Possible Serial Killer In Detroit

It appears as though there is a serial killer on the loose in Detroit, who is possibly targeting escorts.

On Monday, Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee held a press conference to inform the public about 4 bodies found in two separate incidences that are most likely connected. In each incident, two women were found deceased in the trunk of a car, and police say that at least 3 of the victims posted escort-type ads on the same web site.

On December 19^th, two women were found dead in the trunk of a 2009 Chrysler 300C, that was parked in the driveway of a vacant home.  There were no outer signs of trauma on the women, and no cause of death has been determined yet. Godbee said that due to the fact that the bodies were hidden inside of the trunk, they are investigating the incident as a homicide. The two victims were identified as cousins Demesha Hunt, 24, and Renisha Landers, 23. According to the Huffington Post, the relatives of Hunt and Landers insist that the girls were not escorts.

On December 25^th, Detroit Fire Department responded to a vehicle fire inside of a garage on the East side. Upon extinguishing the fire, firefighters discovered two bodies in the trunk – both females ages 28 and 29 years old. The bodies have been tentatively identified, but only one name has been released to the public – 29-year-old Vernithea McCrary.

Godbee said police are awaiting the medical examiner’s final report to determine the cause of deaths for the four women.

The Detroit Police Department’s initial investigation has revealed a connection between at least three of the four victims. Each girl had placed an ad on www.backpage.com, a site similar to Craigslist, that offers everything from automotive to real estate services.  Three of the four women apparently have a link to the “pre-arranged adult services section”.

7 Action News is reporting that police are also looking into about a dozen other sites that the women may have posted ads on.

SOURCES:

– http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/region/detroit/police-investigate-more-than-a-dozen-websites-in-womens-murders#ixzz1i1r7KKxh

– http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/detroit-police-say-3-of-4-women-found-dead-in-car-trunks-promoted-themselves-online-as-escorts/2011/12/26/gIQAKnxKJP_story.html

– http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/27/serial-killer-may-be-targ_n_1171583.html

Teen Serial Killer in Canada

Cody Legebokoff, now 21 years old

Cody Legebokoff came off as an average, sports-loving, friendly teenager to everyone who knew him. But according to police, Cody is also a serial killer.

When Cody was first arrested late last year and charged with the murder of 15-year-old Loren Donn Leslie, the local community of Fort St. James, B.C., a town of only 1,500, was in disbelief. Now police say they have enough evidence to link Cody to the slayings of three other women, and there may even be more.

Last week, police announced to the media that they are charging Cody with the murders of Cynthia Frances Maas, 35, Natasha Lynn Montgomery, 23, and Jill Stacey Stuchenko, 35. All three women were allegedly escorts that Cody had possibly met online.

Police say Cody started his crime spree in October 2009, when he was just 19 years old. I’m not sure if this makes him the youngest serial killer in history, but it definitely makes him the youngest one I’ve ever read about.

Cody was arrested in November 2010, after being spotted speeding away from a deserted highway. A police officer pulled up to where he had sped away from, and found Loren’s body.

Police aren’t saying much about the victims or how they died, but if you click here, there are more details about who they were.

How Cody Lured His Victims

Police say Cody went by the username “1Countryboy” and used social media and dating sites to meet his victims. They have gone through thousands of text messages, and say the 10-month investigation is continuing.

Does this guy remind anyone of Phil Markoff aka The Craigslist Killer? From the little boy look to the use of the internet to meet his victims…Cody was also rumored to have had a girlfriend at the time he was arrested, just like Markhoff.

Cody will be tried for all four murders under one indictment, at one trial. There is a hearing scheduled for Monday, and I will post updates below.

SOURCES:

– http://www.torontosun.com/2011/10/19/accused-serial-killer-was-a-totally-typical-kid

– http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/tens-of-thousands-of-text-messages-linked-to-accused-serial-killer/article2205888/

– http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/10/18/cody-alan-legebokoff-suspected-serial-killer/#more-101006

– http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/10/26/bc-legebokoff-direct-indictment.html