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Bloody Likely

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Original Case FilesPage 5

Explore original Bloody Likely case files built from cited sources, timelines, public records, archival reporting, and documented facts.

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Original Bloody Likely Case Files

Source-Backed Case Summary

Dorothy Williams (Serial Killer)

Dorothy Williams, an American serial killer, committed a series of murders targeting elderly individuals during robberies in Illinois between 1987 and 1990, resulting in the deaths of three victims. She was apprehended on September 6, 1989, and initially sentenced to death, but her sentence was commuted to life imprisonment without parole in 2003. Williams died in custody on December 19, 2020, marking the case as resolved with her passing.

Illinois

3 sources cited

Updated June 30, 2026

Illinois, United States

3 victims · Solved

Original Bloody Likely Narrative Synthesis

Disappearance Of Susan Powell

On December 6, 2009, Susan Marie Powell, a 28-year-old woman from West Valley City, Utah, was reported missing under suspicious circumstances. Her husband, Joshua Powell, became a person of interest shortly after her disappearance but was never formally charged. In February 2012, following a custody battle that resulted in the couple's two young sons being awarded to Susan's parents, Joshua killed himself and the children, further complicating the investigation. The West Valley City police closed their active investigation in May 2013, concluding that Joshua likely murdered Susan with the assistance of his deceased brother, Michael Powell, who was also believed to have helped conceal her body. Efforts to have Susan legally declared dead have been ongoing since the investigation's closure.

Utah

3 sources cited

Updated June 30, 2026

West Valley City, Utah

3 victims · Open Case

Original Bloody Likely Narrative Synthesis

Disappearance Of Brian Shaffer

Brian Randall Shaffer, a 27-year-old medical student at Ohio State University, disappeared on April 1, 2006, after being last seen outside a bar in Columbus, Ohio. Earlier that evening, he had been celebrating with friends for spring break but became separated from them. Security footage captured him conversing with two women just before 2 a.m., after which he vanished without a trace, despite there being no publicly accessible exits from the bar. The case remains open and has garnered significant media attention, with various theories regarding his disappearance, including potential foul play and speculation about him living under a new identity. Investigators have pursued leads, including examining the involvement of a friend who was with him that night, but no conclusive evidence has emerged to resolve the case.

Ohio

3 sources cited

Updated June 30, 2026

Columbus, Ohio

1 victims · unsolved

Original Bloody Likely Case File

Derrick Todd Lee

Derrick Todd Lee, known as the Baton Rouge Serial Killer, committed the murders of at least seven women between 1998 and 2003 in the Baton Rouge and Lafayette areas of Louisiana. Lee was apprehended on May 27, 2003, after DNA evidence linked him to the crimes, despite initial misidentification of the suspect's race leading to a prolonged investigation. He was convicted in separate trials for the murders of Geralyn DeSoto and Charlotte Murray Pace, receiving a death sentence for the latter. Lee died on January 21, 2016, from heart disease while awaiting execution at Louisiana State Penitentiary. Investigative findings revealed common methods among the murders, including the removal of victims' cell phones and a lack of forced entry, while also uncovering that another serial killer, Sean Vincent Gillis, was active in the same region during Lee's crime spree.

Louisiana

3 sources cited

Updated June 30, 2026

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

7 victims · Solved

Original Bloody Likely Case File

Derrick Sean O'Brien

The rape and murder of Jennifer Lee Ertman, 14, and Elizabeth Christine Peña, 16, occurred on June 24, 1993, in Oak Forest, Houston, Texas. After attending a friend's pool party, the girls took a shortcut home along the railroad tracks, where they were abducted by a group of six males, including Peter Cantu and José Medellín. The perpetrators subjected the victims to brutal sexual assault and ultimately murdered them, leading to a high-profile investigation and trial. All six suspects were convicted of capital murder and related charges, with Cantu, Medellín, and Derrick O'Brien receiving death sentences, while others received varying sentences, including life imprisonment. The case prompted significant legal changes in Texas regarding victim's families' rights during executions and garnered international attention due to the U.S. rejection of intervention by the International Court of Justice.

Texas

1 sources cited

Updated June 30, 2026

Houston, Texas, U.S.

