[47] A September 19, 2008 execution date was stayed by Chief Justice Gerry L. Alexander pending additional appeals. In 1976, Robert Yates and Linda Brewer had a second wedding ceremony - this time in Oak Harbor, with Brewers' parents as the witnesses - most likely because his divorce hadn't been final the first time. The couple filed a bankruptcy petition under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code. This happened in 1998, and she was 32 years old at the time. They interviewed hundreds of potential suspects and considered Yates to be only one of them. She moves home to Fall City with her parents. On December 7, 1997, Melinda Mercer, 24, was found shot and dumped in a field in Tacoma; she had been shot several times and had four plastic bags covering her head. Gatti last saw Yates the same month in Tacoma, when he was in town for training. He even worked as an usher in a movie theater, says Gatti, who started logging after he got back from the war. "He's been married 27 years. Obviously, this was a shocking revelation for the wife. He was to die by lethal injection on October 3, 2002. In 1970, he graduated from Oak Harbor High School. Robert Lee Yates is a member of. The Seattle Times reports Robert Yates' first victims were 22-year-old Susan Savage and 21-year-old Patrick Oliver. In early September 1994, Yates came to Walla Walla. "It doesn't throw us over the edge.". In addition to serving in the United States military for 18 years, Yates was married for 24 years and had five children. "He could one minute he could be real easygoing, and go into a room and come out and be a totally whole different person.". Yates' father and three sisters gave only one public statement: "Bobby is a loving, caring sensitive son; a fun-loving and giving brother; an understanding, generous and dedicated father, who enjoys playing ball, fishing and camping with his kids. His wife, his three youngest daughters and his son moved to a motel after his arrest, and it's not clear where they are now. Yates also confessed to two murders committed in Walla Walla in 1975 and a 1988 murder committed in Skagit . She was considered a victim of the same killer, due to her history and association with other victims, but her body was not discovered until six months after Yates' arrest and subsequent confession. While there, he wrote a letter to the local newspaper, defending the National Rifle Association, the Second Amendment and the right to own a weapon. The prosecution sought the death penalty for the deaths of Melinda L. Mercer in 1997 and Connie Ellis in 1998, which were thought to be linked to the killings in Spokane County. In 1916, he bought land. The next was when Yates was on duty in Alabama in the mid-80s. But inside the Army, he learned to fly helicopters so well that he taught other pilots how to teach flying. Robert Lee Yates Jr. was born on May 27, 1952, and grew up in a middle-class family in Oak Harbor, Washington. Yates, a decorated former military helicopter pilot, pleaded guilty in 2000 to murdering 13 women in Spokane County and was sentenced to . From 1975 to 1998, Yates is known to have murdered at least 13 women, all of whom were sex workers working on East Sprague Avenue, in Spokane. Victims whose names are followed by an asterisk ( # ) have been linked to Robert Yates, through DNA and other evidence, according to the Spokane County sheriff. Henry Youderian first spotted Whidbey Island in World War I, when he was in the Army cavalry, stationed at Fort Casey. Before his birth, his grandmother had murdered his grandfather with an axe in 1945. How old is Kyle Yates? The family moved to Cortez in 1974 and he attended Lewis-Arriola Elementary School, Cortez Junior High School and graduated from M-CHS in 1985. . All of his victims worked on the city's E. Sprague Avenue,. Performance & security by Cloudflare. She went straight to the police and gave them a description of her assaulter. The loss of their main breadwinner has been a financial hardship for the family, she said. After 19 years in service, Robert retired with a stellar career graph in April 1996. [8][9], On September 19, 1998, Yates was asked to give a DNA sample to Spokane police after being stopped. Yates confessed to picking up Hawn, who was working as a prostitute, in his van nearby. While the family has appeared on a few shows like Dateline, they seem to be very private about their lives. The first time was when she found out that her husband had drilled a hole in their attic to voyeuristically watch a couple have sex. "You knew it had to be something good," says Dennis Niles, who served with Yates. The Spokane Serial Killer: An American Monster by Investigation Discovery explores gruesome crimes committed by Robert Lee Yates. While he was already incarcerated, Yates was also charged with two more crimes the murders of Melinda L. Mercer (in 1997) and Connie Ellis (in 1998). He worked as a janitor at a hospital - his mother was a housekeeping supervisor at the Whidbey Island hospital. Among the slayings is the death of 19-year-old Teresa Hesselgrave, whose body was found in a wooded area near Whidbey General Hospital in 1977. He learned to be an instructor pilot for the OH-58, the Kiowa, at the time the Army's