In the winter of 1991, a series of brutal crimes instilled fear in the communities of Queens, New York. One of the women whose life was tragically cut short during this period was Tracy Covington, a 28-year-old Black female who had formerly worked as a social worker. Her death on February 23, 1991, would become a key piece in the puzzle to unmasking a serial killer who stalked the borough's neighborhoods.
On that Saturday, Tracy was attacked just outside her own home in a southeastern
Queens neighborhood. Her assailant, Lester Ford, a man who lived in the St. Albans area and was known to some as "Justice," employed a chillingly specific method. He bound Tracy's ankles and mouth with tape before strangling her to death. Her body was later discovered behind a convenience store along Linden Boulevard, just beyond the Queens border.
The discovery immediately raised alarms for investigators. The manner of Tracy's murder bore a striking resemblance to another recent homicide. Less than two months earlier, on January 6, 36-year-old Sheilda Dixon had been killed in a similar fashion. The connection between the two cases was undeniable, and the New York Police Department realized they were dealing with a serial killer. This terrifying conclusion prompted police to issue a public warning, urging women in the area to be especially cautious.
The investigation intensified as the city grappled with the presence of a predator. The break in the case came five months after Tracy's murder. On July 26, 1991, a surviving rape victim, who was courageously riding with police in a surveillance van, spotted her attacker on the street. She positively identified him as Lester Ford, and he was arrested immediately.
Ford, who had a prior criminal record and worked as a mail clerk, became the prime suspect in the string of murders and sexual assaults. A search of his home uncovered a.25-caliber handgun that ballistics testing would link to the murder of another victim, 20-year-old Sabrina Bost, who was killed in July. Faced with overwhelming evidence and the testimony of his surviving victims, Ford's reign of terror came to an end.
In March 1992, Lester Ford accepted a plea agreement, confessing to his crimes. He was convicted on three counts of second-degree murder for the deaths of Tracy Covington, Sheilda Dixon, and Sabrina Bost, as well as one count of first-degree rape. The court sentenced him to 40 years to life in prison. The plea deal spared the victims' families the trauma of a lengthy trial and ensured that Ford would no longer be a threat to the community.
Lester Ford, also known as "Justice," was incarcerated at the Elmira Correctional Facility to serve his sentence. While his conviction brought a legal conclusion to the case, it could not erase the pain and loss he inflicted. Tracy Covington, a woman who had dedicated part of her life to helping others as a social worker, was silenced just as she was nearing the prime of her life, a victim of a senseless and brutal act of violence that left a scar on the heart of a city.
