Darren Vann

Parties

• Darren Deon Vann — suspected perpetrator; arrested in October 2014; confessed to the murders of six other women; in prison awaiting trial.
• Afrikka Hardy (19) — victim; found strangled at a Motel 6 in Hammond, Indiana.
• Teira Batey (28) — victim; from Gary, Indiana; reported missing in late January 2014.
• Anith Jones (35) — victim; of Merrillville, Indiana; last seen alive on October 8, 2014; reported missing two days later.
• Kristine Williams (36) — victim; resident of Gary, Indiana; mother of four; employed at the time of her death.
• Jane Doe #3 — victim described by authorities as “Jane Doe #3”; 5-feet tall; shoulder length blonde hair with red tints; size 3/4 twenty-one black blue jeans by RUE21; white size six Nike gym shoes.
• Jane Doe #5 — victim described by authorities as “Jane Doe #5”; 5-foot, three inch tall; African American; silver-colored chain link bracelet engraved “Best Aunt”; two silver rings (one with scalloped engravings; one in the shape of a heart).
• Jane Doe #6 — victim described by authorities as an African-American woman; referred to as “Jane Doe #6”.
• Shameeka Cunningham — Hardy’s friend and partner in an escort business; described as suspicious when Hardy’s encounter went long.
• Magistrate Kathleen Sullivan — presided over Vann’s court appearance and entered preliminary pleas.
• Lake County Prosecuting Attorney Bernard Carter — represented the state during Vann’s court appearance.
• Matthew Fech — Vann’s court-appointed public defender.
• Lake County Coroner Merrilee Frey — described Jane Doe #3, Jane Doe #5, and Jane Doe #6.
• Hammond Police Chief John Doughty — discussed police investigation and Vann’s statements.
• Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott — commented on the investigation and Vann’s arrest.
• Gary Police Chief Larry McKinley — commented on the case, including a “connection” with Anith Jones.
• Lori Townsend — Hardy’s mother; spoke to media about Hardy.
• Ronnie Williams — resident of the Gary neighborhood where most victims were found; quoted on “seven bodies”.
• Latonya Ramson — resident whose home was close to the house where Vann had been living with a brother.
• Deborah Berry — Kristine Williams’s mother-in-law; described Williams’s lack of contact and family details.
• Siad — referenced as Deborah Berry’s son; Williams’s husband through whom children were described.
• Marvin Clinton — Teira Batey’s boyfriend; described Batey’s daily routine and reporting her missing.
• Gloria Cullom — Batey’s mother; described last time seeing Batey.
• Yolanda Nowell — a Chicago police officer; described Anith Jones.
• Joe Castillo (68) — resident next door to vacant houses; commented on safety and neighborhood conditions.
• Karen Freeman-Wilson — Gary Mayor; commented on investigative tools and what she believed about reporting patterns.
• Reginald Beard (30) — Vann’s brother; apologized and spoke about arrangements and concerns.
• A woman identified as Vann’s ex-wife — asked not to be named; said she never knew him to be violent; described their divorce and his behavior.
• Vann’s son — referenced as the ex-wife’s son; described suspicions and odd habits.
• Jason Clark — Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman; discussed Texas records and sentencing.
• Edward Matlock — knew Vann in the 1990s; discussed Vann’s behavior and family circumstances.
• Ashleigh Banfield — mentioned in a quote attributed to CNN; Matlock was interviewed by Ashleigh Banfield.
• Ronnie Williams — quoted regarding “seven bodies”.
• Carl L. Blount — referenced as an existing pending capital case against him for alleged killing of Gary Patrolman Jeffrey Westerfield.

