Earl Richmond Jr. (November 6, 1961 – May 6, 2005)[1] was an American serial killer who committed four murders, including those of two children, in New Jersey and North Carolina between April and November 1991. Prior to the murders, Richmond served in the United States Army as a drill sergeant at Fort Dix in New Jersey, where he committed multiple rapes. Following his arrest for murder, he was sentenced to death and executed by lethal injection in 2005.[2]
Earl Richmond | |
|---|---|
 NCDAC mugshot | |
| Born | November 6, 1961 |
| Died | May 6, 2005 (aged 43) |
| Cause of death | Execution by lethal injection |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Conviction(s) | Federal First degree murder (18 U.S.C. § 1111) North Carolina First degree murder (4 counts) First degree rape |
| Criminal penalty | Federal Life imprisonment North Carolina Death |
| Details | |
| Victims | 4 |
Span of crimes | April 5 – November 2, 1991 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | New Jersey, North Carolina |
Date apprehended | April 3, 1992 |
Early life
editEarl Richmond Jr. was born on November 6, 1961, in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Ultimately, not much is known about his childhood and adolescent years, but he entered the military in his early adult years, working up the ranks to serve as a drill sergeant at Fort Dix in Trenton, New Jersey.[1][3] He was dishonorably discharged in the fall of 1990 for misconduct.[4]
Crimes
editMilitary crimes
editDuring his service in the army, multiple women were sexually assaulted in the immediate area. The first of which occurred on April 15, 1989, when a female Air Force trainee was sexually assaulted at gunpoint at a bus stop. Days later, a 17-year-old girl was raped in her motel room just outside of Fort Dix. A man named Richard Stevens was arrested and convicted of the first assault by a federal court, but his conviction was overturned three years later after it was proven that Stevens was most likely innocent.[3] In 1990, Richmond was sanctioned over misconduct and subsequently discharged.[5]
On April 5, 1991, Richmond entered the home of 24-year-old Lisa Ann Nadeau, an Army Specialist based out of Fort Dix, as well as a payroll clerk, from Plainfield, Connecticut.[6] Richmond tied up, strangled, stabbed, and beat Nadeau to death with a hammer.[1] He was not suspected in her murder, but afterward, Richmond traveled to North Carolina.[1]
Murder of the Hayes family
editRichmond began staying with 27-year-old Helisa Hayes and her two children, 8-year-old Philip and 7-year-old Darien. Richmond was a family friend of Hayes, as he had dated one of Hayes' sisters, and was a friend of Hayes' ex-husband, Wayne. On November 2, after apparently getting into an argument, Richmond dragged Hayes into the bedroom where he raped her. Afterward, he forced Philip into the bathroom where he stabbed him 40 times with a pair of scissors, and strangled him with an electrical cord before he strangled Darien with a wire from a curling iron.[1] The bodies were discovered on November 4 by Hayes' father. Police initially focused on Wayne Hayes, Helisa's ex-husband.
Arrest and convictions
editIt was not until April 1992 that Richmond would become a suspect, and he was brought into the police station for an interview on April 3. During which, he denied involvement. At the same time, a DNA test was brought forward, which confirmed Richmond's involvement. Upon learning this, Richmond confessed to the murders.
After his arrest went public, a complaint was filed by an unidentified woman who alleged that in 1989, when she was 17, she was sexually assaulted by Richmond at a motel.[7] DNA testing connected Richmond to the assault as well as linking him to the murder of Nadeau.[8] Richmond confessed to each of the murders and told officers he intentionally left behind evidence because he wanted to get caught.[9] Richmond was tried in federal court for Nadeau's murder since it occurred on a military base. He was convicted in May 1993 and sentenced to life imprisonment.[10] In May 1995, Richmond was convicted of the Hayes' murders and sentenced to death.[1]
Execution
editOn May 6, 2005, Richmond was executed by lethal injection at Central Prison in Raleigh, North Carolina. He declined a last meal. Richmond's last words were "I'd like to extend my deepest apologies to all the victims' families and their loved ones. I'd like to say that I'm not a man that shies away from his responsibilities. I'd like to say that I hope that now, through my death, that y'all can move forward with your lives. Thank you and God bless you."[1]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e f g "Earl J. Richmond Jr". Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- ^ "N.C. man executed for '91 slayings of 4 people". NBC News. 6 May 2005. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- ^ a b "Ex-Army Drill Sergeant Earl Richmond, Jr. was Sentenced to Death for Murder of Army Specialist at Fort Dix and a Mother & Two Children in North Carolina (1991)". Military Justice For All. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- ^ Insanity plea likely in Army clerk's death. The Jersey Journal. December 17, 1992.
- ^ "Ex-drill sergeant charged in slaying". Associated Press. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- ^ "Ex-drill sergeant called a cold-blooded killer". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- ^ Ex-sergeant faces charges in teen girl's sex assault. Asbury Park Press. June 4, 1992.
- ^ "Confessed killer linked to sex assaults near Dix". Associated Press. 19 February 1993. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- ^ "Former soldier convicted in triple slaying". Associated Press. 26 May 1995. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- ^ "Earl Richmond, Jr., Petitioner-appellant, v. Marvin L. Polk, Warden, Central Prison, Raleigh, North Carolina, Respondent-appellee, 375 F.3d 309 (4th Cir. 2004)". Justia Law. Retrieved 2022-01-12.