In the late summer of 1976, the life of a young Guatemalan woman, Aura Marina Gabor, was tragically cut short in Alexandria, Virginia. The 26-year-old, who worked as a masseuse, lived in an apartment complex that would become the hunting ground for her killer. On August 4th, her path fatefully crossed with that of Montie Ralph Rissell, a resident of the same building.
Rissell, who was only 19 at the time, would later confess to a series of brutal crimes that terrorized the community.
On that August night, he encountered Gabor and, by his own account, grew angry with her. This rage culminated in a horrific act of violence. He led her to a nearby ravine where he ultimately drowned her. Another account states she was strangled with her own bra and her body was discovered in a creek off Shirley Highway.
The investigation into Gabor's murder was the beginning of the unraveling of Rissell's violent spree. He was eventually identified as the perpetrator not only of Gabor's death but also of the murders of four other women in the Alexandria area between 1976 and 1977. Rissell confessed to all five murders and was subsequently convicted. For his crimes, he received multiple life sentences, bringing a close to the terrifying chapter he had opened in the quiet neighborhoods of Alexandria.