Timeline

• 1993 — Vann joined the United States Marine Corps in 1991 and received an “other than honorable” discharge in 1993.
• 1993 — Vann was arrested on unspecified charges while living in Cherry Point, North Carolina.
• 2004 — In April 2004, Vann was arrested in Gary on residential entry and intimidation stemming from an incident where he threatened to burn down or blow up the home of a man he believed was sheltering his girlfriend; he pleaded guilty in June 2004 to misdemeanor residential entry and the felony charge of intimidation was dropped.
• September 2005 — Vann admitted to violating rules of his probation and was sentenced to 90 days in jail.
• August 2009 — Vann’s wife filed for divorce in Lake County Circuit Court, citing an “irretrievable breakdown.”
• September 2009 — Vann pleaded guilty and was convicted in September 2009 in Texas for sexual assault and was sentenced to five years in prison.
• April 2010 — Vann’s marriage was dissolved in April 2010 after the divorce was finalized.
• July 5, 2013 — Vann was released on accounting for time served.
• August 2013 — Vann last registered as a sex offender in Lake County, Indiana, using the address of 1428 E. 50th Ct. in Gary.
• October 2014 — Vann was arrested at age 43 after authorities found Afrikka Hardy’s body at a Motel 6 in Hammond, Indiana; he was being held in Hammond, Indiana.
• October 8, 2014 — Anith Jones was last seen alive.
• October 17, 2014 — Police discovered Afrikka Hardy’s body Oct. 17 at a Hammond Motel 6.
• October 18, 2014 — Anith Jones was found on Oct. 18 in an abandoned building in the 400 block of East 43rd Street in Gary.
• October 19, 2014 — An unidentified woman was found Oct. 19 in an abandoned home in the 2200 block of Massachusetts Street in Gary.
• October 22, 2014 — Vann was charged on October 22, 2014.
• October 23, 2014 — The first court appearance referenced in reporting took place Wednesday in Lake County Criminal Court; Vann was described as having initial court appearance related to Hardy’s killing and a subsequent contempt.
• October 28, 2014 — Vann’s next hearing was held on October 28 at Lake County Jail in Crown Point; he pleaded to two charges with “not guilty” filed against him so far.
• October 29, 2014 — Reported that Vann’s next hearing was set for Jan. 9.
• Late January 2014 — Teira Batey was reported missing.
• October 29, 2014 — Reported court appearance details included charges and protective orders.
• Jan. 9 — Vann’s next court hearing was set for Jan. 9.
• December 2007 — Texas records referenced a December 2007 attack on a 25-year-old woman responding to a “service call from her employer.”

Background

Darren Deon Vann was born in Indiana. He was married for 16 years to a woman who was about 30 years older than him. Vann married Edward Matlock’s mother; Matlock said he was not comfortable with the marriage and described Vann as having seemed lost in thought and having talked to himself. Matlock said his concerns increased after Vann was fired from a temp agency and had trouble finding good work.

Vann was reportedly arrested in Gary, Indiana for threatening the life of his girlfriend. He was charged with a class D felony and spent 90 days in jail.

Vann received an “other than honorable” discharge from the United States Marine Corps in 1993 after joining in 1991.

Vann was previously convicted in Travis County, Texas, of sexual assault and served five years in a state penitentiary, being released on July 5, 2013. In Texas, court records described an attack on a 25-year-old woman in December 2007 involving attempts at strangulation and rape.

Vann’s wife filed for a divorce in August 2009 and their marriage was dissolved in April 2010 after failing to show up for court proceedings.

Vann registered as a sex offender after release and was described as “low risk” based on an assessment. Hammond-area officials said he complied with sex offender registration requirements. His last Texas registration and last registration in Indiana were referenced in reporting.

The offence

Vann was suspected of murdering at least seven people. Three victims remained unidentified.

Afrikka Hardy (19)

Afrikka Hardy, 19, was found dead at a Motel 6 in Hammond, Indiana. She had recently moved to Chicago after graduating from high school and had met Vann at a Motel 6 in Hammond, Indiana after he hired her through an escort agency. Authorities stated she was found strangled, with red marks seen on her neck where she apparently had been strangled with “something thin,” and that she was found naked in the bathtub of the motel room with the shower running.

Reporting described a struggle in the motel room, including a broken fingernail, a shirt button and a torn condom wrapper found on the floor, and that the beds had been moved away from the headboards. Vann told police he wore white gloves while strangling Hardy with his hands and an extension cord, then put her body in the bathtub, turned on the shower, and left.

Teira Batey (28)

Teira Batey, 28, left to meet a friend but never came back. Her family waited to hear from her for a few days and reported her missing in late January 2014. After Vann was arrested, police said Vann led them to bodies of six women found in abandoned structures in Gary, Indiana, and Batey was among the women found in abandoned homes.

