Lawrence Paul Mills III: The Detroit Hit-and-Run Killer
Overview
In the fall of 2017, a terrifying and unusual pattern of violence emerged in Southwest Detroit. Women were being found dead or severely injured on desolate streets, victims of what appeared to be intentional and brutal hit-and-run attacks. For more than two years, the cases remained unsolved, leaving a chill in the community as investigators worked to connect the dots. The perpetrator was Lawrence Paul Mills III, a suburban father from Garden City, Michigan, who used his Chevrolet Trailblazer as a murder weapon.
Mills developed a uniquely savage modus operandi: he solicited women, many of whom were engaged in sex work, and after a sexual encounter, he would run them down with his vehicle to violently reclaim the money he had paid. This brutal transaction defined a spree that left two women dead, caused the death of an unborn child, and severely injured at least one other survivor. The painstaking work of the Detroit Police Department, aided by the crucial testimony of a woman who escaped, finally unmasked Mills in the spring of 2020. His arrest brought an end to the fear, revealing a killer who hid a monstrous secret behind a facade of suburban normalcy. Convicted of murder, Mills was sentenced to a long prison term, closing a disturbing chapter of violence that preyed on some of the city's most vulnerable residents.
Early Life and Background
Lawrence Paul Mills III was born on September 3, 1987, in Garden City, Michigan, a working-class suburb west of Detroit. Little public information exists about his upbringing or early life. As an adult, he lived a seemingly unremarkable existence. He worked at a pizza restaurant in the nearby city of Allen Park and was a father to a young son. On his social media profiles, Mills curated the image of a devoted parent, frequently posting affectionate photos and messages about his child. This public persona gave no hint of the violent compulsions simmering beneath the surface.
Behind this facade, Mills possessed a set of skills that would later prove useful in his criminal activities. He had a working knowledge of auto mechanics, which allowed him to maintain and alter his vehicles, potentially helping him evade detection. He drove a distinctive 2006 gold or tan Chevrolet Trailblazer, the vehicle he would weaponize in his attacks. There is no public record of a significant prior criminal history that would have foreshadowed the extreme violence he would later commit. He was a man living a double life, one as a father and employee, the other as a predator stalking the streets of Detroit.
The Murders
Mills's series of attacks began in 2017, centered in a specific area of Southwest Detroit. His method was consistent and chillingly transactional. He would drive his Trailblazer through the neighborhood, seeking out and soliciting women. After agreeing on a price for a sexual act, the encounter would take place inside his SUV. The violence would erupt immediately after. Once the woman exited the vehicle, Mills would put the car in drive and deliberately run her over. The motive, as described by authorities, was to get his money back. In some cases, the assault was even more direct, with Mills physically beating his victims before striking them with his car.
The first confirmed homicide occurred in the pre-dawn hours of October 16, 2017. Around 3:00 a.m., the body of 34-year-old Melinda Salazar was discovered on a sidewalk near the intersection of Casper and Cypress Streets. She had suffered catastrophic blunt force trauma. Medical examiners determined she had been several weeks pregnant at the time of her death. The investigation concluded that her injuries were not the result of a tragic accident but of a deliberate, vehicular assault. Her death also meant the loss of her unborn child.
Two months later, on December 13, 2017, Mills killed again. At approximately 2:15 a.m., Detroit police responded to a call in the area of Anthon and Campbell Streets, just a short drive from the first crime scene. There, they found the body of 59-year-old Carrole Ann White. She was lying face-down in the snow between the street and the sidewalk. Like Salazar, she had sustained multiple severe injuries consistent with being intentionally struck by a vehicle.
Just nine days after killing White, on December 22, 2017, Mills attacked a third woman near Campbell Street. The 29-year-old victim, who was also pregnant, was brutally beaten and then struck multiple times by Mills's SUV. In a remarkable act of survival, she managed to escape and immediately contacted the police. Her ability to provide a detailed account of the attack and a description of her assailant and his vehicle would become the critical turning point in the investigation.
The Victims
Lawrence Mills targeted women in vulnerable situations, and his violence left a wake of tragedy for their families and communities.
- Melinda Salazar, 34 — Found murdered on October 16, 2017, in Southwest Detroit. A mother, she was pregnant with her second child when Mills ran her down with his vehicle. Her death was a dual tragedy, taking two lives at once.
- Unborn child of Melinda Salazar — Died with their mother on October 16, 2017. The law recognized this loss, and Mills was convicted on a separate charge for intentionally causing the miscarriage.
