Jillette Leonora Mills, a 35-year-old white female, was one of several victims in a violent spree of murders that occurred across California in the spring of 1984. On April 10 of that year, she and her roommate, 33-year-old white female Susan Knoll, were found strangled and hidden in a closet in their Culver City apartment. Although the user mentioned San Diego as the location of death, multiple sources confirm that Mills was killed in Culver City, not San Diego.
Her death was part of a broader pattern of attacks that spanned several cities and left at least five women dead within a matter of days.
The man responsible for the murder of Jillette Leonora Mills was identified as Dean Phillip Carter, a then-28-year-old male who had embarked on a three-week crime spree beginning in late March 1984. Carter targeted women he had previously met or befriended, often entering their homes by force or deception. His crimes included rape, robbery, and murder, and he used strangulation as his primary method of killing. In addition to Mills and Knoll, Carter murdered 24-year-old Bonnie Guthrie, 37-year-old Tok Chum Kim, and 25-year-old Janette Cullins. Each of these women was attacked in her own home, and several were sexually assaulted before being killed.
Carter was arrested on May 15, 1984, in Ventura County. Evidence linking him to the murders included physical evidence such as semen, fingerprints, and a bloody palm print, as well as surveillance footage showing him withdrawing money from one of the victim’s bank accounts. He was charged with multiple counts of murder and other crimes, and his trial spanned several years due to the complexity and number of charges across jurisdictions.
In 1990, a jury recommended the death penalty for Carter after convicting him of the murders of Jillette Leonora Mills, Susan Knoll, and Bonnie Guthrie. The following year, he was also convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of Janette Cullins. Carter showed no remorse during the proceedings, and prosecutors described him as one of the most dangerous and remorseless individuals they had ever encountered. He remains on death row at San Quentin State Prison.
