On May 6, 1986, Tina Elizabeth Kimbrew, a 21-year-old white female from Wichita Falls, Texas, was found dead in her ransacked apartment. She worked as a bartender and waitress at a local hotel. Her body was discovered lying on the floor, with visible bruises on her face, neck, and legs. Her nightgown had been pulled above her waist, and her underwear was found nearby, though there was no evidence of recent sexual activity.
The cause of death was determined to be suffocation with a pillow.
The suspect in the murder was Faryion Edward Wardrip, a 27-year-old white male who had recently befriended Tina Kimbrew. Wardrip later confessed that he killed the 21-year-old white female because she reminded him of his ex-wife. Three days after the murder, Wardrip traveled to Galveston, Texas, checked into a beachfront hotel, and called the police threatening suicide. When officers arrived, he confessed to the murder of Tina Kimbrew. He was arrested and subsequently sentenced to 35 years in prison.
Wardrip served only 11 years of his sentence before being released on parole in December 1997. After his release, he moved to Olney, Texas, where he married and became active in a local church. However, in 1999, investigators reopened several cold cases and linked Wardrip to four additional murders of young white females between 1984 and 1985. DNA evidence and a confession ultimately led to his conviction for those crimes. He was sentenced to death and remains incarcerated in a maximum-security prison.
