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Deaths: 17 + Attempts:
2 +
1) Ena Cordt / 35 / July 26,1985 / beaten
with baseball bat
2) Rory Cordt / 4 / July 26,1985 / beaten
with baseball bat
3) Suzanne Korcz / 28 / May ?,1987 / ?
4) Stephanie Kelly Stroh / 20 / October 15,1987 /
strangled
5) Russell Keith Dardeen / 29 / November 18,1987
/ shot point-blank
6) Ruby Elaine Dardeen / ? / November 18,1987 /
beaten with baseball bat
7) Peter Dardeen / 3 / November 18,1987 / beaten
with baseball bat
8) Kent Alan Lauten / 51 / December 18,1988 /
throat slit
9) Margaret McClain / ? / September 9,1991 /
?
10) Pamela McClain / ? / September 9,1991 / ?
11) Stephanie Mahaney / 13 / October 15,1997 /
strangled
12) Debra Harris / 32 / April 4,1999 / stabbed
numerous times in various places
13) Ambria Halliburton / 8 / April 4,1999 / stabbed
numerous times in various places
14) Mary Bea Perez / 9 / April 18,1999 / strangled
15) Haley McHone / 14 / May 13,1999 / strangled
16) Bobby Lynn Wofford / 14 / July ?,1999 / shot
in unknown place
17) Kaylene Harris / 13 / December 31,1999 /
throat slit
MOTIVES
A) mental anguish sustained from an early age due to sexual abuse which in turn caused the disorder bi-polar
B) drug-induced psychosis causing the misconception between right and wrong mixed with an already apparent
apathy for human life in general
QUOTES
(Sells,when asked why he murdered)
" I lost it.I lost control of my thoughts,I lose control of my emotions.When you're
not in control,bad things happen. "
BOOKS & FILMS
CBS' 48 Hours:Total Recall (2002)
CBS' 48 Hours:True Confessions (2002)
CBS' 48 Hours:A Killer's Tracks (2002)
CBS' 48 Hours:Life Or Death? (2002)
Illinois Times:Who Killed Joel? (2003)
Through The Window:The Terrifying True Story Of Cross-Country Killer Tommy Lynn Sells by Diane Fanning (2003)
Montel Williams Show-Serial Killer Tommy Lynn Sells (2004)
Illinois Times:Never Say Die (2004)
ABC's 20/20-Interview With Tommy Lynn Sells (2004)
Confessions From Death Row:Tommy Lynn Sells
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Full Name: Tommy Lynn Sells
Alias(s): the Coast-To-Coast Killer
Birthdate/Birthplace: June 28,1964 (Oakland,California)
Died:Still Alive
Spotlighted : April 2006
Capture:
The attempted-murder victim,Krystal Surles,was hospitalized the night of Harris' murder.That same night,it
was found out that Surles was present at Harris' murder.Authorities questioned Surles the next day and were able to make a
sketch of the man whom Surles saw murder Harris and attempt to murder her.Harris' adoptive father,Terry,was asked if the sketch
looked familiar to him-it did.Terry Harris pointed out that the sketch looked like a man he knew that went by Tom or Tommy,and
that the guy worked for Amigo Auto Sales as a salesman.Authorities spoke to the owner of the Auto Sales and were given the
suspected man's full name:Tommy Lynn Sells.Afterwards,authorities lined up a six-photo array for Surles to look at-she pointed
out Sells' picture directly.On January 2,2000,Sells was taken into custody;it wasn't even a day into questioning when Sells
began to confess to the Harris murder,as well as the attempted murder of Surles,but Sells surprised authorities by beginning
to confess to murders they weren't even aware of at the time-dating back as early as the 1980s.
Aftershock:
Sells went to trial on September 12,2000,where he pleaded not guilty in the murder of Harris,but guilty
to the attempted murder of Surles.Surles,as well as members of the Harris family,took the stand and testified that they knew
Sells,and that he had been at their home many times before while the victim,Harris,was present.Sells didn't take the stand
but,instead,a video was shown of Sells giving a walk-through of the Harris murder.On September 20,2000,after one hour of deliberations,the
jury found Sells guilty;soon after,Sells was sentenced to death.While on death row in 2003,Sells was brought up on charges
for the murder of Perez-where Sells pleaded guilty and recieved a life sentence for her murder.Sells was suppose to be executed
on March 22,2006 but the mandatory stay took place(to give him time to file to the Federal Courts),then,again on May 17,2006-Sells
recieved another stay of execution.He is currently being held on death row at Polunsky County Prison in Livingston,Texas where
it is possible that he may return to court again for the other murders he has confessed to but,as of right now,there is not
enough evidence to bring any charges against him.
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