Maury Travis
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Maury Troy Travis (October 25, 1965 – June 10, 2002) was an American serial killer who committed suicide in a St. Louis county jail, after being arrested for murder.
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[edit] The Crimes
Travis was described by his neighbors as a polite and pleasant man who took good care of his yard. Little did they know that Travis was slaying drug addicts and prostitutes in St. Louis, Missouri, and neighboring East St. Louis, Illinois. Police were reluctant to admit that a serial killer was responsible for the string of killings. His activities had caused barely a ripple even in the cities in which he prowled.
Perhaps because of this lack of attention, Travis decided it was a good idea to point authorities to the decomposing body of an undiscovered victim near West Alton, Missouri, by sending directions to the local paper St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which was later found to have come from Expedia.com and linked to his computer. The woman's body (still unidentified) was found just across a road from where two of Travis' earlier victims were discovered. Unfortunately for Travis he had enclosed an internet-generated map with his typed letter. Police soon traced the map back to the only IP address to download it recently. The user was MSN/maurytravis.
[edit] The Suicide
On June 7, 2002, police arrested Travis and began an extensive search of his Ferguson, Missouri, home. Travis told investigators he knew why they had come to get him but made no confessions under this first interrogation. Travis hanged himself in his cell three days later despite being under a suicide watch. Investigators are now left to forge ahead knowing they will get no help from the man who knew exactly what happened to the number of women he killed.
[edit] Evidence
At least the police search turned up a wealth of evidence against Travis, a 36-year-old waiter and former convict described by neighbors as quiet but smart and friendly. Blood splatters were found throughout Travis' home and belts and ligatures discovered were also smeared with blood. The most damaging evidence was videotapes that searchers found hidden inside a wall. The tapes documented Travis engaged in bondage and rough, sadistic sex with women and what appear to be two killings. Only one woman on the tapes, Betty James, has been identified. She has been found murdered, though it is not shown on the tapes. Travis' basement had been modified into a kind of sadistic torture chamber and was likely where several women took their last breath.
[edit] The Lawsuit
Sandra Travis Harden, mother of Maury Travis, is suing St. Louis County Jail because she feels that her son's Civil Rights were violated by negligent supervision of her son while he was in custody.
[edit] External links
- The Crime Library: Betrayed by a Computer - small article on how Travis was caught.
- Maury Travis
- Francis Farmers Revenge
