THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, January 30, 1996 TAG: 9601300288
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MIKE MATHER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium: 57 lines
Like several of the 10 victims before him, Jesse James Spencer Jr. had a history of minor brushes with the law.
Police think Spencer, 30, was most likely the 11th victim of a serial killer who has targeted area transients, drifters, hustlers and homosexuals since the summer of 1987. Spencer's nude body was found face-down in a ditch just off Joliff Road in the Western Branch section Saturday.
Norfolk court records show Spencer, whose last known residence was in the 800 block of East 29th St. in Norfolk, had a history of check fraud and drug problems, and died owing more than $500 in fines and court costs.
And like some of those before him, Spencer had a spotty employment record and no permanent address. He, like the others, was an easy target, police have said.
It was the similarity among victims that in 1993 first linked seven of the cases . Several were gay, and others who weren't had ties to the gay community.
In an interview last year, state police special agent Larry McCann, who develops psychological profiles of criminals, said a serial killer's methods may change but his victims don't. For reasons no one can explain, serial killers target victims who may generally look alike, live similar lifestyles, or in some other way fit a general pattern.
The lifestyles of the Chesapeake serial killer victims have tended to revolve around late-night clubs and hangouts in the downtown and Ocean View areas of Norfolk, and the Truxtun area of Portsmouth.
Four of the victims, including Spencer, were black. The other seven, were white. Several victims, including Spencer, were identified through fingerprints in police files.
Police on Monday declined to release the cause of Spencer's death, although he was probably strangled. Eight of the previous 10 victims were strangled, about half by hand and the rest with a rope or cord, police have said. The bodies of two others were too decomposed when found for investigators to be sure.
None showed signs of sexual assault. All - including the ones discovered soon after being dumped - showed some signs of decomposition. That means the killer kept the bodies for days. And all the victims, police have said, were subdued and killed without violence.
Despite the appointment of a serial killer task force and assistance from the FBI, police haven't been able to pin down a prime suspect.
Investigators are asking anyone with information about the case or the latest victim, Spencer, to call Chesapeake Crime Line at 487-1234, or Detective Mike Fischetti at 436-8458. ILLUSTRATION: Jesse James Spencer Jr.
KEYWORDS: SERIAL KILLINGS MURDER by CNB