Killer Stories with Harvey Guillén - The Jacksonville Strangler

Episode Date: October 2, 2023

In the early 2000s, a serial killer attacked at least six young women around Jacksonville, Florida. Though we’re still awaiting official justice, authorities have strong suspicion around convicted murderer Paul Durousseau. Today, Vanessa analyzes how well the Strangler’s crimes line up with Durousseau’s MO. Keep up with us on Instagram @serialkillerspodcast and Tiktok @serialkillerspodcast! Have a story to share? Email us at [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Due to the nature of this episode, listener discretion is advised. This episode includes discussions of murder, sexual assault, kidnapping, and domestic violence. Consider this when deciding how and when you'll listen. To get help on mental health and domestic violence, visit Spotify.com slash resources. Okay, being a true crime fan often means trying to make sense of the senseless. Murder rarely has a satisfying explanation. Still, by delving into the backstory and the psyche of a murderer, you can sometimes find order in the chaos. But sometimes you can't.

Like the case of the Jacksonville Strangler, not only is the killer's identity officially unconfirmed, but even our biggest suspect hides in the shadows. Today we're discussing the Jacksonville Strangler and the most prominent person of interest in the case, Paul Duruso. After he was convicted of an eerily similar murder, many believe Deruso is the famed strangler, but the truth is anything but certain. I'm Vanessa Richardson, and this is Serial Killers, a Spotify podcast. You can find us here every Monday. Be sure to check us out on Instagram at Serial Killers Podcast. Stay with us.

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a day for two weeks as part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle may help reduce the frequency of minor digestive discomfort, which includes gas, bloating, rumbling, and abdominal discomfort. Since he's the biggest suspect in the Jacksonville Strangler case, we'll start with some background on Paul DeRuso, then cover the Strangler's attacks. Deruso was a violent in his own right. Born in 1970 in Beaumont, Texas. His family moved a few times, living for a while in St. Petersburg, Florida, and later in Los Angeles, California. Deruso's family, friends, and teachers said he was a shy but well-behaved and polite boy who happily helped others. He did seem anxious, though. According to a childhood friend, as he got older, Deruso shied away from physical contact

and avoided all sports other than track because he was afraid of getting hurt. Though he might have had a good reason for this fear, he'd apparently already experienced a serious injury, and evidence suggests that babies can store traumatic events that later affect their behavior, even if they don't remember them. As a reminder, I'm not a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist,

but my team and I have done a lot of research for this show. At some point when to read, Rousseau was a toddler, he was in a stroller that broke. It tilted back, tipping him onto the floor where he hit his head. This could have manifested into those childhood fears. It certainly manifested into an ER trip. There, doctors advised Druso's mom to monitor him for several months and watch for symptoms of a concussion. It's not clear if his mother reported any symptoms, but a neurologist and psychiatrist who examined him as an adult, both concluded that he had extensive brain damage primarily to his frontal lobe. Dr. Dorothy O. Lewis, a psychiatrist who later evaluated DeRuso,

theorized that when DeRuso fell out of his stroller, his brain jarred forward, causing injury to its front portion. And there's a lot of research indicating that damage to this area of the brain may increase the risk of aggressive and antisocial behavior, which might help explain what happened two decades later, when he was 21. A week before Christmas, 1991, police arrested DeRuso and charged him with carrying a concealed firearm.

This brush with the law didn't seem to scare him straight, because just over a month later, authorities arrested him again on the same charge. But by the next year, DeRuso resolved to turn things around. In November 1992, the 22-year-old enlisted in the U.S. Army, after completing basic training, he was shipped to a military base in Germany. During his time there, Duruso connected with a fellow soldier, a 21-year-old woman named Natoka. While things may have started out platonically, the pair began seeing each other romantically. In 1995, Duruso and Natoka returned to the U.S. and got married in Las Vegas. Not long after, he was stationed at Fort Benning near Columbus, Georgia.

Having now been in the army for over four years, DeRuso had risen through the ranks. Being a good soldier met a lot to him. The army had made him focused and disciplined. Things were also going well at home. Deruso and Atoka had a young daughter, and Natoka was already pregnant with a second baby. On the surface, DeRuso had everything a young man could want,

and yet there seemed to be darkness, rising inside him. In early January 1997, 26-year-old DeRuso drove through Benning Hills, a suburban neighborhood in Columbus. At some point, he encountered an 18-year-old woman. According to the victim, Deruso kidnapped and raped her. Afterward, he either let her go or she made an escape. If this feels like a random turn for someone who seemed to have everything going for him, that's because it was. And it could be connected to his childhood head injury. Clinical studies show that frontal lobe damage is associated with episodic discontrol, a neurological term that's roughly equivalent to a condition defined

as intermittent explosive disorder. It's characterized by recurrent aggressive outbursts, which are sudden and unpredictable, and can involve physical attacks, verbal abuse, and property damage. DeRuso was never diagnosed with this condition, so this is speculation. Regardless of what caused the attack, the victim was able to help the police identify her attacker. Within two months, officers from the Columbus Police Department showed up at DeRuso's house, the one he shared with his wife and two kids. They arrested him on kidnapping and rape charges. Since Deruso was on active duty, the police turned the case over to the authorities at Fort Benning.

