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particular tire was only manufactured for a three-year period, which ended in 2003. Only 90 purchases of the tire had been made in the Baton Rouge area. Soon, after obtaining a DNA swab of Gillis and matching it to evidence found on some of the victims' bodies, authorities arrested Gillis on April 29, 2004. He was charged with various crimes at different times as investigators worked to find evidence to support his confession to the other murders.
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Schmidt with his car, knocking her into a ditch. He got out and placed heavy-duty wire plastic wrap tightly around her neck and forced her into the car. He drove to a park off of
Highland Road and raped her. After killing her, he put her nude corpse into the trunk of his car, a white Chevy Cavalier, and left it there until dumping it two days later.
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377:, was apprehended on May 27, 2003. When certain cases could not be linked to Lee, investigators began to wonder if another serial killer had been in operation at the same time. Lee began his killing in 1992, but between 1994 and 2003, there were two other serial killers silently and secretly targeting women in the Baton Rouge area.
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She was so drunk it only took about a minute and a half to succumb to unconsciousness and then death. Honestly, her last words were "I can't breathe". I still puzzle over the post mortem dismemberment and cutting. There must be something deep in my subconscious that really needs that kind of macabre
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Years later after he had been arrested and convicted for some of his murders, a friend of one of his victims wrote to him. She turned his replies over to the prosecution, and some of Gillis' words made it into the news. Gillis expressed remorse for the murders, particularly regretting his mutilating
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Donna
Bennett Johnston, 43 years old, was Gillis' eighth and final victim. In February 2004, he raped her and strangled her with a nylon tie wrap. Gillis mutilated her body post-mortem, slashing her breasts, cutting off her left nipple, gouging out a tattoo on her right thigh, and severing her left
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Gillis once claimed he began killing because of "stress". His first murder, which he confessed to after his arrest, was of 82-year-old Ann Bryan in March 1994. He intended to rape her, but became frightened when she screamed as he touched her. To stop her screaming, Gillis slit her throat and then
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area. He spent three weeks driving around the area looking for her. Around 5:30 a.m. on May 30, 1999, a Sunday, he saw 52-year-old Hardee
Schmidt jogging on Quail Run Drive. Two days later her body was found in a bayou off of Highway 61 in St. James Parish. Gillis later confessed that he hit
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In April 2004, tire tracks found near the body of Donna
Bennett Johnston were used to track Gillis. The tracks were from a unique set of tires from which the Louisiana State Crime Lab was able to determine the brand, model, and type of tire. They were able to narrow it when they found that this
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After his arrest, police found 45 digital pictures, downloaded to his computer, of
Johnston's mutilated body, as well as photos of her corpse in the trunk of his car. Many other photos were found of other victims, some of which were used at his various trials for first-degree murder. In the end,
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Initially, he was arrested and charged for the murders of
Katherine Hall, Johnnie Mae Williams, and Donna Bennett Johnston. He stood trial for these crimes on July 21, 2008, and he was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison after the jury deadlocked in the penalty phase.
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in the murders of 29-year-old
Katherine Hall, 45-year-old Johnnie Mae Williams and 43-year-old Donna Bennett Johnston. Gillis confessed to the murders with little coercion and then informed investigators about five other women whom he had murdered.
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Gillis was born June 24, 1962, in Baton Rouge and was raised in southern
Louisiana. He was the son of Yvonne and Norman Gillis. His father abandoned the family soon after his birth. Gillis was raised by his mother and his grandparents.
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The previous year, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was convicted in the killing of 36-year-old Joyce
Williams. Gillis is currently incarcerated at
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Gillis brutally raped and murdered eight women. He kept body parts in his home as souvenirs and photos to stimulate him as he remembered the murders.
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the bodies, and described himself as "pure evil". Gillis also said that he sometimes committed murder without knowing why he was doing so.
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His rap sheet began in 1980 when he was 17 years old, with minor infractions. Throughout the years he was arrested for traffic citations,
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In letters exchanged between Gillis and a friend of
Johnston, Tammie Purpera, Gillis explains her murder and even expresses remorse:
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stabbed her 50 times. He left her body there at her residence, St. James Place (an exclusive retirement home in Baton Rouge).
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covered Sean Vincent Gillis in the episode "209. A Ghost's Recliner and the PTA of Covens," which aired in February 2021. 3,
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Gillis continued killing for five more years, the murders unconnected and his presence unknown to law enforcement.
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arm at the elbow. Her body was found on February 27, 2004, in a drainage canal near Ben Hur Road, south of
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covered Sean Vincent Gillis in the episode "Monster in my Room," which aired in February 2018.
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More attention was paid to cold cases of murdered women when another serial killer,
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in the episode "A Twisted Mind", and in another Investigation Discovery series,
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In May 1999, Gillis began stalking a woman he had seen jogging in the south
594:, Season 3, episode 3, "Do Her Mortal Harm" which aired September 21, 2021.
