Paul Durousseau

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Paul Durousseau
First degree murder
Criminal penaltyDeath; commuted to life imprisonment
Details
Victims7 confirmed, possibly more
Span of crimes
January 6, 1997 – January 20, 2003
CountryU.S., possibly Germany
State(s)Georgia and Florida
Date apprehended
June 17, 2003
Imprisoned atNorthwest Florida Reception Center

Paul Durousseau (born August 11, 1970)

African-American
women.

Personal life

Paul Durousseau was born in Beaumont, Texas. In 1970, he moved in with his mother's family in Los Angeles, California, after his father, unwed to his mother, deserted them. Little else is known publicly about Durousseau's childhood. After graduating high school, 19-year-old Durousseau found himself working as a security guard. His first offenses as an adult took place on December 18, 1991, and January 21, 1992, for carrying a concealed firearm.[3]

In November 1992, Durousseau enlisted in the

dishonorably discharged from the Army.[4]
: 3 

Durousseau and his wife moved to Jacksonville, Florida, where they had two daughters. It was during this period that he committed most of the murders. Durousseau struggled to keep jobs to make ends meet, and the couple would often argue over their financial situation. In 1999, the police advised Durousseau's wife on how to file for a restraining order after he allegedly slapped her in the face and grabbed her by the neck. Later, she testified that he became violently angry when she talked about getting a divorce. In September and October 2001, Durousseau spent 48 days in jail for domestic battery.[4]

Durousseau still managed to hold various legitimate jobs. In 2001, he was hired as a school bus driver and an animal control worker despite being a convicted felon. By 2003 he was working as a

taxi driver for the Gator City Taxi Company, which was how he first came into contact with some of his victims. It was erroneously reported that the taxi company failed to run a background check on Durousseau;[5] the City of Jacksonville was responsible for the background check, and issued Durousseau's taxi driver permit.[6]

Neighbors and friends described Durousseau as a "lewd womanizer" who often asked young women when they planned to "make flicks" with him. A witness recalled Durousseau hitting on a girl that appeared to be around 13 or 14 years old.[7]

Criminal history

Less than one month after the

strangled to death with a cord. Durousseau was not a suspect in the murder, but DNA would later tie him to the crime. He later confessed to Habersham's killing after his arrest.[3][9]

In 1999, Durousseau raped and killed 24-year-old Tyresa Mack in her apartment. Witnesses saw him leave her place carrying a television.[10][unreliable source?] In 2001, he was arrested for raping a young woman in Jacksonville. He spent 30 days in jail and received two years' probation. On December 19, 2002, 18-year-old Nicole L. Williams' body was found wrapped in a blue blanket at the bottom of a ditch in Jacksonville. She had been reported missing two days earlier.[8]

On January 1, 2003, family members of 19-year-old Nikia Kilpatrick went to check on her. They had not had any news from her for several days. They found her body in the bedroom of her apartment. She had been raped then killed by strangulation with a cord two days before. Her two sons, an eleven-month-old and a two-year-old, were alive but

nurse assistant
Shawanda Denise McCalister, who was also pregnant at the time of her death, was raped and strangled in her Jacksonville apartment. The murder scene was almost identical to that of Kilpatrick. She was killed on Durousseau's first day of driving a cab for Gator City Taxi. Her body was found the following day.

The next two victims were 17-year-old Jovanna Jefferson, and 19-year-old Surita Cohen. Their bodies were found close to each other in a ditch next to a construction site on New Kings Road in Jacksonville on February 5. Police estimated that Jefferson was murdered around January 20 and Cohen was killed 10 days later. Witnesses recount having seen the two last victims with a taxi driver fitting Paul Durousseau's description on the night they disappeared.

Durousseau was arrested and charged with five counts of murder on June 17, 2003. On December 13, 2007, he was

Florida Supreme Court. The jury that sentenced Durousseau was split 10-2 and the high court declared a split decision unconstitutional in capital sentencing.[12] He was resentenced to life in prison without parole on December 10, 2021, after a jury split 10–2 in favor of another death sentence.[13]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Inmate Population Information Detail - Paul Durousseau". Florida Department of Corrections. Retrieved February 6, 2010.
  2. ^ Ferguson, George, Emily Downing, Kaylor Eutsler, & David Disque. Paul Durousseau: The Jacksonville Serial Killer. Radford University Dept of Psychology.
  3. ^ a b c Chapin, Veronica (18 June 2003). "Cabdriver arrested in 6 serial killings". jacksonville.com. The Florida Times-Union.
  4. ^ a b c Bell, Rachael. "Paul Durousseau, the Jacksonville Serial Killer". Crime Library. truTV. Archived from the original on 26 March 2013. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  5. ^ Ivice, Paul (July 21, 2003). "Gator City Taxi sued in 3 deaths". Jacksonville Business Journal.
  6. ^ "Vehicle For Hire and Driver Certifications". coj.net. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
  7. ^ Treen, Dana (19 June 2003). "Accused killer was lewd, say neighbors". jacksonville.com. The Florida Times-Union.
  8. ^ a b "Suspected Serial Killer Under Arrest". News4Jax.com. WJXT. 18 June 2003. Archived from the original on 14 July 2010.
  9. ^ "Serial murder suspect linked to 1997 murder in Columbus, Ga". First Coast News. Gannett Broadcasting. 19 June 2003. Archived from the original on 23 January 2013.
  10. ^ "Paul Durousseau". pysih.com. June 11, 2007. Archived from the original on August 12, 2017. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
  11. ^ "Inmate Population Information Detail". 5/26/2013. Florida Department of Corrections. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
  12. ^ "Florida Supreme Court tosses Jacksonville killer's death sentence". February 2017.
  13. ^ Staff (2021-12-10). "After death sentence thrown out, convicted killer gets life in prison". WJXT. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
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