Scott Thomas Erskine American serial killer Date of Birth: 22.12.1962 Country: USA

1. Biography of Scott Thomas Erskine
2. Early Life and Troubled Childhood
3. Escalating Crimes and Imprisonment
4. Marriage and Continued Violence
5. Conviction and Further Crimes
6. Unsolved Murders and Sentencing
7. Death Sentence and Additional Conviction

Biography of Scott Thomas Erskine

Scott Thomas Erskine was an American serial killer who is currently incarcerated in the death row of San Quentin State Prison for the murder of two California boys in 1993. He was born on December 22, 1962, in San Diego, California.

Early Life and Troubled Childhood

When Erskine was five years old, he ran into oncoming traffic on the Pacific Coast Highway in Long Beach and was struck by a car. He spent 60 hours in a coma and experienced frequent headaches and lapses in consciousness afterwards. At the age of ten, Erskine began sexually abusing his six-year-old sister, later escalating to his friends and threatening them with violence if they spoke of his actions. He attended Southwest Junior High School in San Diego, where he was placed in a corrective class for children with emotional disorders.

Escalating Crimes and Imprisonment

At the age of fifteen, Erskine escaped from a juvenile detention center and sexually assaulted a thirteen-year-old girl at knife point. The following morning, he attacked a 27-year-old jogger with a knife. In 1980, Erskine assaulted a fourteen-year-old boy during an attempt to sexually assault him while being considered for a counselor position at a summer camp. Despite his mother's pleas to have him placed in a psychiatric hospital, he was sentenced to four years in prison. In 1984, Erskine was released on parole.

Marriage and Continued Violence

After his release, Erskine met a woman named Deborah, with whom he had an on-and-off relationship before moving to Orlando, Florida, in 1988. They married in the same year and had a child together. However, their marriage was marked by domestic violence, including Erskine physically assaulting his wife, even while she was pregnant. Deborah eventually left him, and Erskine relocated to Southern California.

Conviction and Further Crimes

In 1993, Erskine lured a woman waiting for a bus to his home, where he held her captive for several days, repeatedly sexually assaulting and sodomizing her before letting her go. He was arrested shortly afterward and convicted of kidnapping and sexual assault, being declared a sexual offender. He was sentenced to 70 years in prison and his DNA was entered into the database.

Unsolved Murders and Sentencing

In March 2001, the unsolved murders of nine-year-old Jonathan Sellers and thirteen-year-old Charlie Keever were reopened, leading to Erskine becoming the prime suspect. In September 2003, he stood trial for the two murders. Gruesome crime scene photos were presented to the jury, revealing the horrific nature of the crimes. Jonathan was found hanged in a makeshift fort, while Charlie's body was discovered with signs of extensive sexual violence. DNA samples matched Erskine. On September 1, 2003, he was found guilty and 11 out of 12 jurors voted for the death penalty.

Death Sentence and Additional Conviction

A retrial was held in April 2004 after the initial jury failed to reach a unanimous decision. The new jury reached a unanimous decision to sentence Erskine to death. On September 1, 2004, a California judge upheld the jury's decision, and Erskine was sentenced to death. Six days later, he was transferred to San Quentin. In August 2004, authorities in Florida linked Erskine to the unsolved murder of Renee Baker in 1989 through DNA analysis. He confessed to the rape and murder of Baker and was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Florida authorities suspect that Erskine may be connected to other unsolved murders as well.