As a kid, Bobby Yates liked peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches. Yates' 25-year-old daughter, Sasha, got no answer when she asked why the killings happened. #inline-recirc-item--id-922979d6-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d ~ .item:nth-child(5) { Everything We Know About Serial Killer Robert Yates' Wife On December 7, 1997, Melinda Mercer, 24, was found shot and dumped in a field in Tacoma; she had been shot several times and had four plastic bags covering her head. Yates sweated profusely, the detectives said. Her e-mail address is kmorris@seattletimes.com, ------------------------------------------------------------. The second best result is Kyle Wesley Yates age 50s in Kyle, TX in the Mid - Town Community neighborhood. With nothing but the clothes on their backs, the Yates family went into hiding. He stays in College Place, home of Walla Walla College. [15], Heather Louise Hernandez He later told police that he held her by one arm and slapped her face lightly several times because she was "disrespectful." He then married his first wife, Shirley Nylander when he was 20 years old. In late 1999, Linda caught her husband burning credit card statements in the fireplace. Patience like you wouldn't believe.". Unlike many serial killers, Robert Lee Yates Jr. was known throughout his community as a family man.He and his wife, Linda, had five children together and were still married at the time of his arrest. But evidence ties Yates to the deaths of 11 more women killed since 1996 in Spokane and Tacoma, says Spokane County Sheriff Mark Sterk. Inslee cited the high cost of the appeals process, the randomness with which death sentences are sought, and a lack of evidence that the penalty serves as a deterrent to other criminals. September 1996 - Yates is hired to assemble circuit boards at Pantrol, a Spokane company. All of his victims died of gunshot wounds to the head or heart. "He never used any profanity. "How could you not see the signs?" Two days later, his middle daughter Amber, then 19, showed up at the county jail lobby. By NICHOLAS GERANIOS. The Truth About The Spokane Killer's Childhood. Yates is a force to be reckoned as the former #1 in the world pickleball player. He wasn't ticketed. Yates contributions to NASCAR are diverse and significant. The serial-killer task force began circling Yates. All had ties to prostitution or drugs or lived on the streets. Yates and others in the helicopter landed, gutted the pig and put it in the back of the helicopter. Late that spring, another prostitute was found shot to death. The Spokane County sheriff says he is suspected in the deaths of 12 to 18 women. Associated Press. He married Kay (Harrison) Barnes August 4, 1979. Few people remember his wife. Gatti's lottery number came up, and he went to war. April 5, 2000 - The fibers removed from the white Corvette match fibers found on Jennifer Joseph's shoes and a towel found near her body, police say. The couple filed a bankruptcy petition under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code. She described the man as about 50 years old, 5'10" tall, 175 pounds, with sandy blond hair. In his only yearbook picture, he wore his hair short. August 1972 - Marries Nylander in Fall City at the Seventh-day Adventist Church. "There's absolutely no doubt," says Sterk, adding that DNA links Yates to eight of the deaths. Robert Lee Yates Jr. was born on May 27, 1952, and grew up in a middle-class family in Oak Harbor, Washington. Teenagers cruised the downtown strip in their cars; they called it "dragging the gut.". 2. Kari & Associates Robert Lee Yates, Jr. Anna Mae Yates did the hair of neighborhood ladies and worked as a housekeeping supervisor at the local hospital. Saw things through quite well. When Linda Brewer tied the knot with Robert Lee Yates, she thought she was marrying a big-hearted military hero. He's telling me, `It's greater than anything I can imagine.' Robert Lee Yates: the serial killer with a twisted double life As part of the deal, Yates pleaded to premeditated first-degree murder, but not aggravated murder. Detectives are also investigating whether Yates might have killed five women found dead between 1990 and 1995 and a woman who disappeared in 1998. He refused, stating that it was too extreme of a request for a "family man. But the plea bargain included another bombshell for his wife: Her husband revealed that for two years the body of one of his victims had been buried in their yard just outside their bedroom window. Otherwise, Yates flourished in the Army. Yates, 48, still faces two aggravated first-degree murder charges and a possible death penalty in the deaths of two women in Pierce County. [11][12], Stacy Elizabeth Hawn #inline-recirc-item--id-922979d6-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d, #right-rail-recirc-item--id-922979d6-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d { No trace of criminals on either side, points out Ernest Youderian, Yates' uncle, and no way is his nephew capable of such horrific acts. However, she has been very open about her relationship with Robert and the aftermath . May 1975 - Yates gets an associate-of-arts degree from Skagit Valley. Spokane County Superior Judge Richard Schroeder also fined Yates $60,000, and signed him over to the custody of the sheriff of Pierce County. On Sunday, November 1, 2020 Robert Yates, loving husband and father of two children