Dale Devon Scheanette

Serial Killer

Dale Devon Scheanette: The Arlington "Bathtub Killer"

Overview

Dale Devon Scheanette was an American serial rapist and murderer who terrorized women in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas during the late 1990s. He became known as the "Bathtub Killer" because his two confirmed murder victims were sexually assaulted, bound with duct tape, strangled and left facedown in partially filled bathtubs inside their Arlington apartments. Both murders occurred in 1996 at the same apartment complex, and the similarities between the crime scenes immediately suggested that one offender was responsible. Scheanette was born on May 7, 1973, in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana. He later moved to Texas and worked in several manual-labor positions, including as a machine operator, warehouse worker, forklift operator and laborer. Before investigators identified him as a murder suspect, he had no significant violent criminal record. His ability to avoid identification allowed him to continue attacking women for several years after the two Arlington murders.

The Murder of Christine Huyen Vu

On September 17, 1996, Christine Huyen Vu was found dead in the bathroom of her apartment in Arlington, Texas. Vu was an elementary school teacher who taught third grade. Her boyfriend discovered her body lying facedown in a partially filled bathtub and contacted the police. Vu's wrists, ankles and neck had been restrained with duct tape. Investigators determined that she had been sexually assaulted and strangled. Drowning also contributed to her death. The apartment showed no obvious signs of forced entry, and valuables had not been taken, leading detectives to dismiss robbery as the primary motive. At the time of the murder, Scheanette and his wife lived in the same apartment complex. This gave him familiarity with the property and may have allowed him to move through the area without immediately attracting attention. Biological evidence was recovered, but investigators initially had no identified suspect whose DNA or fingerprints could be compared with the evidence. ...

Confirmed Victims: (2)

Christine Vu Age: (26), Date of Death: 1996-09-17

How Bathtub Killer Serial Rapist Dale Scheanette Was Caught - NBC