Roger Reece Kibbe, a.k.a. The I-5 Strangler, was an American serial killer and rapist, abductor, and assailant, convicted of the murders of eight women in California in the 70s and 80s. Kibbe was murdered in prison in 2021 by another inmate.
History[]
On September 10, 1977, Lou Ellen Burleigh, 21, was manipulated by Kibbe into meeting her a couple times for interviews. She disappeared after the second time, which was in the morning, and she wouldn't be found for another 34 years. Her car was later discovered in Pleasant Hill, and the case soon went cold. Nine years later, on July 3, 1986, Barbara Ann Scott, 29, was found dead on a golf course in Antioch, underneath a tree, murdered by strangulation. On July 15, Stephanie Brown, 19, was raped, strangled, and left in a ditch in San Joaquin County. A pair of specialty scissors was next to her, which would be determined to have been used to cut her and previous victims' clothes open. On September 6, Lora Rena Heedick, 21, was found dead near Sacramento. She was last seen entering the car of a middle-aged white man on April 20. On November 9, Charmaine Sabrah, 26, was found dead in Ione, after a stranger gave her a ride when her and her mother's car broke down on I-5 on August 16. Katherine Kelly Quinones, 25, was found murdered near Pope Creek Bridge on December 21. She had numerous aliases, and her fingerprints came bac to one of them, "Traci Lynn Gobel". About six months later, on June 21, 1987, Karen Louise Finch was found dead in a ditch in Sloughhouse, seven days after she disappeared. Unlike the other victims, who were strangled, she died from her throat being cut, and duct tape was still in her hair. Kibbe's final and only underage confirmed victim, Darcie Renée Frackenpohl, 17, went missing on August 23, only to be found dead on September 19 in South Lake Tahoe. She had previously resided in Sacramento after running away from Seattle.
Kibbe, a furniture salesman and carpenter in Ceres, was arrested and convicted of assault and battery of Debra Ann Guffie, a sex worker. She escaped and went to authorities, as well as testified at trial. Kibbe, having been a suspect of the murders by that point, was sentenced to 8 months in prison. In 1988, Kibbe was charged and convicted of the murder of Darcie Frackenpohl, resulting in a sentence of 25 years to life in prison. Throughout the early 2000s, Kibbe took authorities to Lake Berryessa, near where he buried Lou Burleigh's remains, but they never found her. A grand jury was still convened, and Kibbe agreed to guilty pleas on remaining murder charges against him, excluding the murder of Karen Finch. Kibbe was sentenced to six life sentences. In 2011, Napa County Sheriff's Deputy Michael Bartlett went back to Lake Berryessa, where in a location not yet searched, he found a buried bone in the creek bed. DNA testing proved the remain belonged to Burlough.
Kibbe was manually strangled in Mule Creek State Prison, February 28 2021, at 12:40 a.m., by his cellmate Jason Budrow, 40. Budrow was serving a life sentence for the strangulation murder of his girlfriend, Margaret Dalton, 48 in 2011. Reports say he manipulated Kibbe into preparing for the murder. Budrow was sentenced to a second life sentence. He's also awaiting trial for the attempted murder of Paul Flores, one of two convicted defendants for the murder of Kristen Smart.
Profile[]
TBA
Modus Operandi[]
Kibbe targeted women in their late teens and early 20s, primarily hitchhiking on the freeways of Sacramento. Kibbe would abduct them after offering them rides, duct tape their heads to gag them, and tie them with parachute cord before raping them. Kibbe also cut open each victim's clothes in distinct, unusual patters, using his mother's scissors. The victims would be garroted to death with the same cord, except for Karen Louise Finch, whose throat was cut instead. The victims' hair would be cut to remove the duct tape, and they would be left to be found in numerous city across California after they were murdered. Before he killed his first victim, Lou Ellen Burleigh, he used a ruse of wanting to interview her over the course of a couple days before abducting and murdering her.
Known Victims[]
The following denotes the dates and cities the victims were found:
- September 10, 1977, Pleasant Hill, California: Lou Ellen Burleigh, 21 (her remains were found in 2011 near Lake Berryessa, Napa County)
- 1986, California:
- July 3, Antioch: Barbara Ann Scott, 29
- July 15, San Joaquin County: Stephanie Brown, 19 (left scissors next to her body)
- September 6, Sacramento: Lora Ann Heedick, 21 (was last seen on April 20, 1986)
- November 9, Ione: Charmaine Sabrah, 26 (was last seen on August 16, 1986)
- December 21, Pope Creek Bridge, Lake Berryessa, Napa County: Katherine Kelly Quinones, 25
- 1987, California:
- June 21, Sloughhouse: Karen Louise Finch, 25 (slashed her throat; left duct tape in her hair postmortem; was last seen on June 14, 1987)
- September 19, South Lake Tahoe: Darcie Renée Frackenpohl, 17 (was last seen on August 23, 1987)
- Unknown date: Debra Ann Guffie (assaulted; attempted to handcuff)
On Evolution[]
- Season Two
- "Stars & Stripes" - Kibbe was mentioned alongside Jeffrey Dahmer and Donald Harvey by Rossi as examples of serial killers who were murdered in prison by their cellmates.