{{Short description|American criminal (born 1952)}} {{Use American English|date=December 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=December 2025}} {{Infobox serial killer | name = Robert Lee Yates | image = Robert Lee Yates (criminal).png | image_size = 175px | caption = Spokane police mugshot, 2000 | birth_name = Robert Lee Yates Jr. | other_names = The Spokane Serial Killer <br/> The Grocery Bag Killer<br>The Prostitute Killer<br>Spokane Washington's Serial Killer | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1952|05|27}} | birth_place = [[Oak Harbor, Washington]], U.S. | victims = 16+ | country = United States | states = [[Washington (state)|Washington]] | beginyear = 1975 | endyear = 1998 | apprehended = April 18, 2000 | penalty = 408 years imprisonment ([[Spokane County, Washington|Spokane County]]) <br/> [[Capital punishment in Washington (state)|Death]]; commuted to [[life imprisonment]] ([[Pierce County, Washington|Pierce County]]) | conviction = [[Aggravated murder|Aggravated first degree murder]] (2 counts)<br>[[First degree murder]] (13 counts)<br>[[Attempted murder|Attempted first degree murder]] | imprisoned = [[Washington State Penitentiary]] }}
'''Robert Lee Yates Jr.''' (born May 27, 1952), also known as the '''Spokane Serial Killer''' and the '''Grocery Bag Killer''', is an American [[serial killer]], [[kidnap]]per, [[rapist]], [[Necrophilia|necrophile]], and former [[U.S. Army]] [[Army aviation|aircraft pilot]] who murdered at least sixteen people, mostly female prostitutes, in [[eastern Washington]] between 1975 and 1998.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Serial killer Robert Yates still fighting sentencing error {{!}} The Spokesman-Review |url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2016/sep/27/serial-killer-robert-yates-still-fighting-sentenci/ |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=www.spokesman.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2008-09-05 |title=Spokane serial killer to be executed |url=https://www.khq.com/news/spokane-serial-killer-to-be-executed/article_4ef9e45c-7f96-569d-8486-d2ed3b8ed7b4.html |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=NonStop Local KHQ |language=en}}</ref>
Yates was enlisted in the United States Army from 1977 to 1996, during which time he flew helicopters. He is believed to have begun killing in 1975 when a couple was shot to death in [[Walla Walla, Washington|Walla Walla]]. Between 1988 and 1998, Yates committed eleven murders in [[Spokane County, Washington|Spokane County]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-09-27 |title=Serial killer Robert Yates still fighting sentencing error |url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2016/sep/27/serial-killer-robert-yates-still-fighting-sentenci/ |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=Spokesman.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-03-06 |title=Convicted serial killer Robert Yates expected in court Monday |url=https://www.krem.com/article/news/local/seattle/convicted-serial-killer-robert-yates-expected-in-court-monday/293-420069423 |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=krem.com |language=en-US}}</ref> two in [[Pierce County, Washington|Pierce County]], and one in [[Skagit County, Washington|Skagit County]]. He was [[Capital punishment in Washington (state)|sentenced to death]] in 2002 but it was [[Commutation (law)|commuted]] to life without [[parole]] after the [[Washington Supreme Court]] ruled capital punishment unconstitutional in 2018. He is currently serving life in prison at the [[Washington State Penitentiary]].