passed away at the age of 85. In 1970, he graduated from Oak Harbor High School. He left for work about 6 a.m. on April 18, driving his Honda Civic. Spokane authorities now say Yates is a serial killer. Jay Inslee essentially halted the state's death penalty by refusing to sign any execution orders. July 1995 to March 1996 - Yates is a flight leader in the 1st Battalion, 212th Aviation Regiment at Fort Rucker, Ala. March 1996 - A chief warrant officer 4, the highest rank he could attain at the time, Yates accepts early retirement from the Army with about $20,000 a year in retirement pay. Among the slayings is the death of 19-year-old Teresa Hesselgrave, whose body was found in a wooded area near Whidbey General Hospital in 1977. The .25 caliber bullet casing was still in her hair. He also seemed to have a talent for writing poetry. On July 14, 1975, the bodies of Patrick Oliver, 21, and Patricia Savage, 22, were found shot in the head near Walla Walla. Yates refuses to give a blood sample for a DNA test. He had a dog named Lassie. Authorities expect to bring additional charges in the deaths of other women within the next two weeks. As reported by Seattle Times, Robert Lee Yates Jr.'s parents were devout Seventh-Day Adventists, and Robert joined the church when he was 14 years old. .component--type-recirculation .item:nth-child(5) { Kyle Larson . He joined the National Guard and trained near Tacoma once a month. January 2000 - Detectives track down the white Corvette, parked in the garage of Jones' sister, who works for the Spokane police. He didn't dispute it - in July 1974, a month before his divorce was final, Yates married Linda Brewer. They loved their dad and I just kind of suffered through it. Bobby is the type of person you would want to have as your best friend.". [3], He has five children, (four daughters and one son), with his second wife Linda, whom he married in 1976. "Do you have any idea what it's like to go to a cemetery for a family reunion for 25 years?" Wason, who was last seen on November 3, was the devoted mother of a 12-year-old son until a relapse with heroin unravelled six years of sobriety; she began working as a prostitute to fund her addiction. The wife of serial killer Robert L. Yates Jr. says she asked him during a jailhouse visit why . Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. From 1975 to 1998, he is known to have murdered at least 11 women in Spokane. [1] After his arrest, a search warrant was executed on a white 1977 Chevrolet Corvette that he had previously owned. Yates was 20 when he married Shirley Nylander. March 1998 - The Yateses buy a home a mile away from their rental house. He didn't eat pork. They were shot and dumped like yesterday's yard clippings. Yates displayed anger only once, another co-worker says. In its inaugural race as engine supplier, Roush Yates Engines powered the front row at the Daytona 500 in 2004. He is charged with killing Jennifer Joseph, a 16-year-old prostitute. He also confessed to killing a total of 18 women in several counties. Yates leaves Walla Walla College without a degree. Well, the offseason hits, Kyle Busch gets the 18 and Mars has a choice, go with the best young talent in the sport at the time or stick with an unproven rookie. Robert Yates, who won three Daytona 500 and the 1999 Cup title as a car owner, died on Oct. 2 at 74 after a year-long battle with liver cancer. display: none; A mother-of-pearl button was found that matched one missing from Joseph's jacket. But inside the Army, he learned to fly helicopters so well that he taught other pilots how to teach flying. He is unemployed for several months. It's not clear where Linda Yates or the other children lived at this time. Body found in reservoir after killing of pregnant teacher in 'murder "I want to know why, like anybody else," Linda Yates said she asked her husband. Matias Trefault must serve roughly 6 years for crashing into Reynold Joels car on Evergreen Way. Meticulous. 1990. The county bought the property and another in Everett to repurpose as transitional housing for homeless people. Yates was charged with misdemeanor assault. Master engine builder Doug Yates, son of NASCAR Hall of Famer Robert Yates, comes to "the table of truth" to share stories with Dale Earnhardt Jr., and co-host Mike Davis, about a family legacy filled with ups, downs and everything between. The cities are working on plans for the paved trail that would generally follow high-tension power lines west of Highway 9. display: block; Yates, a name synonymous with power. She moved back to her home town, Walla Walla. February 22 - Body of Yolanda Sapp (African American, 26) prostitute . Another co-worker who still works at Kaiser says Yates was meticulous. Despite his apparently favorable demeanor, authorities have no doubt Yates is a cruel and calculating killer. He was 25, considered old to be enlisting. "They (police) called me at work and said that they found a body in your yard. As reported by Kitsap Sun, Yates' family described him as "a loving, caring and sensitive son, a fun-loving and giving brother, [and] an understanding, generous and dedicated father.". Friday, November 10, 2000 9:00pm. The arguments were rejected in 2007 by the Washington Supreme Court. Yates is 47, a father of five, a silver-anniversary husband. Anna Mae and her first husband had two daughters. Local News Nation / world. Had brown hair he combed from right to left.