Timothy Wilson Spencer
Timothy Wilson Spencer | |
|---|---|
Spencer in April 1994, hours before his execution | |
| Born | March 17, 1962 Green Valley, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | April 27, 1994 (aged 32) |
| Cause of death | Execution by electrocution |
| Other names | The Southside Strangler The Southside Slayer The Southside Rapist The Masked Rapist |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Convictions |
|
| Criminal penalty | Death by electrocution |
| Details | |
| Victims | 5 |
Span of crimes | 1984–1988 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Virginia |
Date apprehended | January 20, 1988 |
Timothy Wilson Spencer (March 17, 1962 – April 27, 1994), also known as The Southside Strangler, was an American serial killer who committed three rapes and murders in Richmond, Virginia, and one in Arlington, Virginia, in the fall of 1987. In addition, he is believed to have committed at least one previous murder, in 1984, for which a different man, David Vasquez, was wrongfully convicted. He was known to police as a prolific home burglar.
Spencer became the first serial killer in the United States to be convicted on the basis of DNA evidence, with Vasquez being the first to be exonerated, in 1989, following conviction on the basis of exculpatory DNA evidence.