Derrick Todd Lee -- the Baton Rouge Serial Killer

Journey to Justice
by Rachael Bell

Police had been anonymously tipped off that Lee had possibly buried a body beneath a concrete slab and they were hoping to either confirm or deny the rumors as soon as possible. Investigators finally obtained permission from Jacqueline to dig at their home in the search for clues. Two other sites were also excavated by police in the hopes of obtaining more information into the murders and disappearance of a Zachary woman.

One of the sites included the former home of Lees mistress, Consandra Green. Lee had been seen pouring a concrete slab in the driveway of her home in the middle of the night only a couple days following Randi Mebruers disappearance from her Zachary residence in 1998. During the excavation at Greens previous home, a womans bracelet of unknown ownership had been discovered. However, investigators have been unable to find any evidence of human remains in any of the three sites.

Investigators had also been looking for more clues into Lees alleged involvement in the murders by searching a white pick-up truck sold to a relative of Greens by Lee. In late May, police seized the pick-up once owned by Lee from Consandra Greens uncle, which was taken to the police crime lab for analysis. To date, no information concerning the results has yet been released.

A similar truck has been previously connected with some of the crimes attributed to the Baton Rouge serial killer. However, there has been a discrepancy concerning the race and build of the driver as viewed by earlier witnesses in the investigation compared with that of Lees. Such contradictory data has caused investigators to throw doubt on the reliability of earlier testimony concerning the white truck and its connection with the murders.

Investigators are continuing to examine other murders that could have been committed by Lee. The police in Bolton, Mississippi are seeking to tie Lee, a former truck driver, to the murders of four women found near a truck stop.

Lee is now considered the prime suspect in the 1992 murder of Connie Warner and in the 1998 murder of Randi Mebruer, both of whom were residents of Zachary, Lousiana.

As of mid June 2003, Lee has held without bond at Parish Prison in Louisiana. Public defender Mike Mitchell, 52, has been appointed to head Lees defense team during his upcoming hearing, for which no date has yet been set. It is suspected that the defenses case will hinge on the reliability of DNA evidence taken from Lee and that obtained from the crime scenes. Prosecutors John Sinquefield and Dana Cummings will be trying the case against Lee. It is suspected that Baton Rouge District Attorney Doug Moreau will seek the death penalty if Lee is found guilty. Until then, Derrick Lees fate will remain hanging in the balance.