Mervin Ray Hughes

Mervin Ray Hughes (born January 27, 1969), known as The Serial Shooter, is an American serial killer who committed a series of drive-by shootings in Oakland, California, in January 1999, killing two people and injuring several others. He had previously been convicted of manslaughter in a 1986 shooting death and was suspected of killing a man in another city in 1992. Hughes was found guilty of his known crimes and was sentenced to death in 2005.

Murders On September 16, 1986, Hughes, then 17, shot 38-year-old Jesse Clarence Dunlap in Oakland during a drug-related dispute. Dunlap was rushed to Highland Hospital where he died from his injuries. Hughes was quickly arrested and convicted of involuntary manslaughter, receiving a sentence of eight years in prison. He was released sometime before 1992 but was later arrested for the murder of a man in another city, but that case was later dropped after alleged witnesses refused to testify.

Oakland shooting spree Between January 15 and January 29, 1999, Hughes went on a shooting spree within four neighborhoods in East Oakland. During this time, Hughes shot eleven victims, killing two. His modus operandi was to drive around the Oakland area in his car and commit drive-by shootings. That suspicion was confirmed when, on January 27, Hughes returned to Bancroft Avenue where he shot at three men, one of whom was 33-year-old Robert M. Fisher, who was killed. The other two survived. Hughes' surviving victims were identified as Anthony Alexander, Ernest Badger, Donal Griffin, Shirley Jackson, Christopher Jones, Lavern Smith and John Witt. Officials declined to say how she fainted. Hughes pleaded not guilty to all charges, which, if he were to be convicted, meant he could face a death sentence.

In 2004, Hughes was found guilty in both murder cases and 17 other felony counts, but the jury deadlocked 10–2 in its decision to sentence Hughes to death. His conviction's stood, and a new jury was brought in the following year. On March 9, 2005, after six hours of deliberating, the jury decided to sentence Hughes to death. During his sentencing, Superior Court Judge Joseph Hurley called Hughes, "the worst of the worst". Hughes was also given an additional 300-year sentence for him to serve if his death sentence was to be dismissed by an appellate court. Hughes is awaiting execution at San Quentin State Prison. No execution date has been set.