Terry Blair (serial killer)
Terry A. Blair (born September 16, 1961) is an American serial killer who was convicted of killing seven women in Kansas City, Missouri, though investigators believe he may have additional unidentified victims.
Terry A. Blair | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | September 16, 1961 |
| Conviction(s) | 1982 2nd degree murder |
| Criminal penalty | 6 life sentences without the possibility of parole |
| Details | |
| Victims | 7 confirmed |
Span of crimes | 1982–2004 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | Missouri |
Date apprehended | September 14, 2004 |
| Imprisoned at | Potosi Correctional Center |
Family history
Terry Blair was born into a family which would have many encounters with the criminal justice system. He was the fourth eldest of ten siblings, and was born to a mother who suffered from mental illness and had only finished the 9th grade. He has two sons, Terry Blair Jr and Marcel Johnson. He has two grandsons, Demarcus and Kemon Johnson. [1]
Crimes
Murder of Angela Monroe in 1982
In 1982, Blair was found guilty of killing Angela Monroe, the mother of two of Blair's children (and pregnant at the time).[2] Blair was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment for this murder and was released on parole after serving 21 years.[3] According to court records he was angry with Monroe for performing acts of prostitution.
Murders 2003–2004
Alerted by a strong odor, a neighbor noticed two women's bodies in the garage of an abandoned home and notified police on September 2, 2004. Late in the evening of September 3, an anonymous male caller contacted 911 dispatch to claim responsibility for killing the two victims discovered the day before, and notified police where to find an additional body hidden in an alley a few blocks away from the first two.[4] The caller contacted 911 again on September 4 to reveal the location of two more victims in an overgrown area near a highway,[4] and promised to call again. He stopped contacting dispatchers after a news station leaked information about how the caller was using a cell phone. Police found several additional murder victims, one of whom had earlier been erroneously classified as a drug overdose, and several women who reported rapes and assaults possibly linked to the murders. All the victims were found in a small radius near Prospect Avenue.
Investigation gradually narrowed down on Blair as a suspect. He was on parole for the 1982 murder of Monroe, and also matched the description given by women who claimed to have survived rapes and physical assaults. A witness claimed Blair had threatened to kill prostitutes. Investigators were not able to tie Blair directly to the cell phone used to make the 911 calls, as it had been stolen and subsequently used only to make emergency 911 calls, but cell tower data established that the calls originated near where he lived.[4] Blair was initially arrested on a parole violation charge, having failed to stay in contact with a probation officer, and was later charged with the homicides.
October 15, 2004, Terry Blair was charged with eight counts of first-degree murder, one count of first-degree assault, and three counts of forcible rape.[5][6] Prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty in exchange for Blair waiving his right to a jury trial, and thus Judge John O'Malley oversaw the bench trial.[2] Two of the murder charges (for Sandra Reed and Nellia Harris) were dropped. The rape and assault charges were also dropped.
Although the evidence was mainly circumstantial, Blair's DNA was found on victim Sheliah McKinzie. Blair's defense was that this item of evidence only proved he had engaged in sex with the victim. The prosecution countered that since she hadn't tidied herself up afterwards, Blair must have been the last to see her alive.[4] Blair denied making the 911 calls, and the prosecution introduced linguistics testimony to confirm their assertion that Blair made the 911 calls. The judge ruled the weight of evidence indicated the voice was Blair's.[4]
Judge O'Malley ruled Blair guilty on March 27, 2008, and he was sentenced to six life sentences with no possibility of parole for these six murders.[7]
Because Blair continues to deny responsibility for the crimes, his motive cannot be understood beyond a compulsion to kill prostitutes.[3]
Blair is currently housed in the Potosi Correctional Center in Mineral Point, Missouri.
Blair appealed his conviction, but his appeal was denied by the Missouri Court of Appeals in August, 2009.[4]
List of victims
Below is the list of victims Terry Blair was convicted of killing:
- Angela Monroe
- Anna Ewing, 42, died on or before July 14, 2004.[8][9]
- Patricia Wilson Butler, 58, died on or before September 2, 2004.[9]
- Sheliah McKinzie, 38, died on or before September 2, 2004.[9]
- Darci I. Williams, 25, died on or before September 4, 2004.[9]
- Carmen Hunt, 40. September 4, 2004.[2]
- Claudette Juniel, 31, died on or before September 4, 2004.[2]
Blair was also accused in the murders of Sandra Reed and Nellia Harris, an additional assault, and three other rapes, but these charges were later dropped.[2]
In media
Blair's crimes are featured in the episodes "A Serial Killer Calls" and "The Killer Speaks" of the television show The First 48.[10]
References
- CourtTV news story Archived May 2, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- "Blair Found Guilty On All Murder Counts". KMBC.com. 27 March 2008. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
- Twiddy, David (27 March 2008). "Judge convicts Kansas City man of killing 6 women". Southeast Missourian. Associated Press. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
- State v. Blair, WD 69602 (Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District 18 August 2009).
- Circuit Court Docket Sheet Archived 2011-07-24 at the Wayback Machine 16th Judicial Circuit. 6 December 2004
- Indictment Archived 2011-07-24 at the Wayback Machine 04CR203141. Circuit Court of Jackson County Missouri. 3 December 2004
- "Blair Sentenced To Life Without Parole". KMBC.com. 24 April 2008. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
- "Police Identify Woman Found Dead Outside KC Apartment". KMBC.com. 14 July 2004. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
- "6th Body Linked To 5 Others Found In K.C. Neighborhood". KMBC.com. 5 September 2004. Archived from the original on 13 February 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
- IMDb