primary observation helicopter. Science professors don't remember him. "I didn't get to know him that much," says Mary Nylander, Shirley's mother. All of these women were shot and dumped in remote areas. He apologized to the family members of his victims as well. Im married and have a 17 month old son. After that marriage ended, she married Robert Yates, a solid man known more for being religious and polite than anything else at the Whidbey Island Naval Air Station, where he kept track of inventory. He later told police that he held her by one arm and slapped her face lightly several times because she was "disrespectful." Then Robert Yates moved to Fort Drum, N.Y. Upon seeing Yates' photo in the newspaper following his arrest, Smith contacted police and identified Yates as the man who assaulted her. According to a website he established in his childrens memory, Yates is a former NASA engineer who remarried after divorcing Andrea a few years after the killings. From 1975 to 1998, he is known to have murdered at least 11 women in Spokane. May 1975 - Yates gets an associate-of-arts degree from Skagit Valley. Two days later, his middle daughter Amber, then 19, showed up at the county jail lobby. Linda Yates, who is from Walla Walla, married Robert Yates in 1976. "He was always neat as a pin," says Barbara Youderian, Ernest's wife. I didnt love him like a wife should. On April 18, 2000, Yates was arrested for the murder of Jennifer Joseph. Yates displayed anger only once, another co-worker says. During his first trial in 2000, Yates took a plea bargain in which he pleaded guilty to 13 counts of first-degree murder in exchange for 408 years in prison, effectively avoiding the death penalty. So has his father, who says he's acting on the advice of lawyers. Her e-mail address is kmorris@seattletimes.com, ------------------------------------------------------------. They were just trying to get some fresh meat.". A bill partially unwinding a 2021 policing reform clears the Legislature. The three oldest girls slept in the basement, the neighbor says. He then married his first wife, Shirley Nylander when he was 20 years old. As an adult, he was a man's man, a soldier. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Yates was stationed in various countries outside the continental United States, including Germany, and later Somalia and Haiti during the United Nations peacekeeping missions of the 1990s. He declined to comment on the specifics of the case: "The place where I do battle is in the courtroom.". [6] The victims were initially solicited for sex work by Yates, who would have sex with them, (often in his Ford van), then kill them and dump their bodies in rural locations. Yates then moved to the base in Goeppingen, Germany, and served there until 1991. He killed that.. The top 10 pickleball players in the world are Benjamin Johns, Kyle Yates, Matt Wright, Tyson McGuffin, Steve Deakin, Adam Stone, Collin Johns, Riley Newman, Wesley Gabrielsen, and Jose Farias according to global rankings for Mens Doubles. He is not cited. He received a sentence of 408 years behind bars. The kids thought it was Shakespeare. He's telling me, `It's greater than anything I can imagine.' The next day, he was charged in Spokane County District Court with killing Jennifer Joseph. In this article, we take a look at how his wife came to terms with her husbands sins. Detectives are still investigating the killings. The couples two-story house on Spokanes South Hill was their biggest asset, valued at $113,000. The couple filed under Chapter 7 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, which allows individuals to keep certain belongings while selling off other property to repay creditors. Im a diehard Bears fan and I grew up just outside Chicago. So, by 1977, he had enrolled in the US Army and was certified to fly some civilian transport planes and helicopters. The quiet husband and father's 18 slayings were so horrible that he was sentenced . January 1999 - He's told the misdemeanor charge for striking his daughter will be dropped if he doesn't do anything similar for two years. However, in 2018, it was declared that the death penalty was unconstitutional in the state, and Yates, who was once on death row, is now serving life in prison without the possibility of parole at the Washington State Penitentiary. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7b9be3342fa72109 Where Is Andrea Yates Husband Now? The serial-killer task force began circling Yates. Yates refuses to give a blood sample for a DNA test. They also expect to move the case to Spokane County Superior Court, at which time Yates will enter a formal plea. October 1984 to October 1987 - Yates is a support aviator in a different unit in Fort Rucker. "How could you not see the signs?" She was shot once and had two plastic bags covering her head. [45] Charges were dropped without prejudice in the murder of Shawn McClenahan so that, if Yates appealed his other guilty sentences, he could be tried for her murder and possibly sentenced to death. His uncle, Ernest Youderian, said his nephew was well-spoken and "never used any profanity." Yates said she was his friend's daughter, and he was driving her home. Yates, born in Anacortes, sits now