==Early life== Yates was born on May 27, 1952, in [[Oak Harbor, Washington]], where he was raised<ref name="barker morris">{{Cite web |last1=Barker |first1=Kim |last2=Morris |first2=Keiko |date=7 May 2000 |title=Robert Yates: Son, husband, athlete, father, pilot, teacher, murder suspect |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=20000507&slug=4019811 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417063142/https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=20000507&slug=4019811 |archive-date=17 April 2021 |publisher=[[The Seattle Times]]}}</ref> in a middle-class family. They attended a local [[Seventh-day Adventist Church|Seventh-day Adventist]] church. Yates had a family history of violence; in 1945, his grandmother murdered his grandfather with an axe.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Olson |first=Lise |date=6 August 2001 |title=One killer, two standards Experts say some inconsistency is expected |url=https://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/One-killer-two-standards-1061968.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312104008/https://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/One-killer-two-standards-1061968.php |archive-date=12 March 2016 |newspaper=[[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]]}}</ref>
Yates graduated from [[Oak Harbor High School (Washington)|Oak Harbor High School]] in 1970. In 1975, he was hired by the [[Washington State Department of Corrections]] to work as a correction officer at the [[Washington State Penitentiary]] in Walla Walla.<ref name="auto1">{{cite web |url=http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/predators/yates/guy_8.html |title=Robert Lee Yates was the Spokane serial killer |publisher=[[Crime Library]] |page=8 |access-date=May 15, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050307073253/http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/predators/yates/guy_8.html |archive-date=March 7, 2005 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
In October 1977, Yates enlisted in the [[United States Army]], where he became certified to fly civilian transport airplanes and helicopters. Yates was stationed in various countries outside the continental United States, including [[Germany]], and later [[Somalia]] and [[Haiti]] during the United Nations peacekeeping missions of the 1990s. Yates also served three years in the [[Army National Guard]] as a helicopter pilot from April 1997 through April 2000. He earned several commendation and service medals during his military career, including the [[United States Aviator Badge#United States Army|US Army Master Aviator Badge]].<ref name="auto1"/>
Yates left the active duty Army in April 1996, apparently a year and a half short of being eligible for his full retirement benefits and pension. At this time, the military was reducing its numbers, so he received full retirement despite being short of the customary 20 years served. He then joined the Army National Guard in April 1997, and served three years until his arrest in April 2000. He served a total of 21.5 years in the military.<ref name="auto1"/>
He has five children, (four daughters and one son), with his second wife Linda, whom he married in 1976. The children's birth years range from 1974 to 1989.{{sfn|Morlin|White|2001|p=100,160}}
==Murders== Yates committed his first murders in 1975, when he shot and killed two college students who were on a picnic together.<ref name="lash" /> Many of his subsequent victims were sex workers working along [[Sprague Avenue (Spokane, Washington)|East Sprague Avenue]] who had [[Substance-related disorder|substance abuse issues]], and Yates would often do drugs with them and other sex workers.{{sfn|Morlin|White|2001|p=142}} Yates initially solicited the victims; after having sex with them, often in his [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] van, he would kill them and dump their bodies in rural locations. All of his victims died of gunshot wounds to the head or heart.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Barer |first=Burl |title=Body Count |title-link=Body Count (book) |date=October 24, 2011 |publisher=[[Kensington Books]] |isbn=978-0786030255 |location=New York City|author-link=Burl Barer}}</ref><ref name="washpo" /> Eight of the murders were committed with a [[Raven Arms MP-25|Raven .25-caliber]] [[handgun]], and one [[attempted murder]] was linked to the same model of handgun.<ref name="washpo">{{cite news |last1=Walter |first1=Jess |title=Police Looking for Worldwide Trail of Death |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2000/05/21/police-looking-for-worldwide-trail-of-death/bd4007d9-6f8c-48d9-b8f9-1a5080fe85ab/ |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=23 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220823012118/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2000/05/21/police-looking-for-worldwide-trail-of-death/bd4007d9-6f8c-48d9-b8f9-1a5080fe85ab/ |archive-date=23 August 2022 |date=21 May 2000}}</ref>{{sfn|Morlin|White|2001|p=36-37}}
'''Patrick Allen Oliver and Susan Patricia Savage'''<br /> On July 14, 1975, the bodies of Patrick Oliver, 21, and Patricia Savage, 22, were found shot in the head near [[Walla Walla, Washington|Walla Walla]]. They were last seen the day before, on their way for an afternoon swim and picnic.<ref>{{cite news |title=Walla Walla Slayings Studied |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114757858/walla-walla-slayings-studied/ |newspaper=[[The Olympian]] |date=July 17, 1975 |page=4 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 17, 2022}}</ref><ref name="trail of killings">{{cite news |title=Yates tells authorities about trail of killings |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114757988/yates-tells-authorities-about-trail-of/ |newspaper=[[Longview Daily News]] |date=October 18, 2000 |page=2 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 17, 2022}}</ref>
