Maury Travis: Difference between revisions
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From May to October 2001 four other women were tortured and strangled: Teresa Wilson, Verona Thompson, Yvonne Crues and Brenda Beasley. ''[[The St. Louis Post-Dispatch]]'' ran a profile piece on Wilson, and Travis responded to it anonymously with a letter and a map. The letter had a return address of I THRALLDOM, a web bondage site, but no other identification.<ref name="suhr020611" /> However, the map was recognized to have come from [[Expedia.com]], and further investigation traced it back to Travis, who was arrested.<ref name="suhr020611" /><ref name="trutv" /> |
From May to October 2001 four other women were tortured and strangled: Teresa Wilson, Verona Thompson, Yvonne Crues and Brenda Beasley. ''[[The St. Louis Post-Dispatch]]'' ran a profile piece on Wilson, and Travis responded to it anonymously with a letter and a map. The letter had a return address of I THRALLDOM, a web bondage site, but no other identification.<ref name="suhr020611" /> However, the map was recognized to have come from [[Expedia.com]], and further investigation traced it back to Travis, who was arrested.<ref name="suhr020611" /><ref name="trutv" /> |
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In the letter he said, "I'll tell you where many others are." And then: "To prove I'm real, here's directions to number seventeen."<ref name="lat617" /> Travis was arrested on a Federal criminal complaint and, while in the custody of the U.S. |
In the letter he said, "I'll tell you where many others are." And then: "To prove I'm real, here's directions to number seventeen."<ref name="lat617" /> Travis was arrested on a Federal criminal complaint and, while in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service, was housed at a St. Louis County jail facility in Clayton, Missouri.<ref name="suhr020612" /> Investigators discovered a torture chamber at Travis' residence, instruments of torture, a stun gun, newspaper clippings of some of his crimes, and videotapes of Travis committing some of his crimes.<ref name="abc" /> |
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==Death== |
==Death== |
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Revision as of 14:38, 18 September 2014
Maury Travis | |
|---|---|
 Mugshot of Travis | |
| Born | Maury Troy Travis October 25, 1965 |
| Died | June 10, 2002 (aged 36) |
| Cause of death | Suicide |
| Details | |
| Victims | 12-17 |
Span of crimes | 2000–2002 |
| Country | USA |
| State(s) | Missouri |
Date apprehended | June 7, 2002 |
Maury Troy Travis (October 25, 1965 – June 10, 2002) was an American serial killer from Ferguson, Missouri, who committed suicide in a St. Louis county jail, after being arrested for murder. Travis was named in a Federal criminal complaint for the murders of two women. At the time of the murders, Travis was a waiter and on parole for a 1989 robbery. While in his letter Travis claimed to have murdered 17 women, some authorities were doubtful;[1][2][3] others thought he may have murdered up to 20 women.[4]
Known victims
At least one videotape of Travis murdering and/or persecuting some of his victims was found in the search of his home. He is believed with some certainty to have killed two women, Alysia Greenwade, whose body was discovered 1 April 2001 in Illinois (after having been last seen in Missouri), and Betty James, whose body was discovered about two months later in Missouri (after having been last seen in Illinois).[2] Although Travis appears to acknowledge at least 17 murders, the police believe his victim count could be as high as 20.
Investigation
From May to October 2001 four other women were tortured and strangled: Teresa Wilson, Verona Thompson, Yvonne Crues and Brenda Beasley. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch ran a profile piece on Wilson, and Travis responded to it anonymously with a letter and a map. The letter had a return address of I THRALLDOM, a web bondage site, but no other identification.[2] However, the map was recognized to have come from Expedia.com, and further investigation traced it back to Travis, who was arrested.[2][5]
In the letter he said, "I'll tell you where many others are." And then: "To prove I'm real, here's directions to number seventeen."[3] Travis was arrested on a Federal criminal complaint and, while in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service, was housed at a St. Louis County jail facility in Clayton, Missouri.[6] Investigators discovered a torture chamber at Travis' residence, instruments of torture, a stun gun, newspaper clippings of some of his crimes, and videotapes of Travis committing some of his crimes.[4]
Death
Before he could be put on trial or sentenced for the crimes, Travis hanged himself on June 10, 2002, in his jail cell in St. Louis County Jail.[6]
In the media
Forensic Files covered the story of his crime spree. The episode was titled "X Marks the Spot". Cold Case Files also covered the story, in an episode entitled "A Map To Murder". "Evil" also covered this story in an episode entitled "Hell's Basement".
After watching the documentary on the A&E network, the current tenant of Travis' house found out about the house's history, that meaning his mother is her landlord who would not return the money or break the lease when confronted.
References
- ^ "Internet Used to Find Man Charged in 2 of 10 Killings". The New York Times. 11 June 2002. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
- ^ a b c d Suhr, Jim (11 June 2002). "Man charged with deaths of prostitutes". Southeast Missourian. Associated Press (via). Retrieved 2 May 2012.
- ^ a b Simon, Stephanie (17 June 2002). "Virtual Trail Led to Serial Killer Suspect". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
- ^ a b "Serial killer's home movies". ABC Primetime. ABC News. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
- ^ Ramsland, Katherine. "Murder Cop: A Profile of Vernon J. Geberth". truTV Crime Library. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
- ^ a b Suhr, Jim (12 June 2002). "Inmate's Suicide Won't Stall Probe". The Southeast Missourian. Associated Press (via). Retrieved 2 May 2012.