Offender Record · OFF-2026-120
Thomas Edward Luther (photo from the Radford University biography)
Thomas Edward Luther
Sex
Male
Race
White
Height
5'10"
Born
1957
Custody
Incarcerated
States
PA, CO, WV, VT, IL
Distinguishing featuresDocument states he was physically attractive.
Custody
At 61, he has no chance of living long enough to reach his first parole hearing scheduled for 2083.
This record documents arrests, charges and convictions reported by courts, law enforcement agencies and news organizations. Every statement is tied to a cited source with an archived copy. A charge is an accusation, not proof of guilt; a person charged is presumed innocent unless convicted. Solve the Case does not allege that this person committed any offense beyond what the cited records state, and this record is not a suggestion that the person is connected to any unsolved case. How records are built, corrected and removed.
Summary of the record
Thomas Edward Luther was born June 23, 1957, in Hardwick, Vermont, the eldest of five children. Luther agreed to plead guilty to first-degree and second-degree sexual assault in exchange for other charges from the February 13 incident being dropped, and was sentenced to 15 years in prison on September 1, 1983. He was sentenced to 48 years for the murder of Cher Elder on April 5, 1996. Thomas Edward Luther was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 48 years in prison. He was sentenced to another 50 years in prison for the attack on Heather Smith. Luther is sent to Mt. Olive Correctional Center in West Virginia.
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.
Offense date Feb 13, 1982, Breckenridge, Colorado
Sexual Assault - First Degree and Second Degree
Summit County Sheriff's Department, Colorado · Summit County District Court · Arrested Feb 13, 1982 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: 15 years
On February 13, 1982, Tom Luther rapes and beats a 21 year-old woman named Mary who accepted a ride from him near Breckenridge, Colorado. Upon entering the man's vehicle, she was raped and severely beaten with a claw hammer.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Luther, Thomas Edward; Serial Killer Tom Luther Strikes in Colorado - 1982; Thomas Edward Luther: A Killer In Colorado
Offense date Mar 28, 1993, Lakewood, Colorado
Second Degree Murder (Cher Elder)
Lakewood Police Department, Colorado · Jefferson County District Court · Docket 1995 Grand Jury Indictment, March 7, 1995 · Arrested Mar 1995 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: 48 years
Cher Elder, a pretty twenty-year-old from Golden, disappeared in March 1993 following an argument with her boyfriend, Byron Powers. She was last seen in Central City–by her best friend, Karen Knott–in the company of Tom Luther, a friend of Powers's stepfather. She had been shot three times in the back of the head, but her body was so decomposed by the time it was found that evidence of sexual assault or other trauma could not be determined. Sentenced to 48 years for the murder of Cher Elder on April 5, 1996.
SourcesMurderer's Row; Radford University serial killer biography: Luther, Thomas Edward; Thomas Edward Luther
Offense date Apr 12, 1993, Denver, Colorado
Attempted Murder and Assault (Heather Smith)
Denver Police Department, Colorado · Denver District Court · Arrested Mar 1995 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: 50 years
In March 1995, Heather Smith recognized a mug shot in the newspaper as the man who had stabbed her five times outside her home near Washington Park two years earlier. She had five stab wounds. Police never found the weapon, but theorized she was attacked in April 1993 with a roofing hammer. The judge found Luther guilty of attempted murder and assault. Using habitual-offender provisions, the judge sentenced Luther to an additional fifty years.
SourcesMurderer's Row; Reunion Brings Victim, Officer Together 25 Years Later
Offense date Aug 21, 1994, West Virginia
Sexual Assault - First Degree (Bobbi Joe Jones)
West Virginia State Patrol · West Virginia District Court · Arrested Aug 21, 1994 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: 17 years
In West Virginia, Luther beat and raped Bobbi Joe Jones before letting her go. Sentenced to 17 years in prison (sexual assault in the first degree) for the rape of Bobbi Joe Jones.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Luther, Thomas Edward; Serial killer strikes in Colorado
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.
1
Victims convicted
0
Victims confessed
8
Victims suspected
Active years
1982–1994
Victim profile
Young women, Acquaintances, Hitchhikers
Stated motive
Sexual, Anger or revenge, Thrill
Range from home
interstate
Education
some high school
Marital history
Never married
Children
0
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.
CO
Breckenridge, Colorado
approx. 1982 – 1982 · Area where first documented offense occurred
Colorado
1983 – 1993 · Colorado penitentiary; served approximately 11 years for 1982 sexual assault
Colorado
approx. Jan 1993 – May 1993 · Released from prison and lived with girlfriend Debra Snider
IL
Chicago, Illinois
approx. May 1993 – 1993 · Traveled to visit former cellmate
PA
Pennsylvania
approx. Oct 1993 – Nov 1993 · Traveled to Pennsylvania where brother-in-law was working
VT
Hardwick, Vermont
approx. 1957 · Birthplace and childhood home
WV
West Virginia
approx. Nov 1993 – Aug 1994 · Lived with sister
Mount Olive, West Virginia
approx. Jan 1995 – Apr 1996 · Mt. Olive Correctional Center (West Virginia maximum-security facility)
Mount Olive, West Virginia
Apr 1996 – present · Mt. Olive Correctional Center; currently serving multiple sentences totaling 113+ years
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.
