Offender Record · OFF-2026-157
Tommy Lynn Sells (photo from the Radford University biography)
Tommy Lynn Sells
Sex
Male
Race
White
Height
5'9"
Born
1964
Custody
Deceased
States
TX, CA, MO, WY, TN, NC, WV, AR
Distinguishing features5'9" tall (per Radford University document)
Custody
Executed by lethal injection on April 3, 2014 at Huntsville Unit, Texas (per Clark Prosecutor and Texas Department of Criminal Justice)
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. Where a record says named by police, no charge was ever filed: the record rests on a law enforcement agency's public identification of the deceased person, cited below. Not guilty by reason of insanity means the court found the act proven but the person not criminally responsible. 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
Tommy Lynn Sells was convicted of capital murder for killing a 13-year-old girl in Del Rio, Texas in December 1999, and pleaded guilty to capital murder for killing a 9-year-old girl in San Antonio in April 1999. He was also convicted of malicious wounding in West Virginia in 1993 for an attack on an adult woman. Sells claimed to have killed 50 to 70 people across multiple states between 1979 and 1999, with investigators confirming approximately 22 murders. He was executed by lethal injection on April 3, 2014 in Huntsville, Texas.
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 May 13, 1992, Charleston, West Virginia
Malicious wounding in Charleston, West Virginia (attack on adult woman Fabienne Witherspoon, 20)
Charleston Police Department, West Virginia · Charleston, West Virginia · West Virginia malicious wounding statute · Arrested May 13, 1992 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: 2-10 years imprisonment (5 years served)
On May 13, 1992, Sells attacked a woman who had offered him food and shelter in Charleston, West Virginia. He attempted to rape her, stabbed her multiple times, and beat her with a piano stool. The victim survived by stabbing him severely in return (23 wounds), sustaining serious injuries herself. Sells was convicted of malicious wounding on June 24, 1993; the rape charge was dropped as part of a plea deal.
SourcesFabienne Witherspoon Reflects On Attack By Tommy Lynn Sells; Tommy Lynn Sells #1374 - Clark Prosecutor
Offense date Oct 15, 1997, Springfield, Missouri
Charged with capital murder of Stephanie Mahaney (13-year-old) in Springfield, Missouri
Greene County Sheriff's Office, Missouri · Greene County District Court, Missouri · Missouri capital murder statute · Arrested Jan 02, 2000 · Charged (pending) Charged (pending) · Sentence: Indicted but never tried (remained on death row in Texas)
The 13-year-old victim disappeared on October 15, 1997 near Springfield, Missouri. Her body was found in a pond a month later. Sells confessed to the murder and was indicted on September 17, 2003, but was never tried because he was already serving a death sentence in Texas and state authorities would not permit his removal.
SourcesTexas Killer Charged In Springfield Murder; Tommy Lynn Sells #1374 - Clark Prosecutor
Offense date Apr 18, 1999, San Antonio, Texas
Capital murder of Mary Beatrice Perez (9-year-old) by strangulation during abduction from outdoor festival
Bexar County, Texas · Bexar County District Court, Texas · Texas Penal Code capital murder · Arrested Jan 02, 2000 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Life imprisonment (prosecutors waived death penalty in exchange for guilty plea)
The 9-year-old victim disappeared from San Antonio's Market Square during Fiesta in April 1999. Sells abducted her from the festival, drove her to a stockyard, sexually assaulted her, and strangled her to death with her T-shirt. Her body was found in a creek ten days later. Sells pleaded guilty on September 11, 2003.
SourcesTommy Lynn Sells; Tommy Lynn Sells #1374 - Clark Prosecutor
Offense date Dec 31, 1999, Del Rio, Texas
Attempted capital murder of Krystal Surles (10-year-old) by slashing her throat with a knife
Val Verde County Sheriff's Office, Texas · 63rd District Court of Val Verde County, Texas · Texas Penal Code attempted capital murder · Arrested Jan 02, 2000 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Life imprisonment (as part of joined trial with capital murder)
The 10-year-old victim's throat was slashed by Sells on December 31, 1999. She survived by pretending to be dead, then walked to a neighbor's house despite a severed trachea and provided police with a composite description that led to Sells' identification and arrest.
