The Butchers of the Back Streets

            -Helen was a city in the midlands of South Carolina. It was known for its tall buildings, busy streets, and its high crime rate. The streets were full of pimps, hustlers, prostitutes and local gangsters. On one dark night in the city, a crime wave beyond anything before was about to take Helen by storm.

            Gerald Morgan and Tom Philips were born in the city of Helen and went to the same schools as young children. It was around the 5^th grade when Gerald and Tom took a twisted turn in life. Early in the school year, Gerald and Thomas plotted to set the school on fire. Luckily, they were caught red handed and sent to Juvenile Detention, but this wouldn’t be the end of their criminal history. It was only just the beginning.

            One night, Gerald asked Tom if he wanted to see a dead body he found on the side of the train tracks in a wooded area of Helen City. Tom excitedly obliged. When the 2 boys saw the dead body, a sick and twisted conversation started. They wondered what it would be like to kill someone themselves. At the time it was just conversation, but they would revisit the idea in the future.

            The 2 boys were now juniors in Helen City High School and were known troublemakers. They had many run-ins with the law, but they weaseled their ways out of any serious trouble. They would also wait in the school bathroom to beat up unsuspecting students and rob them. The victims were too afraid to tell their teachers what happened.

            It was now June 2^nd, 1987 and the boys were now men in their early twenties. They reminisced about the good old days and all the crimes they gotten away with. They then remembered the conversation they had long ago. They wanted to kill for themselves. All the animals they tortured throughout their lives were just the beginning of fulfilling something much worse.

            It was midnight when the 2 men put their plan into action. Gerald was driving his beat-up white Cadillac with Tom in the passenger seat, cruising for a prostitute. They saw the perfect one standing by a streetlight. She was a 14 year old runaway who became a prostitute to pay her way through life. Her name was Abigail Somers. She was a tall brunette with blue eyes, wearing a short skirt and a leopard print jacket. She had on long stockings and black high heels. Her hair was in a perm. Unfortunately for Abigail, she would be the first victim.

            The 2 men pulled up beside her and coaxed her into the vehicle. They then drove into an empty back alley full of trash and debris where they had sex with the young prostitute. Sadly for Abigail, the 2 men weren’t going to pay her. After Gerald and Tom had their fun, Gerald pulled out a butcher knife and stabbed Abigail multiple times in the chest. She let out horrific screams until she was finally dead. The two men then dumped her in the alley and drove off. 6 weeks later, the cops found her badly decomposing corpse.

            During those 6 weeks, Gerald and Tom continued their murder spree. 1 night after serious drinking and snorting cocaine, the deadly duo was ready to kill again. This time, they wanted someone more of a challenge than a prostitute. They decided to break into the house of a young college student, where they abducted her and drove her to a back alley. Here, the two tortured and raped the woman multiple times till finally stabbing her in the chest over 20 times. The horrific screams were heard by several witnesses who spotted the white Cadillac driving out of a back alley.

            Like their previous victim, the woman was tossed in the back alley for the authorities to find. They later identified the victim as 21 year old Suzanne Mathers. She was a sophomore in Helen City University, strikingly beautiful, and had her whole life ahead of her. She had blonde hair, blue eyes, was tall with an athletic build. She was also the daughter of a police officer; a man that vowed revenge on whoever killed his daughter.

            A week after the brutal rape and murder of Suzanne Mathers, Gerald and Thomas were ready to kill again after a long night of cocaine and alcohol use. It was the next afternoon when Thomas spotted a pretty young high school girl who he wanted as the pair’s next victim.

            As the young girl was walking home from school, the duo abducted her from the side of the road and drove into a dark alley. This is where they had their way with the young girl. They tortured, raped and stabbed the girl in the chest over 40 times before finally dumping her out of the car and driving off.

            The duo didn’t expect that there were witnesses who saw the two abduct the girl in broad daylight. The witnesses told the police of the white Cadillac and the two men that abducted the girl. They gave descriptions that matched the identities of Gerald Morgan and Tom Philips.

            The young girl was later identified as Elaine Simpson, aged 15 years old. She was a sophomore in Helen City High School, had blonde hair tied in pigtails and green eyes. She was the daughter of the Helen City Mayor. The authorities now knew they had 2 serial killers on their hands and formed a task force to search and find the white Cadillac with the 2 suspects.

            As the duo was trolling the city streets for their next victim, they were immediately stopped by the police. The cops searched the vehicle and found bloodstains on the back seat and a murder weapon in the trunk. It was a butcher knife stained with blood. The police knew that they had found their killers.

            Gerald Morgan and Thomas Philips were both arrested and sent to the county jail. They interrogated Gerald Morgan for hours, but he wouldn’t break. Thomas Philips on the other hand was ready to talk.

            Thomas confessed to the murders, but tried to convince the police that Gerald was the one that actually killed the women. He also admitted to more victims than the 3 already tied to them. For 6 weeks, the 2 men went on a massive killing spree, killing at least 3 girls a night. The police didn’t know whether to believe Thomas’ story, but 3 of the victims were confirmed to be killed by the duo.

            A month later, the 2 men were on trial for the murders of the 3 women. Both men pleaded not guilty to the murders. It was a long and grueling trial for both men, but the jury reached the only logical verdict. Gerald Morgan and Thomas Philips were both charged with 3 counts of First Degree Murder and sentenced to death. The chaos was finally over. The Butchers of the Back Streets, as the media called them, were locked away for the rest of their lives.

            Gerald Morgan was on death row for nearly 2 decades when he was finally put to death by lethal injection. Thomas Philips didn’t even serve a full year when he decided to kill himself in his prison cell. The case was now put to rest…