Read More: Where is Robert Lee Yates Wife Now? But evidence ties Yates. 1990. Yates grew up in Oak Harbor, Washington, graduating from Oak Harbor High School in 1970. Fall 1970 - Goes to Skagit Valley Community College. Police found a brown towel and a brown hair belonging to a white male at the scene. He would say, `I think there might be a better way,' " Merrill says. They flirted with being park rangers and game wardens. He also seemed to have a talent for writing poetry. Yates decided he wanted to be a doctor. He ended his letter, "Do not seek what seems like the simple solution, because it isn't.". The First Bodies of Robert Lee Yates Jr. The serial-killer task force began circling Yates. Robert Lee Yates Jr. kept trying to hold his life together. A killing spree was embarked upon by Yates, a U.S. Army veteran, and a family man with five children. Read a sonnet aloud in English class. While the family has appeared on a few shows like Dateline, they seem to be very private about their lives. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. April 1996 - Yates moves to Spokane without a job, rents a house with his wife and five children. No trace of criminals on either side, points out Ernest Youderian, Yates' uncle, and no way is his nephew capable of such horrific acts. . Women's bodies started showing up along the Spokane River in 1990. Her death didn't seem to affect Yates much, Gatti says. The first time was when she found out that her husband had drilled a hole in their attic to voyeuristically watch a couple have sex. From 1996 to 1998, he is known to have murdered at least 13 prostitutes in Spokane, Washington. He pleaded guilty for his crimes as part of a plea bargain so as to not receive the death penalty. Gatti last saw Yates the same month in Tacoma, when he was in town for training. [46], The 2002 death sentence was appealed on grounds that Yates believed his 2000 plea bargain to be "all-encompassing", and that a life sentence for 13 murders and a death sentence for two constituted "disproportionate, freakish, wanton and random" application of the death penalty. Linda also recalled feeling suspicious when her husband went "hunting" because he "was dressed up nice and had cologne on.". Neighbors joked that if they parked a car out front, maybe he'd wash that one, too. [6] The victims were initially solicited for sex work by Yates, who would have sex with them, (often in his Ford van), then kill them and dump their bodies in rural locations. The petition states that Yates and his wife have assets of more than $136,000 and liabilities totaling $475,000. -------------------------------------------------------------. Robert Lee Yates, Jr. | Wikipedia Robert Yates: Son, husband, athlete, father . He told them he never patronized prostitutes in Spokane. Her e-mail address is kmorris@seattletimes.com, ------------------------------------------------------------. 4. In 18 years, he earned 12 medals, two ribbons and a badge. News > Spokane Social worker who served Yates' victims supports end of death penalty. By the time Yates moved to town, five women were already dead. The family settled in Spokane, Washington, and Robert was seen as a doting father as well. Robert Lee Yates Jr. (born May 27, 1952) is an American serial killer from Spokane, Washington. He was anything but atypical. Detectives are still investigating, taking the house apart, piece by piece, looking for evidence. "You knew it had to be something good," says Dennis Niles, who served with Yates. Authorities expect to bring additional charges in the deaths of other women within the next two weeks. One Army colleague says he thought Yates planned to join a friend at a company cleaning paper mills. Everything We Know About Serial Killer Robert Yates' Wife. In 2002, Yates was convicted of killing two women in Pierce County and sentenced to death, but it was commuted to life without parole after the Washington Supreme Court ruled capital punishment unconstitutional in 2018. She described the man as about 50 years old, 5'10" tall, 175 pounds, with sandy blond hair. Who was Andrea Yates married to after the killings? From 1975 to 1998, he is known to have murdered at least 11 women in Spokane. Yates displayed anger only once, another co-worker says. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7b9be3342fa72109 He worked as a janitor at a hospital - his mother was a housekeeping supervisor at the Whidbey Island hospital. April 18, 2000 - Yates is arrested on the way to work. Yates was sentenced last month in Spokane to 408 years in prison for 13 murders 10 women in Spokane since 1996, a woman in Skagit County in 1988 and a couple near Walla Walla in 1975 and one attempted murder. Yates shot a pig in Somalia from his helicopter. Where Is Andrea Yates Husband Now? "If I raised kids, I'd like them to come up as good as him," says Ernest Youderian, who always received Christmas cards from his nephew. We have lots of information about Kyle: religious views are listed as unknown, ethnicity is unknown, and political affiliation is none. Meets Shirley Nylander from Fall City. "Especially when he said he was going hunting, and he was dressed up nice and had cologne on," she told "Dateline." September 1996 - Yates is hired to assemble circuit boards at Pantrol, a Spokane company. It didn't hurt a damn thing. She is the only known survivor of Yates' crimes. Oct 3, 2002. February 1984 to October 1984 - Yates is a support aviator in the Brigade Support Company, Aviation Training Brigade, Fort Rucker, Ala., the Army's flight training center. Blood was found on the seat and seat belt in the car. Saw things through quite well. It seems like Linda and her children continue to live a quiet life in the state of Washington. The family settled in Spokane. On July 14, 1975, the bodies of Patrick Oliver, 21, and Patricia Savage, 22, were found shot in the head near Mill Creek. On Saturday, April 