Christine Vu, a 26-year-old Vietnamese American woman, was found murdered on September 17, 1996, in her apartment at the Peartree complex in Arlington, Texas. A dedicated third-grade teacher at Morton Elementary School, Christine had recently graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Education from Texas Tech University and was pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Texas at Arlington. She was known for her quiet, caring nature and her deep commitment to her students and family.
At the time of her death, she was in a long-term relationship and had aspirations of becoming a school principal.
Christine Vu’s body was discovered bound with duct tape and submerged in a half-filled bathtub. The cause of death was determined to be strangulation. The brutality of the crime scene shocked investigators, who described it as one of the most violent they had encountered. The case remained unsolved for several years, despite the collection of forensic evidence.
Three months later, on December 24, 1996, a second woman—22-year-old Wendie Prescott, also a resident of the Peartree Apartments—was found murdered in a nearly identical manner. Like Christine Vu, Wendie Prescott was bound with duct tape, sexually assaulted, and strangled in her bathtub. The similarities between the two cases led investigators to believe they were connected.
A breakthrough came in 1999 when Dale Devon Scheanette was arrested for an unrelated burglary in DeSoto, Texas. His fingerprints and DNA were matched to evidence from the crime scenes of both Christine Vu and Wendie Prescott. Scheanette, later dubbed the “Bathtub Killer,” was also linked to four additional sexual assaults committed between 1998 and 1999. He was convicted of capital murder in the death of Wendie Prescott in 2003. Although he was charged in the murder of 26-year-old Vietnamese American woman Christine Vu, he was never tried for her killing.
Dale Devon Scheanette was executed by lethal injection in February 2009 at the age of 35. In his final statement, he maintained that no criminal case is without error. His conviction brought some closure to the families of the victims, though the pain of their loss remains. The murders of Christine Vu and Wendie Prescott left a lasting impact on the Arlington community and highlighted the importance of forensic evidence in solving violent crimes.
