Lyndon Fitzgerald Pace

Serial Killer

Lyndon Fitzgerald Pace: The Vine City Serial Killer

A Series of Predatory Attacks in Atlanta

Lyndon Fitzgerald Pace is an American serial killer, rapist, and burglar convicted of murdering four women inside their Atlanta, Georgia, homes between August 1988 and March 1989. His crimes were concentrated largely in and around Vine City, a historic neighborhood west of downtown Atlanta. Three of the four women were elderly, and all four were attacked where they should have felt safest: inside their own bedrooms during the early morning hours. Pace followed a recognizable pattern. He entered residences through windows, sexually assaulted the women, strangled them, and searched their homes for valuables. Investigators found signs of forced entry and disorder at the crime scenes, including removed screens, damaged windows, and ransacked rooms. The intimate nature of the assaults, the consistent method of entry, and the repeated use of improvised ligatures eventually convinced detectives that one offender was responsible.

The Confirmed Victims

• Lula Bell McAfee August 28, 1988 Atlanta, Georgia: McAfee, 86, was found dead inside her Atlanta home by a roommate. She was lying face down on her bed and had been sexually assaulted. Her bra and a strip of cloth were tangled around her neck, and an autopsy established that she had been strangled. Investigators found an open bathroom window with its screen removed, while McAfee's bedroom had been thoroughly ransacked. Money, car keys, and a briefcase were reported missing. McAfee had known Pace since he was a child, making the attack especially disturbing.
• Mattie Mae McLendon September 10, 1988 Vine City, Atlanta, Georgia: McLendon, 78, was discovered dead on her bed with bloodstained sheets pulled over her body. Evidence indicated that someone had entered through her bathroom window after damaging the screen from outside. A tree limb near the window had also been broken. Although no ligature was recovered, medical findings showed that McLendon had been sexually assaulted and suffocated or strangled.
• Johnnie Mae Martin February 4, 1989 Atlanta, Georgia: Martin, 79, was found on her bed, partially undressed. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled with a shoelace. Her killer had entered through a window and searched the residence after the attack. Martin was a retired practical nurse and a respected neighborhood resident. Her death, occurring several months after the first two murders, demonstrated that the killer remained active and willing to continue targeting women living in the same general area.
• Annie Kate Britt March 4, 1989 Atlanta, Georgia: Britt, 42, was found dead by her brother-in-law inside her home. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled with a sock that remained knotted around her neck. As in the other cases, the killer entered through a window and disturbed the contents of the residence. Britt's murder was the fourth confirmed killing in approximately seven months.

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Confirmed Victims: (4)

Lula Bell McAfee Age: (86), Date of Death: 1988-08-28

Suspected Victims:

Mary Hudson Age: (77), Date of Death: 1992-09-18

Lyndon Fitzgerald Pace - Wikipedia