Nicholas Wiley

Nicholas Lee Wiley (born July 17, 1962), known as The Syracuse Serial Killer, is an American serial killer and sex offender who murdered at least three women in Syracuse, New York in 2004. He claimed to have killed a total of seven people, although his claims were never corroborated. For his known crimes, he was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

Early life Wiley was born in Syracuse on July 17, 1962. He had a criminal history dating back to 1979. In 1983, he was accused of striking 66 year old Doris Lando repeatedly with a hammer, cutting her telephone lines, and robbing her of items and cash. Wiley's lawyer defended his case by presenting the notion that Wiley "was denied effective assistance of counsel." He was released from prison on January 22, 2004, and registered as a level 3 sex offender.

Confirmed victims On April 11, 2004, only a few months after Wiley's release from prison, 18-year-old Tammy Passineau, a 5'3" single mother, disappeared in Syracuse. She was last seen with a friend in the 100 block of west Water Street. Although an investigation was conducted, police were unable to locate her whereabouts, and foul play became a suspected factor. She lived in the same West Onondaga Street building where Wiley was living at the time. The next day, on June 1, the body of 22-year-old Hannah Finnerty was discovered inside a trash can outside of the building, the cause of death was due to numerous stab wounds.

Arrest The next day, after Finnerty's body was found, Wiley was arrested as a suspect. After his arrest, Wiley confessed to the a total of seven murders between April and May. He claimed he had murdered four women, two men, and a teenage gang member.

However, authorities theorized that Wiley was responsible for Tammy Passineau's disappearance; one lead that detectives suspected was that Wiley described killing a red-haired girl named Tammy in April and, when looking at older cases, it matched with a description of Passineau. Passineau's remains are still yet to be found besides the blood in Nicholas Wiley's apartment. The six men and six women jury found Wiley guilty of three counts of first degree murder and three counts of second degree murder. Days later, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. Wiley attempted to appeal his sentences in 2009, but the convictions were all upheld.