Donald Leroy Evans
| Donald Evans | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Donald Leroy Evans |
| Also known as | Don, Donny, Hi Hitler |
| Born | 5 July 1957 Watervliet, Michigan |
| Died | 5 January 1999 |
| Cause of death | Stabbed in shower by fellow death row inmate at the Mississippi State Penitentiary. |
| Penalty | Death Penalty |
| Killings | |
| Number of victims | 3 confirmed - Claimed more than 70 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | Florida, Louisiana |
| Date apprehended | 1991 |
Donald Leroy Evans (July 5, 1957 – January 5, 1999) was an American serial killer who murdered at least three people from 1985 to 1991. He was known for confessing to killing victims at parks and rest areas across 20 states.
Arrest and conviction
In 1991, Evans was arrested in Louisiana for the kidnapping of a 10-year-old girl. He confessed to the killing and led the authorities to the girl's body. He also confessed to killing more than 70 other people in over 20 different states. Most of the murders and rapes took place at rest stops and public parks. The authorities were originally skeptical of Evans' claims, but two of his descriptions were perfect matches to unsolved cases across Florida. He successfully escaped the Harrison County Jail, but was recaptured a short time later. In 1993 he was tried and convicted for the kidnapping, rape, strangulation, and murder of 10-year-old Beatrice Routh, and sentenced to death. In 1995, Florida authorities tried and convicted Evans for the strangulation death of Ira Jean Smith.
Evans was stabbed to death in 1999 by a fellow death row inmate at the Mississippi State Penitentiary.
Victims
- Ira Jean Smith (Black, female, 38, 3-7-1985)
- Janet Movich (White, female, 38, 4-14-1985)
- Beatrice Routh (White, female, 10, 8-1-1991)
Bibliography
- Beattie, Robert. Nightmare in Wichita: The Hunt for the BTK Strangler. New American Library, 2005. ISBN 0-451-21738-1.
- Davis, Jeffrey M. The Shadow of Evil: Where Is God in a Violent World?. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, 1996. ISBN 0-7872-1981-9. (Davis is the son of BTK victim Dolores Davis.)
- Douglas, John E. Inside the Mind of BTK: The True Story Behind Thirty Years of Hunting for the Wichita Serial Killer. Jossey Bass Wiley, 2007. ISBN 978-0-7879-8484-7.
- Singular, Stephen. Unholy Messenger: The Life and Crimes of the BTK Serial Killer. Scribner Book Company, 2006. ISBN 1-4001-5252-6.
- Smith, Carlton. The BTK Murders: Inside the "Bind Torture Kill" Case that Terrified America's Heartland. St. Martin's True Crime, 2006. ISBN 0-312-93905-1.
- Wenzl, Roy; Potter, Tim; Laviana, Hurst; Kelly, L. Bind, Torture, Kill: The Inside Story of the Serial Killer Next Door. HC an imprint of HarperCollins, 2007. ISBN 978-0-06-124650-0.
External links
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Wikinews has related news: Suspect in BTK killings arrested after 25 years in hiding |