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Life without the possibility of parole, probation or suspension of sentence
681:""Pure Evil": The Disturbing Crimes Of Serial Killer Sean Vincent Gillis"
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742:"Baton Rouge Serial Killer Sean Vincent Gillis Finally Goes to Trial"
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showed clips from his interrogation in an episode about another
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American serial killer, rapist, cannibal, stalker and kidnapper
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from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially
798:"Prosecutors Plan To Use Letters & Video Against Gillis"
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Tammie Purpera, who died in 2005 of complications from
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Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Louisiana
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Gillis' case was featured on season 1, episode 14 of
825:"Gillis' mother takes stand during sentencing phase"
1032:American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment
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771:Causey, Adam (Chief Staff Writer) (3 May 2004).
882:"Both sides give reaction to Gillis sentencing"
709:"Judge: Gillis Jury Can See Confession Letters"
221:. He committed his first known murder in 1994.
610:In 2022 he was covered by the television show
541:aired an episode about him and his confession.
773:"Serial killer booked with two more murders"
1087:Violence against women in the United States
646:"Gillis Confession Solves Two More Murders"
627:List of serial killers in the United States
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732:
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597:In 2021 he was portrayed by British actor
290:about living persons that is unsourced or
361:Learn how and when to remove this message
517:made an episode about him in season six.
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1062:People convicted of murder by Louisiana
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746:Investigation Discovery: Bizarre Crimes
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857:. Season 6. 2014. Sky. Archived from
656:Channel 9 Baton Rouge. Archived from
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616:, in an episode named "The Monster".
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172:(born June 24, 1962) is an American
1027:American people convicted of murder
129:March 1994 – February 2004
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1067:People from Baton Rouge, Louisiana
880:Shannon, Jim (December 17, 2009).
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997:1994 murders in the United States
679:DeLong, William (16 July 2018).
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1007:21st-century American criminals
1002:20th-century American criminals
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823:Shannon, Jim (August 4, 2008).
748:. July 22, 2008. Archived from
584:Gillis' was the subject of the
552:made two episode about him and
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831:. WAFB Channel 9 Baton Rouge
418:Louisiana State Penitentiary
268:biography of a living person
73:The Other Baton Rouge Killer
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685:All That Is Interesting
586:Investigation Discovery
579:And That's Why We Drink
494:Investigation Discovery
480:Donna Bennett Johnston
282:Please help by adding
851:"Sean Vincent Gillis"
591:Signs of a Psychopath
310:"Sean Vincent Gillis"
249:Arrest and conviction
35:Mugshot taken in 2004
937:"Monster in my Room"
752:on November 11, 2012
559:In 2018 the TV show
538:Criminal Confessions
473:Johnnie Mae Williams
288:Contentious material
192:and three counts of
95:Second degree murder
1017:American kidnappers
917:. Discovery Channel
715:. September 1, 2006
478:February 26, 2004:
450:November 12, 1999:
190:first degree murder
170:Sean Vincent Gillis
125:Span of crimes
90:First degree murder
23:Sean Vincent Gillis
1042:Crime in Louisiana
1012:American cannibals
804:. October 12, 2004
499:The Devil You Know
464:October 20, 2000:
438:Katherine Ann Hall
266:This section of a
861:on 1 October 2018
604:Most Evil Killers
601:in season six of
599:Nicholas Benjamin
561:Murder By Numbers
529:Crime Watch Daily
522:It Takes a Killer
471:October 9, 2003:
436:January 4, 1999:
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554:Derrick Todd Lee
550:Evidence of Evil
459:Lillian Robinson
429:March 21, 1994:
385:in Baton Rouge.
375:Derrick Todd Lee
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969:. Retrieved
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1057:Necrophiles
992:1962 births
971:February 8,
756:January 22,
664:January 22,
239:Baton Rouge
182:Baton Rouge
58:Baton Rouge
986:Categories
719:August 18,
633:References
321:newspapers
201:Early life
47:1962-06-24
921:March 18,
835:March 18,
565:Louisiana
431:Ann Bryan
273:citations
215:marijuana
186:Louisiana
148:Louisiana
62:Louisiana
1082:Stalking
962:"LISTEN"
886:wafb.com
808:16 April
621:See also
548:TV show
544:In 2018
535:In 2017
511:In 2014
299:libelous
143:State(s)
782:22 June
777:LSU Now
588:series
576:podcast
496:series
424:Victims
393:action.
335:scholar
229:Murders
134:Country
116:Victims
111:Details
865:30 Sep
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217:, and
64:, U.S.
342:JSTOR
328:books
973:2021
948:2019
923:2012
897:2014
890:WAFB
867:2018
837:2012
829:WAFB
810:2020
802:WAFB
784:2018
758:2016
721:2021
692:2019
666:2016
654:WAFB
650:WAFB
574:The
482:, 43
475:, 45
468:, 38
461:, 52
454:, 36
447:, 52
440:, 29
433:, 81
399:AIDS
314:news
275:for
176:and
41:Born
546:CBS
211:DUI
988::
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