The Dark Symphony of Melvin Rees

Prelude: A Killer's Overture

Melvin David Rees, born in 1928, was not just any ordinary man. Known in some circles as "The Sex Beast," he was an American serial killer whose reign of terror spanned from 1957 to 1959, claiming at least five lives across Virginia and Maryland. Rees's gruesome legacy began with the murder and subsequent sexual assault of Margaret Harold, the girlfriend of an Army sergeant, during a chilling highway encounter near Annapolis. Two years later, he struck again, torturing and killing the entire Jackson family near Fredericksburg, Virginia. Though convicted of these heinous acts, Rees confessed to two additional murders, leaving authorities to suspect his involvement in even more atrocities. Eventually, his crimes led to life sentences in federal court and Maryland, with a death sentence in Virginia, though execution was never carried out due to concerns about his mental health. Rees died in prison on October 26, 1995.

Early Life: Setting the Stage

Little is known about Rees's early years, though whispers suggest he was born in the United Kingdom and disowned before being sent to America at a young age. His educational journey took him through Edwards Military Institute in North Carolina and the Woodward School for Boys in Washington, D.C., before he graduated from Hyattsville High School in Maryland. In October 1946, Rees joined the Army, serving as a military musician in Europe until his discharge in 1953. Upon returning to the United States, he enrolled at the University of Maryland in College Park, where he earned a reputation as a gifted musician, adept with the saxophone, piano, and clarinet. Despite his talent, Rees left the university to pursue a career in jazz, performing at clubs throughout Washington, D.C.

In July 1954, Rees wed fellow university student Elaine Rachmaninoff, a marriage that lasted five years, producing a son named Philip. In 1955, Rees was arrested for assaulting a 36-year-old woman, though charges were dropped when the victim chose not to press them. By 1959, Rees was living with actress and topless dancer Pat Barrington in Hyattsville, Maryland. Later, the couple relocated to West Memphis, Arkansas, where Rees found temporary work in a piano shop. It was here, on June 24, 1960, that authorities apprehended him.

The Murders: A Symphony of Violence

Margaret Harold: The First Note

On June 26, 1957, the serene journey of Margaret Harold and her Army sergeant boyfriend near Annapolis, Maryland, was shattered when Rees, driving a green Chrysler, forced them off the road. Approaching their car with a nickel-plated .38 revolver, Rees demanded cigarettes and money. When refused, he shot Harold point-blank in the face. The soldier fled, eventually reaching a farmhouse to call the police. Meanwhile, Rees stripped and sexually assaulted Harold's lifeless body.

A search of the area led authorities to an abandoned building where they found violent pornographic images and autopsy photos of female corpses plastered on the walls. Among these disturbing artifacts was a yearbook photo of Wanda Tipton, a 1945 University of Maryland graduate. Contacted by police, Tipton denied knowing the tall, dark-haired man described by the soldier. With scant leads and the limitations of 1957 forensic science, Harold's murder remained unsolved until Rees struck again.

The Jackson Family: A Tragic Quartet

On January 11, 1959, the Jackson family—Carroll, Mildred, and their young daughters Janet and Susan—vanished after a visit to relatives in Apple Grove. Their disappearance puzzled investigators, as the Jacksons were a typical family with no known enemies. A relative, driving home from the same reunion, found Carroll Jackson's car abandoned but undisturbed. Despite a massive search, the family remained missing.

The tragic discovery came on March 4, when two men stumbled upon Carroll Jackson's decomposing body in a ditch, shot in the back of the head with his hands tied. Beneath him lay 18-month-old Janet, who had been suffocated under her father's weight. On March 21, the bodies of Mildred and Susan were found in a forest near Annapolis, revealing horrific signs of torture and pre-mortem sexual assault.

The Investigation: A Search for the Conductor

Shortly after the Jacksons vanished, a local couple reported a terrifying encounter with a tall, dark-haired man who forced them off the road in a blue Chevrolet. Detectives found a red button from Mildred's dress in the same abandoned building linked to Harold's murder, along with fresh tire marks, confirming the same perpetrator.

The case gained media attention with the involvement of Peter Hurkos, a self-proclaimed psychic who visited the Jacksons' graves and claimed to describe their murders accurately. Hurkos led investigators to a suspect who confessed, but with Rees's arrest, his credibility was questioned.

An anonymous letter from Glenn Moser of Norfolk, Virginia, turned the tide. Moser recounted philosophical discussions with Rees about murder. Rees, under benzedrine's influence, expressed a chilling indifference to killing, calling it a part of the "human experience." Moser's suspicions grew after the Jacksons' murders, prompting him to confront Rees, who neither confirmed nor denied involvement.

Authorities pursued Moser's lead, only to find Rees gone. A background check revealed Rees's university connection to Wanda Tipton, their person of interest in Harold's case. Tipton admitted to dating Rees but ended the relationship when he claimed to be married.

Arrest and Trial: The Final Movement

Moser ultimately came forward, revealing Rees's whereabouts at a music store in West Memphis, Arkansas. Police arrested Rees and found notes detailing the Jackson family's murders in his home. The soldier who witnessed Harold's murder identified Rees as the killer.

Rees was convicted in Maryland for Harold's murder, receiving a life sentence. In 1961, he was convicted federally under the Federal Kidnapping Act for Mildred Jackson's murder, also earning a life sentence. Virginia imposed a death sentence for the other four murders, but Rees's mental incompetence prevented his execution. His sentence was reduced to life in 1972, and he died in federal custody in 1995.

Investigators suspected Rees in four additional murders near the University of Maryland, involving teenagers Mary Shomette, Mikie Ryan, Mary Fellers, and Shelby Venable, all raped and killed. However, Rees was never charged for these crimes.

Legal Aftermath: An Unfinished Score

Rees's case reached the Supreme Court in 1967 due to his schizophrenia. The court delayed a decision until his death, ultimately dismissing the case. A 2013 ruling ensured this indecision wouldn't set a precedent for other cases involving incompetent defendants evading the death penalty. Fellow musicians knew Rees as "Dave," and in 1985, he claimed responsibility for the 1956 murders of Shelby Venable and Mary Fellers. He was exonerated for Nancy Shomette and Mikie Ryan's murders after another confession surfaced.

Sources

• Nash, Jay Robert (2004). Great Pictorial History of World Crime: Murder. Rowman & Littlefield
• Hutchinson News, June 26, 1960
• Bahr, Jeff et al. (2007). Weird Virginia. Sterling Publishing Company
• Wilson, Colin (1995). The Killers among Us: Sex, Madness, and Mass Murder. Warner
• The Washington Post, 1991
• Browning, Norma Lee. The Psychic World of Peter Hurkos. Signet, 1970
• Everitt, David (1993). Human Monsters. Contemporary Books
• Justia Law. United States v. Rees, 193 F. Supp. 849 (D. Md. 1961)
• Richmond Times-Dispatch, August 4, 1995
• Opinion recap: Rees clarified, after forty-six years, January 8, 2013

For more detailed information, visit Melvin Rees's Wikipedia page.