Thomas Steeples

Serial Killer

Thomas Steeples: The Nashville Computer Dealer Who Became a Serial Killer

Background and Double Life

Thomas E. "Tom" Steeples was a Nashville, Tennessee, businessman whose outwardly respectable life concealed cocaine addiction, financial problems, compulsive gambling, deception, and extreme violence. Born in Nashville in November 1944, Steeples owned a computer-related business, was married, and had children. To customers and acquaintances, he could appear confident, successful, and persuasive. Investigators later concluded that he used those qualities to gain the confidence of people he intended to exploit. Steeples was known to spend time in Nashville bars, where he drank, gambled, used cocaine, and approached potential victims. He could present himself as a businessman with influential connections, tailoring his stories to the ambitions or financial needs of the people he met. His confirmed murder victims included a bar owner and a recently married couple who had come to Nashville hoping to build a career in country music. Although Steeples died before he could be tried, investigators assembled physical, forensic, and circumstantial evidence connecting him to three Nashville murders committed between October 1993 and March 1994. He was also examined as a possible suspect in earlier unsolved crimes, including attacks in Georgia, but those additional cases were never conclusively attributed to him.

The Murder of Ronnie Bingham

Ronald Edward "Ronnie" Bingham, commonly known as Ronnie or "Ducas," was the 46-year-old owner of the Corral Club, a neighborhood bar in Nashville. He was remembered as a generous and well-liked man who was willing to assist people experiencing financial or personal difficulties. Steeples reportedly knew Bingham and had discussed selling computer software or other business services to him. At approximately 5:00 a.m. on October 17, 1993, a passerby noticed smoke coming from the Corral Club and called emergency services. Firefighters entered the building and found Bingham's burned body seated in a chair. A gasoline container was discovered nearby, but the fire had not spread throughout the bar, indicating that the flames had been deliberately concentrated around the victim. An autopsy established that Bingham had been shot at close range in the left side of the neck with a .38-caliber handgun before his body was set on fire. The bullet remained in his body and was recovered as evidence. His wallet was found in the rear parking lot, and money was missing, suggesting that robbery or the concealment of a financial dispute may have been part of the motive. Investigators learned that Bingham had remained at the bar after closing to clean the premises. Another customer, remembered only as a man named Tom, had also been present. Police found Steeples's business card inside the club. When questioned, Steeples admitted that he had been playing poker machines at the bar but claimed Bingham was alive when he left. The investigation initially lacked enough evidence to charge him. The case became stronger after a witness disclosed that he had sold Steeples a .38-caliber handgun approximately one month before Bingham's murder. The witness had previously fired the gun into a tree stump. Investigators recovered a projectile from the stump and compared it with the bullet removed from Bingham's body. Ballistics testing determined that both bullets had been fired from the same weapon, directly linking a gun associated with Steeples to the killing. ...

Confirmed Victims: (3)

Ronnie Bingham Age: (46), Date of Death: 1993-10-17

Suspected Victims:

Heather Uffelman Age: (22), Date of Death: October 27, 1992

Nashville Had a 'Dark Age' Where Serial Killers Ran Rampant - A