Vann had not been charged in the homicides of Batey.

Anith Jones (35)

Anith Jones, 35, of Merrillville, Indiana, was last seen alive on October 8, 2014 and reported missing two days later. Her car was found parked in the driveway of an abandoned house in Gary, Indiana.

Police said Vann pointed them in the direction of an abandoned house in Gary where her body and two unidentified victims were found. Reporting stated Vann told detectives he was offered $500 in cash and drugs by a mutual friend to make Jones disappear because of an upcoming legal matter. Vann spoke to Jones several times by phone before meeting her in an empty Merrillville house sometime in October. Vann was described as having sex with Jones and then strangled her to death, according to an affidavit.

Vann was charged on October 22, 2014 in connection with Jones’s homicide.

Kristine Williams (36)

Kristine Williams, 36, was described as a resident of Gary, Indiana and a mother of four employed at the time of her death. Her mother-in-law stated she had not heard from Williams since February 2014.

After Vann was arrested, he allegedly led police to bodies of women found in abandoned homes; Williams was described as among the women found. Vann had not been charged in the homicides of Williams.

Jane Doe #3

Authorities described Jane Doe #3 as a 5-feet tall woman with shoulder length blonde hair with red tints. Lake County Coroner Merrilee Frey described her outfit as size 3/4 twenty-one black blue jeans by RUE21 paired with white size six Nike gym shoes. Frey stated they might conduct DNA analysis with her possible family through the Indiana State Police.

Jane Doe #5

Lake County Coroner Merrilee Frey described Jane Doe #5 as a five-foot, three inch tall woman of African American descent. Frey described a silver-colored chain link bracelet with the engraving “Best Aunt,” and two silver rings: one with scalloped engravings and the other in the shape of a heart.

Jane Doe #6

Lake County Coroner Merrilee Frey described Jane Doe #6 as an African-American woman referred to as “Jane Doe #6.”

Investigation

After Hardy was found strangled in a Motel 6 bathtub, authorities used Hardy’s phone records and located Vann. Upon apprehension, Vann was found to have possession of several key pieces of potential evidence, including Hardy’s phone.

During police interrogation, Vann allegedly confessed to his involvement in Hardy’s killing and told police he was involved in other killings. Police said Vann led detectives to the bodies of six other women in abandoned structures in Gary, Indiana.

The investigation included identifying multiple locations in Gary where bodies were recovered in abandoned houses and structures. Police and authorities worked to identify three other women Vann allegedly confessed to killing, with bodies described as partially skeletonized and not identifiable at the time.

Authorities described reviewing missing persons cases locally and in Texas to find anything that could tie the victims to Vann.

Hammond Police Chief John Doughty said authorities did not have a specific reason for the killings and that he did not have a specific motive. Doughty also discussed statements about possible additional victims going back years and said the information “yet to be corroborated” and that it was possible other victims could surface.

Arrest

Vann was arrested in October 2014 at age 43. Reporting said Hammond police arrested Vann after discovering Afrika Hardy’s body Oct. 17 at a Hammond Motel 6.

According to court records, Vann spoke in detail about Hardy’s homicide and then led detectives to the bodies of six other women he allegedly left in abandoned buildings in Gary. Officers described that Vann was initially held in contempt of court after refusing to answer a judge’s questions.

Authorities described that during questioning Vann told detectives about the locations of other victims, including three women found in the 400 block of East 43rd Avenue. Vann mentioned shootings in Hammond that go back to the 1990s and police said they had to follow those leads.

Trial

Vann appeared before Magistrate Kathleen Sullivan. During Vann’s first initial hearing referenced from the previous week, Vann refused to speak or participate in the hearing and Sullivan entered a preliminary not guilty plea on his behalf.

Vann was described as being sworn in and politely answering questions during a Wednesday hearing.

Sullivan granted new protective orders in the state’s cases against Vann in the homicide of Anith Jones and in the homicide of Hardy. Officials involved in the investigations could not speak to the public or media about the case while it was pending. The state was prohibited from speaking to Vann unless he initiated conversations. Matthew Fech, Vann’s public defender, said he must be present during any conversations the state had with his client.

