Michael Mullins: The Memphis Serial Killer
Overview
For thirteen years, a serial killer haunted the streets of Memphis, Tennessee, preying on vulnerable women. Michael Mullins, a man who lived on the margins himself, committed a series of brutal rapes and murders that went unconnected for years. His victims were beaten to death with shocking violence, their bodies often left covered with a blanket in a strange gesture of concealment. The long-unsolved crimes finally came to a resolution in 2012 when a single fingerprint left at his last murder scene unraveled the mystery and led investigators to a man who had been hiding in plain sight. Mullins would confess to three murders and a fourth near-fatal attack, bringing an end to his reign of terror and securing a sentence of life in prison.
Early Life and Background
Michael Mullins was born in Memphis on June 28, 1961, one of seven children. His childhood was marked by instability, living with his mother for a time before moving to West Memphis to live with his father. Mullins struggled in school, failing the first grade and being frequently absent. His intellectual difficulties were significant, with IQ tests placing him in the 59 to 69 range, and he was reportedly illiterate. He dropped out of school in the ninth grade in 1977.
Mullins's life was further shaped by trauma and mental health challenges. He claimed to have witnessed his mother's shooting death, saying she died in his arms, though police found no record of her death. His father died around the same period in an unrelated incident. In the years that followed, Mullins reportedly attempted suicide on multiple occasions and told a psychiatrist he experienced hallucinations. He was eventually diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Despite being prescribed medication, he was in and out of rehabilitation for not taking it. He often lived with his siblings and worked for his brother's landscaping company and later in concrete construction. He also developed a drug addiction. His criminal record prior to the murders consisted of petty crimes like panhandling, public drunkenness, and theft.
The Murders
The first known victim of Michael Mullins was Beatrice Marie Cole, 43. On May 28, 1999, Mullins encountered Cole, who was experiencing homelessness and had a history of mental illness, outside the former National Bank of Commerce in downtown Memphis. After sharing drugs and alcohol, he raped her and bludgeoned her to death with a brick. In a pattern that would become a signature, he covered her body with a yellow blanket, positioning her between the building and a staircase to make it appear as if she were a homeless person sleeping. Her body was discovered hours later by maintenance workers who initially tried to wake her before realizing the horrific truth. The blow to her head had been so forceful it fractured her skull and bruised her brain.
Over eight years passed before Mullins is known to have attacked again. On April 18, 2008, in Knoxville, he brutally beat and raped 79-year-old Jessie Lee Maples in Morningside Park. She was found unconscious and partially clothed with severe head injuries, including facial fractures. Maples survived the attack but was left with brain damage and required care in an assisted-living facility for the rest of her life. She died in November 2012, though her death was not officially ruled a homicide connected to the assault.
Mullins's violence returned to Memphis in 2011. On August 4, 2011, the body of 46-year-old Valerie Ector was found in a downtown parking lot. Mullins had used a concrete block to smash her head, fracturing her skull and breaking her jaw. He then dragged her body over 100 feet, leaving a trail of blood, before hiding it next to a fence and covering it with blankets. An employee of a nearby building discovered the blood trail and followed it to Ector's body.
The final murder occurred on June 6, 2012. Mullins used a brick to beat 67-year-old Gwendolyn Jackson to death in downtown Memphis. He left her body near St. Mary's Catholic Church, where it was later found.
The Victims
- Beatrice Marie Cole, 43 — Murdered on May 28, 1999, in Memphis. Cole was a former mental patient who was homeless at the time of her death. Her family held a small funeral for her and she was buried in Marion Memorial Cemetery.
- Valerie Ector, 46 — Murdered on August 4, 2011, in Memphis. Born in Tunica County, she moved to Memphis after her mother's death when she was a child. She had a history of struggling with drug addiction and had several minor arrests.
- Gwendolyn Jackson, 67 — Murdered on June 6, 2012, in Memphis. Little public information is available about her life, but her death was the final crime that led to the capture of her killer.
Investigation and Capture
For years, the murders were not connected. The long gap between the killing of Beatrice Cole in 1999 and the attack on Jessie Lee Maples in 2008, which occurred in a different city, kept investigators from seeing a pattern. However, the investigation into the 2008 attack on Maples yielded a crucial piece of evidence: the attacker's DNA. This was entered into the FBI's national database, but there was no immediate match.
The breakthrough came after the murder of Gwendolyn Jackson in June 2012. Investigators at the scene found a paper bag near her body that contained Michael Mullins's fingerprints. He was arrested the following day. A swab of his DNA was taken and it matched the sample from the 2008 Knoxville attack on Jessie Lee Maples. This DNA evidence also linked him to the 2011 murder of Valerie Ector.
During a series of interviews with Memphis police investigators, Mullins confessed to all three murders and the attack on Jessie Lee Maples. In his confession for the murder of Beatrice Cole, he stated they had been drinking and using cocaine together before he killed her. He expressed some remorse during his interviews, stating, "I don't want anyone taking advantage of my mother, my sisters, my daughter. I apologize for everything I've done. I don't mean no harm. I just ain't lined up right. I need some serious help."
Trial and Sentence
Following a mental evaluation, Michael Mullins was indicted for the three Memphis murders in 2013 and held without bail. On December 5, 2014, he pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree murder and three counts of aggravated rape. For the murders, he received three concurrent life sentences without the possibility of parole. For the rapes, he was given three 15-year sentences, also to run concurrently.
In January 2015, Mullins was indicted in Knoxville for the 2008 attack on Jessie Lee Maples. On May 1, 2015, he pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree murder and aggravated rape in that case. He was sentenced to an additional 50 years in prison. Knox County District Attorney General Charme Allen stated that it was important to prosecute the case to ensure justice and closure for every victim, even though Mullins was already set to spend the rest of his life in prison.
Aftermath and Legacy
The capture of Michael Mullins brought an end to a series of terrifying and brutal attacks on some of the most vulnerable members of the community. For years, the crimes had seemed like isolated incidents of violence. The use of DNA and fingerprint evidence was key to connecting the cases and identifying the perpetrator, highlighting the importance of forensic science in solving cold cases.
The attack on Jessie Lee Maples had a profound and lasting impact on her. Though she survived, she suffered from brain damage and required constant care until her death. In a strange twist of fate, the publicity surrounding her attack led to her being reunited with her estranged half-sister after many years.
The case of Michael Mullins serves as a grim reminder of the dangers faced by women, particularly those experiencing homelessness or struggling with addiction and mental illness. His ability to evade capture for so long underscores the challenges law enforcement faces in connecting crimes that span multiple years and jurisdictions.