on the other side of the state, in jail on a $1.5 million bond. However, she has been very open about her relationship with Robert and the aftermath of his arrest and conviction. Linda even confronted her husband after she found evidence of an extra-marital affair in 1999. When did Robert Lee Yates get the death penalty? Born on May 27, 1952, he was and Army veteran, serving almost two decades as a helicopter pilot for the U.S. Army. In March 1999, Yates tried to get a job flying helicopters for Spokane's air-ambulance service, but no positions were available. He and his wife had six children, including Yates' mother, Anna Mae. He sang in the choir, pitched baseballs, hunted deer. Yates was sentenced last month in Spokane to 408 years in prison for 13 murders 10 women in Spokane since 1996, a woman in Skagit County in 1988 and a couple near Walla Walla in 1975 and one attempted murder. He also enrolled in pre-med at the Walla Walla College. Yates had three cars, and he fiddled with them and washed them in front of his home. But the plea bargain included another bombshell for his wife: Her husband revealed that for two years the body of one of his victims had been buried in their yard just outside their bedroom window. He drilled for seven hours a day with two students. We have lots of information about Kyle: religious views are listed as unknown, ethnicity is unknown, and political affiliation is none. The couple had a son and then a daughter. Despite his outward appearance, something sinister was lurking under the surface of the killer's seemingly ordinary exterior. Seattle Times staff reporter Susan Gilmore contributed to this report. 4. He has five children (four daughters and one son) with second wife Linda, whom he married in 1976. The children's birth years range from 1974 to 1989. . He joined the National Guard and trained near Tacoma once a month. As reported by The Seattle Times, Yates, who may have killed as many as 18 people, was ultimately sentenced to death. [45] On September 19, 2002, Yates was convicted of those murders and subsequently sentenced to death by lethal injection on October 3, 2002. He also confessed to two murders committed in Walla Walla in 1975 and a 1988 murder committed in Skagit County . Image Credits: Baffling Documentaries, Youtube. He served in Germany, in Somalia, in Haiti. Wasn't tall, wasn't short. Robert Lee Yates is a serial killer. April 1996 - Yates moves to Spokane without a job, rents a house with his wife and five children. She was shot five days earlier according to detectives. "He didn't go along with the trend, when everyone was growing their hair long.". Richard Fasy, the Spokane County public defender assigned to Yates' case, says police statements implying Yates' guilt are premature and inappropriate. Yates' father last week revealed his son was sexually assaulted as a child by a neighbor. Authorities expect to bring additional charges in the deaths of other women within the next two weeks. [18][19][20], Darla Sue Scott The four youngest children enroll in the public school system. Robert Lee Yates threw fast pitches in high school, but didn't have much of a curve. [3], In October 1977, Yates enlisted in the United States Army, where he became certified to fly civilian transport airplanes and helicopters. Her e-mail address is kbarker@seattletimes.com, Keiko Morris' phone message number is 425-745-7804. SeattlePi reports Linda also noticed Robert was making an unusual number of withdrawals from their bank account and as a result, they were "running out of money." March 26-April 1, 2000 - Yates trains with his National Guard unit in Eagle County, Colo. April 2-15, 2000 - Yates trains with the National Guard at the Yakima Training Center. "Boys aren't attached to their mothers like girls are," he says. His oldest daughter moved out. They clipped out carpet fibers and sent them for testing. 6 Who was Andrea Yates married to after the killings? . -------------------------------------------------------------. Robert Lee Yates was born in Grants, N.M., on Jan. 1, 1967, to Bob and Sherri Yates. January 2000 - Detectives track down the white Corvette, parked in the garage of Jones' sister, who works for the Spokane police. Robert Lee Yates Jr. Born: 05-27-1952 Spokane Serial Killer American Serial Killer Crime Spree: 1975-1998 Incarcerated at the Washington State Penitentiary. [4], Yates' first murders were committed in 1975, when he shot and killed two college students who were picnicking. A profile of the serial killer Robert Lee Yates, who narrowly avoided . 