Shelly Brooks
Shelly Brooks | |
---|---|
Born | |
Conviction(s) | Murder Attempted Murder |
Criminal penalty | Life imprisonment |
Details | |
Victims | 7–20+ |
Span of crimes | 2001–2006 |
Country | United States |
State(s) | Michigan |
Date apprehended | June 26, 2006 |
Imprisoned at | G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility, Jackson Michigan |
Shelly Andre Brooks (born January 22, 1969)[1] is an American serial killer who committed a series of at least seven murders of female prostitutes and drug addicts in Detroit, Michigan from 2001 to 2006, though he is suspected of up to 20 murders and possibly more. He was caught thanks to a survivor, fully admitting his guilt at his trials, for which he was given multiple life sentences without the possibility of parole.
Early life[]
Brooks was born on January 22, 1969 in Detroit, Michigan, but later raised in Ann Arbor, around 40–50 miles from Detroit. His father neglected him, and when he was 4, his mother left the family, leaving him in the hands of his grandparents. Brooks was reported to be angry at his mother throughout his childhood,[2] though he never saw her again after she left the family. Throughout his early years, Brooks showed signs of low intelligence.
Murders[]
As victims, Brooks targeted middle-aged female prostitutes or homeless drug addicts.[3] He committed his crimes around the city of Detroit, dumping their bodies in abandoned buildings and houses. He was able to easily win his victims trust because of his own life on the streets. He started killing at age 32 in 2001, and throughout the next five years, he would kill at least six more women until 2006, at age 36. He is suspected of up to 20+ murders from as early as 1999.[4]
Methods[]
Brooks would take his victims to abandoned buildings and houses, where he sexually assaulted and sodomized them, then beat them to death with rocks.[5] He left his victims bodies in the same abandoned buildings he lured them into. His victims ranged from 30 to 54.
Victims[]
Full list of Brooks' known victims
Number | Name | Sex | Age | Date of Murder | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Sandra Davis | F | 54 | August 16, 2001 | |
2 | Pamela Greer | F | 33 | January 22, 2002 | |
3 | Marion Daniels | F | 36 | April 14, 2002 | |
4 | Rhonda Myles | F | 45 | April 22, 2002 | Bludgeoned to death with a brick |
5 | Thelma Johnson | F | 30 | November 5, 2002 | |
6 | Melissa Toston | F | 38 | October 18, 2005 | |
7 | Unidentified | F | N/A | June 5, 2006 | Brooks claimed to it being a robbery gone wrong, not a sex attack |
Arrest, Exposure and Trial[]
On June 26, 2006, Brooks was arrested for sexually assaulting a woman.[4] After his arrest, his DNA was transferred into a database in an effort to possibly connect him to any unsolved cold cases. Authorities had their first hit after they successfully linked him to the 2002 slaying of Pamela Greer. Thanks to further research, they exposed his involvement in the other murders. In 2007, he was found guilty and was sentenced to two terms of life imprisonment. He is currently imprisoned at the G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility in Jackson Michigan.[1]
See also[]
References[]
Links[]
- ^ a b "BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION". Retrieved 24 September 2021.
- ^ "Detroit man charged in prostitute killings". Retrieved 24 September 2021.
- ^ "Suspected Serial Killer Gets Life in Prison For Murdering Prostitute, Charged in 6 Other Killings". Retrieved 24 September 2021.
- ^ a b "Alleged serial killer convicted of killing prostitute". Retrieved 24 September 2021.
- ^ "Serial Killers: Shelly Andre Brooks". Retrieved 24 September 2021.
- Living people
- 1969 births
- 2001 murders in the United States
- 2002 murders in the United States
- 2005 murders in the United States
- 20th-century American criminals
- African-American people
- American male criminals
- American people convicted of murder
- American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment
- American serial killers
- American rapists
- Crimes against sex workers in the United States
- Criminals from Michigan
- Male serial killers
- People convicted of murder by Michigan
- Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Michigan
- Violence against women in the United States
- 20th-century African-American people