During the course of their investigation, it seems the military uncovered other transgressions. Duruso had been involved with stealing military property. His record wasn't so upstanding after all. In August 1997, Duruso was court-martialed on kidnapping and rape charges. But it seems that the prosecution's evidence was fairly thin. He was ultimately acquitted. He only pleaded guilty to receiving stolen property. Deruso's military career was effectively over. He was demoted to the rank of private and then discharged for bad conduct, rendering him ineligible for any future military benefits. Shut off from the only structure he'd ever known,

DeRuso suddenly found himself at the edge of a great abyss. And rather than resist it, he let it swallow him whole. Transport your senses with Sol de Janado's limited edition perfume mist collection. At Sephora, spritz on lush. notes of rainforest orchid and crisp sea breeze with hafresco paraizzo. Embrace a floral and fruity scent inspired by Rio's nude beach

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and vomiting, which can cause dehydration and worsen kidney problems. Talk to your doctor. Call 1-800-545-99-79 or visit Zep-Bash-Bash-Bank. In the fall of 1997, 27-year-old Paul DeRuso was in a state of shock. The only thing he'd ever felt sure of was his status as a military man. Now that was all over, and without it, he had no idea who he was. It seems DeRousseau really couldn't let his past go, because in September he attended a party at Fort Benning's non-commissioned officers club, likely as somebody's guest.

26-year-old Tracy Habersham also attended that party. As far as we know, she was a civilian, not a fellow soldier, likely another guest. Tracy's brother dropped her off outside, and he never saw her again. At some point, Deruso and Tracy may have crossed paths, maybe while grabbing drinks, or perhaps they just bumped into each other. Either way, the two seemed to hit it off. Some reports indicate Tracy was seen dancing with a man who close, closely matched Deruso's description.

A few days later, a woman walking her dog found Tracy's body. The Columbus police immediately launched an investigation. They spoke to hundreds of people in the area and even put up a billboard with Tracy's name and photograph, offering a $6,000 reward for information. But ultimately, they came up empty-handed. It doesn't seem as if DeRuso was immediately a suspect in the case. and the trail went cold after a few months. After being discharged from the military,

DeRuso struggled to find work. His bad conduct was a serious black mark on his record, especially since he had no other work experience. As they tried making ends meet, things became strained between him and Natoka. Eventually they made a decision. Time for a fresh start. Living within a stone's throw of the military base

just brought up too many bad memories. So in late 1997, the couple and their two daughters moved south to Jacksonville, Florida, where Notoka had grown up. But the fresh start was short-lived. Money was still a problem, but not their biggest one. Deruso quickly developed a reputation around town as a womanizer who cheated on his wife. He also became notorious among locals as a creep who'd make sexually suggestive comments to young women and girls.

Unsurprisingly, this only fueled the tension between Deruso and the Toka. Throughout their first year in Jacksonville, the couple had regular fights that sometimes turned physical. Deruso's behavior was also becoming more volatile outside the house. In May 1999, police arrested him for trespassing on private property, and he spent two days in jail. Far from making DeRuso lay low, this brush with the law seemed to spur. more violence, because before that year was over, he committed murder. One afternoon in July, Deruso left home and headed to an apartment complex nearby. 24-year-old Tyresa Mack lived in the building, and somehow, Deruso ended up inside her apartment.

Things quickly escalated. Deruso attacked Tyresa and strangled her to death before leaving. When they first investigated Tyrese's death, DeRuso wasn't on the authority's radar, but if they'd known what was going on in his own house, maybe he would have been. That August, a month after Tyrese's murder, Natoka called the police. She reported that DeRuso had slapped her

and tried putting his hands around her neck during an argument. But the cops took no direct action. Instead, they gave Natoka instructions on how to obtain a restraining order. She kept this option up her sleeve for almost a year, perhaps reluctant to take the step against her children's father, but she eventually reached a breaking point. Sometime in the year 2000, she told DeRuso she wanted a divorce, and he flew into a violent rage. Perhaps DeRuso felt like this was the last straw.

