Jeffrey S. Mailhot (born November 9, 1970), also known as The Rhode Island Ripper, is an American serial killer who murdered three prostitutes in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, between 2003 and 2004.[1] After strangling his victims to death, Mailhot dismembered their corpses with a saw, placed them in garbage bags, and threw them in dumpsters. After one of his victims survived, Mailhot was arrested on July 17, 2004, and later sentenced to three life terms in prison.[2] Only the remains of one victim have been found.
Jeffrey S. Mailhot | |
|---|---|
 Mailhot in 2004 | |
| Born | November 9, 1970 |
| Other names | "Rhode Island Ripper" |
| Criminal status | Incarcerated |
| Conviction(s) | Murder (x3) Assault (x2) |
| Criminal penalty | Two consecutive life sentences + 10 years |
| Details | |
Span of crimes | 2003–2004 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | Rhode Island |
| Target(s) | Prostitutes |
| Killed | 3 |
| Injured | 2 |
Date apprehended | July 17, 2004 |
| Imprisoned at | Rhode Island Maximum Security Prison |
Early life edit
Jeffrey Mailhot was born on November 9, 1970. After graduating from Woonsocket High School, he got a job at a paper mill and moved into a first-floor apartment in downtown Woonsocket. Prior to his convictions for the murders, Mailhot had no criminal history. Locals described him as quiet and polite.[3][4]
Murders edit
In February 2003, Mailhot picked up Audrey L. Harris, a 33-year-old prostitute, outside of a Laundromat. After driving her to his apartment, he strangled her to death as soon as they walked inside. Not knowing what to do next, he kept Harris' body in his apartment for a day and a half, until he got an idea from The Sopranos. After watching an episode where an antagonist of the show gets murdered and dismembered in a bath tub, Mailhot bought a bow saw at a hardware store. He then drove back to his apartment, Mailhot put Harris' corpse in his bathtub and proceeded to dismember it with the saw. He then bagged the remains and the saw and threw them in dumpsters in Woonsocket and the surrounding communities.[5] Harris' mother taped missing person posters of her on utility poles after her disappearance.[6]
14 months later, in April 2004, Mailhot murdered 42-year-old Christine C. Dumont, another prostitute. Following the same pattern as the previous murder, he picked her up in his car, strangled her to death in his apartment, dismembered her, and discarded her remains in dumpsters.[5]
In July 2004, Mailhot murdered Stacie K. Goulet, a 24-year-old prostitute, after picking her up from a Fourth of July fireworks show at a local park. He then dismembered her body and disposed of her remains.[5]
Arrest edit
In June 2004, Mailhot, searching for another victim, picked up Jocelin Martel, a then 27-year-old prostitute, outside of the Thundermist health center. When they arrived at his apartment, she asked, "do you want to go to your room or the living room?" As she turned in the opposite direction, he began to choke her. However, Martel headbutted him and poked him in the eye, causing him to stumble back. She took the opportunity to escape.[5] The woman did not report the incident to the police, but law enforcement found out about the altercation after an anonymous male called a tip line and stated, "police might want to talk to Jocelin Martel." Although Martel did not know the name of Mailhot, police figured out his identity from the description she gave of his apartment. She also later identified him through a photograph. Police also connected another surviving victim to Mailhot. The woman previously wrote a criminal complaint accusing him of attacking her.[7]
On July 17, 2004, police arrested Mailhot on the steps to his home. A few hours later, he confessed to the murders and other assaults during his interrogation. During his confession, Mailhot appeared remorseful. He claimed to have committed the murders because he enjoyed trapping his victims. He also claimed that he was glad that he got caught, because "he knew he wasn't going to be able to stop".[5] During a search of his apartment, investigators found blood belonging to Dumont and Harris in Mailhot's bath tub. They also found the saw used to dismember Goulet. Furthermore, police tracked down surveillance footage of Mailhot buying the saw at Lowe's. Wishing to find the remains of the victims, investigators traced the locations of the dumpsters that the victims were discarded in.[8] From this, they searched a landfill in Johnston for 10 days until they located the remains of Goulet.[9][8] However, police were unable to find the remains of the other two victims.
Legal proceedings edit
Mailhot was charged with three counts of first degree murder, one count of assault with the intent to commit murder, and one count of felony assault.[9] On February 16, 2006, he pleaded guilty to all five counts and was sentenced to two terms of life imprisonment plus ten years. He now resides at the Rhode Island Maximum security prison in Cranston.[1] Mailhot will be eligible for parole in 2047, when he is 77.[10]
In media edit
Literature edit
Rosencrance, Linda (2010). Ripper. Pinnacle Books. ISBN 9780786026319.
Television edit
The crimes of Jeffrey Mailhot were covered on season one, episode six, of Oxygen's true crime documentary series Twisted Killers.[9]
References edit
- ^ a b Hall, Susan (2020). The World Encyclopedia of Serial Killers: Volume Three, M–S. WildBlue Press. ISBN 9781952225338.
- ^ "R.I. MAN GUILTY IN THREE MURDERS". The Burlington Free Press. February 16, 2006. p. 2. Retrieved December 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Levenson, Michael (March 5, 2006). "All the while, he was killing women in his living room". The Boston Globe. p. 25. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- ^ "Quiet killer lurked in Woonsocket". The Boston Globe. March 5, 2006. p. 28. Retrieved December 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e "Quiet killer lurked in Woonsocket". The Boston Globe. March 5, 2006. p. 28. Retrieved December 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Missing women linked by troubles". The Daily Advertiser. August 5, 2004. p. 8. Retrieved December 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Levenson, Michael (March 5, 2006). "All the while, he was killing women in his living room". The Boston Globe. p. 25. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- ^ a b "Landfill evidence ID'd as human remains". The Boston Globe. July 30, 2004. p. 26. Retrieved December 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c Dziemianowicz, Joe (February 10, 2022). "Rhode Island Serial Killer Inspired By 'The Sopranos' Murders And Dismembers Women". Oxygen. Archived from the original on April 2, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- ^ Phua, Chelsea (February 16, 2006). "R.I. Man Gets Life for Killing 3 Women". Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 4, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.