James Delano Winkles

Case record: James Delano Winkles

Background

James Delano Winkles also known as Jimmy Delano Hawk was convicted for the murders of two women in Pinellas County 30 years earlier. Winkles gained notoriety in 1998 when he told prison authorities he had information about the unsolved murders of two women in Pinellas County: Elizabeth Graham, 19, and Margo Delimon, 39. At the time, Winkles was serving a sentence for kidnapping and robbing a Sanford saleswoman.

Other details

Winkles told detectives that he abducted, raped and killed 62 women. He claimed to have killed a total of 26 people between 1967 and 1982. Winkles did not provide information on any of these claimed offenses.

Winkles also had been convicted of assault with intent to commit robbery and attempted robbery in Hamilton County, Florida on September 3, 1963 under the name of Jimmy Delano Hawk.

Winkles had been a suspect in both the Graham and Delimon cases; however, there had been insufficient evidence to charge him. The cases would have remained unsolved cases if not for Winkles’ confession nearly 18 years later.

The offence

Elizabeth Graham (Count I)

In the period between September 9, 1980 and July 3, 1981, Winkles abducted and murdered Elizabeth Graham. Graham worked for Pampered Poodle. Winkles had seen a young woman who worked for the business that excited him. He called the business and requested service to the address of an abandoned house in hopes of abducting the worker. The girl he had picked out did not arrive; instead, Graham arrived at the address. Winkles decided Graham was just as good as the original girl he had wanted and carried out his plan.

When Graham opened the van’s side door, Winkles attacked her. He pushed her down, put a pistol to her head, handcuffed her, gagged her, blindfolded her and put her in the back of his station wagon. He punctured the right front tire of the Pampered Poodle van and stole 20 dollars out of Graham’s purse.

Winkles claimed to have held Graham prisoner for four days and nights at his grandmother’s house. At one point, however, he said he might have had her at a motor home on his property in the country instead. During the captivity, Graham was kept in shackles and forced to engage in several sexual acts with Winkles.

Winkles feared Graham knew their location from looking at magazines with the mailing address on them and decided he had to kill her. He gave her four Flexeril muscle relaxants, which put her to sleep. Winkles then put an umbrella over Graham’s head to shield blood splatters and shot her three times in the top of her head. He removed Graham’s clothes and the sheets off the bed and burned them.

Winkles buried Graham’s body in Pinellas County. Sixteen days later, he returned to dig up the body and removed the head. He took the skull and ran water through it to make sure no spent bullets remained inside, removed the teeth and lower mandible and then threw the skull into the Steinhatchee River in Lafayette county.

Graham’s skull was discovered in July of 1981, but was not identified by DNA testing until the late 1990s.

Margo Delimon (Count II)

Winkles abducted and murdered Margo Delimon sometime between October 3 and October 21, 1981. Delimon was a realty salesperson. Winkles first met Delimon at an open house viewing. He asked her out for a drink and she refused. The next day he invited her to breakfast and she agreed.

At breakfast, Winkles asked Delimon to show him secluded properties in the country. Delimon took Winkles out to the properties and, at this point, he took advantage of the situation and kidnapped her. Winkles held her captive for four days in an abandoned house neighboring his grandmother’s house. During this time, he sexually assaulted her several times.

Winkles claimed that Delimon knew their location and could identify him, so he had to kill her. Delimon was killed by an overdose of 17 sleeping pills.

Winkles buried Delimon’s body in Pinellas County. Sixteen days later he decided to move the body to Citrus County. A week after that, he removed the head, took the teeth out and threw it in a wooded area in Hernando County.

Delimon’s headless body was found on October 21, 1981, and identified by fingerprints on August of 1983. Delimon’s toothless skull was found on May 23, 1982.

Investigation

In February of 1998, while incarcerated at Hardy Correctional Institution, Winkles requested to speak with officers from Pinellas County. He was serving a life sentence for the kidnapping of Donna Maltby.

He confessed to the Elizabeth Graham and Margo Delimon murders, which had taken place nearly 18 years earlier. He gave the officers detailed information about both murders. His statements were made after he told authorities he had been having nightmares about the rape and murder of both women and eventually confessed he was the killer.

During the investigation, evidence was discovered revealing that Winkles always planned his abductions. The passenger door of his vehicle was fixed so that it could not be opened, and the passenger window was made so that it could not be lowered to prevent the escape of his victims. Winkles also always carried an “abduction kit” which contained cut rope, handcuffs, gags, sleeping pills, liquor and Vicks Vaporub to put under his nose to prevent smelling the decaying bodies. He also had a collection of female undergarments.

Trial

Indictment and plea

On 03/25/99, Winkles was indicted as follows:

• Count I: First-Degree Murder (Elizabeth Graham)
• Count II: First-Degree Murder (Margo Delimon)

On 04/03/02, Winkles waived his right to a jury and pled guilty to both counts of first-degree murder on 4/03/02.

Sentencing

On 04/14/03, Winkles was sentenced as follows:

• Count I: First-Degree Murder – Death
• Count II: First-Degree Murder – Death

Appeals

On 05/21/03, Winkles filed a direct appeal in the Florida Supreme Court. He contended that his Sixth Amendment right was violated since the death penalty was not supported by aggravating circumstances found by a jury. He also contended that his right to notice about the nature and cause of the accusations was violated since he was not informed of the aggravating circumstances in the indictment. His final arguments were that he did not enter his guilty pleas knowingly and intelligently and the death sentences were disproportionate.

On 01/13/05, the Florida Supreme Court affirmed Winkles’ convictions and sentence.

Winkles filed a petition for Writ of Certiorari in the United States Supreme Court on 04/11/05. The petition was denied on 10/03/05.

Outcome

The Florida Supreme Court case was referenced as SC03-935 opinion SC08-941.

Winkles was convicted of first-degree murder in both counts and was sentenced to death.

Aftermath

Winkles died on September 9, 2010 while awaiting execution, on Florida’s death row near Starke. He was 70. He died at 6:25 a.m. of natural causes, and the medical examiner would issue a more exact determination.

Around the time he was admitting to the killings, Winkles gained more notoriety by claiming he had slain 26 people between 1967 and 1982 in interviews with former WFLA-TV news reporter Marcia Crawley. Winkles told Crawley he feared he would not outlive his prison sentence and said he was breaking 18 years of silence. Investigators could never substantiate the claimed offenses.

Winkles suffered from high blood pressure and heart disease. No one claimed Winkles’ body on Friday. If no one stepped forward, he would be buried in the inmate cemetery at nearby Union Correctional Institution.