After losing his purpose and direction in the military, he had nothing left but his family. with the prospect of divorce looming, his entire life seemed to be collapsing. Of course, DeRuso himself was entirely to blame for everything he lost, but he lacked the self-awareness to see it. Instead, he lashed out into Toka for daring to leave, and his violence that night scared her enough to finally seek a restraining order. However, he persuaded her to drop the petition. Perhaps he even convinced her that he would change his ways,

because it seems Natoka never filed for divorce. This is a common pattern of behavior and abusive relationships. The victim tries to leave, and the abuser prevents it through force or manipulation. And there are other more subtle reasons why it can seem so hard to leave. These can include financial dependence, isolation from family and friends, and emotional abuse. So Natoka stayed. In March 2001, during another fight, DeRuso put his hands around Nautoka's throat and threatened to kill her.

Natoka filed for another restraining order. Though she didn't know the horrific extent of DeRuso's past crimes, she was beginning to realize just how much danger she was in. And this time, Deruso failed to change her mind. Perhaps that's why he began searching for other outlets for his rage. One day in June 2001, Deruso broke into a woman's home in Jacksonville and sexually assaulted her. He was caught and arrested, but before his case went to trial, he struck a plea deal. In the end, he served just 30 days in jail and received two years of probation.

And this lenient sentence barely put a dent in his never-ending job hunt. Just weeks after he was released on probation, he was hired as a school bus' trust. driver. Alarming as that sounds, the company did quickly fire DeRousseau after running a background check, but only after he'd done 40 hours of training and completed two weeks of work. Shortly after he was fired, possibly as a direct result, DeRuso flew into a rage and attacked Natoka. This time the police were called, and they arrested him for domestic battery. For that, he spent a month and a half behind bars. Tocca fades from the official record at this point, which suggests that she may have been able to use her husband's prison sentence to get herself and her children to safety.

It's certainly what we'd hope for her. And assuming that's the case, 31-year-old DeRuso would have found himself completely alone in the world after being released from prison in October 2001. After years of recklessness and violence, the inevitable had happened. He'd lost everything. Duruso seemingly found himself in a vicious cycle, unable to find work he turned to stealing, and was arrested for burglary six months after his release. He spent several months back in jail, but was later acquitted by a jury. He kept getting handed lucky breaks and kept squandering them,

and with Notocagon, he had to find somebody else to inflict his anger on. The episode is brought to you by Prime. Obsession is in session. And this summer, Prime Originals have everything you want. Steamy romances, irresistible love stories, and the book to screen favorites you've already read twice. Off campus, L, every year after, the love hypothesis, Sterling Point, and more.

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Adelante. In December 2002, a couple of months after Paul DeRuso was released from prison on a burglary charge, police found the body of 18-year-old

Nicole Williams. She'd been wrapped in a blanket and left in a ditch on the side of the road. Police deduced that Nicole's attacker had tied her up, then strangled her to death with an electrical cable.

They couldn't find a suspect, but they did find another scarily similar victim. At the end of December, Nikia Kilpatrick, a 19-year-old pregnant woman, went missing. When her family didn't hear from her over New Year's, they went to her apartment to investigate and found a horrific scene. Her two young children were in the apartment alive, but she was in the apartment alive, but she went to her apartment. She'd been dead for several days. Her family found her tied up with an electrical cable, strangled. Police and investigators swarmed the complex and collected physical evidence from the scene,

but later analysis didn't turn up any suspects. While all of this was going on, things were finally looking up for Paul DeRousseau. After months of unemployment, he was about to start a new job at the Gator City Taxi Company in Jacksonville, Florida. Although the authorities hadn't linked him to any killings, there were numerous red flags on his record, including a sexual battery charge for which he was still on probation. You'd hope this would have kept him from getting a job where people regularly got into his car alone. But much like the school bus company, it seems that Gator City taxi company was slow on its background checks. During one of his shifts, Duruso picked up 20-year-old Shawanda McAllister, a student,

and nurse's assistant. Like Nicaia, Shawanda was pregnant. Deruso drove her home, where Shawanda got out of the cab. Her body was found there the next day. She'd been tied up and strangled to death with an electrical cord. Given how similar the MO was to Nika's death, it didn't take long for authorities to connect the two murders. Both women had been bound, sexually assaulted and strangled inside their own homes. And both were pregnant, a detail which made the crimes even more horrifying. Soon the police linked these cases to the murder of Nicole Williams, the woman found at a local hotel a month earlier. All the victims had been bound with electrical cables using a specific type of slip knot. It was distinctive enough that authorities