SourcesTommy Lynn Sells #1374 - Clark Prosecutor; Fabienne Witherspoon Reflects On Attack By Tommy Lynn Sells
Offense date Dec 31, 1999, Del Rio, Texas
Capital murder of Kaylene Harris (13-year-old) by slitting her throat with a knife while committing burglary with intent to commit aggravated sexual assault
Val Verde County Sheriff's Office, Texas · 63rd District Court of Val Verde County, Texas · Texas Penal Code capital murder · Arrested Jan 02, 2000 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Death
Sells entered the home through a window on December 31, 1999, and lay down next to the sleeping 13-year-old victim. He sexually assaulted her and then slashed her throat and stabbed her multiple times as she tried to escape, resulting in her death. He also attacked a 10-year-old companion who survived.
SourcesTommy Lynn Sells #1374 - Clark Prosecutor; Death Row Inmate Information - Tommy Sells; Tommy Lynn Sells
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.
2
Victims convicted
20
Victims confessed
22
Victims suspected
Active years
1979–1999
Stated motive
Sexual, Anger or revenge
Range from home
interstate
Confessed
Yes
Education
some high school
Marital history
Married
Children
2
Died
2014-04-03 · executed
Agencies
Law enforcement, prosecutors and corrections agencies the records show dealing with this person. An investigator working a case with a possible connection can start here.
Texas Department of Criminal Justice · TX
Agency case TDCJ #999367
Incarcerated Sells from November 8, 2000 until execution on April 3, 2014
Val Verde County Sheriff's Office · TX
Arrested Sells on January 2, 2000 for attempted capital murder of Krystal Surles and capital murder of Kaylene Harris
Greene County Sheriff's Office · MO
Investigated and charged Sells with capital murder of Stephanie Mahaney (13-year-old) in Springfield, Missouri on October 15, 1997 (charged-pending status)
Source: Missourinet
Bexar County Sheriff's Office · TX
Investigated capital murder of Mary Beatrice Perez (9-year-old) on April 18, 1999 in Bexar County
Source: San Antonio Express-News
Charleston Police Department · WV
Investigated malicious wounding of Fabienne Witherspoon on May 13, 1992
Source: Oxygen Media
Val Verde County District Attorney's Office · TX
Prosecuted capital murder cases in Val Verde County, Texas (Krystal Surles attempt, Kaylene Harris murder)
Source: Clark County Prosecutor's Office
Kanawha County Prosecutor's Office · WV
Prosecuted malicious wounding case against Sells for 1992 Charleston attack
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.
AR
Little Rock, Arkansas
1983 – 1985 · Various manual labor jobs
Arkansas
1985 – 1985 · Missouri Department of Corrections for felony theft; served 8 months, paroled 12/18/1985
CA
Oakland, California
1964 – 1965 · Birth place
Oakland, California
1980 · Gang-related activities
Los Angeles, California
1980 · Laborer
MO
Holcomb, Missouri
approx. 1965 – 1969 · Lived with Aunt Bonnie (approximately 18 months to 5 years old)
Saint Louis, Missouri
approx. 1978 – 1999 · Transient lifestyle from age 14, periodically returned to St. Louis area
Missouri
1984 – 1985 · Missouri Department of Corrections for auto theft; served 8 months of 2-year sentence
Saint Louis, Missouri
1986 · Atlas Towing truck driver
NC
Multiple Jurisdictions, North Carolina
approx. 1978 – 1999 · Cross-country transient lifestyle; traveled by hitchhiking, train-hopping, and vehicles; active in Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, California, Nevada, Arizona, New York, Illinois, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Massachusetts, and other states
TN
Tennessee
1997 – 1997 · Moved to Tennessee after release from prison with wife Nora Price; abandoned her and resumed traveling
TX
Del Rio, Texas
1998 – 1999 · Moved in with Jessica Levrie
Huntsville, Texas
2000 – 2014 · Huntsville Unit, Texas Department of Criminal Justice Death Row (TDCJ #999367); received 11/8/2000, executed 4/3/2014
WV
West Virginia
1993 – 1997 · West Virginia Department of Corrections for malicious wounding (Fabienne Witherspoon attack); sentenced 2-10 years, released May 1997
WY
Wyoming
1986 – 1987 · Wyoming State Penitentiary for vehicle theft; paroled October 15, 1986, returned for DUI parole violation
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.
Black van
approx. 1988 – 1988
Stolen vehicle used in 1988 for luring a 3-year-old boy and his mother who then disappeared
Various stolen vehicles
approx. 1978 – 1999
Sells frequently stole and used vehicles during his transient lifestyle
Timeline
Jun 28, 1964
Tommy Lynn Sells born in Oakland, California.
Dec 1965
Sells and his twin sister contract meningitis at 18 months; his sister dies from the illness.
1980
Sells claims he killed a man with an ice pick near a Chinese restaurant in Los Angeles.
