Saturday, January 21, 2023

The Baton Rouge Serial Killer on This Day in History

 

This Day in History: Derrick Todd Lee, also known as the Baton Rouge Serial Killer, died of heart disease while awaiting execution, on this day (January 21) in 2016. Between 1992 and 2003, Lee murdered seven women in the Baton Rouge area.

Lee may have evaded capture sooner because an FBI profile believed the killer to be white. Interestingly, during psychiatric evaluations, he scored an average of 65 on various standardized IQ tests; a score below 69 is considered to be the threshold for mental retardation. Lee was, however, deemed fit to stand trial despite his low IQ. He was described as a smooth talker, a man talked his way in and out of everything his whole life. Lee laughed while in court, he simply didn't take the situation seriously. 

In early 2003, an urban legend began to circulate that Lee was using the taped sounds of a crying baby to lure victims to the door. The Baton Rouge Police were quick to deny that the information was coming from their office. The Criminal Minds tv series featured the "crying baby" motif in two episodes.

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