'''Stacy Elizabeth Hawn'''<br /> On December 28, 1988, the partial skeleton of Stacy Hawn, 23, was found near [[Big Lake, Washington|Big Lake]]. She was last seen on July 7, 1988, in [[Seattle]]. Yates confessed to picking up Hawn, who was working as a sex worker, in his van nearby.<ref>{{cite news |title=Skagit skeleton not that of missing woman |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114761323/skagit-skeleton-not-that-of-missing/ |newspaper=[[The Bellingham Herald]] |date=December 30, 1988 |page=7 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 17, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Mt Vernon Case Solved |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114757934/mt-vernon-case-solved/ |newspaper=[[The Spokesman-Review]] |date=October 18, 2000 |page=11 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 17, 2022}}</ref>
'''Shannon Rene Zielinski'''<br /> On June 14, 1996, Shannon Zielinski, 38, was found shot in the head in [[Mead, Washington|Mead]]. Her partially nude body was badly decomposed and dumped in a wooded area near a school bus stop. Zielinski had a lengthy criminal record and worked as a sex worker.<ref>{{cite news |title=Murders of women may be related |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114758072/murders-of-women-may-be-related/ |newspaper=[[The Spokesman-Review]] |date=June 19, 1996 |page=8 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 17, 2022}}</ref>
'''Heather Louise Hernandez'''<br /> On August 26, 1997, the body of Heather Hernandez, 20, was found in an overgrown lot in [[Spokane, Washington|Spokane]]. She was shot five days earlier according to detectives. Hernandez had only recently come to the area and within a few weeks was arrested twice for sex work.<ref>{{cite news |title=Police Offer Reward |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114758187/police-offer-reward/ |newspaper=[[The Olympian]] |date=August 31, 1997 |page=26 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 17, 2022}}</ref><ref name="few clues">{{cite news |title=Few clues in death of young female transient |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114758164/few-clues-in-death-of-young-female/ |newspaper=[[The Spokesman-Review]] |date=August 29, 1997 |page=5 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 17, 2022}}</ref>
'''Jennifer Ann Joseph'''<br /> On August 26, 1997, Jennifer Joseph, 16, was found shot in the head in a field in [[Spokane, Washington|Spokane]]. Police found a brown towel and a brown hair belonging to a white male at the scene. After Joseph's parent's divorce, she dropped out of high school and moved to [[Tacoma, Washington|Tacoma]]. She started using [[methamphetamine]] and became involved in sex work. She was killed just a month after arriving in Spokane.<ref>{{cite news |title=Spokane shooting victim was Tacoma girl |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114758300/spokane-shooting-victim-was-tacoma-girl/ |newspaper=The News Tribune |date=September 3, 1997 |page=16 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 17, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Dead at 16: Short life in fast lane |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114758471/dead-at-16-short-life-in-fast-lane/ |newspaper=The News Tribune |date=March 4, 1998 |page=24 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 17, 2022}}</ref><ref name="seven">{{cite news |title=Yates charged in 7 more killings (2/2) |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114762071/yates-charged-in-7-more-killings-22/ |newspaper=[[The Spokesman-Review]] |date=May 19, 2000 |page=10 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 17, 2022}}</ref>
'''Darla Sue Scott'''<br /> On November 5, 1997, the partially decayed remains of Darla Scott, 29, were found in a shallow grave near a golf course in [[Spokane, Washington|Spokane]]. Scott, who had a history of drugs and sex work, died of a gunshot wound to the head, likely in September or October.<ref>{{cite news |title=Authorities identify body of slain women |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114758708/authorities-identify-body-of-slain-women/ |newspaper=[[The Spokesman-Review]] |date=November 14, 1997 |page=29 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 17, 2022}}</ref><ref name="prostitute slayings">{{cite news |title=Spokane seeking link in prostitute slayings |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114758682/spokane-seeking-link-in-prostitute/ |newspaper=[[Tri-City Herald]] |date=November 14, 1997 |page=3 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 17, 2022}}</ref><ref name="seven" />
'''Melinda Lee Mercer'''<br /> On December 7, 1997, Melinda Mercer, 24, was found shot and dumped in a field in [[Tacoma, Washington|Tacoma]]; she had been shot several times and had four plastic bags covering her head. At Yates' trial, he revealed that even after he shot her in the head, Mercer had chewed through two of the bags before succumbing to her injuries. Mercer did not have a criminal record. She reportedly worked as a waitress.<ref>{{cite news |title=Photos let mother reach the memories that daughter's killer could not erase (1/2) |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114758752/photos-let-mother-reach-the-memories/ |newspaper=The News Tribune |date=February 1, 1998 |page=1 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 17, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Photos let mother reach the memories that daughter's killer could not erase (2/2) |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114758782/photos-let-mother-reach-the-memories/ |newspaper=The News Tribune |date=February 1, 1998 |page=11 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 17, 2022}}</ref><ref name="seven" /><ref name="death2">{{cite news |title=Yates gets death penalty (2/2) |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114761082/yates-gets-death-penalty-22/ |newspaper=[[The Spokesman-Review]] |date=October 4, 2002 |page=13 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 17, 2022}}</ref>
