Homicide Report   List > Chester DeWayne Turner

Serial Killer: Chester DeWayne Turner

Chester DeWayne Turner was sentenced to death in 2007 for the murder of 10 women between 1987 and 1998 in South Los Angeles. Authorities believe he was tied to another nine killings. DNA samples of semen and other bodily fluids taken from each victim matched Turner's genetic profile.


Prosecutors described Turner, a onetime pizza delivery man, as a savage predator fixated on violence, dominance and control, from which he derived sexual satisfaction. He would rape and strangle his victims, then dump their bodies.


The killings mostly took place in the 30-block stretch of motels and apartments that runs south from Slauson Avenue along Figueroa Street -- an area notorious for prostitution, drug crime and violence.


During the span in which the murders occurred, Turner moved often, bouncing between prison, skid row missions, girlfriends' apartments and the home of his mother and grandfather, a few blocks from Figueroa in South L.A.


On Feb. 1, 2011, prosecutors charged Turner with four additional murders linked to him through DNA.


Turner, a Locke High School dropout born in Arkansas, had been in and out of prison for years on various convictions, including theft, drug possession and rape.


He joins the roster of Los Angeles' most prolific serial killers, including Charles Manson, "Night Stalker" Richard Ramirez and "Freeway Killer" William Bonin.


Since the early 1980s, at least five serial killers, and possibly more, were active in the South Los Angeles area. These killers targeted mostly young African American women, dumping their bodies in alleys, vacant buildings or parks.


Click here to see a map of where authorities found the bodies of 55 victims of serial killers between 1984 and 2007.






Mouse over a marker to see details. Click for more.


Name Age Date Neighborhood Cause
Brenda Bries 37 4/6/98 Vermont Vista Unspecified
Paula Vance 38 2/3/98 Downtown Unspecified
Cynthia Annette Johnson 30 2/22/97 Green Meadows Unspecified
Mildred Beasley 45 11/6/96 Broadway-Manchester Unspecified
Natalie Price 31 2/12/95 Vermont Knolls Unspecified
Desarae Jones 29 5/16/93 Vermont-Slauson Unspecified
Andrea Tripplett 29 4/2/93 Vermont Knolls Unspecified
Mary Edwards 41 12/16/92 Vermont Vista Unspecified
Debra Williams 32 11/16/92 Broadway-Manchester Unspecified
Regina Washington 27 9/23/89 Vermont Vista Unspecified
Anita Fishman 31 1/20/89 Vermont Vista Unspecified
Annette Ernest 26 10/29/87 Vermont Vista Unspecified
Elandra Bunn 33 6/5/87 Vermont Vista Unspecified
Diane Johnson 21 3/9/87 Vermont Vista Unspecified

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The Homicide Report
is the Los Angeles Times’ interactive map and database to track homicides in Los Angeles County and provide a forum for readers to remember victims and to discuss violence in their communities.

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