Francisco Acevedo

Francisco Acevedo (born September 2, 1968) is an American serial killer who was convicted of strangling three women to death in New York between 1989 and 1996. Acevedo was linked to the murders in 2009 after voluntarily giving his DNA as a parole condition for drunk driving. In 2012, he was sentenced to 75 years to life imprisonment.

Early life Francisco Acevedo was born in Meriden, Connecticut, on September 2, 1968, one of three children to Yadira Acevedo. His parents divorced when he was 14 years old, after which he moved in with his father. According to court records, he abused alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine at the age of 12.

Acevedo dropped out of high school during his freshman year and worked a series of jobs, including as a laborer, a cook at a pizzeria, a dishwasher at Testa's Silvertown Inn, and a midnight baker at Dunkin' Donuts. Investigators were aware of the murders being connected due to matching DNA found on each victim. However, they had no suspect whose DNA matched prior to Acevedo's arrest.

Acevedo maintained his innocence, claiming that he had sexual intercourse with the victims but had no involvement in their murders. He was acquitted of three counts of rape, as the victims were known sex workers. He was found guilty of the murders on the first day of jury deliberations and was sentenced three times to 25 years to life imprisonment, each to be served consecutively, totaling to a minimum of 75 years. He is currently incarcerated at Green Haven Correctional Facility.