Vann indicated he would not hire a private attorney and would retain court-appointed public defender Matthew Fech.

Sentencing

No sentencing was described for the Indiana case while awaiting trial.

Appeals

No appeals were described.

Outcome

Vann was in prison awaiting trial.

Vann was described as having pled “not guilty” to two charges filed against him so far at a hearing held on October 28 at Lake County Jail in Crown Point.

In reporting, Vann was charged with two counts of murder, two counts of murder in the perpetration of a robbery and two counts of robbery resulting in serious bodily injury. Reporting also stated police continued investigating other deaths and that Vann had not been charged in the homicides of Batey or Williams at that time. It also said officials were still working to identify three other women.

Aftermath

The families of victims described reactions to the investigation and discoveries. Lori Townsend, Hardy’s mother, discussed planning to celebrate Hardy’s life with a party back in Colorado. She was quoted about Hardy being remembered and described Hardy’s personality and future plans.

Gloria Cullom described her last sight of Teira Batey and that Batey was crying and scared when she next heard from her. Teira Batey’s boyfriend, Marvin Clinton, described that Batey had often left their home for days or a week and that he initially delayed reporting her missing.

Deborah Berry described that Kristine Williams had often “disappear[ed],” had not worked, and had children from her marriage and from different fathers. Berry said all four children were put up for adoption.

Reginald Beard apologized to the victims’ families. Vann’s ex-wife, who asked not to be named, said she never knew him to be violent and described their divorce timing. Vann’s son said he was often suspicious of Vann and said Vann sometimes talked to himself and had other odd habits.

Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson discussed concerns about investigative tools such as cadaver dogs and said she believed Vann preyed on individuals “might be less likely to be reported missing.” Joe Castillo described unsafe conditions around vacant houses and said yards had been overgrown for nearly a decade.