were convinced a single person was responsible for all three. three murders. There was a serial killer in Jacksonville. He was soon named the Jacksonville Strangler. And he wasn't slowing down. Towards the end of January, 17-year-old Jovanna Jefferson went missing. Ten days later, 19-year-old Serita Cohen also disappeared. Both women were reported missing by their families, who surely feared the worst, having seen the headlines about Jacksonville. Strangler. It wasn't long before those families got some answers. In early February, a construction crew arrived to start work at a vacant lot. As they began clearing it out, they discovered Giovanna's remains in a ditch. After the police arrived, they scoured the scene for evidence. Not far away,

they found Sarita's body, partially obscured from view. Though neither woman had been killed inside her own home, the authorities soon noticed that the MO was otherwise identical to the other Jacksonville Strangler murders, right down to that distinctive slip-knot. The Jacksonville Strangler's official body count now stood at five. Over the next couple of days, the police spoke to the victim's friends and families and issued public appeals for information. Surely somebody in the local community had seen something. Soon, multiple witnesses came forward with the same compelling lead. Jovana and Sarita had each been seen with a cab driver on the night they vanished. Before long, the police linked this description to Paul DeRuso, and the day after Giovanna and

Sarita were found, the police arrested him. When the police searched his cab, they discovered jewelry that belonged to Sarita and Giovanna. At his home, they found a bed sheet with traces of Jovana's DNA. The cops also found fibers from the blanket in which Nicole's body had been wrapped. Combining those finds with cell phone data, CCTV footage, and records from the cab company,

they could see a clear picture of DeRuso as the killer of all five women. The investigators also took a fresh look at the 1997. murder of Tracy Habersham and the 1999 murder of Tyresa Mack, Deruso's first and second victims. Ultimately, they linked him to both crimes through DNA evidence. In June, four months after his initial arrest, Deruso was charged with five counts of murder. He was also charged with two additional counts of child abuse against Nicaea's two children,

who he'd left alone in an apartment with their mother's body. body. Deruso pleaded not guilty to each charge. In the end, only one of those cases went to trial, but the other murders loomed large over the proceedings, during which Deruso took the stand in his own defense. He claimed he'd had sex with the victims, but insisted that he wasn't the one who'd killed them. The jury was unconvinced. In December 2007, four years after his arrest, Duruso was found guilty of murdering Tyrese Mac. He was initially sentenced to death, but that sentence was later overturned and replaced with life in prison.

Now 52, Deruso is behind bars at Florida's Walton Correctional Institution, where he'll remain until the day he dies. Still, many of the victim's families never got their day in court, especially when three families filed separate lawsuits against Gator City taxi, claiming their daughters would never have been murdered if the company had performed an adequate background check before hiring Deruso. All three cases were later dismissed. As far as we know, Deruso has never spoken publicly about his crimes, or offered any insight

into what drove him to such horrific violence. The closest insights we have are a series of statements made by experts during the trial. However, it's worth remembering that these experts testified for DeRuso's defense, so they may have had a vested interest in finding some logic behind his crimes. Psychiatrist Dr. Dorothy O. Lewis later diagnosed DeRuso with schizoaffective disorder. This condition involves a combination of symptoms, such as hallucinations, delusions, depression, and mania. Dr. Lewis noted that DeRuso was exceptionally paranoid and that it liked the same. affected his mental state. Though there aren't many details about what DeRousseau's paranoia looked like, so it's hard to draw a clear connection from that to killing a defenseless young woman.

There's something unsatisfying about that. Or maybe unsettling is a better word. Many of us instinctively try to make sense of a killer's actions, at least to a degree. But maybe it's okay to lean into the discomfort of not knowing. Some crimes are beyond explanation, even to the criminal. Thanks for listening to Serial Killers, a Spotify podcast. We'll be back Monday with another episode. And be sure to check us out on Instagram at Serial Killers Podcast. For more information on the Jacksonville Strangler and Paul DeRuso, among the many sources we used, we found coverage from the Columbus Ledger Inquirer and the Miami Herald extremely helpful in our research. Stay safe out there.

Serial Killers is a Spotify podcast. This episode was written by Emma Dibdin, edited by Robert Tyler Walker and Kate Murdoch, researched by Brian Petrus and Chelsea Wood, fact-checked by Kevin Johnson and Chelsea Wood, and sound designed by Sam Bear. Our head of programming is Julian Borrow. Our head of production is Nick Johnson, and Spencer. Spencer Howard is our post-production supervisor. I'm your host, Vanessa Richardson.

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