In the summer of 1983, a sense of unease settled over the Kearsley Home, a residence for elderly women in Philadelphia. Within its walls, a series of tragedies had begun to unfold, initially dismissed as the natural course of life for its aged residents. However, the death of 72-year-old Mildred Alston on July 19, 1983, would shatter this illusion, revealing a far more sinister reality.
Her passing, just hours after another resident was found deceased under suspicious circumstances, marked a turning point in what would become a chilling murder investigation.
Mildred Alston was discovered in her bed, having been suffocated. Unlike the previous deaths at the home, a clear motive of robbery was present in her case; her diamond ring, wedding band, and a change purse were all missing. This detail, coupled with the discovery of another victim, Eugenia Borda, across the hall on the same day, who had been strangled, finally triggered a full-scale police investigation into the alarming pattern of deaths that had been occurring at the facility. Detectives quickly began to suspect that a serial killer was at work within the very place these women called home.
The investigation into the series of murders at the Kearsley Home led police to scrutinize the employees who had access to the residents and their rooms. Their attention soon focused on a 22-year-old dietary aide named Anthony Joiner. He was a familiar face to the residents, someone who moved about the home without raising suspicion. After questioning, Joiner confessed to the murders of several elderly women in the home, including Mildred Alston. His motive appeared to be a combination of rape and robbery.
Anthony Joiner was subsequently arrested and charged with seven counts of murder and rape. His trial brought to light the horrifying details of his crimes. He was found guilty on five counts of first-degree murder and one count of second-degree murder. The jury's verdict spared him the death penalty, and he was sentenced to life in prison, bringing a close to the terrifying chapter that had claimed the life of Mildred Alston and several other vulnerable residents of the Kearsley Home.