'''Shawn Lynette Johnson'''<br /> On December 18, 1997, the body of Shawn Johnson, 36, was found with two gunshot wounds and two plastic bags covering her head, about a mile from the remains of Darla Scott. She had been missing since October 17, 1997.<ref name="three women">{{cite news |title=3 Women sought for help in Spokane slayings |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114764717/3-women-sought-for-help-in-spokane/ |newspaper=The News Tribune |date=November 15, 1997 |page=1 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 17, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Spokane task force looks for possible serial killer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114765008/spokane-task-force-looks-for-possible/ |newspaper=[[The Olympian]] |date=December 30, 1997 |page=16 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 17, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Two more women found dead in Spokane; task force at work |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114765095/two-more-women-found-dead-in-spokane/ |newspaper=[[The Olympian]] |date=December 28, 1997 |page=24 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 17, 2022}}</ref><ref name="seven" />
'''Shawn Ann McClenahan and Laurie Page Wason'''<br /> On December 26, 1997, the bodies of Shawn McClenahan, 39, and Laurie Wason, 31, were found in a gully in [[Spokane, Washington|Spokane]]. Both women were shot twice in the head and their heads were wrapped with three plastic bags each. Wason, who was last seen on November 3, was the devoted mother of a 12-year-old son until a relapse with [[heroin]] unravelled six years of sobriety; she began working as a sex worker to fund her substance use. McClenahan also struggled with heroin, and was arrested early November for forging a check during a binge. She had been missing since December 18.
McClenahan had a passion for Winnie the Pooh and loved to attend auctions and yard sales. "She was always the one who would help the neighbors, she was always real giving," said her brother, Patrick McClenahan.
She married four times and had a son. Her sister, Kathy Lloyd, a teacher in Spokane, said an addiction to painkillers Shawn took for an arm injury led to heroin and a life on the streets.
She had worked at a hospital laboratory, but had to quit because of the injury. "I told her that I was really, truly worried about her safety," said Lloyd. "She said, ‘Don't worry, I can take care of myself.’ I believed her."
In early December 1997, Lloyd received a birthday card from her sister, telling her how hard it was on the streets. But the card bore good news, too: Shawn had been accepted into a [[methadone]] program and was determined to leave her life of drugs. Then Christmas arrived and Lloyd didn't hear from her sister. "We did everything humanely possible to get Shawn away from drugs," she said. "She wasn't working on Sprague because she wanted to."
Laurie Wason bred and trained [[Rottweiler|Rottweilers.]] She also operated an adult-family home and was licensed by the state.<ref>{{cite news |title=Police prove mother's worst fears true (1/2) |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114758967/police-prove-mothers-worst-fears-true/ |newspaper=[[The Spokesman-Review]] |date=December 30, 1997 |page=1 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 17, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Police prove mother's worst fears true (2/2) |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114758989/police-prove-mothers-worst-fears-true/ |newspaper=[[The Spokesman-Review]] |date=December 30, 1997 |page=4 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 17, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Autopsy indicates Tri-Citian was shot |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114759006/autopsy-indicates-tri-citian-was-shot/ |newspaper=[[Tri-City Herald]] |date=December 31, 1997 |page=4 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 17, 2022}}</ref><ref name="shadow2">{{cite news |title=Serial slayer's shadow grows (2/2) |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/740199102/?clipping_id=114759201 |newspaper=The News Tribune |date=February 6, 1998 |page=8 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 17, 2022}}</ref><ref name="seven" /><ref name="archive.seattletimes.com">{{Cite web |title=Despite troubles, victims also had families {{!}} The Seattle Times |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=20000421&slug=4016730 |access-date=2023-07-28 |website=archive.seattletimes.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Police Prove Mother's Worst Fears True Bodies Of Two Women Found Friday In Southeast Spokane Identified {{!}} The Spokesman-Review |url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/dec/30/police-prove-mothers-worst-fears-true-bodies-of/ |access-date=2023-07-28 |website=www.spokesman.com}}</ref>{{excessive citations inline|date=January 2024}}
