Faryion Wardrip

Overview

Faryion Edward Wardrip (born March 6, 1959) is a notorious American serial killer and rapist currently on death row. He is responsible for the sexual assaults and murders of five women in Texas—four in Wichita Falls and one in Fort Worth—between late 1984 and mid-1986. Each victim was white, aged between 20 and 25, weighed under 120 pounds (54 kg), and stood shorter than 5 feet 6 inches (170 cm).

Quick Facts

• Born: March 6, 1959 (age 66)
• Birthplace: Salem, Indiana, U.S.
• Criminal Status: On death row
• Convictions:
  • Capital murder (3 counts)
  • Murder (2 counts)
• Criminal Penalty:
  • 35 years in prison (1986; paroled after 11 years)
  • Death (1999)

Details

• Victims: 5
• Span of Crimes: 1984–1986
• Country: United States
• State: Texas
• Locations:
  • Denton County
  • Archer County
  • Tarrant County
  • Wichita County
• Weapons: Knife
• Date Apprehended:
  • May 9, 1986 (for the murder of T. Kimbrew)
  • February 14, 1999 (for the murders of T. Simms, T. Gibbs, E. Blau, and D. Taylor)
• Imprisoned at: Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Polunsky Unit, Livingston, Texas

Investigation and Arrest

The case against Wardrip is particularly intriguing due to the complications arising from the murders occurring across various jurisdictions. Initially, law enforcement agencies—the Wichita Falls Police Department, the Wichita County Sheriff's Department, and the Archer County Sheriff's Department—conducted separate investigations. This disjointed approach led to significant delays in capturing Wardrip, as media reports noted.

Just 72 hours after he committed the murder of Tina Kimbrew on May 6, 1986, Wardrip himself called the authorities to confess. Following his conviction, he was sentenced to 35 years in prison but was released on parole in December 1997 after serving less than a third of his sentence. As part of his parole, he was fitted with an ankle monitor to track his movements, which were restricted primarily to work, home, and church.

In 1999, the Wichita County District Attorney's Office reopened investigations into the unsolved murders of Wardrip's victims. DNA evidence collected from two murder scenes was linked to the same perpetrator. Given Wardrip's previous conviction for Kimbrew's murder, detectives started to suspect he might be involved in these cold cases. With no national DNA database for violent offenders at the time, authorities placed Wardrip under surveillance and managed to collect a DNA sample from a discarded coffee cup. This sample matched DNA evidence from both Terry Sims and Toni Gibbs, leading to his arrest on February 14, 1999. During questioning, Wardrip confessed to all four murders, revealing a chilling pattern of violence.

On November 9, 1999, Wardrip was sentenced to death for the murder of Sims and received three additional life sentences for the other killings.

Background

Faryion Edward Wardrip was born into a modest family on March 6, 1959, in Salem, Indiana, as the first child of George and Diana Wardrip. He has two younger brothers. There are no reports of significant abuse during his upbringing, but he dropped out of high school in the twelfth grade. In 1978, at the age of 19, he joined the United States National Guard, but after six years of service, he was discharged under less-than-honorable conditions due to substance abuse and multiple absences without leave (AWOL).

In 1983, Wardrip married Johnna D. Jackson, with whom he had two children. The couple's relationship quickly deteriorated due to Wardrip's ongoing struggles with drug and alcohol abuse. By December 1985, Johnna had separated from him, taking their children with her, and filed for divorce, which was finalized in October 1986.

Murders

Terry Sims

Victim: Terry Lee Sims, aged 20

On December 20, 1984, Terry Sims, an EKG specialist at Bethania Hospital, was last seen when she left work with a colleague. After being dropped off at her apartment around 12:30 a.m., Sims was brutally attacked. Upon returning home the next morning, her friend discovered the apartment ransacked and Sims lifeless on the bathroom floor, having been sexually assaulted and stabbed.

Wardrip had targeted Sims seemingly at random and, after she attempted to lock him out of her apartment, he forced his way in, binding her hands with an electrical cord. A semen sample and a fingerprint discovered at the scene remained unlinked for years until advancements in DNA technology would later reveal Wardrip as the perpetrator.

Toni Gibbs

Victim: Toni Jean Gibbs, aged 23

On January 19, 1985, Toni Gibbs disappeared after finishing her shift at Wichita General Hospital. She encountered Wardrip while he was wandering around after a night of drinking. Offering him a ride, she unwittingly drove him to an isolated area where he assaulted and killed her. Gibbs' body was found two days later, just before what would have been her 24th birthday, with eight stab wounds indicating a brutal attack.

Debra Taylor

Victim: Debra Sue Taylor, aged 25

Wardrip's next victim, Debra Taylor, was murdered on March 24, 1985. After meeting her at a bar, he offered to drive her home. When she rejected his sexual advances, he killed her, leaving her body at a construction site in Fort Worth. Initially, investigators suspected her husband, who passed several polygraph tests, but Wardrip's confession in 1999 changed the narrative completely.

Ellen Blau

Victim: Ellen Blau, aged 21

On September 20, 1985, Ellen Blau was abducted as she walked to her car after finishing her shift as a waitress. Wardrip forced her to drive to a secluded area where he strangled her to death. Her body was found weeks later in an advanced state of decomposition, complicating the identification process.

Tina Kimbrew

Victim: Tina Elizabeth Kimbrew, aged 21

On May 6, 1986, Wardrip killed Kimbrew in her apartment, suffocating her with a pillow. Afterward, he called police, confessing to the murder. At this point, he was already a convicted murderer but was still out on parole, creating a perfect storm for further criminal behavior.

1999 Convictions

Detective John Little's cold case investigation into the unsolved murders of Sims, Gibbs, and Blau unveiled crucial evidence linking Wardrip to these crimes. With no DNA sample on file, he cleverly secured a sample from a coffee cup used by Wardrip during a break at work. This match led to Wardrip's arrest, and he ultimately confessed to all four murders.

Despite a federal magistrate's recommendation for a new sentencing trial in 2008 due to ineffective defense during his trial, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals dismissed Wardrip's appeal for inadequate representation in December 2014. His efforts for a new trial were denied by the Federal court of appeals in September 2020, reinstating his death sentence.

In Popular Culture

Several works have delved into the chilling case of Faryion Wardrip:

Books

• Body Hunter by Patricia Springer (2001) – A true crime account based on Wardrip's crimes.
• Dark Dreams by Roy Hazelwood & Stephen G. Michaud (2001) – Features a chapter profiling Wardrip.
• Scream at the Sky by Carlton Stowers (2003) – Inspired by Wardrip's account of his murders.
• Criminal Cold Cases by Charlotte Greig (2011) – Discusses Wardrip's life on parole and his subsequent crimes.

Television

• The New Detectives (Discovery Channel, 2001) – An episode titled "To Kill Again" highlights forensics that led to Wardrip's capture.
• Cold Case Files (A&E, 2001) – Features an episode titled "Killer in the County."
• Forensic Files (TruTV, 2002) – An episode titled "Sip of Sins" covers the case.

Sources

• Faryion Wardrip - Wikipedia