Chicago Strangler

The Chicago Strangler is a theorized serial killer, or serial killers, believed to be responsible for the deaths of a number of women in Chicago.

Connection of crimes Since 2001, at least 51 women aged 18 to 58 have been killed by strangulation or asphyxiation in Chicago, with many cases remaining unsolved. The victims were predominantly Black, typically employed as sex workers, and often had criminal records. Nearly all were strangled, partially or fully stripped, and then left in abandoned buildings, alleys, garbage bins, parks or snowdrifts. 25 additional cases were closed by police, resulting in the arrest of 13 men.

Several of the strangulations were committed in just three police districts located on the South and West sides of Chicago: areas with histories of violent crime and drug use such as Washington Park and Garfield Park have been common locations for these murders to occur. This pattern was recognized in 2018 through the Murder Accountability Project (MAP), which reviewed 51 unsolved strangulation and asphyxiation cases dating as far back as 2001. The algorithm used by MAP sorts unsolved homicides by location, victim and killing method in order to identify clusters associated with low homicide clearance rates. According to MAP, these factors could be indicative of an active serial killer.

Date discovered Victim's name Age Race January 4, 2001 Angela Ford 32 Black March 28, 2001 Charlotte Day 42 Black August 2, 2001 Winifred Shines 33 Black August 22, 2001 Brenda Cowart 52 Black November 5, 2001 Elaine Boneta 41 White December 8, 2001 Saudia Banks 39 Black February 16, 2002 Bessie Scott 43 Black June 12, 2002 Gwendolyn Williams 44 Black August 14, 2002 Jody Grissom 20 White August 25, 2002 Loraine Harris 36 White September 7, 2002 Dellie Jones 33 Black December 20, 2002 Celeste Jackson 37 Black March 19, 2003 Nancy Walker 55 Black May 20, 2003 Linda Green 42 Black May 20, 2003 Tarika Jones 30 Black August 14, 2003 Rosenda Barocio 20 White August 16, 2003 LaTonya Keeler 29 Black October 15, 2003 Latricia Hall 21 Black October 15, 2003 Lucyset Thomas 38 Black December 26, 2003 Ethel Amerson 36 Black July 15, 2004 Michelle Davenport 40 Black October 16, 2004 Tamala Edwards 37 Black November 5, 2004 Makalavah Williams 18 Black January 13, 2005 Precious Smith 23 Black February 1, 2005 Denise Torres 35 White August 30, 2005 Wanda Hall 33 Black December 25, 2005 Yvette Mason 35 Black December 30, 2005 Shaniqua Williams 40 Black January 12, 2006 Margaret Gomez 22 White July 14, 2006 Antoinette Simmons 21 Black September 24, 2006 Kelly Sarff 34 White March 25, 2007 Veronica Fraizer 46 Black May 2, 2007 Mary Ann Szatkowski 56 White November 13, 2007 Theresa Bunn 21 Black November 14, 2007 Hazel Lewis 52 Black October 9, 2008 Genevieve Mellas 32 White June 13, 2009 Charlene Miller 54 Black July 5, 2009 LaToya Banks 29 Black August 6, 2009 Shannon Williams 36 Black December 9, 2009 Vanessa Rajokovich 32 White June 25, 2010 Lafonda Wilson 43 Black July 16, 2010 Quanda Crider 37 Black August 28, 2011 Angela Profit 46 Black August 9, 2012 Pamela Wilson 30 Black February 21, 2014 Velma Howard 50 Black March 3, 2017 Diamond Turner 21 Black June 22, 2017 Catherine Saterfield-Buchanan 58 Black March 17, 2018 Valerie Jackson 49 Black May 25, 2018 Lora Harbin 44 White June 12, 2018 Nicole Ridge 47 White September 10, 2018 Reo Holyfield 34 Black

Convictions In 2020, a man named Arthur Hilliard was charged with the murder of 21-year-old Diamond Turner after his DNA linked him to the crime. He was convicted of her homicide in December 2025, and is currently awaiting sentencing. He was also convicted of concealing a body in an unrelated 2018 murder, and is a suspect in yet another murder with which he is yet to be charged.