Ralph Harris: Chicago Serial Killer, Rapist and Armed Robber
Overview
Ralph Harris, born July 11, 1972, was a violent offender whose crimes were concentrated on Chicago's South Side, particularly in and around the Chatham area. Prosecutors described a crime spree extending from the summer of 1992 through August 1995. Harris repeatedly approached people near their homes or on residential streets, threatened them with a handgun, demanded money or valuables, and in numerous attacks opened fire. Six men were killed in shootings attributed to him, while several other shooting victims survived. During the 1995 portion of the crime spree, Harris also committed a series of armed robberies and sexual assaults against women.
Harris was ultimately charged in numerous felony cases arising from the attacks. He was convicted of the murders of William Patterson and David Ford, as well as the attempted murder of William Patterson's brother James Patterson. He was also convicted in a separate case involving the armed robbery and sexual assault of a woman. Evidence concerning other murders, shootings, robberies and sexual assaults was presented during his prosecutions and sentencing proceedings.
The 1992 Murder Spree
Harris was already facing criminal charges when a concentrated series of shootings began during the summer of 1992. On July 21, insurance agent Danny Smith arrived at a residence on South Harper Avenue after driving from Memphis. Harris approached him during an attempted robbery and shot Smith seven times. Smith survived. The following day, July 22, Harris and another man confronted retired 69-year-old Thomas Hodges in the garage behind Hodges's home at 8617 South Maryland Avenue. Harris shot Hodges in the abdomen while his accomplice took Hodges's wallet. Hodges died from the shooting.
Eleven days later, during the early morning of August 2, 1992, Harris encountered 43-year-old Jimmie Bramlett as Bramlett returned home from a family reunion. Bramlett had parked his car and was walking toward his residence at 2400 East 89th Street. Harris announced a robbery and shot Bramlett twice in the abdomen. Bramlett was found dead on his lawn at approximately 8:00 that morning. His wallet was missing. An envelope containing his wallet and identification was subsequently returned to his mailbox.
On August 11, Harris confronted businessman Willie Williams after Williams returned home carrying money from his store. Williams surrendered a bag containing approximately $1,800, but Harris nevertheless shot him twice. Williams survived. Six days later, on August 17, Harris carried out two attacks that resulted in the deaths of David Ford and William Patterson and the serious shooting of Patterson's brother James.
The Murder of David Ford
David Ford, a 35-year-old counselor for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, was traveling to his girlfriend's apartment during the early morning of August 17, 1992. At approximately 2:30 a.m., his girlfriend heard gunshots outside and ran from the apartment. She found Ford lying in a driveway near the entrance. Ford had been shot five times: three wounds were in his back and two were in his right arm.
Ford remained alive after the initial attack but later died at Cook County Hospital on August 25, 1992. This distinction is important because court records commonly describe the case as the "August 17 murder," referring to the date of the shooting, while the official account used during Harris's clemency proceedings records August 25 as Ford's actual date of death. Harris was later convicted of first-degree murder and attempted armed robbery in Ford's case.
The Murder of William Patterson
Approximately ten and a half hours after Ford was shot, Harris encountered 67-year-old retiree William Patterson outside Patterson's brother's home at 1730 East 86th Place. Patterson was carrying framed prints from his automobile when Harris approached him with a .380-caliber semiautomatic handgun and demanded money. Patterson said that he did not have any money and offered the prints instead. Harris shot him twice in the abdomen, killing him.
William's 70-year-old brother, James Patterson, heard the gunshots and came outside. He saw his brother wounded and Harris standing nearby. When James called toward Harris, Harris turned and shot James once in the side. James survived and later identified Harris. A neighbor also identified Harris as the man fleeing the scene. Ballistics evidence connected the Patterson shooting with several of the other 1992 attacks.
Return to Violence in 1995
Harris entered the Illinois prison system in August 1992 after pleading guilty to earlier armed robberies. He was released on mandatory supervised release on January 22, 1995. Less than a month later, prosecutors said, he returned to armed robbery and escalated his crimes by sexually assaulting women during some of the robberies.
On February 14, 1995, Harris entered a house at 8113 South Washtenaw Avenue while real-estate broker Marilyn Edwards was showing the property to Bettye Webber. Harris held the women at gunpoint, stole jewelry and sexually assaulted both of them. DNA evidence obtained during the investigation was later matched to Harris. Similar armed attacks against other women followed during the spring and summer.
The Murder of Eric Watkins
At approximately 1:45 a.m. on March 18, 1995, 30-year-old Eric Watkins and 26-year-old James Henry were standing outside 7901 South Paxton Avenue. Harris approached them with a handgun, robbed both men, and forced them into the vestibule of an apartment building. He ordered them to face a wall. Harris then shot Henry in the head and Watkins in the head and leg. After beginning to leave, Harris noticed Henry moving, returned and fired additional shots at him.
Watkins was killed in the attack on March 18, 1995. Remarkably, Henry survived despite being shot four times. Months later, after seeing Harris on television following his arrest, Henry contacted police and identified him as the attacker. Another man connected to the crime was later convicted for acting as Harris's getaway driver.
