Michael Hughes

Case record

Michael Hughes was an American serial killer who was sentenced to life in prison without parole in 1998 for murders of four women in California between 1992 and 1993.

Hughes later faced additional charges in 2008 involving the sexual assault and murders of four additional women. Prosecutors alleged that he sexually assaulted and strangled multiple victims between 1986 and 1993, with homicide detectives linking him to those killings using DNA matching through new forensic technologies.

The offence

Murders convicted in 1998 (four women, 1992–1993)

Hughes was convicted in 1998 of killing Teresa Ballard, Brenda Bradley, Terri Myles and Jamie Harrington.

• Teresa Ballard, 26, was found in Los Angeles' Jesse Owens County Park on September 23, 1992.
• Brenda Bradley, 38, was found dumped in an alley in a Culver City commercial area.
• Terri Myles, 33, was found dumped in a Culver City commercial area on November 8, 1993.
• Jamie Harrington, 29, was found dumped nearby in the same Culver City commercial area on November 14, 1993.

The 1998-conviction murders were described as strangling murders, and the victims were reported as being “choked to death.”

Additional alleged murders and sexual assault (charged in 2008; four victims, 1986–1993)

On July 3, 2008, Hughes was charged with sexually assaulting and strangling two women and two teenage girls in the Los Angeles area between 1986 and 1993.

The victims alleged to be killed between 1986 and 1993 were:

• Yvonne Coleman, 15, alleged to have been killed on January 22, 1986, after she left her boyfriend's home; her body was found in an Inglewood park.
• Verna Williams, 15, whose body was discovered in a stairwell on May 26, 1986.
• Deanna Wilson, 30, found in a garage on August 30, 1990.
• Deborah Jackson, 32, whose body was found on June 25, 1993.

Prosecutors alleged Hughes’ involvement in killings considered to be connected to the prolific, still unidentified serial killer known as the Southside Slayer, including that at least one victim, Verna Williams, was considered a victim of the Southside Slayer.

Investigation

Homicide detectives linked Hughes to the 1986–1993 killings after new forensic technologies matched his DNA to samples taken from the victims.

A cold-hit DNA match was described as conducted by a team of Los Angeles police detectives assigned to take a fresh look at old unsolved murders, and investigators submitted DNA found on crime scenes in several unsolved homicides, including hits to Hughes’ DNA.

Homicide Detective Clifford Shepard, described as one of two main investigators, said:

• the victims died at the height of the crack cocaine epidemic,
• Los Angeles’ murder rate was peaking in 1992 with more than 1,000 homicides,
• the three victims killed in Los Angeles had cocaine in their systems, while Coleman did not,
• authorities initially suspected the dozens of strangled female corpses to be the work of one serial killer dubbed the “south-side slayer,”
• investigators later found that several killers were responsible, including Chester Turner, who was described as having been convicted and sentenced to death for killing 10 women and a fetus.

Hughes was also described as having been in the U.S. Navy, spending time in Michigan, San Diego and Long Beach, and Shepard said he was investigating whether Hughes was involved in other slayings that could include cases across the country.

Shepard also said:

“It was almost an epidemic of women being found strangled and dumped who had cocaine in their systems,” Shepard said.
“Some were being secreted, many of them were being found on roadsides or in alleys.”

Shepard also stated:

“We are not sure how many victims there are,” Shepard said.
“There could be many more out there.”

Arrest

Hughes was arrested by Culver City police in December 1993.

Trial

Hughes did not enter a plea when he appeared in court to face the latest charges in 2008.

Sentencing

In 1998, Hughes was convicted and given a life sentence without parole for the strangling murders of Teresa Ballard, Brenda Bradley, Terri Myles and Jamie Harrington.

He was serving life in prison without parole while facing the 2008 charges. He was described as having been serving his sentence at Kern Valley State Prison before being transferred to the Los Angeles County jail system while he faced the new charges.

Appeals

No appeals were mentioned in the provided material.

Outcome

Status regarding 2008 charges

As of the 2008 court proceedings, Hughes was facing new charges and his arraignment was rescheduled or continued to Aug. 6, while prosecutors had not determined whether they would seek the death penalty.

Status regarding 1998 conviction

Hughes’ 1998 conviction resulted in a life sentence without parole.

Other details

Court proceedings and judge change in 2008

Hughes appeared before Superior Court Judge Craig Richman to face the latest charges.

The judge was called in after Superior Court Commissioner Henry J. Hall recused himself from the case because he had defended Hughes while working as a lawyer.

Los Angeles County district attorney's spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons stated that prosecutors had not determined whether they would seek the death penalty.

Description of victims and locations in 2008 allegations (dumping and discovery)

Prosecutors described the bodies’ discovery and dumping patterns, including that most of the victims’ bodies were dumped outside and found by passers-by, and they provided examples including:

• one woman’s body discovered near a trash container in Los Angeles,
• another found in a playground at a South Los Angeles school,
• a third discovered hidden behind a large, brick BBQ pit in an Inglewood park,
• a fourth found by a friend at a South Los Angeles home.

Background description of Hughes’ employment and targeting

Hughes was described as a security guard and also as a former security guard who targeted women on the streets, often with drug problems, according to authorities.

Ages mentioned across the material

The ages provided across the material included:

• Teresa Ballard, 26 (convicted victim).
• Brenda Bradley, 38 (convicted victim).
• Terri Myles, 33 (convicted victim).
• Jamie Harrington, 29 (convicted victim).
• Yvonne Coleman, 15 (charged victim).
• Verna Williams, 15 (charged victim).
• Deanna Wilson, 30 (charged victim).
• Deborah Jackson, 32 (charged victim).
• Hughes was described as 51 and also as 51-year-old in the reporting; Hughes’ age was also referenced as 51 in the court coverage.

Associations with other serial killing references

Authorities initially suspected the dozens of strangled female corpses to be the work of one serial killer known as the “south-side slayer,” and investigators later found that several killers were responsible, including Chester Turner.