Edward George McGregor

Case record: Edward George McGregor

Background

Edward George McGregor was a Missouri City man. He was 17 when the crime against Kim Wildman was committed. He was 31 at the time he was convicted and sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison.

McGregor lived at least three other states—Florida, Georgia and Louisiana—which left police and residents wondering what else may have happened in a span of 16 years.

McGregor had a history of mental illness as described by the case characteristics, and he was suspected by investigators in multiple murders over a period described as 16 years.

The offence

Murder and rape of Kim Wildman

Kim Wildman lived on the 1400 block of Whispering Pines. On April 17, 1990, while sitting in her home, she was attacked, raped, and murdered. Wildman fought for her life. Before she died, she placed one final call to 911. Her weak voice on the 911 tape gave dispatchers an idea of what had happened.

The 911 call included the following statements:

• Wildman: “911?”
• 911: “Yes. What’s the problem?”
• Wildman: “I’m dying. Been stabbed.”
• 911: “OK ma’am. Is the man who did it still there?”
• Wildman: “I’m stabbed. No, he’s gone.”
• 911: “Do you know him?”
• Wildman: “No.”
• 911: “What does he look like?”
• Wildman: “I’m dying. Come, come.”
• 911: “Yes ma’am, I’ll send an officer right over there.”
• Wildman: “I’m dying, help.”

Police investigating the case remarked on the brutality of the attack. Fort Bend Detective Andi Wiltse said:

“This was a very savage, brutal killing that did involve an intrusion, sexual assault,” Fort Bend Detective Andi Wiltse said. “Kim Wildman fought very, very hard for her life. Her, her murder was particularly brutal.”

McGregor was charged in connection with the 1990 murder and rape of Kim Wildman.

Murder of Edwina Latriss Barnum

In the early morning hours of May 25, 1994, Edwina Latriss Barnum came home from work. She went to her Houston apartment and unlocked the door. At 2:20 am her neighbors noticed her door ajar and realized it has been kicked open. They located the apartment manager and went into the 23-year-old’s home and found her dead in her bedroom.

Investigators arrived at the scene and determined she had been killed by a combination of a gunshot wound and strangulation. Investigators gathered DNA from the scene, but had no match in the system that pointed to a suspect until McGregor was linked through DNA evidence gathered in the Barnum case.

McGregor was arrested while he was “already out on $250,000 bond” after being charged for the murder of Kim Wildman. The case described a capital murder charge pending against him for the death of Barnum after the DNA evidence gathered in the Barnum case was linked to him.

Murder of Danielle L. Subjects

The case described Danielle L. Subjects as a single mother. She was raising her children, working a job, and trying to make a good life for herself and her children.

The case described August 5 starting off like any other day for Danielle Subjects. She got the kids up, dressed and took them to day care, then returned to the apartment to get herself ready for work. At approximately 1 p.m. her roommate returned and found Danielle Subjects strangled and beaten and posed in the bathtub.

McGregor was described as a suspect in the murders of Danielle Subjects, though he “has not been charged.”

Murder of Mandy R. Rubin

The case described 25-year-old Mandy R. Rubin as similar to Danielle Subjects. Both had two children. In Rubin’s case, they were 4 and 6 years old. Both lived in apartments in southwest Houston, and the case described them as “both had two children.”

On February 4, Rubin and Subjects had one more thing in common: they were both victims of murder. Mandy Rubin was found strangled in her bathtub, in the same fashion as Subjects. The case described no sign of forced entry, indicating she may have let her attacker into the apartment. The case described signs of a struggle showing she fought for her life, but that she was overcome, as with Wildman.

The case described that both women knew Edward George McGregor and had contact with him before their murders.

Following Rubin’s murder, McGregor and many other possible suspects were interviewed and voluntarily submitted DNA samples to investigators.

Investigation

Houston police homicide investigators believed the suspect arrested and charged in a 1990 murder of a woman in Missouri City was responsible for the murders of at least two other women in Houston since August 2005 and likely committed other crimes over the past 16 years since that 1990 murder.

Investigators believed McGregor befriended both Houston women (Danielle Subjects and Mandy Rubin) but had denied being their killer. The case described that McGregor was not cooperating with HPD investigators and had not been charged in either woman’s murder at that time.

The case also described that investigators were researching open cases to try to determine if McGregor could be identified in other incidents, and it described that with a 16 year gap with three known victims, investigators believed McGregor was likely responsible for other violent crimes against women, ranging from assault to sexual assault to murder.

Arrest

McGregor was arrested after being identified through DNA evidence. The case described that he was arrested while driving his business truck on South Gessner at West Bellfort on May 1.

It also described that he was arrested at his home after DNA evidence linked him to the Barnum case. The case described him as “already out on $250,000 bond” after being charged for the murder of Kim Wildman when he was arrested.

Trial

Automatic sentencing after jury conviction

McGregor was automatically sentenced to life in prison after a jury convicted him of the 1990 murder and rape of Kim Wildman.

Sentencing

On September 6, 2010, McGregor was sentenced to life in prison (minimum 15 years). The sentence was described as the heaviest allowed for him. The case described he must serve at least 15 years before being considered for parole.

Appeals

The case record provided did not include appeal history.

Outcome

McGregor was convicted by a jury of the 1990 murder and rape of Kim Wildman. The case record described that he was sentenced to life in prison (minimum 15 years) on September 6, 2010.

