10 Scary Facts About Serial Killer Derrick Todd Lee

10 Scary Facts About Serial Killer Derrick Todd Lee

Born on 5^th November 1968, Derrick Todd Lee was a serial killer who was also known as the Baton Rogue Serial Killer. He began his killing spree in 1992 and went ahead to murder 7 women by 2003 in the Baton Rogue area. His early life is not known clearly but it seems there is something to do with his past that triggered his murder spree.

Derrick Todd has a unique way of marking their targets which led to his arrest. He used to stalk women and closely watch them in their homes. He was initially arrested for this behavior but was not suspected to be involved in the murders in the area.

However, his DNA was linked to the deaths of seven women after some tests were carried out. In 2004, Derrick Todd Lee was convicted, and in separate trials, he was charged with the murders of Geralyn DeSoto and Charlotte Murray Pace. He was handed a death sentence with the lethal injection but his sentence was withheld.

Derrick Todd Lee was suspected to be linked to more murders that had occurred in the Baton area, however, the presence of another serial killer, Sean Vincent Gillis proved hard to link him to the other murders. He died at the age of 47 after developing a heart disease before he was executed.

Here are the 10 Scary Facts About Serial Killer Derrick Todd Lee:

1. Derrick Burglarized a Candy Store & Assaulted a Woman In Front of His Mother at 13

Derrick Todd Lee grew up under the care of his mother and stepfather in St Francisville, Louisiana. He was physically abused by his stepfather as he grew up but his mother never protected him from the abuse he received. He was also bullied frequently by his classmate when he was at a special needs school.

At 13, Derrick Todd Lee did the unexpected in front of his mother who never cautioned him. He burglarized and vandalized a candy store. On the same day, he assaulted a woman in front of his mother who just watched.

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2. His Tactics were Stalking & Peeping before Attacking his Victims

Before his murder acts were put in the spotlight, Derrick used unique tactics in picking up his victims. He was frequently involved in peeping and stalking his victims before killing them.

In July of 1997, there were several reports to the Zachary Police Department of a man who was peeping on women. Some footprints were left behind by Derrick Todd Lee when he was on his peeping mission.

Renowned detective McDavid was called upon to help catch the peeper and arrested him. He was handed a $400 fine but was caught again a year later and fined $300.

3. Derrick Murdered his 21-year-old Victim by Cutting Her Throat & Stomping over the Body

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Derrick did not have a specific age range for his victims as he targeted women of all age groups. He brutally murdered 21-year-old Geralyn DeSoto who lived in a mobile home and was about to start her schooling to become an occupational therapist. On 14^th January 2002, she was supposed to attend an interview which never did as she was found brutally murdered.

Derrick had broken into her house and smacked her in the head using a telephone plus stabbing her thrice. However, she fought back and ran to the bedroom, reaching out for a shotgun but was overwhelmed by the strength of her killer. She had her throat cut from ear to ear and her body stomped over.

4. He Stabbed Charlotte 80 Times & Violated her Body Badly

Photo by cottonbro studio: Pexels

Five months after killing Geralyn, Derrick struck again on 31^st May 2002. His next victim was 21-year-old Charlotte Murray Pace who was brutally murdered.

The body of Charlotte had been stabbed more than eighty times and badly violated. She had been beaten with a clothes iron, and her throat was cut. A veteran crime investigator was disgusted by the violation of the body of Charlotte during the investigations.

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5. Lee Used Several Varied Methods of Murdering His Victims

Derrick Todd Lee was not predictable in how he murdered his victims. He used several varied methods in nearly all the murders that he carried out. He could stab some of his victims, others could be strangled and others bludgeoned.

However, the similarity was the removal of cell phones from the belongings of the victims. He also never forced entry into the location where his victims were attacked and murdered.

6. Most Murder Victims of Derrick were White Ladies

Photo by Faruk Tokluoğlu on Unsplash

Many might question who were the most targeted victims by Derrick Todd Lee for his murders. The majority of his victims were white ladies who lived alone or with some of their children.

The FBI and several erroneous eyewitness accounts made police believe that the Baton Rogue area serial killer was white. His target of white women also led the police to the wrong suspects until later. DNAPrint Genomics helped solve this mystery by generating the ancestry profile of the murderer as 85% African.

7. Derrick Killed Seven Women & was Suspected of Murdering More

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The murder spree of Derrick Todd Lee took several years before he was apprehended. It is believed that Derrick had murdered seven women and the DNA matching the killer was recovered.

However, police and other investigators believed that Derrick was linked to more murders in the same locality over those years. This was not officially confirmed because there was another serial killer, Sean Vincent Gillis in the locality during this period and there was no DNA evidence to prove this.

Also, read 15 Deranged Serial Killers Who Operated in Florida.

8. A Rumor Claimed that Derrick Used a Crying Baby Tape to Lure his Victims to Traps

In early 2003, an urban legend spread that Lee was luring victims to the door with taped sounds of a wailing infant. The Baton Rouge Police Department was eager to deny that the information came from their department. The television series Criminal Minds season 3 episodes “Children of the Dark” and “Tabula Rasa” fueled the idea. Both episodes made reference to Lee and the “crying baby” story.

9. Lee’s Only Known Survivor was Saved by Her Son who Chased after Him while Attempting to Kill Her

On 9^th July 2002, Lee invaded the home of Dianne Alexander in St. Martin Parish. Lee viciously beat Alexander and attempted to rape her in the process of killing her. She is the only known survivor of the Baton Rogue Serial Killer.

Alexander survived because her son came in during the incident, scaring Lee out of the back of the house. Alexander’s son pursued Lee into the rear of the home and obtained a description of the vehicle. Alexander knew what Lee looked like and was able to describe him to a police sketch artist on 22^nd May 2003.

10. Derrick was Found to Have a Low IQ but Stood Trial for the Murders

After he was arrested, there were several theories during the investigations. He had to undergo a mental evaluation to find out whether he was fit to stand the murder trial before him.

On carrying out the psychiatric evaluation, Derrick Todd was found to have a score of 65 which showed that he had an average IQ. This level is considered to be below the threshold for mental retardation but he stood trial.

Derrick Todd Lee was handed a death sentence by lethal injection for the murders that were linked to him. However, he passed away on 21^st January 2016 because of heart disease.

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