To Kill Again | FULL EPISODE | The New Detectives
The New Detectives・29 minutes read
New forensic techniques help solve a series of murders in Texas and California, leading to the apprehension of serial killers Wardrip and Puente through DNA profiling and toxicology analysis. The murderers were convicted and sentenced for their crimes, with Puente receiving a life sentence without parole for her mass murders in Sacramento.
Insights
- New forensic techniques were crucial in establishing a link among murders, leading to the identification of a serial killer in Texas who remained undetected for 11 years.
- Through the expertise of toxicologist William Phillips, the presence of the sedative fluorazepam was linked to Dorothea Puente's boarding house, where victims were drugged and buried in the backyard. This groundbreaking forensic analysis provided the evidence needed to convict Puente of multiple murder charges, showcasing the importance of scientific advancements in solving complex criminal cases.
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Recent questions
Who was convicted of multiple murder charges in 1993?
Dorothea Puente
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Summary
00:00
"Unmasking the Texas Serial Killer"
- A serial killer in Texas remains undetected for 11 years.
- Police identify a suspect, but their case is initially discarded.
- New forensic techniques are hoped to establish a link among the murders.
- A missing person's case in California leads to a secret burial ground.
- An unlikely suspect becomes the focus of a mass murder investigation.
- Science is sought to unmask the murderer behind a kindly facade.
- Homicide investigators uncover seemingly insignificant clues.
- Lisa Boone finds her friend Terry Sims murdered in their apartment.
- DNA profiling in 1984 is used to link a killer to the crime scene.
- Biological samples from victims Terry Sims and Tony Gibbs match, revealing a serial killer.
23:22
"Serial Killer Dorothea Puente's Arrest"
- Investigators found a shoe in a direction suggesting the defendant had taken it off the victim's foot.
- Wardrip was arrested on February 13, 1999, for the murder of Terry Simms.
- Wardrip was charged with the murders of Terry Simms, Tony Gibbs, and Ellen Blau.
- Wardrip confessed to five murders and was sentenced to death in one case.
- In Sacramento, social worker Judy Moyes reported Bert Montoya missing, leading to police involvement.
- Dorothea Puente ran a boarding house where Bert Montoya had disappeared from.
- Police discovered human remains in Dorothea Puente's backyard, leading to a search for more bodies.
- Seven bodies were found buried in Dorothea Puente's yard, indicating she was a mass murderer.
- Police found evidence linking Dorothea Puente to the murders, including twine, duct tape, and sedatives.
- Dorothea Puente was apprehended in Los Angeles after a tip from an elderly man who recognized her from TV.
45:00
Toxicologist links sedative to boarding house murders.
- Victims of a series of murders were identified through medical records provided by social security, but the cause of death remained unknown, hindering murder investigations. Police sought the expertise of toxicologist William Phillips in November 1988 to analyze tissue samples from the victims using a radioamino acid test, revealing the presence of the sedative fluorazepam, linking it to Dorothea Puente's boarding house where the drug was found.
- Phillips further utilized a tandem mass spectrometer to detect the drug's concentration in the samples, although varying levels due to bodies being underground for different periods made it challenging to determine if the drug caused the deaths. Despite this, all samples were linked to Puente, providing enough evidence for police to charge her with the murder of her tenants, revealing her method of charming residents, drugging them, and burying their bodies in her backyard. Puente was convicted of multiple murder charges in 1993, receiving a life sentence without parole.
