In the winter of 1984, a seventeen-year-old white female named Vicki Ripple was working at a High's Ice Cream store in Newport News, Virginia, when her life was tragically cut short. On January 31st, during what should have been a routine lunchtime shift on a busy city street, a man entered the store and shot the young nursing student once in the head. The brazen crime sent a wave of fear through the community, as it was not an isolated incident but part of a string of brutal murders that had been terrorizing the Tidewater area.
The investigation into Vicki Ripple's death quickly connected her case to four other recent homicides in the region. In each instance, the victims were women who had been shot execution-style. The perpetrator, it would later be revealed, specifically targeted women because he believed they were more easily intimidated. This pattern of violence created a palpable sense of dread among residents as they awaited answers and an end to the terrifying spree.
The break in the case came swiftly. Authorities identified and arrested 27-year-old Syvasky Poyner of Newport News just days after Vicki's murder, on February 4, 1984. Following his arrest, Poyner confessed to the murders of five women, including Vicki Ripple. His other victims were a beauty shop operator in Hampton, two motel employees in Williamsburg, and a candy distributor. Poyner admitted to robbing his victims and then killing them to eliminate any witnesses.
Syvasky Poyner was tried and convicted of five counts of capital murder for the heinous crimes he committed over an 11-day period. The court sentenced him to death for the slayings. After his appeals were exhausted, Poyner was executed by electrocution on March 18, 1993, at the Greensville Correctional Center. In a final statement, he expressed remorse and asked for forgiveness for the pain and suffering he had caused. His execution brought a close to a dark chapter for the community and the families of his victims, including the loved ones of Vicki Ripple, whose life was senselessly taken while she was at work.