- Carrole Ann White, 59 — Killed on December 13, 2017, in another part of Southwest Detroit. Her body was discovered in the snow by first responders after Mills struck her with his SUV and fled the scene.
Investigation and Capture
For over two years, the murders of Melinda Salazar and Carrole Ann White remained unsolved homicides. While the Detroit Police Department suspected a connection due to the similar method and location, there was little physical evidence to link the crimes or identify a suspect. The hit-and-run nature of the attacks meant the killer could quickly vanish into the night.
The crucial breakthrough came from the 29-year-old woman who survived the brutal assault on December 22, 2017. Her harrowing testimony provided investigators with their first concrete description of the suspect and his vehicle: a gold or tan Chevrolet Trailblazer. She detailed his shocking modus operandi—soliciting sex and then using his vehicle as a weapon to steal back his payment. This information allowed detectives to connect the dots between her attack and the deaths of Salazar and White.
Armed with this new intelligence, investigators began a painstaking process of reviewing evidence and searching for a matching vehicle and suspect. The investigation was led by the Detroit Police Department's Homicide Task Force, which worked alongside the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office. As they pieced together the evidence, Lawrence Paul Mills III emerged as their primary person of interest.
On April 24, 2020, more than two years after the last confirmed attack, police arrested Mills. Following his arrest, he reportedly confessed to his role in the deaths of the two women. Detroit Police Chief James Craig held a press conference detailing the grim nature of the crimes. "He would approach his victims for a paid sexual encounter, engaging the sexual act inside of his vehicle," Craig explained. "And following the act, after the victims would leave the vehicle and they were on foot... he would use his vehicle as a weapon."
Authorities also revealed that Mills was a suspect in at least two other similar incidents in the same area. One was a non-fatal hit-and-run on March 17, 2017. The other was the death of 32-year-old Mary Penegor, whose body was found on June 9, 2018. While the circumstances of her death were consistent with Mills's methods, prosecutors ultimately did not file charges in her case or the other non-fatal attack, citing insufficient evidence.
Trial and Sentence
Despite his confession to police, Lawrence Mills pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him. On April 28, 2020, the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office formally charged him with first-degree premeditated murder for the death of Carrole Ann White. A few weeks later, on May 15, 2020, the charges were expanded to include the case of Melinda Salazar. For that crime, he faced one count of first-degree murder, one count of Assault on a Pregnant Individual Intentionally Causing Miscarriage for the death of her unborn baby, and one count of assault with intent to murder for the attack on the woman who survived in December 2017.
His case proceeded to trial in Wayne County Circuit Court. The prosecution built its case around the survivor's powerful testimony, forensic evidence linking Mills to the crimes, and his own confession. The defense argued against the element of premeditation required for a first-degree murder conviction.
On November 17, 2021, after deliberating, the jury returned its verdict. They found Mills not guilty of the first-degree murder charges but convicted him on the lesser charges of second-degree murder for the deaths of Melinda Salazar and Carrole Ann White. He was also found guilty of Assault on a Pregnant Individual Intentionally Causing Miscarriage.
On December 8, 2021, Mills appeared for sentencing. The judge handed down a term of 28 to 48 years in state prison. He was given credit for 593 days already served. According to the Michigan Department of Corrections, his earliest possible release date is in 2048, at which point he would be 60 years old. He is currently incarcerated at the Macomb Correctional Facility in New Haven, Michigan.
Aftermath and Legacy
The case of Lawrence Paul Mills III stands as a chilling example of how an ordinary object can be transformed into a serial killer's signature weapon. His use of a common SUV to commit murder was a particularly terrifying aspect of his crimes, demonstrating a brutal and transactional form of violence. The case also cast a harsh light on the dangers faced by women engaged in sex work, who are often targeted by predators because of their perceived vulnerability and isolation.
The resolution of the case was a testament to the persistence of the Detroit Police Department and the courage of the lone survivor who came forward. Her testimony was the linchpin that held the entire investigation together, allowing prosecutors to secure a conviction and ensure Mills could not harm anyone else. While justice was served for the murders of Melinda Salazar and Carrole Ann White, questions remain. The suspicion that Mills may have been responsible for other attacks, including the death of Mary Penegor, leaves open the possibility that the true scope of his violence may never be fully known. His case serves as a dark reminder of the hidden predators who can operate just beneath the surface of everyday life.