The Murder of James Williamson
At approximately 4:30 a.m. on August 2, 1995, 60-year-old dock loader James Williamson was leaving for work from his home at 9820 South Greenwood Avenue. Harris approached Williamson near the side door of the house and demanded money while pointing a gun at him. Williamson told the gunman that he had nothing to give him. He was then shot once in the left side of his chest and killed.
Williamson died on August 2, 1995, at the location of the attack. A neighbor heard the exchange immediately before the shooting and later made a tentative identification of Harris. Investigators also connected the firearm evidence from the Williamson killing with a .380-caliber handgun recovered near Harris's residence after his arrest.
Verified Murder Victims
- Thomas Hodges — Died July 22, 1992. Hodges, 69, was shot in the abdomen during a robbery inside the garage behind his home at 8617 South Maryland Avenue, Chicago, Illinois.
- Jimmie Bramlett — Died August 2, 1992. Bramlett, 43, was shot twice after returning home from a family reunion at 2400 East 89th Street, Chicago, Illinois. He was found dead on the lawn later that morning.
- David Ford — Shot August 17, 1992 and died August 25, 1992 at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. Ford was shot five times outside his girlfriend's apartment in the Chatham area.
- William Patterson — Died August 17, 1992. Patterson, 67, was shot twice during an attempted robbery outside his brother's residence at 1730 East 86th Place, Chicago, Illinois.
- Eric Watkins — Died March 18, 1995. Watkins was shot in the head and leg after being robbed and forced into an apartment-building vestibule at 7901 South Paxton Avenue, Chicago, Illinois.
- James Williamson — Died August 2, 1995. Williamson, 60, was shot in the chest during an attempted robbery beside his home at 9820 South Greenwood Avenue, Chicago, Illinois.
Other Surviving Victims and Crimes
The six killings represented only part of the violence attributed to Harris. Other men survived shootings during robberies, including Danny Smith, Willie Williams, James Patterson, James Henry and James Brown. Smith was shot seven times on July 21, 1992. Williams was shot twice on August 11. Patterson was shot after coming outside and discovering his mortally wounded brother on August 17. Henry survived four gunshot wounds during the March 1995 attack that killed Eric Watkins, and Brown survived being shot during an August 16, 1995 robbery.
Harris also committed numerous armed sexual assaults in 1995. Prosecutors presented evidence involving Marilyn Edwards, Bettye Webber, Joan Porche, Rhonda Thompson, Rita Jackson and Deyonous Moore, among other victims. The attacks generally followed a recurring pattern: Harris approached victims with a handgun, robbed them, controlled their movements through threats of deadly force, and in several cases sexually assaulted them. DNA evidence linked Harris to multiple attacks.
Arrest and Evidence
Harris was arrested on August 29, 1995, at his girlfriend's apartment. Police subsequently arranged a series of lineups in which surviving victims and witnesses identified him. Investigators also recovered a .380-caliber handgun after Harris directed officers to a location near his home. Firearms examiners connected that weapon with evidence from the shooting of James Brown and the killing of James Williamson. Earlier ballistics testing had connected bullets from several of the 1992 shootings to the same .380-caliber firearm.
During questioning, Harris made statements concerning a number of the crimes, including the killings of Thomas Hodges, Jimmie Bramlett and David Ford. Prosecutors also relied on eyewitness identifications, DNA evidence, fingerprints, ballistics evidence and testimony from surviving victims and accomplices. Harris later challenged the admissibility of his statements, alleging that detectives had coerced him, leading to years of additional post-conviction litigation.
Convictions and Sentencing
In 1999 Harris was convicted of first-degree murder for killing William Patterson and of attempting to murder James Patterson. He was sentenced to death. Later that year he was separately convicted of the murder and attempted robbery of David Ford and again received a death sentence. In 2000 he was convicted of armed robbery and multiple counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault in another case and received a lengthy additional prison sentence.
Although Harris was linked by prosecutors and investigators to six killings, his major murder convictions concerned Patterson and Ford. Evidence regarding the other killings and violent attacks was introduced during the proceedings as part of the broader history of his crimes. His death sentences were ultimately commuted to life imprisonment when Illinois Governor George Ryan commuted the sentences of the state's death-row prisoners in January 2003.
Legacy of the Case
Harris's crimes were notable for their concentration within residential South Side neighborhoods and for the rapid escalation of violence during relatively short periods of freedom. Several victims were attacked while arriving home, leaving for work, standing outside residences or completing ordinary daily activities. The robberies often involved relatively modest amounts of money or personal property, yet Harris repeatedly used potentially lethal force even when victims complied with his demands.
The investigation eventually brought together surviving eyewitnesses, ballistic comparisons, DNA testing, physical evidence and statements made during police questioning. The resulting cases documented a pattern of murder, attempted murder, armed robbery and sexual violence extending across two distinct periods in 1992 and 1995. Six men lost their lives: Thomas Hodges, Jimmie Bramlett, David Ford, William Patterson, Eric Watkins and James Williamson. Numerous other victims survived shootings, robberies and sexual assaults that formed part of the same violent crime spree.
