Charles Floyd

Serial Killer

Charles Floyd: The Tulsa Serial Killer

Who Was Charles Floyd?

Charles Floyd was an American serial killer responsible for a series of murders and violent attacks in Tulsa, Oklahoma, during the 1940s. He should not be confused with Charles Arthur "Pretty Boy" Floyd, the famous Depression-era bank robber who died in 1934. The Charles Floyd involved in the Tulsa murders was a truck driver whose crimes remained unsolved for years. His known killing period stretched from 1942 through 1948, and he was finally arrested in Dallas, Texas, in November 1949. Floyd's crimes were centered largely on women living in apartments on Tulsa's north side and near the downtown area. Several of his victims were young women whose husbands were away from home. Contemporary investigators also noticed that a number of the women had red hair. Floyd reportedly watched or followed some victims before entering their homes, usually during the night or very early morning. His attacks generally involved severe blows to the head with a blunt object. Sexual assault, including assault after death, was associated with several of the murders.

Victims and Verified Dates of Death

• Helen Brown July 10, 1942 825 North Main Street, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Brown was approximately 19 or 20 years old and was heavily pregnant at the time of her death. Her baby was reportedly expected within days. She was attacked inside the apartment she shared with her husband, William Brown. Floyd entered the residence while she was alone, killed her by striking her in the head and sexually assaulted her after death. Because her unborn child also died, contemporary descriptions sometimes treated the crime as involving two deaths.
• Clara "Luzzla" Stewart January 14, 1943 306 North Cheyenne Avenue, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Stewart was approximately 50 years old. She was murdered in the same residence as her adult daughter, Georgia Green. Both women were attacked during the night and suffered fatal head injuries. Period newspaper reports described the crime as particularly violent and stated that the women were also sexually assaulted.
• Georgia Green January 14, 1943 306 North Cheyenne Avenue, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Green, 31, was Clara Stewart's daughter. Some later accounts give her first name as Georgina, but contemporary reporting commonly identified her as Georgia Green. She was married, and her husband was reportedly away serving in the military. She and her mother were killed in their beds during the same attack.
• Panta Lou Liles May 15, 1945 501 North Cheyenne Avenue, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Liles was 20 years old and was also known in some reports as Pat Campbell Liles. She worked at Tulsa's wartime aircraft industry and was married to William Avery Liles, who was serving in the Navy. Floyd later described watching Liles before the crime. During the early morning hours of May 15, he entered her apartment through a window after manipulating the screen. He carried a piece of pipe and struck Liles while she was in bed. Her body was discovered after her roommate became concerned and contacted authorities. Investigators determined that Liles had suffered fatal head injuries and had been sexually assaulted.
• Ruth Norton July 2, 1948 Tulsa, Oklahoma. Norton was 42 years old and worked as an elevator operator in the National Bank of Tulsa Building. She was found beaten to death in her apartment during the early morning of July 2. Her murder occurred only hours after another violent home invasion in the same general part of Tulsa. Some later accounts incorrectly give July 1 as Norton's death date, but contemporary reports establish that she was found dead on July 2, 1948.

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Confirmed Victims: (5)

Helen Brown Age: (19), Date of Death: 1942-07-10

Survivors:

Mrs. J. B. Cole Age: (38), Date of Attack: 1948-07-02

Doris Cole Age: (13), Date of Attack: 1948-07-02

Levon Gabbard Age: (14), Date of Attack: 1942-07-02

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