Joshua Julius Anderson: Tulsa Serial Killer
Joshua Julius Anderson is an American serial killer responsible for at least four murders committed in Tulsa, Oklahoma, during a violent period lasting from November 2006 through February 2007. Police initially linked him to five killings, although he was ultimately prosecuted and convicted for four murders. The fifth victim, David Gilbert, remained a killing authorities associated with Anderson but did not prosecute because investigators concluded that the available evidence was insufficient to support a murder charge.
Anderson was only 19 years old during the murders. His victims varied considerably in age and circumstances, and investigators did not identify a single consistent victim profile. What connected the crimes was geography: the killings occurred within a relatively small section of north Tulsa, near the neighborhood where Anderson was living. Several of the murders also involved robbery, drugs, personal disputes, or attempts to eliminate witnesses.
Early Criminal History
Anderson had come to the attention of law enforcement years before the Tulsa murders. As a teenager in Muskogee, Oklahoma, he was accused of shooting with intent to kill, although that case did not result in a lasting prosecution. By 2005, he had accumulated additional allegations involving violent behavior, including domestic assault. Another shooting case was later dismissed after problems developed with witness testimony.
This history became significant after Anderson's arrest in 2007 because investigators discovered that the young murder suspect already had repeated contacts with the criminal justice system involving violence. By the time Tulsa detectives began examining the homicide cases together, Anderson had emerged as the common figure linking a remarkable concentration of killings in the same part of the city.
Murder of Evaristo Tovias Jr.
The first murder for which Anderson was eventually convicted occurred on November 5, 2006. Evaristo Tovias Jr., age 34, encountered Anderson and Anderson's brother, A.C. Anderson, in north Tulsa. According to testimony and Anderson's later admissions, the encounter involved a confrontation in which Tovias was carrying a knife.
During the altercation, Joshua Anderson obtained a double-barreled shotgun and shot Tovias. Anderson later admitted his involvement in the killing. Accounts of the case stated that he removed Tovias's knife after the shooting and left the area with the shotgun. Tovias was killed in the vicinity of the 700 block of North Madison Avenue in Tulsa.
The November murder initially stood apart from the killings that followed. It was only after Anderson became a suspect in the February 2007 double homicide that detectives began connecting him to Tovias's death and other unsolved shootings in the surrounding neighborhood.
Murder of Christopher Todd Moderow
Christopher Todd Moderow was killed in late January 2007. Contemporary homicide reports commonly place the shooting during the night of January 23 into January 24. Moderow's published death notice records his death as January 24, 2007, and gives his age as 38.
Investigators said Moderow had been with Joshua Anderson and A.C. Anderson while attempting to locate drugs. An argument developed, and Moderow reportedly produced an ice pick. Joshua Anderson responded by shooting him with a .22-caliber revolver.
The killing also involved robbery. According to testimony concerning Anderson's confession, Anderson searched or robbed Moderow after shooting him and took only a small amount of money. Anderson eventually admitted responsibility for Moderow's murder and later pleaded guilty rather than proceeding through a separate murder trial.
The David Gilbert Killing
David Gilbert, age 26, was another north Tulsa shooting victim whose death police connected to Anderson. Gilbert was killed during the January 23-24, 2007 period and was found in the 1500 block of East Independence Street. Contemporary reporting described his body as being discovered on January 24.
Witness information led detectives to believe Anderson had shot Gilbert following an earlier disagreement. Authorities initially treated Anderson as responsible for the homicide, and early reports referred to five killings connected to him.
Unlike the murders of Tovias, Moderow, Herbert Hobbs and Rose Mary Hobbs, however, prosecutors did not ultimately charge Anderson with Gilbert's murder. The evidence was considered insufficient to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. Gilbert is therefore more accurately described as a victim whose murder was linked to or suspected of having been committed by Anderson rather than one of Anderson's four legally confirmed murder convictions.
Murders of Herbert and Rose Mary Hobbs
The most disturbing crimes associated with Anderson occurred on February 2, 2007, when Herbert Hobbs and his mother, Rose Mary Hobbs, were murdered inside Herbert's north Tulsa home. Herbert was in his early 50s, while his mother was 69.
According to the prosecution's case, Anderson learned from his brother that Herbert Hobbs appeared to be carrying money. Anderson went to the residence armed with a revolver intending to commit a robbery. Once inside, he restrained Herbert and his mother and stole approximately $300.
Anderson initially left the residence but realized that both victims had seen and could identify him. He returned to the home. By then, the victims had managed to free themselves, but Anderson again controlled them at gunpoint.
During Anderson's later videotaped confession, he described forcing Herbert and his mother to perform a sexual act with one another at gunpoint before shooting both victims. The murders were therefore not simply the result of a robbery. Anderson deliberately returned after obtaining the money and subjected the victims to additional cruelty before killing them.
Testimony during Anderson's 2008 trial revealed another particularly disturbing allegation. Anderson reportedly admitted that after the murders he consumed a portion of brain tissue from Rose Mary Hobbs. A jail witness also testified that Anderson had discussed the act. The allegation became part of the prosecution's presentation of the events surrounding the double homicide.
After the shootings, the residence was intentionally set on fire. Anderson was prosecuted for first-degree arson in connection with the attempt to burn the crime scene. His brother, A.C. Anderson, also became a subject of the investigation into the fire, but Joshua Anderson was the person convicted of the arson associated with the Hobbs murders.
