Tommy Lynn Sells
| Tommy Lynn Sells | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
June 28, 1964 Oakland, California, U.S. |
| Died | April 3, 2014 (aged 49) Huntsville, Texas, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Lethal injection |
| Other names | "Coast to Coast," The Cross Country Killer |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
| Conviction(s) |
Felony theft, Grand Theft Auto, Malicious wounding, Murder, Public intoxication, Theft |
| Killings | |
| Victims | 1 conviction, suspected of 22+ |
|
Span of killings
|
1980–December 31, 1999 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | Missouri, New York, Illinois, Texas, Kentucky, (possibly others) |
|
Date apprehended
|
January 2, 2000 |
Tommy Lynn Sells (June 28, 1964 – April 3, 2014) was an American serial killer. He was convicted of one murder for which he was sentenced to death, and authorities believe he committed at least another 21 murders.
Sells and his twin sister, Tammy Jean, contracted meningitis when they were 18 months old; Tammy died from the illness. Shortly thereafter, Sells was sent to live with his aunt, Bonnie Woodall, in Holcomb, Missouri, where he lived until he was five years old. When Sells was eight, he began spending time with a man named Willis Clark, who began to molest him with the consent of his mother. Sells stated that this abuse affected him greatly, and he would relive his experiences while committing his crimes.
The homeless Sells hitchhiked and trainhopped across the United States from 1978 to 1999, committing various crimes along the way. He held several very short-term manual labor and barber jobs. He drank heavily, abused drugs and was imprisoned several times. In an interview with forensic psychologist Dr. Michael Stone on the television series Most Evil, Sells mocked Stone for believing in God.
In 1990, Sells stole a truck in Wyoming and was sentenced to 16 months imprisonment. He was diagnosed with a personality disorder consisting of antisocial, borderline, and schizoid features, substance use disorder (severe opioid, cannabis, amphetamines, and alcohol dependence), bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and psychosis.
...
Wikipedia