-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 5th 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 2nd, 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…
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