'''Sunny Gail Oster'''<br />On February 8, 1998, Sunny Oster, 41, was found shot to death, in an identical manner as McClenahan and Wason, in a rural area of [[Spokane, Washington|Spokane]]. Oster, a mother of two, was last seen in October; she disappeared the day after completing a drug treatment program.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sixth victim tied to serial killings (1/2) |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114759217/sixth-victim-tied-to-serial-killings/ |newspaper=[[The Spokesman-Review]] |date=February 13, 1998 |page=1 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 17, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Serial slayer's shadow grows (1/2) |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114759172/serial-slayers-shadow-grows-12/ |newspaper=The News Tribune |date=February 6, 1998 |page=5 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 17, 2022}}</ref><ref name="shadow2" /><ref name="seven" />
'''Linda Marie Maybin'''<br />On April 1, 1998, the remains of Linda Maybin, 34, also known as "Barefoot Linda," was found in [[Spokane, Washington|Spokane]], just 100 yards from the bodies of Shawn McClenahan and Laurie Wason. She was shot once and had two plastic bags covering her head. Maybin had been working as a sex worker and had been missing since November 22, 1997.<ref>{{cite news |title=Sixth victim tied to serial killings (2/2) |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114759238/sixth-victim-tied-to-serial-killings/ |newspaper=[[The Spokesman-Review]] |date=February 13, 1998 |page=12 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 17, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Woman victim of serial killer (1/2) |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114759281/woman-victim-of-serial-killer-12/ |newspaper=[[The Spokesman-Review]] |date=April 4, 1998 |page=1 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 17, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Woman victim of serial killer (2/2) |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114759341/woman-victim-of-serial-killer-22/ |newspaper=[[The Spokesman-Review]] |date=April 4, 1998 |page=3 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 17, 2022}}</ref><ref name="shadow2" /><ref name="seven" />
'''Melody Ann Murfin'''<br />On May 20, 1998, Melody Murfin, 43, went missing. She was considered a victim of the same killer, due to her history and association with other victims, but her body was not discovered until six months after Yates' arrest and subsequent confession. She was buried beneath his bedroom window.<ref>{{cite news |title=Woman considered ninth serial victim (1/2) |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114759578/woman-considered-ninth-serial-victim/ |newspaper=[[The Spokesman-Review]] |date=September 2, 1998 |page=19 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 17, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Woman considered ninth serial victim (2/2) |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114759619/woman-considered-ninth-serial-victim/ |newspaper=[[The Spokesman-Review]] |date=September 2, 1998 |page=26 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 17, 2022}}</ref><ref name="mercy">{{cite news |title=Yates judge won't instruct jury on mercy, sympathy |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114770515/yates-judge-wont-instruct-jury-on/ |newspaper=[[The Spokesman-Review]] |date=October 2, 2002 |page=8 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 17, 2022}}</ref>
'''Michelyn Joann Derning'''<br />On July 7, 1998, Michelyn Derning, 47, was found shot once in the head in [[Spokane, Washington|Spokane]]. The .25 caliber bullet casing was still in her hair. She was found nude and partially obscured by a hot tub cover.
Michelyn Derning was the daughter of a Marine Corps colonel. She grew up a military brat, graduating from high school in Virginia and attending Palomar College in California before moving to nearby San Diego to be an executive secretary.
She married and had a son, but drugs cost her her marriage. She lost custody of her son. She moved to Spokane in 1997, working in a variety of jobs, from ranch hand to nursing assistant. At one point, she renewed a friendship with a computer instructor she had met in San Diego.
He helped her find an apartment and befriended her but later moved away to Arizona.<ref>{{cite news |title=Spokane woman believed to be eighth serial killing victim |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114759663/spokane-woman-believed-to-be-eighth/ |newspaper=[[Longview Daily News]] |date=July 10, 1998 |page=17 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 17, 2022}}</ref><ref name="seven" /><ref name="archive.seattletimes.com"/>
'''Christine Smith'''<br />On August 1, 1998, Christine Smith filed a police report for assault and robbery after she was hit in the head during a sex act. She described the man as about 50 years old, 5'10" tall, 175 pounds, with sandy blond hair. His vehicle was described as a 70s era black van with an exterior yellow/orange stripe, bucket seats, wood panelling, and a raised bed. Smith also told police the man told her he was a [[National Guard (United States)|National Guard]] helicopter pilot and had five children. Police discovered bullet fragments in her hair; Smith was unaware that she had actually been shot. Upon seeing Yates' photo in the newspaper following his arrest, Smith contacted police and identified Yates as the man who assaulted her. She is the only known survivor of Yates' crimes.<ref name="seven" />
On September 19, 1998, Yates was asked to give a [[DNA]] sample to Spokane police after being stopped. He refused, stating that it was too extreme of a request for a "family man".{{sfn|Morlin|White|2001|p=99}}<ref name="barker morris"/>
'''Connie Ellis-LaFontaine'''
On October 13, 1998, the body of Connie Ellis-LaFontaine, 35, was found in a ditch in [[Tacoma, Washington|Tacoma]]. She was shot once in the head and had three plastic bags covering her head. She previously worked as a hairdresser in [[Spokane, Washington|Spokane]], but fell into drugs and sex work six years after she moved, following the death of her son, who was waiting for a heart transplant.
