David Silva

Serial Killer

David Silva: The San Francisco Predator Who Targeted Elderly Victims

Background

David W. Silva was born on August 18, 1953, and grew up in the Excelsior District of San Francisco, California. He was one of eight children in a working-class family and attended Balboa High School. As a teenager, Silva began working at a doughnut shop operated by his older brother Tony at Geneva Avenue and Mission Street. He remained employed there until he was nearly 30 years old. Several deaths within Silva's family reportedly contributed to a period of emotional decline. His brother Tony was shot and killed during a robbery at the doughnut shop in March 1980, another brother was later beaten to death, and Silva's father died of a heart attack in 1982. His mother died in 1993 following years of alcohol abuse. Silva eventually became a transient who frequently moved through neighborhoods in southern San Francisco on a bicycle. At times, he lived in a small space beneath the stairs of a house near his childhood home. Silva developed serious drug problems, including the use of methamphetamine and crack cocaine. By his own account, his violent behavior began during the 1980s and grew increasingly predatory. He targeted people who appeared unable to resist him, particularly elderly residents who lived alone. Some victims knew Silva from the neighborhood or had previously shown him kindness, allowing him to approach their homes without immediately causing alarm.

Pattern of Crimes

Silva's crimes were primarily committed inside private residences in San Francisco. He gained access through familiarity, deception or the trust of people who recognized him from the neighborhood. Once inside, he robbed, assaulted and, in some cases, sexually attacked his victims. Severe blunt-force trauma and strangulation were among the methods associated with his attacks. Several deaths connected to Silva were initially classified as natural or accidental because the victims were elderly, had existing medical conditions and were found inside locked or apparently undisturbed homes. The lack of obvious forced entry made it appear that no intruder had been present. Silva's familiarity with the victims and surrounding neighborhoods allowed him to enter and leave without attracting significant attention. After his eventual conviction, Silva described attacks in which he exercised control over physically vulnerable victims. Investigators believed his statements contained details that only the perpetrator could have known. His admissions forced authorities to reconsider deaths that had been closed years earlier and raised the possibility that additional victims had never been recognized as homicide victims. ...

Confirmed Victims: (4)

Sam Parchuk Age: (84), Date of Death: 1992-08-30

Suspected Victims:

Unnamed man Age: (50s), Date of Death: c. 1993

George David Silva - Wikipedia