THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, July 23, 1996 TAG: 9607230449
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MIKE MATHER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: 80 lines
A nude body found early Monday on the shoulder of a dead-end road in Deep Creek could be the 12th victim of a serial killer who has preyed on transient and homosexual men since 1987, authorities said.
The body was identified as that of Andrew ``Andre'' D. Smith, 38, of Portsmouth.
Shortly after a Virginia Power worker found the body, members of the multi-agency Serial Killer Task Force were summoned to Yadkin Road near Interstate 64 and George Washington Highway.
They were joined by other Chesapeake detectives and at least one agent from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, whose members have been assisting the task force.
Chesapeake police spokeswoman Elizabeth Jones said the killing hasn't been officially linked to the serial killings of 11 men, but said it ``bears many similarities'' to the others.
Among the similarities:
The victim was a man found nude on a roadside in a rural section of the city. Nearly all the victims were found in Chesapeake. Only one victim, the first, was found clothed. Police have not located clothes or property belonging to the other 10 victims. Most were dumped within a few miles of where Monday's victim was found.
The road where the body was found is near an interstate, which gives the killer quick access to an escape route, police say.
None of the victims, including Smith, showed any signs of overt trauma. Of the 11 known serial-killer victims, nine were strangled. The other two may have been strangled, but the bodies were too badly decomposed when found for investigators to be sure. Police would not speculate how Smith died.
The last several victims were dumped in conspicuous places where they would be quickly found and reported. One body was left in a cul-de-sac where a police cruiser had been just minutes earlier. Detectives believe the killer is taunting them.
Jones said the body found Monday was clearly visible alongside Yadkin Road. It probably had been there no more than 48 hours, and probably less than 24 hours, she said. Although the road isn't heavily traveled, area residents and business employees use the street frequently, especially during the work week.
Police identified Smith through fingerprints. Jones would not say why Smith's fingerprints were on file, but many of the serial killer's victims had minor criminal records.
The last known victim, Jesse J. Spencer, also had a history of petty crimes, and he, too, was identified through his fingerprints. He was found Jan. 27 alongside Jolliff Road. Police say his body was left there shortly after he was killed, which was something of a departure from the killer's modus operandi, police said. For a while, the killer had been hanging onto the bodies for days before leaving them.
Investigators say it will take an autopsy to determine about how long Smith had been dead before he was found. That examination should also determine a cause of death. Police are trying to trace his last hours.
Nearly all the serial killer's victims were last seen in Norfolk's Ocean View, downtown or the Truxtun section of Portsmouth, where police said Smith lived with family. Many frequented late-night hangouts, and several had stayed in Norfolk's Union Mission.
While most victims were gay or had ties to the gay community; some were not. One was married; another was living with a woman. All, however, were known to keep late hours and unpredictable schedules. Many were transients.
It was the victims' lifestyles that first linked the cases.
In mid-1993, investigators from several jurisdictions began comparing cases and determined that the deaths of seven men were probably linked to a common killer. By the end of 1994, police formed the Serial Killer Task Force, which was dispatched Monday to Yadkin Road.
The task force has spent thousands of hours tracking the killer, but its efforts so far have not produced a prime suspect. ILLUSTRATION: Map
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IF YOU CAN HELP
Police ask anyone with information about Andrew ``Andre'' D.
Smith, or about the serial killings, to call 436-8900.
KEYWORDS: MURDER SERIAL KILLING by CNB