible for more than 20 murders of young girls and women in the area, around the same time frame when the Prostitute Killer was active.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Denver Prostitute Killer 1970s in Colorado 1980s in Colorado 1990s crimes in Colorado 20th-century American criminals 20th century in Denver American murderers of children American rapists American torturers Female murder victims Rape in the 1970s Rape in the 1980s Rape in the 1990s Serial killers from Colorado Sex workers murdered in the United States Women in Denver Violence against women in Colorado Unidentified American serial killers Unsolved murders in Colorado Year of birth unknown

Murders

Investigation

See also

References