Ellis was [[Chippewa]] and the eldest of five children. Ellis grew up on [[Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation]]. Her mother moved to Spokane when Ellis was still in high school, and Ellis moved between family in Washington state and North Dakota. At age 17, she worked as a secretary for a tribal organization. She became the mother of a daughter early in life and suffered an abusive marriage.
Of her three children, only her daughter Angel survives.
Ellis lost both her sons in childhood - one as a baby to [[sudden infant death syndrome]], the other to a heart condition at age 11, in 1996. The year prior, her mother died.
Emil LaFontaine, Ellis’ father, said he believes the boy's death contributed to Ellis' struggles with heroin. "She was devastated by that." Ellis studied cosmetology and planned to be a hair stylist. She tried to get into treatment for her addiction problem, her father said, "but it just didn't work."<ref>{{cite news |title=Woman's death tied to serial killer (1/2) |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114770914/womans-death-tied-to-serial-killer/ |newspaper=[[The News Tribune]] |date=October 30, 1988 |page=23 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 17, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Woman's death tied to serial killer (2/2) |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114770930/womans-death-tied-to-serial-killer/ |newspaper=[[The News Tribune]] |date=October 30, 1988 |page=24 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 17, 2022}}</ref><ref name="seven" /><ref>{{Cite web |author=PEGGY ANDERSEN|agency=Associated Press |date=2002-09-25 |title=Victims' relatives take stand |url=https://missoulian.com/victims-relatives-take-stand/article_df39de51-eab9-514b-8f57-8d69fc6be11d.html |access-date=2023-07-28 |website=The Missoulian |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Anderson |first=Peggy |date=October 3, 2002 |title=Admitted Serial Killer Gets Death |work=Seattle PI |url=https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/jurors-consider-yates-fate-1096861.php |access-date=July 28, 2023}}</ref>
==Convictions and appeals== Yates was arrested on April 18, 2000, for the murder of Jennifer Joseph.<ref name="barker morris"/> After his arrest, a search warrant was executed on a white 1977 [[Chevrolet Corvette]] that he had previously owned. A white Corvette had been identified as the vehicle in which one of the victims had last been seen. Coincidentally, Yates had been pulled over in this vehicle while the task force was searching for it, but the field interview report was misread as saying "[[Chevrolet Camaro|Camaro]]", not "Corvette," thus the incident was not realized until after Yates had been arrested.<ref name="auto">{{Cite book |last=Fuhrman |first=Mark |title=Murder in Spokane |date=April 30, 2002 |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] |isbn=9780061098734 |location=New York |author-link=Mark Fuhrman}}</ref>
After searching the Corvette, police discovered blood that they linked to Jennifer Joseph, and DNA from Yates that they then tied to 12 other victims.<ref name="auto" /> In 2000, he was charged with 13 counts of [[first-degree murder]] and one count of attempted first-degree murder in [[Spokane County Courthouse|Spokane County Superior Court]].<ref name="barker morris" /> As part of a [[plea bargain]], Yates confessed to the murders to avoid the [[death penalty]]. He was sentenced to 408 years in prison.<ref name="abcnews">{{Cite news |title=Wash. Prosecutors Seek Death Penalty for Serial Killer |work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |url=http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/serialkillers010112.html |access-date=May 15, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010421083705/http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/serialkillers010112.html |archive-date=April 21, 2001}}</ref> Charges were dropped without prejudice in the murder of Shawn McClenahan so that, if Yates appealed his other guilty sentences, he could be tried for her murder and possibly sentenced to death. Following his sentencing hearing, Yates made a statement apologizing to the families of all the victims he had killed.<ref name="lash">{{Cite news |last=Barker |first=Kim |title=Families lash out, killer apologizes |work=[[The Seattle Times]] |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=20001027&slug=4049951 |access-date=August 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019160643/https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=20001027&slug=4049951 |archive-date=19 October 2020}}</ref>
