Francisco del Junco

Serial killer

4known / alleged victims

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Case Facts

Gender: male
Country: USA
Location: Miami, Florida, USA
Date of birth: 1958
Age at first offence: 37
Characteristics: arson, convicted rapist
Victim profile: Vida Hicks, 43, Diane Helms, 44, Cheryl Lee Ray, 37, and Janice Cox, 37 (crack addicts)
Method of murder: Beating
Date(s) of murder: 1995 - 1996
Years active: 1995–1996
Date of arrest: June 3, 1996
Status: Life imprisonment
Sentenced to life in prison in 2002

Case Summary

Background

Francisco del Junco came to Miami in the 1980 Mariel boat lift. He was described as a loner who was well liked at work but kept his distance from the few family members he had in Miami. He worked as a dishwasher in Dan Marino's American Sports Bar and Grill in the Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami.

Investigation

On 3 June 1996, Francisco del Junco confessed to killing and setting on fire four women who were described as black crack addicts. Police were led to del Junco by a street woman who had been beat on the head by him nine months earlier. She flagged down a patrol car when she spotted him again.

More than 500 people were interviewed during the investigation. Much time was spent trying to track down a suspect known only as "Dread" because of his dreadlocked hairstyle before arresting del Junco. Authorities thought they had their man, but they were still looking for "Dread" who might have witnessed one of the slayings.

Police then took del Junco to the scene of each murder, where he acted out the details of each killing.

Del Junco confessed to killing and torching four women.

Arrest

Once authorities had del Junco in custody, they talked to him about his childhood in Cuba, his likes and dislikes. The conversation spanned over a weekend and took interrogators and the suspected serial killer to Key Biscayne. In custody and in Key Biscayne, del Junco confessed to killing and torching four women.

The offence

Del Junco killed four women between August 1995 and March 1996. The women were found beaten, burned and partially clothed in or near Miami's inner city.

The women were identified as:

Vida Hicks, 43
Diane Helms, 44
Cheryl Lee Ray, 37
Janice Cox, 37

The victims were all black. Del Junco said his killing spree was not racially motivated.

Outcome

Francisco del Junco was sentenced to life in prison in 2002. He was charged with the slayings of Vida Hicks, Diane Helms, Cheryl Lee Ray, and Janice Cox. Del Junco confessed in June 1996. The sentence was stated as life in prison in 2002.

Other details

Del Junco’s motive was described as unknown or unclear in the material’s metadata. The method was described as Cuban immigrant; killed and set a fire female addicts, age 37-44.

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