Cory Deonn Morris: The Phoenix Serial Killer
Overview
Cory Deonn Morris is an American serial killer who murdered five women in Phoenix, Arizona, during a series of killings committed between September 2002 and April 2003. Morris brought the women to a small camper where he lived in the backyard of his aunt and uncle's home. After killing them, he concealed or discarded their bodies near the property, allowing several of the victims to remain unidentified as connected cases until the discovery of the final woman exposed the pattern.
Morris was convicted of murdering Barbara Codman, Shanteria Davis, Jade Velasquez, Sharon Noah and Julie Castillo. All five women were strangled or were determined by prosecutors and jurors to have died under circumstances consistent with strangulation. Morris attempted to portray the deaths as accidental, first claiming that the women had overdosed while using drugs and later insisting that they had asked him to choke them during sexual activity. Investigators, medical examiners and prosecutors rejected his shifting explanations.
Life in Phoenix
Morris was born on May 10, 1978, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. As a young man, he moved to Phoenix and lived in a camper positioned behind the home of relatives. He worked several nights each week at a Phoenix bar and was described by some acquaintances as friendly and approachable. This outward appearance concealed the violence taking place inside his cramped residence.
The camper became the central location in all five murders. Morris encountered women in the surrounding neighborhood and invited them to the camper, frequently offering money, alcohol, drugs or a place to stay. Once the women were inside, he strangled them. Evidence later suggested that some of the victims struggled desperately before losing consciousness.
Morris kept personal belongings belonging to several women, including clothing, identification cards and financial cards. These possessions later helped investigators connect him directly to the victims. He also moved four of the bodies out of the camper and left them in an alley or along a nearby street, all within a short distance of the property.
...
MEMBER ACCESSContinue reading the complete profile
Unlock the full profile for Cory Deonn Morris, complete victim information, available sources, videos, and member discussions.
Unlock Full Access — $3.97/month Already a member? Log in