15, Yates returned home from Yakima, where he had been training with the National Guard. Yates was stationed in various countries outside the continental United States, including Germany, and later Somalia and Haiti during the United Nations peacekeeping missions of the 1990s. How old is Kyle Yates? Smith also told police the man told her he was a National Guard helicopter pilot and had five children. By Seattle Times staff and news services. Religious. Heres whats happening in the 2023 session of the Washington Legislature. Bobby is the type of person you would want to have as your best friend.". Yates is an Army veteran and National Guard helicopter pilot who served tours in Germany and at several U.S. bases. Nondescript, he is most often described as "typical.". So, a question naturally arose were his loved ones aware of the grim reality? He also confessed to killing a total of 18 women in several counties. She clarified, The girls were pleading to be with their dad. Robert Lee Yates, Jr., defied many of the inductive predictions that are frequently offered regarding serial murderershe was married, had a good job, a nice home, . Detectives then talked to the "friend's daughter," who said Yates had agreed to pay her $20 for oral sex, according to police. "I said, Do you know why you killed these women? " Linda Yates recalled in an interview that aired Friday night on NBC televisions "Dateline" program. From 1996 to 1998, Yates is known to have murdered at least 13 women, all of whom were prostitutes working on E. Sprague Avenue, in Spokane. Yates' father last week revealed his son was sexually assaulted as a child by a neighbor. They were just trying to get some fresh meat.". The couple went on to have four daughters and one son. He Tried To Use Necrophilia As A Defense. She raised her children to respect their elders, Ernest Youderian says. He also enrolled in pre-med at the Walla Walla College. He also confessed to two murders committed in Walla Walla in 1975 and a 1988 murder committed in Skagit County. There are no openings. From 1975 to 1998, he is known to have murdered at least 11 women in Spokane. [3], Yates left the active duty Army in April 1996, apparently a year and a half short of being eligible for his full retirement benefits and pension. He also enrolled in pre-med at the Walla Walla College. His wife, his three youngest daughters and his son moved to a motel after his arrest, and it's not clear where they are now. [42][43][20], Yates was arrested on April 18, 2000, for the murder of Jennifer Joseph. "They tried to court-martial him because he didn't go through the proper channels," Mills says. His English teacher, Trudy Sundberg, said one of the poems he wrote, and read aloud in class, was comparable to Shakespeare. Linda Brewer met Robert Lee Yates when he was working at the Washington State Penitentiary as a corrections officer, and they married in 1976. He was later convicted of two additional murders. Her partially nude body was badly decomposed and dumped in a wooded area near a school bus stop. Yates bought a new home for $122,000, a tan split-level about a mile away from the rental. The Seattle Times reports Robert Yates' first victims were 22-year-old Susan Savage and 21-year-old Patrick Oliver. He apologized to the family members of his victims as well. Why do people love Robert Lee Yates? At this point, he has 32.5 days of unused leave. 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. Linda Yates left Robert Yates for one month early in their marriage and again for one year in the mid 1980s. This week through the youtube crime community we bring you another fascinating case about an American Serial Killer from Oak Ha. Robert Lee Yates Jr. (born May 27, 1952) is an American serial killer from Spokane, Washington. [13][14], Shannon Rene Zielinski The Army hasn't yet released a complete time line of Yates' duty, but state records show he returned to Washington state at least once. Jay Inslee for his expected signing. She was actually referring to the death of Roberts grandfather at the hands of his grandmother with an ax in 1945. His divorce from Nylander is not yet final. While there, he learns to teach soldiers to fly Huey helicopters. The Spokane Serial Killer: An American Monster by Investigation Discovery explores gruesome crimes committed by Robert Lee Yates. October 1976 - Anna Mae Yates dies after a long bout with cancer. After high school, Yates bounced from job to job, town to town, never straying too far from Oak Harbor. Yates was plucked from the enlisted ranks in 1980 to go through a warrant-officer basic course at Fort Rucker, Ala., the Army's aviation center, which has more flights every day than anywhere in the country. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. There was an execution date that had been set for September 19, 2008, but it was stayed due to additional appeal requests. In fact, Christine Smith, the only victim to have ever survived Roberts murder spree, was also listed as a creditor. Unlike many serial killers, Robert Lee Yates Jr. was known throughout his community as a family man. Yates confessed to picking up Hawn, who was working as a prostitute, in his van nearby. March 1999 - Yates picks up a prostitute in his Honda Civic for oral sex, according to court documents. May 1974 - Nylander files for divorce. On August 26, 1997, the body of Heather Hernandez, 20, was found in an overgrown lot in Spokane. The couple had a son and then a daughter. He brought the family to company picnics. November 1998 - Yates and a known prostitute are pulled over by a police officer at 1:25 a.m., near the area where women are disappearing. Just before he pulled into Kaiser, police pulled him over. The showcase for the late Paul Allens private collection of vintage aircraft and military vehicles reopens May 27. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Late that spring, another prostitute was found shot to death. On December 26, 1997, the bodies of Shawn McClenahan, 39, and Laurie Wason, 31, were found in a gully in Spokane. In early September 1994, Yates came to Walla Walla. In March 1999, Yates tried to get a job flying helicopters for Spokane's air-ambulance service, but no positions were available. In 2018, he was named the WPF world #1 ranked doubles player. Zielinski had a lengthy criminal record and worked as a prostitute. "He was a very moody person," she said. He told a neighbor he thought he'd be a bus driver. Job: Criminal. (CN) - Robert Lee Yates Jr., a serial killer who admitted to murdering more than a dozen prostitutes, failed to show proof of trial error, the Washington Supreme Court ruled. Authorities seized the Corvette. He was 25, considered old to be enlisting. Forensic experts found his fingerprint on one of the plastic bags tied around a victim's head, and Yates' genetic profile, from blood drawn after his arrest, matched . As reported by The Cinemaholic, Linda Yates was at work when she received a call telling her the body of Melody Ann Murfin was found buried in the backyard. The truth was that Yates carried out horrific murders between 1975 and 1998. He killed that.. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. However, there is another side to Robert Lee Yates. Two were for meritorious service. When the Oak Harbor Seventh-day Adventist Church burned to the ground, Robert Yates Sr. took it personally, co-workers say. Yates also confessed to two murders committed in Walla Walla in 1975 and a 1988 murder committed in Skagit . May 1975 - Yates gets an associate-of-arts degree from Skagit Valley. Rob and Tonya were married at the Arriola Bible Church in November 1991 and had their son, Bradey Rey, in January . Last September, they called him into the office. He didn't dispute it - in July 1974, a month before his divorce was final, Yates married Linda Brewer. 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. Following his high school graduation Robert Lee Yates Jr. earned an associates degree from Skagit Valley College and studied pre-med in Walla Walla. Seattle Times staff reporter Susan Gilmore contributed to this report. After a late bloom, stunning photos await at the monthlong festival with art, food, pickleball, millions of bulbs and traffic. Who was Robert Lee Yates and what did he do? August 1972 - Marries Nylander in Fall City at the Seventh-day Adventist Church. In 1995, Yates was transferred from New York to Fort Rucker. They loved their dad and I just kind of suffered through it. Also under investigation are the deaths of Darrin Wade Gehrke, 23, in 1995 and the disappearance of Linda Fisher Moran, 27, in December 1976. He sang in the choir, pitched baseballs, hunted deer. 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. Robert Lee Yates Jr. Born: 05-27-1952 Spokane Serial Killer American Serial Killer Crime Spree: 1975-1998 Incarcerated at the Washington State Penitentiary. He received a sentence of 408 years behind bars. There, he taught helicopter pilots how to teach soldiers to fly OH-58 helicopters. [3], He has five children, (four daughters and one son), with second wife Linda, whom he married in 1976. Records show that for one year, his oldest daughter was in the sixth grade in Walla Walla. Robert and Linda Yates jointly filed a personal bankruptcy petition in late October. As reported by The Seattle Times, Yates, who may have killed as many as 18 people, was ultimately sentenced to death. 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. The couple had faced multiple problems in their marriage and even separated for some time. 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.". [11][12], Stacy Elizabeth Hawn It's not clear who in his family came with him. All of his victims worked on the city's E. Sprague Avenue,. Someone spilled coffee in his hard hat, and Yates shouted, jokingly at first, and then seriously. In 1976, Robert Yates and Linda Brewer had a second wedding ceremony - this time in Oak Harbor, with Brewers' parents as the witnesses - most likely because his divorce hadn't been final the first time. He served a total of 21.5 years in the military. Can you add recessed lighting to existing ceiling? He earned several commendation and service medals during his military career, including the US Army Master Aviator Badge. It was Linda Yates first interview since the arrest of her husband in Spokane the morning of April 18. Robert Lee Yates is a serial killer. . Two days later, his middle daughter Amber, then 19, showed up at the county jail lobby. [50] His case was further complicated by Washington Governor Jay Inslee's 2013 declaration that he would not sign death warrants for anyone on death row while he is in office. During the interview, Yates said that whenever he thinks of his five children, he imagines them as teenagers. What kind of pickleball paddle does Kyle Yates use? In the early years of the marriage, Linda handled the family's finances and paid all the bills. It seemed as though he was an almost perfect embodiment of the good ole fashioned American spirit a patriot who served his country, a married man, and a doting father who enjoyed hunting and fishing. He was found guilty and was given the death penalty. On February 8, 1998, Sunny Oster, 41, was found shot to death, in an identical manner as McClenahan and Wason, in a rural area of Spokane. But inside the Army, he learned to fly helicopters so well that he taught other pilots how to teach flying. Robert Yates was arrested for murder and detectives searched the entire property. The reexamination of an old clue finally helps investigators zero in on the murderer. "He's been married 27 years. They still haven't found a gun, although Robert Yates had a hunting license and helped his daughter through a gun-safety course last year. 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