May 08, 1984
Sells arrested for stealing a car in Arkansas.
Sep 18, 1984
Sells convicted of auto theft and sentenced to two years in prison.
Feb 18, 1985
Sells paroled from Arkansas prison.
Apr 1985
Sells convicted of felony theft in Missouri and served 8 months.
Dec 18, 1985
Sells released on parole from Missouri Department of Corrections.
Oct 15, 1986
Sells returns to prison on parole violation for driving while intoxicated.
1990
Sells arrested for public intoxication and convicted for stealing a pickup truck; serves 16 months of 2-year sentence in Wyoming State Penitentiary.
May 13, 1992
Sells arrested for malicious wounding after attacking Fabienne Witherspoon, 20, in Charleston, West Virginia.
Jun 24, 1993
Sells convicted of malicious wounding in Charleston, West Virginia; sentenced to 2-10 years; rape charge dropped.
May 1997
Sells released on parole from West Virginia Department of Corrections and moves to Tennessee with wife Nora Price.
Oct 15, 1997
Sells abducts and kills 13-year-old Stephanie Mahaney near Springfield, Missouri; body found in pond a month later.
Apr 18, 1999
Sells abducts 9-year-old Mary Beatrice Perez from San Antonio Fiesta, drives her to stockyard, sexually assaults and strangles her; body found in creek.
May 13, 1999
Sells rapes and strangles 13-year-old Haley McHone in Lexington, Kentucky; sells her bicycle for $20.
Dec 31, 1999
Sells enters a Del Rio, Texas home and kills 13-year-old Kaylene Harris by slitting her throat and stabbing her 16 times; slashes throat of 10-year-old Krystal Surles who survives.
Jan 02, 2000
Sells arrested in Del Rio, Texas for the December 31, 1999 murders.
Feb 08, 2000
State of Texas indicts Sells for capital murder of Kaylene Harris.
Sep 18, 2000
Val Verde County jury convicts Sells of capital murder of Kaylene Harris and attempted murder of Krystal Surles.
Sep 20, 2000
Sells sentenced to death for the capital murder of Kaylene Harris.
Nov 08, 2000
Sells received at Huntsville Unit, Texas Department of Criminal Justice death row (TDCJ #999367).
Sep 11, 2003
Sells pleads guilty to capital murder of 9-year-old Mary Beatrice Perez; receives life sentence (prosecutors waived death penalty).
Sep 17, 2003
Sells indicted for capital murder of 13-year-old Stephanie Mahaney in Missouri but never tried.
Apr 03, 2014
Sells executed by lethal injection at Huntsville Unit, Texas at age 49.
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 · Oxygen Media ·
Fabienne Witherspoon Reflects On Attack By Tommy Lynn Sells“Following the attack, Sells was arrested and took a plea deal on malicious wounding charges and served five years in prison.”
Other government record · Texas Department of Criminal Justice ·
Death Row Inmate Information - Tommy Sells“TDCJ Number: 999367 Date of Birth: 6/28/1964 Date Received: 11/8/2000”
News report · Wikipedia ·
Tommy Lynn Sells“Died: April 3, 2014 (aged 49) Huntsville Unit, Texas, U.S. Criminal status: Executed by lethal injection”
Other government record · Clark County Prosecutor's Office ·
Tommy Lynn Sells #1374 - Clark Prosecutor“On Sept. 18, 2000, a Val Verde County jury convicted Sells of the capital murder of thirteen-year-old Kaylene Harris.”
Other government record · Texas Execution Information Center ·
Execution Report: Tommy Sells“Tommy Lynn Sells, 49, was executed by lethal injection on 3 April 2014 in Huntsville, Texas for the sexual assault and murder of a 13-year-old girl inside her home.”
Other · Radford University Department of Psychology ·
Radford University serial killer biography: Sells, Tommy Lynn“Height 5'9'' Race White Born 06-28-64 in Oakland, CA”
News report · Missourinet ·
Texas Killer Charged In Springfield Murder“Inmate Tommy Lynn Sells is charged with strangling Stephanie Mahaney in 1997.”
News report · San Antonio Express-News ·
Tommy Lynn Sells“Sells, 36, was indicted Feb. 1 in the capital murder of 9-year-old Mary Bea Perez, who disappeared from San Antonio's Market Square during Fiesta in April 1999.”
News report · Wikipedia ·
Dardeen family homicides“No suspects were officially identified in the quadruple homicide until the 2000s, when serial killer Tommy Lynn Sells, following his conviction and death sentence for the murder of a teenage girl in Texas, claimed responsibility for the crime.”
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