Robert Maury
Maury in c. 1987
Born
Robert Edward Maury

1957 or 1958 (age 65–66)
Other namesThe Tipster Killer
OccupationLandscaper
Conviction(s)First degree murder (3 counts)
Criminal penaltyDeath
Details
Victims3–5+
Span of crimes
1985–1987
CountryUnited States
State(s)California
Date apprehended
November 7, 1987
Imprisoned atSan Quentin State Prison

Robert Edward Maury (born 1957/1958), known as The Tipster Killer, is an American serial killer and rapist who strangled to death at least three women in Shasta County, California, between 1985 and 1987. After each murder, Maury called into a tip line to tell detectives where the bodies were located, contributing to his nickname.[1][2]

Early life

It is alleged that he had an abusive father. Before his arrest, he lived in Cottonwood and occasionally worked as a landscaper and a dried-flower arranger.[1]

Murders

Averill D. Weeden

On August 8, 1985, 48-year-old Averill Deanna Weeden, who rented a room to Maury, was found dead partially buried along Bechelli Lane near South Bonnyview Road in Redding.[3] She was reported missing on May 25. She had died of strangulation and contained multiple skull fractures. Police had been led to her body due to an anonymous caller tipping off the location to the Secret Witness Program of Shasta County.[3] Due to Maury's relations to Weeden, he was considered a suspect, but no other evidence linked him to the murder, and he was not arrested.[4]

Belinda Jo Stark

On August 17, 1987, the skeletal remains of 30-year-old Belinda Jo Stark, who had been missing since June 26, were found in a remote bushy area near Palm Avenue and Monte Vista Road.[5] She had been raped and strangled to death. She was not immediately identified but was later identified through the numerous tattoos on her body.[5] Her body had been located due to an anonymous caller who had tipped authorities.[6]

Dawn M. Berryhill

On September 22, 1987, the body of 20-year-old Dawn Marie Berryhill was found in a remote bushy area approximately 250 yards from where Stark was found.[7] She had last been seen on June 22 when she left her 6-month-old son with a friend.[7] Due to the level of decomposition on the body, she had to be identified through dental records.[6] An autopsy showed Berryhill had been strangled to death with a bootlace.[2] Her body was found due to an anonymous caller tipping off the police. Police speculated that the killings of Berryhill and Stark could have been connected due to the proximity they were found and the fact both had disappeared days apart.

Suspected victims

On August 4, 1983, the nude body of Lora Stewart, 44, was found in Battle Creek near Cottonwood.[8] She had been strangled to death. She was a waitress at Jerry's Restaurant on Cypress Avenue in Redding.[8] Maury has been considered a possible suspect in her murder but never charged.[6]

On October 5, 1983, the body of Redding businesswoman Helen Faye Generes, 63, was found on the floor her Market Street real estate office, in Redding.[9] She too had been strangled to death.[6]

In later years, Maury requested that some of his property be returned to his family so they could sell it off. However, officials would deny all requests and said that his property could have held evidence of other victims.[10] So far, he has not been definitively linked to any other crimes.

Arrest

Maury was investigated as a suspect in September 1987 after it was suspected he had been the caller in the three murder cases and had received $2,000 in return. It was found that Maury had bought a motorcycle with the money and paid off some of his family's debts.[10] Fire Marshall Roy Del Carlo, who was wired, posed as the chairman of the Secret Witness board and met with Maury in a series of meetings.[11] His voice was compared to the caller who had called to report the bodies, and they were found to have been eerily similar.[12] Maury's fingerprints also matched a fingerprint left on an envelope that contained Secret Witness reward money.[12] More evidence emerged that physically linked Maury to Stark's murder, as a fingerprint found inside her purse matched Maury's prints.[13]

Maury was arrested at his home on November 7, 1987, under suspicion of committing the murders.[14] Maury was held at $750,000 bail awaiting charges, which was later changed to no bail once he was charged with three counts of first-degree murder and was additionally charged with raping a woman in August. Maury pleaded innocent and said he merely witnessed one of the killings.[15] He also said revealing his identity violated his rights.[11]

Trial and later life

The defense argued during the trial that Maury accidentally discovered the bodies and reported them as a good Samaritan.[2] A jury found him guilty of all three murders, and Maury told them to sentence him to death if they truly thought he was guilty, to which they did.[16]

In 2003, Maury attempted to appeal his sentence because multiple errors occurred during the trial, including the fact the jury had been told about his calls to the hotline, something that the Secret Witness Program, which had promised to keep his identity private, violated his 4th amendment rights.[2] The court stated however that the program is allowed to pass on the information to law enforcement who are involved in an investigation, and so, the appeal was rejected, and he remained on death row.[2]

Capital punishment in California remains in a state of limbo following multiple ballot initiatives and a moratorium imposed by Governor Gavin Newsom, and executions have not been fulfilled in California since 2006, so, as of 2023, Maury is still awaiting execution at San Quentin State Prison is San Quentin, California.[2]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Miller, Bill (November 12, 1987). "Police believe tipster was killer of 3 women". San Francisco Examiner.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Dolan, Maura (April 25, 2003). "'Secret Witness' in 3 Killings Loses Appeal". Los Angeles Times.
  3. 1 2 "Discovery of body sparks difficult search". Redding Record Searchlight. August 30, 1985. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Arrest". Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  5. 1 2 Lemos, Judi (October 27, 1987). "Authorities identify human remains". Redding Record Searchlight.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Lemos, Judi (November 7, 1987). "Man arrested in 3 killings". Redding Record Searchlight.
  7. 1 2 Lemos, Judi (October 2, 1987). "Remains are of missing mother". Redding Record Searchlight.
  8. 1 2 "Waitress Strangled". The Sacramento Bee. August 4, 1983. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  9. ↑ Popkey, Dan (October 7, 1983). "Autopsy may give Generes case clues". Redding Record Searchlight.
  10. 1 2 Holquist, Robert C. (October 14, 1989). "DA opposes release of Maury's property". Redding Record Searchlight.
  11. 1 2 Hassenpflug, Glenn (March 29, 1989). "'Secret' witness is murder suspect". The Sacramento Bee.
  12. 1 2 "SERIAL". Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  13. ↑ Mulady, Kathy (July 19, 1989). "Judge orders trial in rape, 3 slayings of Shasta women". Record Searchlight.
  14. ↑ "Tipster who told about 3 slayings arrested". The Miami Herald. November 14, 1987. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  15. ↑ Mulady, Kathy (January 28, 1988). "Judge orders trial in rape, 3 slayings of Shasta women". The Sacramento Bee.
  16. ↑ Holquist, Robert (September 7, 1989). "Maury wants sentence carried out". Redding Record Searchlight.
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