In 2001 Yates was charged in [[Pierce County, Washington|Pierce County]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]], with the murders of two additional women. The prosecution sought the [[death penalty]] for the deaths of Melinda L. Mercer in 1997, and Connie Ellis in 1998, which were thought to be linked to the killings in Spokane County.<ref name="abcnews" /> On September 19, 2002, Yates was convicted of those murders and subsequently [[Capital punishment|sentenced to death]] by [[lethal injection]] on October 3, 2002.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=20021003&slug=webyates03 |title=Serial killer Yates sentenced to death| date=October 3, 2002 |work=[[The Seattle Times]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807025751/https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=20021003&slug=webyates03| archive-date=August 7, 2020|access-date=September 25, 2012}}</ref>
The 2002 death sentence was appealed on grounds that Yates believed his 2000 plea bargain to be "all-encompassing", and that a life sentence for 13 murders and a death sentence for two constituted "disproportionate, freakish, wanton and random" application of the death penalty. The arguments were rejected in 2007 by the [[Washington Supreme Court]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=27 September 2007 |title=State high court upholds death penalty for Yates |work=[[The Seattle Times]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/high-court-affirms-death-sentence-for-spokane-serial-killer/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220823004050/https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/high-court-affirms-death-sentence-for-spokane-serial-killer/ |archive-date=23 August 2022}}</ref> A September 19, 2008 execution date was [[stay of execution|stayed]] by Chief Justice [[Gerry L. Alexander]] pending additional appeals.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.khq.com/news/state-supreme-court-grants-yates-stay-of-execution/article_6ef8e61e-2bf7-51ec-b933-46b21b96d8c4.html| title=State Supreme Court grants Yates stay of execution | work=[[KHQ-TV]] | date=September 11, 2008 | access-date=August 6, 2020|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807030541/https://www.khq.com/news/state-supreme-court-grants-yates-stay-of-execution/article_6ef8e61e-2bf7-51ec-b933-46b21b96d8c4.html|archive-date=August 7, 2020}}</ref>
In 2013, Yates's attorneys filed a ''[[habeas corpus]]'' petition in federal district court, stating that Yates is mentally ill and, "through no fault of his own ... suffers from a severe [[paraphilic]] disorder" that predisposed him to commit murder. The still-pending motion is regarded as a "long shot" by most observers. "I don't think Mr. Yates helps his cause by relying on the fact that he's a [[necrophiliac]]," said [[Pierce County, Washington|Pierce County]] Prosecutor Mark Lindquist.<ref>{{cite news|first=Mike|last=Carter|title=Serial killer Robert Yates Jr. seeks federal appeal of death sentence|date=May 16, 2013|url= http://blogs.seattletimes.com/today/2013/05/serial-killer-robert-yates-jr-seeks-federal-appeal-of-death-sentence/ |work=[[The Seattle Times]]|access-date= September 17, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150803140037/http://blogs.seattletimes.com/today/2013/05/serial-killer-robert-yates-jr-seeks-federal-appeal-of-death-sentence/|archive-date=August 3, 2015}}</ref>
Yates remains incarcerated at the [[Washington State Penitentiary]].<ref name="inslee suspend"/> His case was further complicated by Washington Governor [[Jay Inslee]]'s 2013 declaration that he would not sign death warrants for anyone on death row while he is in office. Inslee cited the high cost of the appeals process, the randomness with which death sentences are sought, and a lack of evidence that the penalty serves as a deterrent to other criminals.<ref>{{cite news|title=Inslee halts executions in state while he is governor|url=http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2022883256_deathpenaltyinsleexml.html|work=[[The Seattle Times]]|date=February 11, 2014|access-date=February 12, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140212015914/http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2022883256_deathpenaltyinsleexml.html|archive-date=February 12, 2014}}</ref><ref name="inslee suspend">{{Cite news |last=Millares Young |first=Kristen |date=February 11, 2014 |title=Washington state to suspend death penalty by governor's moratorium |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/11/washington-state-death-penalty-governor-inslee-suspends |access-date=February 12, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223012546/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/11/washington-state-death-penalty-governor-inslee-suspends |archive-date=23 February 2014}}</ref>
