Derrick Todd Lee

Derrick Todd Lee, a.k.a. "The Baton Rouge Serial Killer", is a serial killer active in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. His murders coincided with those of another Baton Rouge-based serial killer, Sean Vincent Gillis.

History
Born on November 5, 1968, at St. Francisville, Lee had an extremely long arrest record, starting in November of 1992 when he broke into a home and burglarized it. At some point during 1998, Lee snapped for an unspecified reason and started killing women. Starting with 28-year-old Randi Mebruer, whose body was never found, Lee then murdered six more women in a six-year span. The crimes attracted the attention of authorities, who gave the then-unidentified perpetrator the nickname of "The Baton Rouge Serial Killer". During May of 2003, investigators have found a match to the DNA samples taken from Lee's final victim, 26-year-old Carrie Yoder, and pin Lee as the key suspect. At that time, Lee had fled with his family to Chicago, Illinois, and then Atlanta, Georgia to escape the murder charges. It took a joint FBI-metropolitan Atlanta police force squad to apprehend Lee in a local hotel and he was returned to Louisiana, where the authorities there discovered Lee's already-extensive rap sheet.

The police department was immediately criticized by Baton Rouge residents due to the investigation's shift of focus onto a man of color, as well as the fact that they overlooked him when Lee was suspected of the murders of Randi Mebruer and 41-year-old Connie Warner. Authorities were able to pin Mebruer's murder onto Lee, but they were unable to trace a connection between Lee and Warner and she remains listed as one of his suspected victims. As for Lee, he was held in eastern Baton Rouge's Parish Prison, with the Baton Rouge District Attorney seeking the death penalty for him if convicted. During his trial, Lee faced many allegations against him and was being charged for seven counts of murder. In the end, Lee was found guilty for the murders of confirmed victims Geralyn DeSoto and Charlotte Pace.

Initially, Lee was exempted from the death penalty as he had an IQ between 62 and 65 (a mentally-challenged convict with an IQ below 70 would be unable to understand the seriousness of the crimes committed and should be excluded from being sentenced to death). However, due to Lee's adequate decision-making and his past work experience, the jury rejected the statement that Lee was mentally-challenged and decided to sentence him to death. On December 2004, the sentence was given out and Lee was put on death row, where he currently still remains.

Modus Operandi
Lee killed his victims through various ways, such as strangulation, stabbing, and bludgeoning. He would also sexually assault them before their deaths.

Profile
The initial profile given about the Baton Rouge murders suggested that the perpetrator was an apathetic white male between the ages of 25 and 35 who lives with others. He would act out in anger and be very controlling, and is also unable to handle rejection well and prone to retaliate. Based on the killer's ability to carry a body over rough terrain, he is physically strong and possibly works in a job that requires strength and also doesn't involve interaction with the public in any way. Though he sees himself as attractive to women, he, in actuality, is socially awkward around them. His socio-economic status is average or below, with the finances being tight. He spends time watching women and develops information about his victims; he doesn't just follow them from a distance and he will make at least one attempt at interaction, in which he is viewed as harmless.

The killer gets a thrill from taking the risks, and this impulsive behavior suggests that he might've been arrested before for minor offenses in the past that involve stalking and home intrusions. He is determined, mission-oriented, and cool under pressure. He follows the investigation through the news, and could talk about his victims and make comments about the investigation upon being arrested. He is anxious over being apprehended, but is also confident that an event of such won't happen.

Known Victims

 * August 1992: Connie Warner, 41
 * January 1993: Melvin Foster, 73
 * April 18, 1998 : Randi Mebruer, 28
 * January 2000:
 * Consandra Green
 * Unnamed deputy
 * September 2001:
 * His unnamed wife
 * Gina Green, 41
 * 2002:
 * January 14: Geralyn DeSoto, 21
 * May 31: Charlotte Pace, 21
 * July 12 : Pamela Kinmore, 44
 * November 21: Treneisha Colomb, 23
 * March 3, 2003 : Carrie Yoder, 26

On Criminal Minds
Lee was mentioned in Children of the Dark and Tabula Rasa. In the former episode, Reid compares a myth in which Lee attracted his victims with the videotape of a crying baby to how one of the episode's unsubs uses a dead cat to lure in his victims.

While Lee wasn't mentioned in The Last Word, the fact that he was active at the same time as Sean Vincent Gillis seems to be one of the many inspirations for the episode's prominent unsubs, The Mill Creek Killer and The Hollow Man.