Offender Record · OFF-2026-113
William Darrell Lindsey (photo from the Radford University biography)
William Darrell Lindsey
Also known as Crazy Bill, Red Bird, William Armstrong Jr., William Armstrong
Sex
Male
Race
White
Born
1935
Custody
Deceased
States
FL, TN, NC
Custody
Deceased at Marion Correctional Institute, Ocala, Florida
Custody record at the facility
Died April 17, 2001 of cancer while serving 30-year sentence; incarcerated from 1997 until death.
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Summary of the record
William Darrell Lindsey was convicted of six counts of second-degree murder in Florida for the deaths of women in St. Augustine between 1983 and 1996, and confessed to an additional murder in Asheville, North Carolina. He pleaded guilty to four murders on May 21, 1999, and to two additional murders on July 8, 1999, receiving a 30-year sentence. Lindsey died of cancer on April 17, 2001, at Marion Correctional Institute in Ocala, Florida.
Documented Arrests, Charges and Convictions
Dispositions are shown exactly as the cited records report them. Pending charges are updated when a court acts; a record with no remaining conviction or pending charge is removed from the site.
Second-degree murder
St. Johns County Sheriff's Office, Florida · Florida Circuit Court, St. Johns County · Arrested Dec 29, 1996 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: 30 years imprisonment (concurrent for six murders)
On May 21, 1999, Lindsey pleaded guilty to four counts of second-degree murder in the cases of Anita Stevens (27, killed November 29, 1988), Constance Terrell (26, killed June 10, 1989), Lashawna Streeter (age unknown, killed March 1992), and Cheryl Lucas (age unknown, killed July 1995). Victims were strangled, beaten with blunt objects, shot, and subjected to postmortem sexual assault and mutilation. Bodies disposed in water or left at scenes.
SourcesWilliam Darrell Armstrong Lindsey (1935-2001) - Find a Grave Memorial; William Darrell Lindsey; William Darrell Lindsey
Murder (Lisa Foley)
St. Johns County Sheriff's Office, Florida · Florida Circuit Court, St. Johns County · Arrested Dec 29, 1996 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Included in 30-year concurrent sentence
Lisa Foley (24 years old) was last seen with Lindsey at the Tradewinds Lounge in downtown St. Augustine on October 9, 1983. Her partially clothed body was found October 14, 1983, in a marshy area on West Pope Road near St. Augustine Beach. Lindsey confessed to strangling her during an argument after sex. Lindsey was not linked to this murder until January 1997.
SourcesWilliam Darrell Armstrong Lindsey (1935-2001) - Find a Grave Memorial; William Darrell Lindsey; William Darrell Lindsey
Murder (Lucy Raymer)
Buncombe County Sheriff's Office, Asheville, North Carolina · North Carolina Superior Court, Buncombe County · Arrested Dec 29, 1996 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Life without parole in North Carolina (concurrent with 30-year Florida sentence)
Lucy Arnett Raymer (32 years old) was beaten to death with blows to the head on December 25, 1996, on Chunns Cove Road, Asheville, North Carolina. Her body was discovered December 26, 1996. A taxi driver witnessed her entering Lindsey's trailer the night of her death. This murder led to Lindsey's arrest and subsequent investigation linking him to murders in Florida.
SourcesWilliam Darrell Lindsey; Suspected serial killer confesses; William Darrell Lindsey — Grokipedia
Pattern and Background
Victim counts and the pattern of the offenses as stated by courts, agencies and the cited reporting. Suspected counts are what officials have said publicly, not a finding of this site.
6
Victims convicted
8
Victims confessed
20
Victims suspected
Active years
1983–1996
Stated motive
Sexual
Range from home
regional
Confessed
Yes
Cooperated with investigators
Yes
Education
some high school
Marital history
Married, Divorced, Widowed
Children
7
Died
2001-04-17 · natural
Places Lived, Worked and Frequented
Each place and date range comes from a cited record. Dates marked approximate are as reported. Know a place that is missing? Use Edit record under the photo; a moderator reviews it before it appears.
FL
Palatka, Florida
1935 – 1956 · Birthplace; adopted at 5 months by Cecil and Olean Lindsey
St Augustine, Florida
1956 – 1970 · Grew up and attended Ketterlinus High School
St Augustine, Florida
1956 – 1958 · Pulling Typewriter Company
St Augustine, Florida
approx. 1956 – 1970 · Hudson Pulp and Paper Corporation
Florida
approx. 1958 – 1970 · National Guard, mechanic · national guard
St Augustine, Florida
1989 – 1996 · Returned to birthplace; active crime period 1983-1996 in this area
St Augustine, Florida
approx. 1989 – 1996 · Odd jobs, construction, busboy at local restaurant
St Augustine, Florida
approx. Apr 1997 – Jul 1999 · St. Johns County detention; extradited April 1997 to Florida for interrogations and confessions
Ocala, Florida
Jul 08, 1999 – Apr 17, 2001 · Marion Correctional Institute; served 30-year sentence until death from cancer
NC
Steen Town, North Carolina
Mar 1996 – Dec 1996 · Moved March 1996; arrested December 29, 1996 for Lucy Raymer murder
Asheville, North Carolina
Dec 29, 1996 – Apr 1997 · Buncombe County Jail following arrest for Lucy Raymer murder
TN
Tennessee
approx. 1970 – 1989 · Steel mill worker
Known Vehicles
Vehicles and approximate dates of ownership or use, as reported in the cited records. A photo next to a vehicle is the vehicle itself as published.