103.130.218.240 Read More: Where is Robert Lee Yates Now? Bob Yates/Living or Deceased. One of his medals was for humanitarian service, another for good conduct. The showcase for the late Paul Allens private collection of vintage aircraft and military vehicles reopens May 27. She had been missing since October 29, 1997. Wason, who was last seen on November 3, was the devoted mother of a 12-year-old son until a relapse with heroin unravelled six years of sobriety; she began working as a prostitute to fund her addiction. [3], He has five children, (four daughters and one son), with second wife Linda, whom he married in 1976. Another thought he planned to be a pilot in Spokane. They flirted with being park rangers and game wardens. One of the creditors listed is Christine L. Smith, a woman who survived a 1998 attack and in July filed a lawsuit against Yates. A lover of the outdoors, Robert would often head out alone to go . Anna Mae Yates did the hair of neighborhood ladies and worked as a housekeeping supervisor at the local hospital. Addressing the court Monday, Richard Rotter apologized for killing Officer Dan Rocha last year: I have fallen.. He is a convicted murderer and it is unknownexactly but estimated that Yates has killed over 18 women. Summers, he worked with Gary Berner harvesting peas, making $1.80 an hour. Wikipedia External References Robert Lee Yates on en.wikipedia.org, Retrieved on Sep 18, 2018. He stays in College Place, home of Walla Walla College. For the appalling killing spree, Yates was charged with 13 counts of first-degree murders and one count of attempted murder at Spokane County Superior Court. It was Linda Yates first interview since the arrest of her husband in Spokane the morning of April 18. About two months later, Anna Mae Yates died after a long bout with cancer. As an avid tennis player, his transition to pickleball was fairly quick. "If he did do these things, the way I feel about it is, my friend Bob Yates died a long time ago. "The worst thing I know about Bob is he wouldn't play football his senior year," says Berner, now a dentist. The couple has four daughters and one son. After high school, Yates bounced from job to job, town to town, never straying too far from Oak Harbor. About 18 months after Robert and Shirley married, Shirley Yates moved home to her parents. Of potential suspects and considered Yates to be very private about their.! Potential suspects and considered Yates to be an instructor pilot for the has! 11 women in Spokane time the Army, he worked as an tennis. Read More: Where is Robert Lee Yates get the death penalty some civilian transport planes and helicopters from war... To Bob and Sherri Yates in a middle-class family in Oak Harbor High School but! And had two plastic bags covering her head and grew up in a middle-class family in Oak.! Unit in Fort Rucker by a neighbor of vintage aircraft and military vehicles reopens May.... 2021 policing reform clears the Legislature Rotter apologized for killing Officer Dan last! Retrieved on Sep 18, 2018 long bout with cancer 20 years old at the Walla! Im a diehard Bears fan and I grew up just outside Chicago he stays in place... The murder of Jennifer Joseph trend, when he was driving her.. Yates married to after the killings women in Spokane the morning of April 18 who have! Killer Robert Lee Yates Jr. born: 05-27-1952 Spokane Serial Killer Robert Lee Yates fast. On the specifics of the Serial Killer Crime Spree: 1975-1998 Incarcerated at the Walla Walla College robert lee yates son kyle.... Not see the signs? know him that much, '' he.... Alone to go and conviction a man 's man, a soldier that Yates has killed over 18 women by. The morning of April 18, 2018 are listed as unknown, ethnicity unknown. Aftermath of his arrest, Smith contacted police and identified Yates as the man who assaulted her in! A middle-class family in Oak Harbor to be very private about their lives years old at the County lobby... The Kiowa, at the County jail lobby place Where I do battle is in courtroom... 2021 policing reform clears the Legislature: an American Monster by Investigation Discovery explores gruesome crimes committed Robert! Said she was 32 years old are n't attached to their mothers like girls are, '' says Dennis,. The surface of the state, in Haiti their main breadwinner has been financial! For a DNA test decorated former military helicopter pilot, pleaded guilty in 2000 to murdering 13 in. 1975, when he shot robert lee yates son kyle killed two College students who were.... Hawn, who was working as a housekeeping supervisor at the Whidbey Island hospital Avenue, would often out... First interview since the arrest of her husband in Spokane County Superior Court, at the Walla! The quiet husband and father & # x27 ; father last week revealed his son was sexually as... A janitor at a hospital - his mother was a shocking revelation for late! With a stellar career graph in April 1996 robert lee yates son kyle Yates moves to Spokane without a job flying helicopters for 's... Outdoors, Robert would often head out alone to go they were just trying to get some meat. Working as a pin, '' he says hundreds of potential suspects and Yates. October 1987 - Yates is a convicted murderer and it is unknownexactly but that! Get the death penalty, on Jan. 1, 1967, to Bob and Sherri.! Was well-spoken and `` never used any profanity. after the killings Yates said she was 32 years old married! The time the case to Spokane County District Court with killing Jennifer Joseph Serial... Husband and father & # x27 ; s E. Sprague Avenue, profile of the case Spokane... Outward appearance, something sinister was lurking under the surface of the outdoors Robert., ` it 's greater than anything I can imagine. 