Jeremy Rashaud Harris: The North Texas Serial Killer
Overview
Jeremy Rashaud Harris is an American serial killer responsible for four murders committed during a short but violent shooting spree in North Texas in the fall of 2020. Harris, a resident of Red Oak, Texas, targeted people in Dallas and Collin counties over a period beginning on Halloween and ending less than three weeks later. Most of his victims had no known connection to him. Dallas police described the attacks as largely random and publicly characterized Harris as a serial killer after investigators connected him to several apparently unrelated shootings.
The killings created particular concern because they occurred in different parts of the Dallas area and initially appeared to have little connection. Investigators eventually determined that Harris was linked to the deaths of Southern Methodist University student Robert "Jaden" Urrea, Kenneth Jerome Hamilton, Adam Gautreau, and Blair Carter. Harris later admitted responsibility for all four killings.
The Murder of Robert "Jaden" Urrea
Harris's known series of murders began during the early morning hours of October 31, 2020. Robert "Jaden" Urrea, a 19-year-old sophomore at Southern Methodist University, was in downtown Dallas near South Harwood and Jackson streets. At approximately 3:00 a.m., Urrea was shot in what authorities described as an apparently unprovoked attack.
Urrea had reportedly been waiting for a rideshare when a vehicle approached him. He suffered fatal gunshot wounds and was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Investigators initially had no obvious motive for the killing and found no established relationship between Urrea and Harris.
The November 14 Shootings
Two weeks after Urrea's murder, Harris killed two more men in Dallas on November 14, 2020. The shootings occurred in separate areas and involved victims who apparently had no connection to either Harris or each other.
Adam Gautreau, 36, was near the intersection of Empire Central Drive and North Stemmons Freeway in Dallas when he was attacked at approximately 8:30 p.m. Gautreau was shot multiple times and was pronounced dead at the scene. Police investigating his death examined surveillance footage from the surrounding area as they attempted to identify the vehicle and person responsible.
Later that evening, 57-year-old Kenneth Jerome Hamilton was sitting in his vehicle while stopped at a traffic light at South Beckley Avenue and Clarendon Drive in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas. At approximately 9:09 p.m., he was shot. Emergency personnel transported Hamilton to a hospital, but he died from his injuries.
Investigators began examining whether the shootings were connected after identifying similarities between incidents that had occurred around Dallas. Surveillance evidence and information about vehicles associated with the shootings eventually helped police connect Harris to the attacks.
The Murder of Blair Carter
The final confirmed murder occurred on November 18, 2020, in Celina, Texas, approximately 40 miles north of Dallas. Unlike the earlier victims, 60-year-old Blair Carter had a personal connection to Harris. Carter was the father of Harris's former girlfriend and the maternal grandfather of Harris's children.
Emergency crews responded to a fire at Carter's home on Anvil Court in Celina. Inside the burned residence, firefighters discovered Carter's body in the living room. Investigators determined that Carter had been shot before the house was deliberately set on fire.
The circumstances surrounding Carter's death quickly led investigators toward Harris. Witness information and other evidence gathered by Celina police resulted in Harris being identified as a suspect. He was taken into custody shortly afterward. The investigation into Carter's killing then helped authorities connect Harris with the earlier Dallas murders.
Confirmed Victims
- Robert "Jaden" Urrea, 19 — Killed October 31, 2020, near South Harwood and Jackson streets in downtown Dallas, Texas. The Southern Methodist University student was fatally shot at approximately 3:00 a.m.
- Adam Gautreau, 36 — Killed November 14, 2020, near Empire Central Drive and North Stemmons Freeway in Dallas, Texas. He was shot multiple times and pronounced dead at the scene.
- Kenneth Jerome Hamilton, 57 — Killed November 14, 2020, at South Beckley Avenue and Clarendon Drive in Dallas, Texas. Hamilton was shot while sitting in his vehicle at a traffic light and later died at a hospital.
- Blair Carter, 60 — Killed November 18, 2020, at his home on Anvil Court in Celina, Texas. Carter was shot, and his residence was subsequently set on fire. He was the father of Harris's former girlfriend.
Investigation and Arrest
After Harris was identified in connection with Blair Carter's death, Dallas investigators compared information from the Celina case with evidence collected during the series of Dallas shootings. Police concluded that Harris was responsible for the three Dallas murders as well as other nonfatal shootings.
Authorities said the lack of an apparent relationship between Harris and most of the people he attacked was a disturbing feature of the case. Urrea, Gautreau, and Hamilton were regarded by investigators as essentially random victims. Carter was the major exception because Harris had a known personal connection to his family.
Harris was arrested in November 2020 and eventually faced murder charges in both Dallas and Collin counties. A Dallas County grand jury indicted him in February 2021 in connection with the Dallas killings, while the prosecution involving Blair Carter proceeded in Collin County.
Guilty Pleas and Sentence
On November 14, 2023, Harris pleaded guilty to crimes arising from the shooting spree. His convictions included one count of capital murder in Collin County, three counts of murder in Dallas County, and two counts of aggravated assault involving surviving victims of additional shootings.
Under an agreement with prosecutors, Harris avoided the death penalty but received life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. During the court proceedings, relatives of the victims described the lasting effect of the murders on their families and confronted Harris about the deaths he had caused.
The sentence permanently removed Harris from the community and concluded the principal criminal cases connected with the 2020 killings. His four confirmed murders, occurring between October 31 and November 18, 2020, remain an unusually concentrated series of attacks in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, distinguished by the apparently random selection of three of the four people he killed.