Victims
- Evaristo Tovias Jr. — November 5, 2006 — Tulsa, Oklahoma: Age 34. Shot with a double-barreled shotgun during an altercation in the area of the 700 block of North Madison Avenue. Anderson later admitted responsibility and pleaded guilty to his murder.
- Christopher Todd Moderow — January 24, 2007 — Tulsa, Oklahoma: Age 38 according to his published death notice. Moderow was shot with a .22-caliber revolver following an argument and was robbed afterward. Some homicide chronologies place the shooting late on January 23, but his death notice records January 24. Anderson pleaded guilty to his murder.
- David Gilbert — January 23-24, 2007 — Tulsa, Oklahoma: Age 26. Gilbert was found shot to death in the 1500 block of East Independence Street on January 24. Police linked Anderson to the killing through witness information, but prosecutors ultimately did not charge Anderson because of insufficient evidence. Gilbert should therefore be considered a suspected or police-linked victim rather than one of Anderson's four murder convictions.
- Herbert Hobbs — February 2, 2007 — Tulsa, Oklahoma: In his early 50s. Herbert was robbed, restrained and subjected to sexual humiliation at gunpoint before being shot inside his north Tulsa residence. Anderson was convicted of his murder.
- Rose Mary Hobbs — February 2, 2007 — Tulsa, Oklahoma: Age 69. Herbert Hobbs's mother. She was restrained, terrorized and shot during the same home invasion. Anderson was convicted of her murder. Trial testimony also described Anderson consuming a portion of brain tissue after her death.
Arrest and Confession
Anderson's series of killings came to an end in early February 2007. He was already wanted in connection with a first-degree rape allegation originating in Muskogee County when he was taken into custody. As Tulsa homicide detectives examined the recent murders, evidence and witness accounts increasingly pointed toward Anderson.
Investigators also questioned his brother, A.C. Anderson. During Joshua Anderson's interrogation, detectives showed him a recorded statement in which his brother placed responsibility for the killings on him. Anderson then began admitting his involvement.
His statements were significant because detectives said he supplied information about the murder scenes and the positioning of victims that had not been released publicly. His confession helped prosecutors build cases involving Tovias, Moderow and the Hobbs mother and son.
Although police initially associated Anderson with five murders, prosecutors eventually proceeded with four murder cases. The Gilbert investigation lacked the evidentiary support prosecutors believed was necessary for a conviction.
Trial for the Hobbs Murders
Anderson's trial for the murders of Herbert and Rose Mary Hobbs began in October 2008. Prosecutors relied heavily upon his recorded statements, testimony concerning his admissions, evidence surrounding the robbery and murders, and details of the fire that followed the killings.
The defense argued that physical evidence directly connecting Anderson to the murders was limited and challenged portions of the state's arson case. Prosecutors countered with Anderson's own statements and testimony indicating that he knew details that would have been difficult for anyone other than someone involved in the crimes to know.
The jury convicted Anderson of both murders as well as first-degree arson. He received two life sentences for the killings and an additional 25-year sentence for arson.
Guilty Pleas for Tovias and Moderow
After his conviction for the Hobbs murders, Anderson still faced prosecution for the deaths of Evaristo Tovias Jr. and Christopher Moderow. Rather than proceed through additional murder trials, Anderson entered guilty pleas on December 8, 2008.
The pleas resulted in two additional life sentences. He also received an additional prison term for an assault-related conviction, bringing his combined punishment to four life terms plus approximately 35 additional years. The sentences effectively ensured that Anderson would remain imprisoned for the remainder of his life.
Confirmed and Suspected Victim Count
Joshua Julius Anderson is generally described as having four confirmed victims and one additional suspected or police-linked victim. The four legally confirmed murders are those of Evaristo Tovias Jr., Christopher Todd Moderow, Herbert Hobbs and Rose Mary Hobbs. Anderson was either convicted by a jury or pleaded guilty in each of those cases.
David Gilbert is the reason Anderson's victim count is sometimes listed as five. Tulsa investigators publicly connected Anderson to Gilbert's shooting shortly after his arrest, but no murder charge was ultimately pursued. Separating Gilbert from the four convictions is important because early news coverage often described Anderson as a five-time murder suspect before prosecutors narrowed the cases they could prove in court.
Legacy of the Tulsa Murders
Anderson's crimes were concentrated within only a few months and a relatively small geographic area. His age made the case particularly striking: he was still a teenager when the murders occurred, yet by the time police arrested him he was suspected of having killed as many as five people.
The murders also escalated dramatically. The Tovias and Moderow killings grew out of confrontations, while the Hobbs murders involved a planned robbery followed by restraint, degradation, deliberate killings and an attempt to destroy the crime scene by fire. The cruelty described in Anderson's confession and at trial made the Hobbs double murder one of the most disturbing parts of the prosecution.
Ultimately, the criminal cases established Joshua Julius Anderson as responsible for four murders committed in Tulsa between November 5, 2006 and February 2, 2007. Police believed the true total included David Gilbert as a fifth victim, but because that allegation was never proven through a criminal conviction, the most accurate description of Anderson's record remains four confirmed murders and one additional suspected or police-linked killing.
