David Alan Gore
| David Alan Gore | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
August 21, 1953 Florida |
| Died | April 12, 2012 (aged 58) |
| Cause of death | Lethal injection |
| Other names | The Killing Cousins |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
| Conviction(s) | Murder |
| Killings | |
| Victims | 6 |
Span of killings | 1981–1983 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | Florida |
Date apprehended | July 26, 1983 |
| Fred Waterfield | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
September 29, 1952 New Jersey |
| Other names | The Killing Cousins |
| Criminal penalty | Life imprisonment |
| Conviction(s) | Murder |
| Killings | |
| Victims | 6 |
Span of killings | 1981–1983 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | Florida |
Date apprehended | July 26, 1983 |
David Alan Gore (August 21, 1953 – April 12, 2012) was an American serial killer known for committing six murders. Gore “was on death row for nearly three decades”.[1] His murders were said to have “[shaken] the quiet Florida town of Vero Beach”.[1] Throughout the time it took him to commit his murders, it was said that he seemed as if he did not feel guilty; however, when issuing his last statement, it seemed he was a changed man.[1] Gore and his cousin Fred Waterfield were dubbed the "Killing Cousins".[2] Police interrogated both him and his cousin in 1976 (before he had murdered any of his victims) after a rape at gunpoint was reported by Angela Hommell Austin but failed by letting him go, falsely believing it was consensual.[3]
Background
David Alan Gore was born on August 21, 1953 in Florida. In his youth he had two major obsessions: firearms and women. His obsession for women led him to lose his first job as a gas station attendant after his boss found a hole that allowed Gore to look into the women’s bathroom.[2] Gore was also an Auxiliary Police Officer and committed some of his convicted crimes by abusing his police badge.[2]
Fred Waterfield was born on September 29, 1952 in New Jersey.[4] He was a former high school football star.[2]
Victims
Their first rape victim was Fred's sister. David helped hold down the victim and watched as Fred raped his sister.
David’s first murder victim was Ying Hua Ling, a 17-year-old award-winning math student at Vero Beach High School.[5] On February 19, 1981 Ying Ling was on the bus heading home after school. Once off the bus Gore managed to lure Ying Ling and her mother Hsiang Huang Ling, 48 years old (who was waiting for her daughter) into his truck by presenting himself as a sheriff. He told police that he raped them both and then put a bullet into the head of Hsiang.[5] After doing so, he demanded that his cousin Fred Waterfield rape and kill Ying.
His third murder victim, Judy Kay Daley, was a 35-year-old a former Fort Pierce resident visiting from California.[5] After days of stalking, on July 15, 1981 Gore disabled Judy’s car parked in Round Island Park in Indian River County. Judy, seeking assistance, reaches out to Gore who was pretending to help her. He lured her into his truck and handcuffed her. She was then raped and strangled to death in his trailer.[2] On June 3, 1984, police discovered body parts in a garbage bag dug in a hole near Vero Beach.
Gore and Waterfield found 14-year-old, Orlando runaways Angelica LaVellee and Barbara Ann Byer hiking on May 20, 1983 by Interstate 95 in Brevard County.[5] They become Gore’s fourth and fifth murders after he lured both girls into his truck and tied them up. He managed all of this by putting a gun to their head. They headed south toward Vero Beach where Gore killed the girls by shooting them in the head. After doing so he then dismembered them.[1]
David Alan Gore’s final victims were Lynn Elliot, 17 and Regan Martin, 14 years of age and attended Vero Beach High School. Gore and Waterfield picked them up on July 26, 1983.[1] They took both girls to Gore’s parents’ vacation home. Upon arrival at the police station, Gore told officers that he raped both girls. Lynn Elliot with her hands tied, managed to escape the house but only got as far as the driveway until she lost her footing. Gore, in panic, tells police, “I kept running after her then she tripped and fell and then I caught up to her”.[6] Gore, realizing he was losing control of the situation, says in his sworn statement, “I started dragging her back and she was trying, like, resisting, fighting me, so I threw her to the ground. That’s when I shot her in the head”.[6] Gore shot her twice and realized that a neighbor had seen the whole incident.[7] The neighbor called the police, which led to a 90-minute standoff between the cops and Gore. Cops arrested Gore and took him to prison where he was later convicted of first-degree murder. Police later report that they found Elliot’s naked body in the trunk of a car and were able to rescue Martin who was found in the attic, naked, handcuffed, and with electrical cords tied around her legs.>
Police searched for the remaining victims’ bodies, but with no success. On December 7, 1983, Gore led police to three of his six murder victims that were buried. These victims were Babara Ann Bayer, Hsiang Huang Ling and her daughter, Ying Hau Ling. He also admitted to killing three other girls and two women.
