In a public statement, provided by Kitsap Sun, Yate's family expressed sympathy for the victims. Robert Yates's House (Google Maps). Shortly after, women began disappearing from the streets . #inline-recirc-item--id-922979d6-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d ~ .item:nth-child(5) { Yates and others in the helicopter landed, gutted the pig and put it in the back of the helicopter. She was shot once in the head and had three plastic bags covering her head. Robert Lee Yates Jr. (born May 27, 1952) aka The Grocery Bag Killer is an American serial killer from Spokane, Washington. On October 13, 1998, the body of Connie Ellis-LaFontaine, 35, was found in a ditch in Tacoma. They loved their dad and I just kind of suffered through it. On December 18, 1997, the body of Shawn Johnson, 36, was found with two gunshot wounds and two plastic bags covering her head, about a mile from the remains of Darla Scott. She raised her children to respect their elders, Ernest Youderian says. Neighbors joked that if they parked a car out front, maybe he'd wash that one, too. She had been missing since October 29, 1997. For money, Yates mowed lawns, worked at gas stations. The couple filed a bankruptcy petition under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code. Robert Yates was arrested for murder and detectives searched the entire property. May 1988 to May 1991 - Yates teaches soldiers to fly helicopters and serves in the 1st Infantry Division, Goeppingen, Germany. [44], After searching the Corvette, police discovered blood that they linked to Jennifer Joseph, and DNA from Yates that they then tied to 12 other victims. He bought a white 1977 Corvette from Sarah Marsh, and he drove the car back to New York. Yates was 20 when he married Shirley Nylander. Records show that for one year, his oldest daughter was in the sixth grade in Walla Walla. [38][39][40], Michelyn Joann Derning "You dont go out hunting with cologne on.". Before his birth, his grandmother had murdered his grandfather with an axe in 1945. Obviously, they went to JGR. When the family's church burned down, Robert and his father worked together to help rebuild it. With nothing but the clothes on their backs, the Yates family went into hiding. They were just trying to get some fresh meat.". She . The attempted murder charge involved the 1998 shooting of a prostitute who subsequently escaped from Yates and survived. October 1984 to October 1987 - Yates is a support aviator in a different unit in Fort Rucker. January 1999 - He's told the misdemeanor charge for striking his daughter will be dropped if he doesn't do anything similar for two years. He flew helicopters and once shot a pig from one. He is currently serving life in prison at the Washington State Penitentiary. They clipped out carpet fibers and sent them for testing. Acquaintances say Yates grew tired of the Army. "It all turned into a big joke after a while. He takes vacation in Washington in September 1994, to buy a white 1977 Corvette from Sarah Marsh in Walla Walla. He then joined the Army National Guard in April 1997, and served three years until his arrest in April 2000. He threw the coffee on the other crew members as they waited to punch out. Yates sweated profusely, the detectives said. The prosecutor in Pierce County, where the other two murders took place, has said he will not allow Yates a plea agreement to avoid the death penalty. Trending News Serial killer experts frequently point to childhood sexual molestation as a trigger that can produce such a killer. Meticulous. But those close to the case say its not really about lineage. For one, he always wore cologne when he claimed to go on hunting trips, which was a red flag in itself. He is one of hundreds interviewed and asked for blood samples. "Boys aren't attached to their mothers like girls are," he says. The serial-killer task force began circling Yates. Master engine builder Doug Yates, son of NASCAR Hall of Famer Robert Yates, comes to "the table of truth" to share stories with Dale Earnhardt Jr., and co-host Mike Davis, about a family legacy filled with ups, downs and everything between. A special homicide task force set up in 1997 to investigate the deaths of Spokane prostitutes is still folloing leads in other unsolved slayings in the region, Spokane County Sheriff's Sgt. 1965 - Anna Mae Yates and Robert Lee Yates Sr. are baptized into Seventh-day Adventist Church in Oak Harbor. We have lots of information about Kyle: religious views are listed as unknown, ethnicity is unknown, and political affiliation is none. Just before he pulled into Kaiser, police pulled him over. July 1995 to March 1996 - Yates is a flight