Aftermath and related legal proceedings

Court appearance on December 4, 2006

A man suspected in a string of Houston area murders appeared in court on Monday, December 4, 2006. McGregor told the judge he had a lawyer, but the lawyer was not with him and the hearing was reset.

The case described that McGregor was most recently charged in the 1994 murder of a Harris County woman, Edwina Latriss Barnum, and it described that prosecutors said DNA evidence linked McGregor to the crime.

The case described that McGregor was also charged in the 1990 murder of Kim Wildman of Fort Bend County, and it described her as a neighbor who was killed when McGregor was only 17.

The case stated that homicide investigators had identified McGregor as a suspect in the 2006 murder of Mandy Rubin and 2005 murder of Danielle Subjects. The case described that two single mothers who lived in apartment complexes just blocks from one another were both found murdered in their bathtubs and that they both knew McGregor.

The case described that McGregor had lived in at least three other states—Florida, Georgia and Louisiana—and that this left police and residents wondering what else may have happened in a span of 16 years.

Bail reduction and statements in court on May 13, 2006

Edward George McGregor, who had been charged in the 1990 slaying of a Missouri City woman and suspected by police in the deaths of two others, said Thursday, May 13, 2006, that he welcomed a trial to clear his name as his bail was reduced from $1 million to $250,000.

His defense attorney Don Bankston stated that his bail was excessive for someone who had not been convicted of no felonies. McGregor then took the stand and proclaimed that he was not a flight risk, since he had just bought a home in Missouri City. McGregor said:

“All I want is an opportunity to plead my case to a jury and have a fair trial,” he said.

When prosecutor Mike Elliott asked McGregor if he had known Wildman, who lived two doors down from the then-17-year-old at the time, McGregor replied that he had been having a sexual relationship with her. The case also included narrative commentary about disbelief that Kim Wildman would be involved in a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old minor, and about how that defense could explain physical evidence recovered from her home, as well as questioning why Wildman had told 911 she did not know the person who attacked her.

Attorney comments on DNA evidence on May 16, 2006

On May 16, 2006, the case included a comment describing explanations offered for the DNA evidence found in the residence of a murder victim.

It stated that Kim Wildman, the 38-year-old woman found murdered in her home 17 years ago, called 911 to report that she was attacked and dying, and that recently DNA found in her home had been matched to Edward George McGregor and he was charged.

Don Bankston said:

“They thought they had a slam-dunk with DNA evidence and we demonstrated why there was a reasonable reason why it was there, because he lived next door to her and had a relationship with her, and had been with her earlier that evening,” said Bankston.

The case included a further comment attributed to Bankston:

“So if it would have been him that did this dastardly crime, I think it’s reasonable for her to say, ‘Hey the neighborhood kid living two doors down did it or yes I know who did it.”

The case also described that the defense and community responses included questions to be answered and referenced similarities between victims, including that Wildman, Mandy Rubin, and Danielle Subjects were all found beaten brutally, and that both Rubin and Subjects were found posed in their bathtubs. It also described that all three victims lived very close to McGregor at the time of their deaths and that the most recent victims knew McGregor, having his cell phone number in their phones.

The case described McGregor and his lawyer making a calculated decision to release information that he was involved with Wildman at the time of her death, and it described a community activist in Missouri City handing out fliers to the neighborhood where McGregor moved into once he was released on bail. It also described Quannel X planning a protest at the house where McGregor was staying.

Quannel X said:

“We’re protesting a serial killer being released back into the community, right there three houses down. Yes, the one that is all over television is back in this community ,” said Quannel X to a resident.

Other details

Suspect identification and timeline across multiple victims

The case described that Missouri City police identified and charged McGregor in the 1990 case based on a DNA sample after Rubin’s murder, and it also described that McGregor was suspected and not cooperating with HPD investigators at that time.

It described that the apartment complexes of Danielle Subjects and Mandy Rubin were just four blocks apart, and that McGregor lived in the same apartment complex as Ms. Rubin.

The case record described that the suspect was arrested as he drove his business truck on South Gessner at West Bellfort on Monday (May 1) and that he was held in the Fort Bend County Jail in the Missouri City murder case.

It listed individuals and details of killings, including the apartment complex locations:

• Danielle Subjects was described as 10965 South Gessner.
• Mandy Rubin was described as 10750 Westbrae Parkway.

It also described that Edwina Latriss Barnum was a 23-year-old.

The case record described that investigators had identified McGregor as a suspect in the 2006 murder of Mandy Rubin and the 2005 murder of Danielle Subjects.

Birth date included in investigation section

The case included a birth date for Edward George McGregor as “DOB 3-29-73” in the section about HPD homicide investigators believing he was responsible for murders of other women.

Authorities and individuals named

The case record included:

• Fort Bend Detective Andi Wiltse, who commented on the attack on Kim Wildman.
• Don Bankston, McGregor’s attorney, who spoke about bail and explanations for DNA evidence.
• Mike Elliott, prosecutor, who asked McGregor about knowing Wildman.
• Quannel X, described as a community activist planning protests.
• 911 dispatchers, as reflected in the 911 call transcript.

Charges mentioned in the case record

The case record stated that:

• McGregor was convicted of the 1990 murder and rape of Kim Wildman.
• A capital murder charge was pending against McGregor for the death of Barnum after DNA evidence linked him.
• McGregor was charged in the 1990 murder of Kim Wildman and suspected in the murders of Mandy Rubin and Danielle Subjects, though he had not been charged in their murders at the time described.

Parole consideration

The case record stated that McGregor must serve at least 15 years before being considered for parole.