louisiana serial killer of white women houma la

He told authorities about accepting a ride from a white man who had a picture of an attractive woman on his dashboard. Leads emerged, but many of them turned into dead ends.Ī break in the case came when Ricky Wallace, a parolee in Terrebonne Parish, came forward. Police and sheriff pooled their resources and redoubled their efforts. The Louisiana Attorney General’s Office started a task force. Seven months later, the homicide count numbered 21. By February 2005 there were six more victims, both African American and Caucasian. In October 2002 in Houma, a community about 15 miles from Jefferson Parish, a series of homicides mirroring the earlier ones began. Investigators, who continued to work the cases, questioned whether the killer had died or been incarcerated. Rage as well as sexual deviancy can drive such murders, he added.īut by 2000, the murders came to a sudden halt. The mark of a murder by strangulation is “very interpersonal,” forensic neuropsychologist John Fabian told producers. By the end of 1999, the body count had risen to nine. The crime scenes were basically the same, as was the cause of death: strangulation. Over the next couple of years, more bodies “popped up,” said investigators. There were no defensive wounds.įull Episode Watch More 'Mark Of A Serial Killer' Episodes In Our Free App The coroner determined the victim, Manuel Reed, 21, had been strangled and sexually assaulted. Then the body of another Black man was found in Kenner, another community in the investigators’ jurisdiction. This effort failed to move the investigation further. A composite sketch was released to a local newspaper and French Quarter gay establishments, according to investigators. “Mitchell’s lifestyle was similar to Oliver’s background,” said Thornton.Ī witness came forward with a description of a white man Mitchell was with before his murder. There were no defensive wounds but there were signs of sexual assault. The autopsy revealed the death was caused by strangulation and neck compression. This victim, identified as Mitchell Johnson, 34, also had ligature marks. In August 1999 investigators were called to another murder at the same location where LeBanks’ body was found. Ten months passed and no leads were turned up.

“There was an indication that he would hang out on the street corner and possibly engage with passersby, other males, potentially to have a sexual encounter.” The father of five children, LeBanks “was unemployed at the time,” said Thornton.

Louisiana serial killer of white women houma la