Quotes

• Ronnie Williams, a resident of the Gary neighborhood where most of the victims were found, said: “It disgusts me, because it's seven bodies.”
• Darren Vann said: “Yes, ma'am,”
• Hammond Police Chief John Doughty said: “I don't have a specific reason he does this.”
• Hammond Police Chief John Doughty said: “It is possible other victims could surface.”
• Hammond Police Chief John Doughty said: “It could go back as far as 20 years based on some statements we have and that’s yet to be corroborated.”
• Lori Townsend said: “They're somebody's daughter,”
• Lori Townsend said: “somebody's mother, somebody's sister.”
• Lori Townsend told CNN affiliate WLS: “They're somebody's daughter,”
• Lori Townsend said: “She could walk into a room and just light it up with her smile and her laugh and just her presence,”
• Lori Townsend said: “Afrikka never met a stranger. She loved everybody. And that was kind of part of her problem. She was a little naive on trusting people.”
• Lori Townsend said: “What matters is that my baby be remembered for who she really is,”
• Lori Townsend wrote on Facebook Monday: “Remember her smile, laugh, tender heart and the fact that she is no longer with us!”
• Gloria Cullom told CNN affiliate KARE: “She said, 'I love you. I'll be back, Mama.' That's what she said to me, and she left, and she went with her friend,”
• Gloria Cullom told KARE: “But she didn't come back that night.”
• Marvin Clinton told CNN’s Poppy Harlow: “We know her daily routine. She would go out, you know, and hang out, go visit friends and things as a family,”
• Marvin Clinton said: “But she would always stay in touch with the family.”
• Gloria Cullom told KARE: “Like I told (the police) there, she might be grown, but she had a mind like a 12-year-old. She's very vulnerable, but she's a sweet person,”
• Gloria Cullom told KARE: “She's very trusting. She never thought that somebody would hurt her if she never gave them no reason to hurt her.”
• Marvin Clinton told WLS: “I don't know how to explain it to him right now. ... He's been asking for Mommy a lot, and the only thing I can tell him is, 'Mommy's not here right now,'”
• Yolanda Nowell, a Chicago police officer, said: “She was a kind, loving woman,”
• Yolanda Nowell said: “She was my favorite sister. She was everybody's favorite aunt.”
• Darren Vann’s ex-wife (asked not to be named) said: “This is all unbelievable to me,”
• Darren Vann’s ex-wife said: “A total shocker. I never knew him to be violent, never.”
• Darren Vann’s ex-wife said: “He was so protective of those around him,”
• Darren Vann’s ex-wife said: “He was a real friendly person, that's why all this is a shock to me. He had a job all the time; if he lost one, he would quickly get another one. “He didn't drink,” she added.
• Darren Vann’s ex-wife said: “He was a loner more than anything.”
• Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott said: “I think he was shocked,”
• Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott said: “We caught him off guard, and he … started working with police.”
• Hammond Police Chief John Doughty said: “Any time you have this type of crime that happens in the city, in any city, there is some fear.”
• Gary Police Chief Larry McKinley said: “It's put the community of Gary on heightened alert,”
• Gary Police Chief Larry McKinley said: “Any time you have this type of crime that happens in the city, in any city, there is some fear.”
• Vann’s brother Reginald Beard said: “To the victims, I'm sorry for their loss,”
• Reginald Beard said: “I'm a father of two daughters myself. This comes as a shock to us and our household…This is a painful moment for us too.”
• Vann’s ex-wife said: “Oh … I don't believe it,”
• Vann’s ex-wife said: “I am half-way in shock,”
• Vann’s ex-wife said: “You know, he was always OK,”
• Vann’s ex-wife said: “He is nothing like that.”
• Vann’s son said: “He was strange, he was weird,”
• Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson said: “might be less likely to be reported missing.”
• Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson said: “Some of them were significantly decomposed.”
• Joe Castillo (68) said: “My main concern was it made us unsafe. It's only me and my wife here. I'm afraid to leave her here by herself.”
• Joe Castillo said: “It used to be a nice community here, but slowly people started moving out,”
• Joe Castillo said: “I hope now the city will do something,”
• Joe Castillo said: “These are livable houses. There are good people here. But because of so many abandoned houses, it only attracts the rats.”
• A brother of Anith Jones wrote: “The images I seen when I had to identify my sister’s body, the last words we had together, the many pictures I see with her smiling, and imagine what she went through during last moments, the thoughts of whether she called me for help during her final moments, and WHY this way!!??”
• A brother of Anith Jones wrote: “Help me Lord!!! Help!!!”
• Hammond Police Chief John Doughty said: “I don't have a specific reason he did this.”
• Hammond Police Chief John Doughty said: “He was looking for some type of deal with the prosecutors.”
• Hammond Police Chief John Doughty said: “It disgusts me, because it's seven bodies,”

Other details

Names and addresses connected to reporting

• Hardy was found at a Motel 6 in Hammond, Indiana.
• Police said Vann was found living in a home on 50th Court in Gary.
• One Indiana address mentioned in relation to sex offender registration was 1428 E. 50th Ct. in Gary.
• The 400 block of East 43rd Street in Gary was referenced in connection with Anith Jones’s body.
• The 2200 block of Massachusetts Street in Gary was referenced in connection with another unidentified woman found Oct. 19.
• Another location mentioned was the 600 block of West 49th Avenue in Gary, where a search warrant was conducted.
• Another location mentioned was the 1800 block of East 19th Avenue in Gary.

Known relationship and reported interactions

• Reporting described that Vann was connected to Hardy through an escort agency/online escort service and that Hardy’s friend became suspicious when the appointment went long and unusual text messages were received.
• Police said Vann said he had sex with Jones and strangled her to death, according to an affidavit.
• Reporting said police had not detailed what relationship, if any, Vann had with the victims beyond identified connections discussed by officials.

Texas conviction details referenced

Vann was convicted in Travis County, Texas, of sexual assault and served five years in prison. Texas records described an incident in December 2007 involving a 25-year-old woman responding to a “service call from her employer,” where police documents described Vann attacking her, choking, repeatedly striking, attempted strangulation consistent with later injuries, and rape.

Vann was sentenced in September 2009 and ordered to register as a sex offender after release in 2013.

Indiana charges and protective orders

Court reporting stated Vann faced protective orders preventing investigators from speaking to media about the case while pending. The state was prohibited from speaking to Vann unless he initiated conversations, and Fech said he must be present for any conversations with the state.