2 victims · Solved

Source-Backed Case Summary

Denver Strangler

Between 1894 and 1903 an unidentified assailant known as the Denver Strangler is believed to have killed at least three prostitutes in Denver, using ligatures and garroting as his method. Confirmed Denver victims include Lena Tapper (found strangled in her Market Street residence), Marie Contassoit (strangled in her bed), and Kiku Oyama (found with a towel tied around her neck); two additional deaths (Julia Voght in 1898 and Mabel Brown in 1903) have been linked speculatively. Multiple suspects were arrested over the course of the investigations — most notably Richard Demady, who was tried and acquitted — but no one was ever convicted or apprehended. Key evidence noted in the cases included tight ligature marks, signs of robbery, disturbed rooms, and witness testimony linking various suspects to victims or locations, but none produced prosecutable proof.

Denver

2 sources cited

Updated June 30, 2026

Denver, Colorado

3 victims · unsolved

Source-Backed Case Summary

Martha Wise

In 1924, Martha Wise, an American serial killer, poisoned seventeen family members in Ohio, resulting in the deaths of three individuals. Following her arrest in 1925, she was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. The case remains a significant historical example of familial homicide and is considered one of the most sensational crimes of its time.

Ohio

3 sources cited

Updated June 30, 2026

Hardscrabble, Ohio

3 victims · Solved

Original Bloody Likely Case File

Killing Of Missy Bevers

On April 18, 2016, fitness instructor Terri Leann "Missy" Bevers was found murdered at Creekside Church of Christ in Midlothian, Texas, suffering from blunt force trauma. Surveillance footage captured an unidentified individual in tactical gear inside the church shortly before her death, leading police to believe this person is the suspect. The case remains unsolved, with ongoing investigations and numerous tips received but no arrests made.

Texas

5 sources cited

Updated June 30, 2026

Midlothian, Texas

1 victims · unsolved

Source-Backed Case Summary

Karl F. Werner

Karl Francis Werner was an American serial killer convicted of murdering three teenage girls in Santa Clara County, California, between 1969 and 1971. The victims, Debra Furlong, Kathie Snoozy, and Kathy Bilek, were brutally attacked, with evidence indicating a frenzied assault. Werner was sentenced to life imprisonment and died in custody on May 5, 2015.

California

3 sources cited

Updated June 30, 2026

Santa Clara County, California

3 victims · Solved

Original Bloody Likely Case File

Joshua Wade

Joshua Alan Wade, an American serial killer, was convicted of two murders committed in Alaska in 2000 and 2007, and sentenced to 99 years imprisonment. He pled guilty to one murder to avoid execution and later confessed to three additional murders dating back to 1994 as part of a plea deal. Wade died in custody on June 14, 2024, marking the case as solved with a total of five confirmed victims.

Alaska

2 sources cited

Updated June 30, 2026

Anchorage, Alaska

5 victims · Solved

Original Bloody Likely Narrative Synthesis

Joseph Ture Jr.

Joseph Donald Ture Jr. is an American serial killer responsible for at least six murders in central Minnesota between December 1978 and September 1980, including the brutal slaying of four members of the Huling family during a burglary in Clearwater. He was apprehended on October 30, 1980, and is currently serving six life sentences at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Stillwater. The case is considered solved, with Ture's conviction for first-degree murder.

Minnesota

3 sources cited

Updated June 30, 2026

Clearwater, Minnesota

6 victims · Solved

Original Bloody Likely Case File

David Brom

On February 18, 1988, in Rochester, Minnesota, David Francis Brom, then 16 years old, brutally murdered his parents, Bernard and Paulette Brom, along with his siblings, Diane (13) and Richard (11), using an axe following a late-night argument with his father. The bodies were discovered by Olmsted County sheriff's deputies after school officials reported that David had confessed to a classmate about the killings. Forensic evidence linked a blood-stained axe found in the basement to the murders. David Brom was apprehended on February 19, 1988, and, after a trial that considered his mental state, he was convicted of four counts of first-degree murder on October 16, 1989, receiving multiple life sentences without the possibility of parole. The case remains a significant example of juvenile crime and mental health considerations in the judicial system.

Minnesota

5 sources cited

Updated June 30, 2026

Rochester, Minnesota

4 victims · Solved