1993Geo or similar vehicle used in West Virginia in 1994
approx. 1993 – 1994
Vehicle used to transport Bobbi Joe Jones
1982truck used in February 1982 rape
approx. 1982 – 1982
Luther was traced through his truck and arrested.
Timeline
Jun 23, 1957
Thomas Edward Luther was born June 23, 1957, in Hardwick, Vermont, the eldest of five children.
1974
Luther's father died when Luther was 17 years old.
Jan 06, 1982
Bobby Jo Oberholtzer and Annette Schnee disappeared in Breckenridge, Colorado. Luther became a suspect in these unsolved murders, but was never charged.
Feb 13, 1982
Luther is arrested and charged with the crime.
Feb 13, 1982
Tom Luther rapes and beats a 21 year-old woman named Mary who accepted a ride from him near Breckenridge, Colorado.
Jun 23, 1983
Luther agreed to plead guilty to first-degree and second-degree sexual assault in exchange for other charges from the February 13 incident being dropped. Luther is sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Jan 05, 1993
Released from Colorado penitentiary; Snider picked him up.
Mar 28, 1993
Cher Elder, a twenty-year-old from Golden, disappeared after an argument with her boyfriend. She was last seen in Central City in the company of Tom Luther.
Apr 12, 1993
Heather Smith was stabbed five times outside her home near Washington Park.
Apr 20, 1993
First interview with detective Richardson about Cher Elder case.
Jul 12, 1993
Lakewood police department held a press conference showing pictures of Cher, Luther and Luther's car.
Aug 21, 1994
In West Virginia, Luther beat and raped Bobbi Joe Jones before letting her go.
Jan 25, 1995
Sentenced to 17 years in prison (sexual assault in the first degree) for the rape of Bobbi Joe Jones. Luther is sent to Mt. Olive Correctional Center in West Virginia.
Feb 21, 1995
Police found Cher Elder's body.
Mar 07, 1995
A Jefferson County grand jury returned an indictment against Thomas Edward Luther, charging him with the murder, sexual assault and robbery of Cher Elder.
Jan 23, 1996
Trial began for Cher Elder's murder.
Feb 06, 1996
Jury finds Luther guilty of second-degree murder.
Apr 05, 1996
Sentenced to 48 years for the murder of Cher Elder.
May 1996
Thomas Edward Luther was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 48 years in prison. He was sentenced to another 50 years in prison for the attack on Heather Smith.
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 ·
Thomas Edward Luther“Date of murders: 1970's - 1994; Location: Vermont/Colorado/West Virginia/Pennsylvania, USA”
News report · Crime Magazine ·
Serial Killer Tom Luther Strikes in Colorado - 1982“On February 13, 1982, Tom Luther rapes and beats a 21 year-old woman named Mary who accepted a ride from him near Breckenridge, Colorado. Luther was traced through his truck and arrested.”
Other · Radford University Department of Psychology ·
Radford University serial killer biography: Luther, Thomas Edward“Thomas Edward Luther, born 06/23/1957 in Hardwick, Vermont; convicted of sexual assault 1983, sentenced to 15 years; convicted of second-degree murder 1996, sentenced to 48 years.”
News report · History.com ·
Serial killer strikes in Colorado“In West Virginia, Luther raped and beat a hitchhiker in 1994. He was caught and convicted for that attack and then returned to Colorado.”
News report · Infamy Almanac ·
Thomas Edward Luther: A Killer In Colorado“On this day in 1982, a 21-year-old woman named Mary Brown accepted a ride from a man in the ski town of Breckenridge, Colorado. Upon entering the man's vehicle, she was raped and severely beaten with a claw hammer.”
News report · CBS Colorado ·
Reunion Brings Victim, Officer Together 25 Years Later“Luther now sits in prison, sentenced for the attack on Callahan and the killing of Elder. At 61, he has no chance of living long enough to reach his first parole hearing scheduled for 2083.”
News report · Westword ·
Murderer's Row“Judge Munch then sentenced Luther to 48 years, the maximum allowed by law, to be served after his West Virginia sentence.”
News report · Westword ·
Facing the Monster (Part 1)“Luther had been convicted in 1982 of brutally raping and beating Mary in Summit County, and was also a suspect in the murders of two women–Bobby Jo Oberholtzer and Annette Kay Schnee–last seen in Breckenridge in early January 1982.”
Discussion
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