On April 2, 1993, Andrea Tripplett, a 29-year-old African American woman from Los Angeles, California, was found dead behind an abandoned house just two blocks from her residence. She was approximately five months pregnant at the time of her death. Her body was discovered with her skirt pushed up and she was unclothed below the waist, indicating a possible sexual assault. The cause of death was determined to be manual strangulation.
Due to the gestational age of the fetus—305 grams—it was not considered viable under California law at the time, and no charges were filed in connection with the death of the unborn child.
Andrea Tripplett was last seen on April 2, 1993, getting into a small brown car with a Black male. Her disappearance and subsequent murder were part of a disturbing pattern of killings in South Los Angeles during the late 1980s and 1990s. These crimes were eventually linked to Chester Dewayne Turner, a convicted serial killer who operated in high-crime areas of Los Angeles. Turner was known to target vulnerable women, many of whom were African American, homeless, or involved in sex work. His method of killing was typically strangulation, and several of his victims were found partially nude, suggesting sexual violence.
Turner was identified as a suspect in Andrea Tripplett’s murder through DNA evidence collected from multiple crime scenes. His DNA matched samples recovered from Tripplett and other victims. At the time of his identification, Turner was already serving an eight-year sentence for a 2002 rape conviction. The DNA match led investigators to connect him to a total of 14 murders, including that of 29-year-old African American woman Andrea Tripplett. He was ultimately convicted and sentenced to death for these crimes.
The investigation into Turner’s crimes also revealed that another man, David Allen Jones, had previously been wrongfully convicted for three murders that were later attributed to Turner. Jones, who was mentally disabled, had been coerced into confessions and convicted without the benefit of DNA evidence. After Turner’s DNA was linked to the murders, Jones was exonerated and released from prison.
Andrea Tripplett’s death, along with those of other victims, highlighted systemic issues in how crimes against marginalized women were investigated and reported. Her case remained unsolved for nearly a decade until advancements in forensic technology and renewed investigative efforts brought justice.