leader in the 1st Battalion, 212th Aviation Regiment at Fort Rucker, Ala. March 1996 - A chief warrant officer 4, the highest rank he could attain at the time, Yates accepts early retirement from the Army with about $20,000 a year in retirement pay. Former landlords in College Place don't remember him. He also refused to give a blood sample for a DNA test. He still maintained that, when stopped the year before, he had been driving a friend's daughter home. Yates, who has five children, offered no explanation for the killings. Authorities seized the Corvette. Al Gatti, who was close friends with Robert Lee Yates Jr. in high school, said they spent a lot of their free time together fishing, hiking, hunting, and even working odd jobs to make extra money. [23][24][20][25], Shawn Lynette Johnson Another thought he planned to be a pilot in Spokane. His vehicle was described as a 70s era black van with an exterior yellow/orange stripe, bucket seats, wood panelling, and a raised bed. For obvious reasons, Roberts incarceration was quite tough on the family, financially speaking. When he decided to row a boat, he rowed five miles, Gatti says. In March 1999, Yates tried to get a job flying helicopters for Spokane's air-ambulance service, but no positions were available. Robert Yates' wife Linda was stunned to learn she was married to a serial killer. Richard Fasy, the Spokane County public defender assigned to Yates' case, says police statements implying Yates' guilt are premature and inappropriate. This would allow them to retain certain assets while selling off property to repay their debts. But, this victory was just the beginning of Kyle Yates' professional career in . Yates bought a new home for $122,000, a tan split-level about a mile away from the rental. He is charged with killing Jennifer Joseph, a 16-year-old prostitute. Yates has actually confessed to 14 killings, but will plead guilty to only 13. Yates confessed to the killings in October as part of a deal to escape the death penalty. Henry Youderian first spotted Whidbey Island in World War I, when he was in the Army cavalry, stationed at Fort Casey. [5], In 2001 Yates was charged in Pierce County, Washington, with the murders of two additional women. Robert Lee Yates Jr., who is commonly referred to as The Spokane Killer, was convicted of killing 15 women and one man in Spokane, Washington, and the surrounding area, between 1975 and 1998. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. He joined the National Guard and trained near Tacoma once a month. Yates then moved to the base in Goeppingen, Germany, and served there until 1991. September 1999 - Investigators interview Yates in connection with the serial slayings. At times, he pushed himself impulsively. He brought the family to company picnics. They flirted with being park rangers and game wardens. [16][17], Jennifer Ann Joseph Miles Merrill, who learned to teach flying from Yates, thought the man he spent time with seven hours a day for eight weeks was a single parent. A lover of the outdoors, Robert would often head out alone to go . ", When Yates was a teenager, the only fast-food restaurant in Oak Harbor was Kow Korner, where burgers cost 19 cents. This past January, investigators tracked down Yates' Corvette, which he had sold in May 1998. At Kaiser, Yates followed the rules, the only overhead crane operator to actually drive the crane as slowly as he was supposed to. Because this isn't the same Bob Yates I know.". Most Facebook users can now claim settlement money. Six months later, Linda gave birth to a daughter. Reward offered as manhunt for Texas shooting suspect reaches "dead end", Louisiana's health care deserts put women, babies at risk, doctors say, Second convoy of U.S. citizens fleeing Khartoum arrives at Port Sudan, How a tall Texan became an unlikely Australian rules football star, Surviving the torturous hell of the Hanoi Hilton, Texas surfer pushed offshore by strong winds rescued by Coast Guard, Tornado flips cars, downs trees after touching down in South Florida, Shaquil Barrett's 2-year-old daughter dies in drowning accident, Investors sue Adidas over Kanye West Yeezy deal. .component--type-recirculation .item:nth-child(5) { He lasts four months. While the family has appeared on a few shows like Dateline, they seem to be very private about their lives. Youderian said if he had ever had children he would want them to "come up as good" as Robert. A killing spree was embarked upon by Yates, a U.S. Army veteran, and a family man with five children. Please enter valid email address to continue. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Detectives are still investigating the killings. } The cities are working on plans for the paved trail that would generally follow high-tension power lines west of Highway 9. Yates' father last week revealed his son was sexually assaulted as a child by a neighbor. Yates is a force to be reckoned as the former #1 in the world pickleball player. Linda Yates left Robert Yates for one month early in their marriage and again for one year in the mid 1980s. Bob was born January 27, 1935 in Tacoma, WA to Peter and Margaret (Lingham) Yates. Legendary NASCAR pioneer and championship car owner Robert Yates has died at 74 after battling liver cancer for nearly a year. He worked as a guard at the state penitentiary in Walla Walla - Linda's dad had worked there for 18 years - but Yates lasted only four months. As an adult, he was a man's man, a soldier. He refused, stating that it was too extreme of a request for a "family man. She moves home to Fall City with her parents. Her death didn't seem to affect Yates much, Gatti says. C'EST FINI !!! The bankruptcy petition lists their two-story home on Spokanes South Hill as the familys biggest asset. Kyle Larson . Between 1771 and 1775 Yates sat on the Albany board of aldermen. "If something didn't go his way, he would try to take charge," says Chazz Wellington, a former crew leader. On August 1, 1998, Christine Smith filed a police report for assault and robbery after she was hit in the head during a sex act. Between 1771 and 1775 Yates sat on the Albany board of aldermen. [33][34][32][20], Linda Marie Maybin She and the couples children were rousted from their home without notice law-enforcement officers who had come to search the house for evidence. Yates, born in Anacortes, sits now on the other side of the state, in jail on a $1.5 million bond. The kids thought it was Shakespeare. He stays in College Place, home of Walla Walla College. She says she never exchanged more than 10 words with Linda Yates, who stayed at home with the children. Robert and Linda Yates jointly filed a personal bankruptcy petition in late October. Kyle Yates's birthday is 02/26/1975 and is 47 years old.Kyle Yates currently lives in Lexington, KY; in the past Kyle has also lived in Fort Leavenworth KS and Apo AE.Other names that Kyle uses includes Kyle Robert Yates, Kyle R Yates and Kyle K Yates. One of the creditors listed is Christine L. Smith, a woman who survived a 1998 attack and in July filed a lawsuit against Yates. Summers, he worked with Gary Berner harvesting peas, making $1.80 an hour. They were last seen the day before, on their way for an afternoon swim and picnic. "He always had answers to everything," she said. Kyle was born October 23, 1968 in Warner Robins, GA, son of the late Vernon Wendell Yates and Stephanie Suzanne Rikard Yates. Unlike many serial killers, Robert Lee Yates Jr. was known throughout his community as a family man. September 1996 - Yates is hired to assemble circuit boards at Pantrol, a Spokane company. On November 5, 1997, the partially decayed remains of Darla Scott, 29, were found in a shallow grave near a golf course in Spokane. He has to rush back to New York to go to Haiti. Al Gatti thought Yates had found a good deal on a house in Spokane and steady work. Few people remember his wife. At this time, the military was reducing its numbers, so he received full retirement despite being short of the customary 20 years served. At the same time, detectives were closing in on the mystery of the dead women, a tiny clue at a time. Yates was admitted to the New York bar in 1760 and thereafter resided in Albany. As reported by Kitsap Sun, Yates' family described him as "a loving, caring and sensitive son, a fun-loving and giving brother, [and] an understanding, generous and dedicated father.". "There's absolutely no doubt," says Sterk, adding that DNA links Yates to eight of the deaths. Her son was a pallbearer; Gatti was an honorary pallbearer. He wasn't thin. The wife of serial killer Robert L. Yates Jr. says she asked him during a jailhouse visit why he killed at least 13 people. Jay Inslee essentially halted the state's death penalty by refusing to sign any execution orders. In 1995, Yates was transferred from New York to Fort Rucker. Patience like you wouldn't believe.". During his career, Robert Yates earned Daytona 500 victories with two different . Although Yates was ultimately convicted and sentenced to death, Washington Gov. The couple went on to have four daughters and one son. He told them he never patronized prostitutes in Spokane. "Already prepared in his mind, I think.". The victim was Melody Ann Murfin, and Robert claimed that he planted her there because he wanted to see her every day.