Richard Louis Hunter: The 1986 Atlanta Murders
Background
Richard Louis Hunter, whose middle name has sometimes been reported as Lewis, is an American serial killer and convicted forger born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1955. In March and April 1986, Hunter targeted four older Black women living alone in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods west of downtown Atlanta. The closely spaced murders frightened elderly residents and led police to establish a task force devoted to determining whether one offender was responsible.
Hunter was a day laborer with a prior criminal record for forgery. He lived near the neighborhoods in which the women were killed and was familiar with the surrounding streets and housing developments. His victims were attacked inside their homes, where they should have been safest. Their residences were searched and valuable belongings were taken, suggesting that robbery was one motive. Investigators also determined that the victims had been sexually assaulted or subjected to circumstances indicating a sexual element to the crimes.
Victims
- Annie Rochelle Copeland — Age 85. Killed or found dead on March 1, 1986, in her apartment in southwest Atlanta, Georgia, near the Clark University area. A minister who lived nearby discovered her after becoming concerned when she did not answer her door. Copeland was found on her bed, covered with bedding, with a pillow over her face. Her apartment had been ransacked, and investigators believed the killer entered by cutting a living-room window screen and removing or manipulating the windowpane. Property was taken from the residence.
- Aretha Clements — Age 60 or 61 in contemporary reports. Found dead on March 6, 1986, in her apartment in northwest Atlanta, Georgia. Her son, Felton Clements, discovered her when he came to check on her. She had been manually strangled, and her body had been wrapped in a bedspread. The apartment was in disorder: drawers had been emptied, plants were overturned, and personal property was scattered. A color television and her pocketbook were reported missing.
- Dena Mae Mike — Age 62. Records indicate that she died on March 10, 1986, and she was found on March 11, 1986, in her apartment in northwest Atlanta, Georgia. Mike was blind, lived alone and had not been seen for approximately two days. Her body was covered by several objects, including clothing, a pillow, a garment bag and a duffel bag. Investigators believed the killer entered through a kitchen window. The condition of the apartment and the disappearance of property resembled the earlier crimes.
- Grace Hill — Reported as being between 65 and 68 years old. Found dead on April 9, 1986, in her residence at the Herndon Homes housing complex in northwest Atlanta, Georgia. Friends discovered her partially unclothed on the living-room floor. She had been suffocated or strangled and was believed to have been sexually assaulted. Investigators concluded that the killer probably entered through an unlocked rear door. A newspaper had been placed over part of her body, and a doll had been positioned nearby in a manner that police considered significant.
The Pattern of the Crimes
The four cases shared several distinctive features. All of the victims were older Black women who lived alone in western Atlanta. Each woman was attacked inside her residence, and each home was searched after the assault. The offender frequently covered or arranged the victim’s body and stole portable valuables, including televisions, pocketbooks or other personal possessions.
The first three victims were discovered within eleven days. Copeland was found on March 1, Clements on March 6 and Mike on March 11. After an interval of approximately four weeks, Grace Hill was found on April 9. The pause between the third and fourth murders did not lessen concern among investigators. Instead, Hill’s death provided additional evidence that the attacks were connected and that the offender remained active.
The manner of entry also suggested a perpetrator willing to exploit vulnerable residences. In at least two cases, windows appeared to have been used to enter the apartments. In Hill’s case, an unlocked back door may have provided access. The attacks were not confined to a single building, but they occurred within a relatively limited part of Atlanta, reinforcing the belief that the killer lived in, worked in or regularly visited the area.
Fear in Atlanta
The murders created intense fear among elderly residents, particularly women living alone. Some residents added locks, reinforced windows or arranged for relatives and neighbors to check on them. Community leaders demanded increased police protection, while officers questioned residents and searched for people who had recently attempted to sell stolen household property.
The crimes also revived painful memories of the Atlanta child murders of 1979 through 1981. Although the victims and circumstances were different, the possibility that another serial killer was operating in the city generated widespread anxiety. Georgia Governor Joe Frank Harris offered reward money for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible.
Investigation and Arrest
Atlanta homicide detectives compared evidence from the four apartments and concluded that the similarities were too substantial to be coincidental. State investigators assisted with the inquiry, and a special task force examined fingerprints, stolen property, known offenders and information provided by neighborhood residents.
In April 1986, police received information directing their attention toward Hunter, who was already known to law enforcement because of his forgery conviction. Officers arrested him on April 20, 1986, initially for violating probation. He was living with his girlfriend and their children at the time.
Investigators reportedly connected Hunter to physical evidence recovered during the investigation. He was also linked to property taken from at least one victim. Hunter admitted that he had attempted to sell a television belonging to Annie Copeland, although he reportedly tried to place some responsibility on an alleged accomplice. Police nevertheless concluded that the evidence supported charging him with the series.
On April 23, 1986, authorities publicly announced a murder charge against Hunter in connection with Copeland’s death and stated that he was also suspected of killing Clements, Mike and Hill. Psychological evaluations were ordered while he was being held in the Atlanta city jail. In May 1986, a grand jury indicted him in connection with all four murders.
Guilty Plea and Sentence
Hunter ultimately chose not to face a capital trial. In an agreement that allowed him to avoid the possibility of a death sentence, he pleaded guilty to the four murders, the associated sexual assaults and burglaries. On May 5, 1987, he received eight life sentences, along with an additional eighty years for crimes connected to the attacks and thefts.
The multiple sentences reflected the separate acts committed against each woman, rather than treating the case as a single criminal episode. Prosecutors stated that Hunter would have to serve a substantial period in prison before becoming eligible for parole consideration.
Legacy of the Case
Richard Louis Hunter’s crimes were notable not only for their violence but also for his calculated selection of isolated and vulnerable victims. Annie Rochelle Copeland, Aretha Clements, Dena Mae Mike and Grace Hill were women living independently in their own homes. Their ages, limited financial resources and, in Mike’s case, physical disability may have made them appear less able to resist an intruder or summon immediate help.
The case demonstrated the importance of comparing crimes across neighborhoods and recognizing repeated behaviors at separate scenes. The similar victim profiles, methods of entry, thefts and treatment of the bodies enabled investigators to identify the murders as a connected series. Hunter’s arrest ended the brief but terrifying sequence of attacks that had unsettled Atlanta during the spring of 1986.