Trailer used to lure victims in Asheville, North Carolina
approx. 1996 – 1996
Lucy Raymer witnessed entering Lindsey's trailer night of murder December 25, 1996
Timeline
Mar 18, 1935
William Darrell Lindsey born as William Armstrong Jr. in Palatka, Florida.
Aug 18, 1935
Lindsey's biological parents killed in car accident; Lindsey adopted by Cecil and Olean Lindsey of St. Augustine.
1974
Lindsey arrested for aggravated assault; later committed to psychiatric hospital after writing 7-page suicide letter.
Oct 09, 1983
Lisa Foley last seen with Lindsey at Tradewinds Lounge in St. Augustine; her body discovered October 14 in marshy area.
Nov 29, 1988
Anita Stevens found beaten to death on Fish Island Road, St. Augustine; body showed bite marks and sexual assault.
Jun 10, 1989
Constance Terrell strangled and shot in head in St. Augustine.
Mar 01, 1992
Lashawna Streeter beaten to death and disposed of in pond near St. Augustine.
Apr 23, 1993
Donetha Snead-Haile murdered; body never recovered.
Jul 1995
Cheryl Lucas beaten with crowbar.
Oct 12, 1995
Diana Richardson beaten to death and body disposed of in alligator-infested pit near St. Augustine.
Dec 25, 1996
Lucy Arnett Raymer beaten to death with blows to head on Chunns Cove Road, Asheville, North Carolina; body found December 26.
Dec 29, 1996
Lindsey arrested in Asheville, North Carolina for murder of Lucy Raymer; taxi driver witnessed victim entering his trailer.
Jan 1997
Lindsey linked to unsolved 1983 murder of Lisa Foley after he identified her photo from lineup during interrogation.
Apr 1997
Lindsey extradited to Florida and led investigators to potential burial sites; confessed to additional murders.
May 21, 1999
Lindsey pleaded guilty to four counts of second-degree murder: Anita Stevens, Constance Terrell, Lashawna Streeter, and Cheryl Lucas.
Jul 08, 1999
Lindsey pleaded guilty to two additional murders: Donetha Snead-Haile and Diana Richardson; sentenced to 30 years in Florida.
Apr 17, 2001
Lindsey died of cancer while incarcerated at Marion Correctional Institute in Ocala, Florida.
Sources
Solve the Case is never the original source. Each item below is the public record a statement on this page rests on, with an archived copy where one exists.
News report · Murderpedia ·
William Darrell Lindsey“Date of arrest: December 29, 1996; Victims: Lisa Foley / Anita Stevens McQuaig / Connie Terrell / Lashawna Streeter / Cheryl Lucas / Donetha Snead-Haile / Diana Richardson / Lucy Arnett Raymer.”
News report · TheCinemaholic ·
Is William Lindsey Dead or Alive? How Did He Die?“When William Darrell Lindsey was arrested in North Carolina for the murder of Lucy Raymer, little did the police know they would tie him to multiple murders across two states; after his arrest, William was linked to seven other murders in Florida that occurred over the course of more than a decade.”
News report · Grokipedia ·
William Darrell Lindsey — Grokipedia“Arrested on December 29, 1996, in Asheville, North Carolina, for Raymer's murder, Lindsey was extradited to Florida in April 1997, where he led investigators to potential burial sites and confessed to six additional killings; Convicted on July 8, 1999, he received a 30-year sentence at Marion Correctional Institution in Lowell, Florida.”
News report · Wikipedia ·
William Darrell Lindsey“William Darrell Lindsey was born William Armstrong Jr. in Palatka on March 18, 1935; As part of a plea deal, he pleaded guilty to six of the murders and received a 30-year sentence in Florida; On April 17, 2001, he died of cancer whilst imprisoned.”
Other · Find a Grave ·
William Darrell Armstrong Lindsey (1935-2001) - Find a Grave Memorial“On May 21, 1999, he pleaded guilty to four counts of second-degree murder in the cases of Anita Stevens, Constance Terrell, Lashawna Street, and Cheryl Lucas; On July 8 of that year, he pleaded guilty to the two remaining murders.”
Other · Radford University Department of Psychology ·
Radford University serial killer biography: Lindsey, William Darrell“1974 39 Lindsay was arrested for aggravated assault; Date convicted July 8, 1999; Sentence 30 years; Name and state of prison Marion Correctional Institute, Lowell, Florida; Date of death April 17, 2001”
Other · Pinnacle Books ·
Deadly Lust: A Serial Killer Strikes“Recreates the twisted story of family man William Darrell Lindsey who, over the course of ten years, brutally raped and murdered more than seven prostitutes; he admitted to seven sex slayings, but experts believe that the death toll was somewhere between twelve and twenty.”
News report · UPI ·
Suspected serial killer confesses“Authorities at Asheville, N.C., and St. Augustine, Fla., say a north Florida man has confessed to the beating deaths of eight prostitutes; William Lindsey has been charged in North Carolina and will be charged in Florida; Lindsey, who has lived in Oteen, N.C., since March 1996, has been held in the Buncombe County Jail since his arrest.”
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