Officials give suspected serial killer timeline of events

By David Spunt - bio | email

BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - A news conference surrounding the investigation of suspected serial killer Jeffery Lee Guillory released further details of what led to his arrest. Mayor Kip Holden, Police Chief Jeff LeDuff, District Attorney Hillar Moore, LSP Superintendent Colonel Mike Edmonson and FBI Supervisory Special Agent Janice Mertz gathered in the Metro Council Chambers to give new details.

"We get one shot y'all to go out there and do it right," said Chief LeDuff. "Sometimes people say, 'What took so long?' and we have to make sure we collect what's needed and we preserve it."

Authorities from the Baton Rouge Police Department all the way up to the FBI laid out a timeline of what happened. According to police records, Guillory was arrested in September 2006 after a traffic stop in Baton Rouge. His fingerprints taken then were later linked to a beer can found at the scene of the 2001 murder of Sylvia Cobb.

"You think your life is rosy, you think we forgot about you, haven't you?" LeDuff asks, referring to criminals who think they have gotten away with a crime. "Come on man, you think folks aren't going to be there to run these tests, come on man."

By 2007, Guillory was out of jail. Police had no contact with him until that December, when he was accused of beating and trying to kill a Lafayette woman. He was arrested in Baton Rouge for that crime. He's been in prison ever since and is now a suspected serial killer. Police said in August 2008, DNA linked Guillory to the murder of Renee Newman. They said in March 2009, more DNA linked him to the death of Florida Edwards.

"The word serial killer brings back terrible memories for so many women and families in our city," said Mayor Kip Holden. "I hope this arrest brings comfort to all of the victims' families."

Police said they waited to arrest Guillory for the three murders until they had all of their ducks in a row on both a state and federal level. They pointed out Guillory had been in jail since January 2008 and was not a risk.Many questions have been asked about Guillory's possible involvement in the murders of eight women in Jeff Davis Parish. According to Sheriff Ricky Edwards, Jeffery Lee Guillory has been on his radar for a while, though he's not an official suspect. Police in Baton Rouge say he is still a suspect in several other unsolved murders in the city.

TIMELINE:

Sept. 3, 1999
- Body of Florida Edwards found
July 25, 2001
- Body of Sylvia Cobb found
- Fingerprint found on beer can
- Print entered into database but no hits
April 11, 2002
- Body of Renee Newman found
Sept. 15, 2006
- Jeffery Lee Guillory stopped on a traffic violation in Baton Rouge
- Guillory arrested on drug charges
- His fingerprint yields a reverse hit to the fingerprint on the beer can
- He is named possible suspect and questioned
- His DNA was taken but he was not charged because of lack of evidence
Nov. 7, 2006
- Guillory released from East Baton Rouge Parish Prison
Dec. 29, 2007
- Guillory identified as a suspect in an attack of a woman in Lafayette
Jan. 25, 2008
- Guillory arrested in Baton Rouge in connection with the Lafayette attack
March 2008
- Guillory taken to Lafayette to face charges
Aug. 2008
- Guillory's DNA is matched to Renee Newman
Oct. 2008
- Baton Rouge Police Dept. issues warrant for Guillory's arrest related to a stolen ATM card
March 2009
- Guillory's DNA is matched to Florida Edwards
June 2009
- Guillory is brought back to Baton Rouge and charged with bank fraud
Dec. 16, 2009
- Guillory is booked on three counts of murder in Baton Rouge