Anthony Allen Shore

Anthony Allen Shore
TDCJ Inmate Photo
Born	(1962-06-25)June 25, 1962 Rapid City, South Dakota, U.S.
Died	January 18, 2018(2018-01-18) (aged 55) Huntsville Unit, Huntsville, Texas, U.S.
Cause of death	Execution by lethal injection
Other names	The Tourniquet Killer The Strangler
Criminal status	Executed
Conviction(s)	Child molestation, Drug possession, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual assault
Criminal penalty	Death (November 15, 2004)
Details
Victims	4+
Span of crimes	September 26, 1986–July 6, 1995
Country	United States
State(s)	Texas
Date apprehended	October 24, 2003

Anthony Allen Shore (June 25, 1962 – January 18, 2018) was an American serial killer and child molester who was responsible for the murder of one woman and three girls. He was active from 1986 to 2000, and became known as the "Tourniquet Killer" because of his use of a ligature with either a toothbrush or bamboo stick to tighten or loosen the ligature. The instrument was similar to a garotte or a twitch, a tool used by farmers to control horses.^[1] Shore was sentenced to death in 2004, and executed by lethal injection on January 18, 2018.

Early life[]

Shore was born in Rapid City, South Dakota, to Robert and Deanna Shore. His parents were both in the military, and the family, which grew to include Shores two younger sisters Laurel and Gina, moved frequently; they eventually settled in Houston, Texas. Shores parents fought constantly and engaged in extramarital affairs before finally divorcing in 1976. He later claimed that his father frequently beat him, and that his mother molested him when he was 13. He exhibited antisocial behavior from a young age, killing a neighbours cat and harassing and molesting his female classmates and, sometimes, younger friends of his sisters.^[2]

He married Gina Lynn Worley in 1983; they had two daughters.^{[citation needed]} The couple later divorced. He married Amy Lynch in 1997, and divorced after she accused him of abuse.^[2]

Murders and assaults[]

Laurie Lee Tremblay[]

Shores first known victim was 15-year-old Laurie Tremblay, whom he killed on September 26, 1986. Tremblay was walking to school when she was attacked. After attempting to sexually assault her Shore strangled Tremblay.^[3] Her body was dumped behind a Mexican restaurant in Houston.^[4]

Maria del Carmen Estrada[]

Shore sexually assaulted and strangled Maria del Carmen Estrada, 21, on April 16, 1992.^[3] Estrada was a Mexican immigrant, working as a nanny. Estradas body was found in the back of a Dairy Queen that same day.

Selma Janske[]

On October 19, 1993, Shore entered the home of 14-year-old Selma Janske, then bound and sexually assaulted her; however, he did not kill her, and instead fled the scene on foot.^{[5][unreliable source?]}

Diana Rebollar[]

Shore beat, sexually assaulted and strangled Diana Rebollar, 9, on August 8, 1994.^[3] She lived in the Houston Heights area of Houston, at the front of a small duplex. On the day of her death she was seen at a local grocery store. Employees saw her leave the store safely, but she never returned home. She was found the next day on a loading dock behind a building.^[3] One lead for police was given by a neighbor who described a van that frequented the area. She was connected to the Maria del Carmen Estrada case by the killers modus operandi: a rope with a bamboo stick attached was found around her neck.^[3]

Dana Sanchez[]

Shore strangled Dana Sanchez, 16, on July 6, 1995. Shore offered her a ride in his van and killed her after she rejected his sexual advances. Seven days later an anonymous telephone call to a local news station, actually made by Shore, directed police to her body in a Harris County field.^[3]

Investigation[]

In 1998, Shore was convicted of molesting his two daughters and as a result he was required to provide police with a DNA sample.^[2] In 2000, detectives pulled Maria del Carmen Estradas case from the cold files, tested DNA evidence from underneath Estrada's fingernails, and received a full genetic profile.^[6] The results were not immediately matched to Shore because of problems at the lab.^[2] As a result of an audit, the lab was closed in 2002; certain samples, however, including those taken from Estradas nails, were sent to another laboratory for retesting.^[2] The results were not matched until 2003, which led to Shore's arrest for Estradas murder.^[2]

Eleven hours into his interrogation Shore confessed to the murders of Maria del Carmen Estrada, Diana Rebollar, and Dana Sanchez. He also confessed to the 1987 murder of 14-year-old Laurie Tremblay and a 1994 rape of a 14-year-old girl. Detectives had no way of linking Tremblays killing to the other three murders because she had been strangled with a ligature. When asked why he switched to a tourniquet, Shore replied, "because I hurt my finger while murdering Tremblay."^[1]

Trial and conviction[]

Despite Shores confession to the murders of four girls and young women and to the rape of another; prosecutor Kelly Siegler decided to charge Shore for only Estradas murder because it contained the most forensic evidence. His trial began in late October 2004. The jury found Shore guilty of capital murder. During the sentencing phase, Shores only surviving victim testified. After less than an hour of deliberations, the jury recommended that Shore be put to death, which Shore himself had asked for. He was sentenced to death on November 15, 2004.^{[citation needed]}

Execution[]

Shore was executed by lethal injection on January 18, 2018, at 6:28 pm (CST),^[7] and was the first person executed in the United States in 2018.^[8] He was 55 years old.^[9] Before the execution he confessed that "I made my peace" and his last words were "Ooh-ee, I can feel that!".^[10]

See also[]

• List of offenders executed in the United States in 2018
• List of people executed in Texas, 2010–2019
• List of serial killers in the United States

References[]