Gloria Jean Fravel, a 24-year-old white female from San Francisco, California, was murdered in early February 1983. She had been involved with a local escort agency and reportedly owed a $500 debt to its owner, Tina Livingston. After attempting to flee, Gloria was located by Livingston and another sex worker, Keli “Angel” Burns, who brought her to a warehouse in Burlingame owned by Anthony John Sully, a former Millbrae police officer turned electrical contractor.
At the warehouse,
Sully offered to pay Gloria Jean Fravel for sex, which she refused. In response, he beat her, handcuffed her, and suspended her from the ceiling. Over the course of two days, Sully tortured and sexually assaulted the 24-year-old white female while Livingston and Burns remained in another part of the building. During one of the assaults, Sully placed a hangman’s noose around her neck. Gloria was frequently drugged with cocaine, and at one point managed to scream after freeing herself from a gag. Sully responded by strangling her with a rope.
Sully and Burns attempted to dispose of the body by placing it in a car. However, during the drive, Gloria Jean Fravel regained consciousness. Sully then stopped the vehicle and struck the 24-year-old white female repeatedly in the head with an axe, killing her. Her body was dumped near State Route 35 and discovered on February 7, 1983.
Following the murder of Gloria Jean Fravel, Sully went on to kill five more individuals over the next six months. His victims included other women involved in sex work and a male drug dealer. The bodies of three victims were found stuffed into metal barrels and left in Golden Gate Park, while others were discovered in various locations across San Mateo County.
Anthony Sully was arrested on August 25, 1983, after investigators matched his fingerprints to those found on the barrels containing the bodies of three victims. Additional forensic evidence linked him to the murders, including items found in his warehouse and vehicle. His accomplices—Tina Livingston, Keli Burns, and Michael Francis—were also arrested and later convicted for their roles in the killings.
In June 1986, Sully was convicted of six counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. He was incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison until his death from natural causes in 2023. Tina Livingston received a reduced sentence in exchange for her testimony, while Burns and Francis were sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole.