Case information
On August 10, 1983 a grand jury charges Gore with first-degree murder with two counts of kidnapping and two counts of sexual battery.
On January 6, 1984 Gore’s trial is moved from Vero Beach to St. Petersburg, Florida. Two months after on March 16, 1984 the jury convicts him of first-degree murder and after a 11-1 vote he receives the death sentence.
On August 22, 1985 The Supreme Court confirms Gore’s first-degree murder and death penalty.
On January 21, 1985, Waterfield was convicted of the murders of Byer and LaVellee, receiving two consecutive life sentences.[2]
On March 3, 1988 Governor Bob Martinez signs Gore’s death warrant.
On July 5, 2007 The Florida Supreme Court confirms Gore’s death sentence.
Last statement
“I would like to say to Mr. and Mrs. Elliott that I am truly sorry for my part in the death of your daughter. I wish above all else my death could bring her back. I am not the same man today that I was 28 years ago. When I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior I become a New Creature in Christ and I know God has truly forgiven me for my past sins. I am able to face today because I know Christ lives in me. The Apostle Paul said ‘for to die is to gain.’ So I do not fear today but truly look forward to spending Eternity with Christ. Mr. and Mrs. Elliott, I have prayed for you both and pray y’all can find the peace that only Christ can give. Last, I just want to say I have had a tremendous amount of remorse and pray you and your family can forgive me.
God bless all of y’all”.[1]
Death
After being on death row since 1984, Gore was executed on Thursday, April 12, 2012. He tried to appeal to the U.S Supreme Court, but to no surprise, he was rejected and later that day David Alan Gore, 58 years old, was pronounced dead at 6:19 PM by lethal injection. His last meal consisted of fried chicken, French fries, and butter pecan ice cream.[1] David’s last words were simply his final statement, which he dedicated only to the Elliot family.[8]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Stebner, Beth (12 April 2012). "'God bless all of y'all': Serial rapist and killer dies of lethal injection (after last meal of fried chicken and butter pecan ice cream).". Daily Mail. Daily Mail. Retrieved 20 Feb 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Park, Sunju, Fong, Cho, Zhang, Gritz, Milan, Herzlich, Gore, Ashley, Chuck, Alan G.,Hyung, Cheng, David C.,Gibran, Alexandra A., Patrick, Morganti, Roy S. "David Alan Gore "The Killing Cousins"" (PDF). maamodt. Department of Psychology Radford University. Retrieved 20 Feb 2015.
- ↑ Holsman, Melissa E. (April 9, 2012). "Gore killed 6 women, but targeted more than a dozen for kidnap, rape, court files show". tcpalm.com. Treasure Coast Newspapers. Retrieved July 4, 2015.
The cousins insisted the sex was consensual and they were never charged in her case.
- ↑ "Fred Waterfield" (PDF). radford.edu. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 29, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 Lemmon, Russ (29 July 2010). "About Victims of Serial Killer David Alan Gore". otaulc. Retrieved 20 Feb 2015.
- 1 2 Holsman, Melissa E. (9 April 2012). "David Alan Gore: A killer with no remorse". Palms Beach Post. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- ↑ Whisper (9 April 2012). "Serial Killer David Gore Cant Be Executed Fast Enough,Bragged About Killing Kids". dreamindemon. Retrieved 20 Feb 2015.
- ↑ "Relatives of victims happy to see David Alan Gore’s execution day is almost here". 10 May 2012. Retrieved 20 February 2015.