In July 2015, the Washington Supreme Court once again rejected an effort by Yates to overturn his conviction and death sentence.<ref>{{Cite news |date=July 9, 2015 |title=Supreme Court rejects serial killer Yates' petition to overturn death sentence |work=[[KCPQ]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |url=http://q13fox.com/2015/07/09/supreme-court-rejects-serial-killer-yates-petition-to-overturn-death-sentence/ |access-date=December 10, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422150520/https://www.q13fox.com/news/supreme-court-rejects-serial-killer-yates-petition-to-overturn-death-sentence |archive-date=22 April 2021}}</ref> After the Washington State Supreme Court ruled in 2018 that the death penalty violated the [[Constitution of Washington|state constitution]], Yates's death sentence, as well as that of Washington's other death row inmates, was commuted to [[Life imprisonment in the United States|life in prison]] without the possibility of parole.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cornwell |first=Paige |date=October 11, 2018 |title=List of inmates whose sentences are changed from death row to life in prison |work=[[The Seattle Times]] |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/list-of-inmates-whose-sentences-are-changed-from-death-row-to-life-in-prison/ |access-date=October 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220523200208/https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/list-of-inmates-whose-sentences-are-changed-from-death-row-to-life-in-prison/ |archive-date=23 May 2022}}</ref>
==Victims== Yates had killed the following individuals:<ref name="lash" /><ref name="barker morris"/> {| class="wikitable" style="vertical-align:top;" colspan=15;" |- !Name!!Date of murder!!Date of discovery |- |Patrick Allen Oliver||July 13, 1975|||July 14, 1975 |- |Susan Patricia Savage||July 13, 1975|||July 14, 1975 |- |Stacy Elizabeth Hawn||July 7, 1988|||December 28, 1988 |- |Shannon Rene Zielinski||May 27, 1996|||June 14, 1996 |- |Heather Louise Hernandez||August 21, 1997|||August 26, 1997 |- |Jennifer Ann Joseph||August 16, 1997|||August 26, 1997 |- |Darla Sue Scott||September 30 or October 1, 1997|||November 5, 1997 |- |Melinda Lee Mercer||December 6, 1997|||December 7, 1997 |- |Shawn Lynette Johnson||October 17, 1997|||December 18, 1997 |- |Shawn Ann McClenahan||December 18, 1997|||December 26, 1997 |- |Laurie Page Wason||November 3, 1997|||December 26, 1997 |- |Sunny Gail Oster||November 1, 1997|||February 8, 1998 |- |Linda Marie Maybin||November 21, 1997|||April 1, 1998 |- |Melody Ann Murfin||May 20, 1998|||October 18, 2000 |- |Michelyn Joann Derning||July 4, 1998|||July 7, 1998 |- |Connie Lynn Ellis-LaFontaine||September 17, 1998|||October 13, 1998 |}
== See also == * [[List of serial killers in the United States]] * [[List of serial killers by number of victims]] * [[Donna Perry (serial killer)]]
==References== {{reflist|2}}
==Works cited== * {{Cite book |last1=Morlin |first1=Bill |last2=White |first2=Jeanette |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F6hwMyIL3H8C |title=Bad Trick : The Hunt for Spokane's Serial Killer |date=2001 |publisher=New Media Ventures, Inc |isbn=9780923910181 |location=Spokane, WA |oclc=48369684}}
==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080529015048/http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/predators/yates/bodies_1.html Robert Lee Yates, Jr.] Archived from [[Crime Library]] *[http://www.karisable.com/skazyates.htm Kari & Associates – Robert Lee Yates, Jr.] *[http://maamodt.asp.radford.edu/Psyc%20405/serial%20killers/Yates,%20Robert%20Lee.htm Profile from Radford University Dept of Psychology students] [https://web.archive.org/web/20110720035253/http://maamodt.asp.radford.edu/Psyc%20405/serial%20killers/Yates,%20Robert%20Lee.htm Archived]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Yates, Robert Lee}} [[Category:1952 births]] [[Category:American aviators]] [[Category:American male criminals]] [[Category:American murderers of children]] [[Category:American people convicted of murder]] [[Category:American prisoners sentenced to death]] [[Category:American rapists]] [[Category:Crimes against sex workers in the United States]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Necrophiles]] [[Category:People convicted of murder by Washington (state)]] [[Category:People from Walla Walla, Washington]] [[Category:Prisoners sentenced to death by Washington (state)]] [[Category:Serial killers from Washington (state)]] [[Category:United States Army personnel of the Gulf War]] [[Category:United States Army soldiers]] [[Category:Violence against women in Washington (state)]] [[Category:Military personnel from Spokane, Washington]] [[Category:Criminals from Spokane, Washington]]