Rory Enrique Conde

Serial Killer

Rory Enrique Conde: The Tamiami Trail Strangler

Rory Enrique Conde was a Colombian-American serial killer responsible for six murders in Miami-Dade County, Florida, during a terrifying series of attacks between September 1994 and January 1995. Known as the Tamiami Trail Strangler, Conde targeted people involved in sex work along and around Southwest 8th Street, the heavily traveled Miami roadway better known as the Tamiami Trail. His victims were strangled, their bodies transported away from his residence, and then abandoned at locations in residential areas near the corridor. The killings caused growing fear throughout southwest Miami as investigators realized they were dealing with one offender. The murderer appeared increasingly confident as the crimes continued. After the third killing, he deliberately left a written message on the victim's body that identified her as his third victim and challenged investigators to catch him. Despite an intensive investigation involving Miami-Dade detectives, forensic specialists and assistance from the FBI, Conde remained unidentified for months. His eventual exposure came not from one of the murder scenes, but after another woman survived an attack inside his apartment and attracted the attention of people nearby.

Background

Rory Enrique Conde was born on June 14, 1965, in Barranquilla, Colombia. He later lived in South Florida, where he married and had children. By 1994, Conde's marriage had deteriorated severely. Court records concerning the murders describe the breakup of his marriage as occurring after his wife discovered that he was using the services of sex workers. The marital collapse became an important part of Conde's later confession. He told investigators that after killing his victims, he would blame them for the problems in his life and marriage. His personal grievances, however, bore no responsibility on the victims themselves. The pattern documented by investigators showed that Conde deliberately sought out vulnerable people, brought them to a location he controlled and killed them.

The Beginning of the Tamiami Trail Murders

The series began in September 1994. Conde's method developed into a recognizable pattern. He generally encountered his victims in the Tamiami Trail area, took them to his apartment, engaged in sexual activity with them and then strangled them. Court records state that all six victims died from asphyxiation. Conde subsequently transported their bodies and abandoned them along roads or in residential areas within a relatively small distance of his home. Investigators eventually identified numerous similarities among the crime scenes. The victims were associated with sex work in the same general area, the killings occurred late at night, and the bodies had been moved after death. Several were found fully or partially redressed and positioned face down. Forensic investigators recovered biological evidence as well as fibers and other physical evidence that increasingly suggested the murders were connected. ...

Confirmed Victims: (6)

Lazaro Comesana , Date of Death: 1994-09-17

Rory Enrique Conde - Wikipedia