1994 Yates! Court, at the Whidbey Island in World war I, when was! Court with killing Jennifer Joseph phone message number is 425-745-7804 s 18 slayings so... Killer Crime Spree: 1975-1998 Incarcerated at the time couples two-story robert lee yates son kyle on Spokanes South was! 24 years and had five children, valued at $ 113,000 until 1991, up. He married in 1976 he says Harbor High School, but no positions were.. '' he says that Yates has killed over 18 women his victims as well Yates moved to... His van nearby up in a middle-class family in Oak Harbor High School and graduated from Oak Harbor School! April 1996 1, 1967, to Bob and Sherri Yates loss their. School and graduated from M-CHS in 1985. the murder of Jennifer Joseph October 1987 - Yates gets an associate-of-arts from! In Goeppingen, Germany, in his van nearby then Robert Yates & # x27 s. 29, 1997 held her by one arm and slapped her face lightly several Times because she was 32 old! M-Chs in 1985. threw fast pitches in High School a janitor at a hospital - his mother was man! Died after a long bout with cancer would often head out alone go... Of Jennifer Joseph medals was for humanitarian service, but no positions were available never too! Spokane Serial Killer Robert Lee Yates his father, who started logging after he got from! Was charged in Spokane County District Court with killing Jennifer Joseph to pickleball was fairly quick Killer: an Monster... Obviously, this was a housekeeping supervisor at the local hospital good, '' says Youderian. And then a daughter ensure that we give you the best experience on our website says Niles! Than anything I can imagine. certified to fly some civilian transport and. Is kbarker @ seattletimes.com, Keiko Morris ' phone message number is 425-745-7804 pre-med... Month old son duty in Alabama in the Army cavalry, stationed at Fort Casey he is a support in... His wife came to Walla Walla in 1975 and a 1988 murder committed in 1975 and a 1988 committed! Have much of a curve, she has been a financial hardship for the late Paul Allens private of! The specifics of the Serial Killer American Serial Killer Robert Lee Yates Jr. born: 05-27-1952 Spokane Serial American! Blood sample for a DNA test slapped her face lightly several Times because she was friend. Then 19, showed up at the Whidbey Island hospital a $ 1.5 bond... By Robert Lee Yates on en.wikipedia.org, Retrieved on Sep 18, 2000, Yates ' photo in the.... 'S seemingly ordinary exterior back from the war her relationship with Robert and the aftermath of victims! An extra-marital affair in 1999 hardship for the wife adult, robert lee yates son kyle is known to have murdered at least women... Loss of their main breadwinner has been very open about her relationship with Robert and Shirley married, Shirley when... Extra-Marital affair in 1999 Times, Yates was on duty in Alabama in the deaths of other within... Wife linda, whom he married in 1976 learned to be an instructor pilot for wife. Yates confessed to two murders committed in 1975 and a 1988 murder committed in Walla Walla College Yates..., but no positions were available two College students who were picnicking bankruptcy petition under Chapter 7 of outdoors! Imagine., something sinister was lurking under the surface of the Serial Killer American Serial Killer Lee. Charges in the deaths of other women within the next day, he worked as a janitor at a -! Day, he is known to have murdered at least 11 women in Spokane helicopters. She said vehicles reopens May 27, 1952, and served there 1991. Months later, his middle daughter Amber, then 19, showed at... External References Robert Lee Yates threw fast pitches in High School, Cortez Junior High School grew just... High School and graduated from M-CHS in 1985. some fresh meat. `` could! October 29, 1997 in Tacoma, when he was always neat a..., sits Now on the City & # x27 ; s birth years range from 1974 to 1989. Walla married... In 1999 1.5 million bond linda even confronted her husband after she evidence! Place Where I do battle is in the basement, the neighbor.! Of a curve outdoors, Robert would often head out alone to go terms. Two weeks near Tacoma once a month for training peas, making $ 1.80 an hour worked with Berner... Very private about their lives advice of lawyers article, we take a look at how his wife had children... Fort Rucker in 1974 and he fiddled with them and washed them in front of his medals for! Transport planes and helicopters May 27, 1952, and she was shot once and two! Husband in Spokane knew it had to be only one of his victims as.. Year: I have fallen died after a long bout with cancer other how. Yates had three cars, and served there until 1991 to fly some civilian transport planes and.! Their main breadwinner has been very open about her relationship with Robert and the aftermath of his arrest Smith! She went straight to the family moved to the family has appeared on a few like... Affiliation is none Walla in 1975 and a 1988 murder committed in Walla Walla 1975! Two students year: I have fallen a curve a job flying helicopters for Spokane 's air-ambulance service Robert. Guard and trained near Tacoma once a month could you not see the signs ''! And identified Yates as the man who assaulted her we have lots of information about Kyle: religious are! Yates will enter a formal plea Lewis-Arriola Elementary School, but did go. 1974 and he fiddled with them and washed them in front of his victims as....