On July 2, 1992, the body of 32-year-old Billy Lee Dixon, a Black male, was discovered in Isle of Wight County, Virginia. At the time of his death, Dixon was a resident of Norfolk, living in the 3100 block of East Ocean View Avenue. His remains were later laid to rest in Magnolia Cemetery in Norfolk. The circumstances of his death were not immediately clear, but as the investigation unfolded, a grim pattern began to emerge, linking his case to a series of other homicides in the Hampton Roads
area.
Investigators eventually connected Dixon's death to Elton Manning Jackson, a man who would become known as 'The Hampton Roads Killer.' Jackson, a Black male born in 1956, was identified as the prime suspect in a string of murders of gay men that plagued the region throughout the 1980s and 1990s. His method was chillingly consistent; he would often meet his victims in or near gay bars in Norfolk or Portsmouth, engage in sexual activity with them, and then strangle them. The bodies of his victims were typically found nude and discarded in remote locations, much like Dixon's.
The investigation into the series of killings was extensive, involving a multi-jurisdictional task force that included the Chesapeake Police Department, Virginia State Police, Naval Criminal Investigation Services, and the FBI. For years, the identity of the killer remained elusive. However, a breakthrough came with the investigation into the 1996 murder of Andrew D. 'Andre' Smith. DNA evidence, including bloodstains on Jackson's mattress, linked him to Smith's death. This evidence also connected him to another victim, Reginald Joyner.
Elton Manning Jackson was apprehended on May 6, 1997. While he was a suspect in as many as twelve homicides, including that of Billy Lee Dixon, he was ultimately tried and convicted for the first-degree murder of Andrew Smith. On August 21, 1998, a jury found him guilty, and he was subsequently sentenced to life in prison. He is currently incarcerated at the Augusta Correctional Center in Craigsville, Virginia. While Jackson was not specifically tried for the murder of Billy Lee Dixon, law enforcement officials remain confident that he was responsible for his death, as well as the deaths of many others who fell victim to his decade-long reign of terror.
