Offender Record · OFF-2026-179
Lesley Eugene Warren (photo from the Radford University biography)
Lesley Eugene Warren
Also known as The Babyface Killer
Sex
Male
Race
White
Height
5'11"
Born
1967
Custody
Incarcerated
States
NC, NY, SC, PA, GA
Distinguishing featuresDescribed in records as physically attractive with youthful appearance (source: document)
Custody
Incarcerated at Central Prison · #0487180
Custody record at the facility
Incarcerated at Central Prison, Raleigh, North Carolina under death sentence (source: mycrimelibrary.com)
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
Lesley Eugene Warren is a serial killer convicted of the first-degree murders of Jayme Denise Hurley and Katherine Johnson in North Carolina and Velma Faye Gray in South Carolina between 1987 and 1990. Warren is sentenced to death in North Carolina for two murders and received a life sentence in South Carolina for one murder. He is currently incarcerated at Central Prison in Raleigh, North Carolina, and has confessed to additional murders in New York.
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 Aug 26, 1989, Spartanburg, South Carolina
First-degree murder of Velma Faye Gray
Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office, South Carolina · South Carolina · Arrested Jul 25, 1990 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Life imprisonment
Warren encountered Velma Faye Gray after her car wrecked on August 26, 1989. He beat her and choked her to death, then dumped her body in Lake Bowen. Body was discovered by fishermen on August 27, 1989. Warren was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in South Carolina.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Warren, Lesley Eugene; WARREN v. THOMAS (2018); Lesley Eugene Warren; State v. Warren, 347 N.C. 309, 492 S.E.2d 609 (N.C. 1997)
Offense date May 24, 1990, Candler, North Carolina
First-degree murder of Jayme Denise Hurley
Buncombe County, North Carolina · North Carolina Superior Court, Buncombe County · Docket 562A96 · N.C. Gen. Stat. § 14-17 · Arrested Jul 21, 1990 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Death
Warren visited Jayme Hurley at her home on May 24, 1990. Hurley was Warren's former counselor from the Juvenile Evaluation Center. Warren strangled her to death and buried her body in a shallow grave near Candler. Her body was discovered on July 18, 1990, leading to his arrest. Warren pleaded guilty in February 1995 and was sentenced to death.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Warren, Lesley Eugene; State v. Warren, 347 N.C. 309, 492 S.E.2d 609 (N.C. 1997); CONFESSED KILLER MADE OTHERS CARE; WARREN v. THOMAS (2018)
Offense date Jul 16, 1990, High Point, North Carolina
First-degree murder of Katherine Noel Johnson
Guilford County, North Carolina · North Carolina Superior Court, Guilford County · Docket 116A96 · N.C. Gen. Stat. § 14-17 · Arrested Jul 21, 1990 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Death
Warren met Katherine Johnson at a work picnic on July 15, 1990. They spent the night drinking together. On July 16, 1990, they went to a deserted soccer field where they had consensual sex. Warren then strangled her to death with a bra wrapped around her neck. He placed her body in the trunk of her car and abandoned the vehicle in a High Point parking garage. Warren was indicted on September 17, 1990, tried in March 1996, and convicted. He was sentenced to death.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Warren, Lesley Eugene; STATE v. WARREN (1998); WARREN v. THOMAS (2018); CONFESSED KILLER MADE OTHERS CARE
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.
3
Victims convicted
4
Victims confessed
8
Victims suspected
Active years
1987–1990
Victim profile
Young women, Acquaintances, Strangers
Stated motive
Sexual, Thrill
Range from home
interstate
Confessed
Yes
Cooperated with investigators
Yes
Education
high school
Marital history
Married, Divorced
Children
2
Military discharge
dishonorable
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.
High Point Police Department · NC
Agency case Katherine Noel Johnson murder (1990-07-16)
Arrested Warren in High Point on July 20, 1990; discovered Johnson's body; obtained confession
Guilford County District Attorney's Office · NC
Agency case Katherine Noel Johnson murder (indicted 1990-09-17)
Prosecuted Katherine Johnson murder; obtained first-degree murder conviction and death sentence (1996)
Buncombe County District Attorney's Office · NC
Agency case Jayme Denise Hurley murder
Prosecuted Jayme Hurley murder case in Buncombe County; obtained conviction and death sentence
North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation · NC
Agency case Multiple murders - serial killer investigation
Assisted with multi-jurisdictional investigation of Warren crimes
State of North Carolina Attorney General's Office · NC
Agency case Appeals - State v. Warren (1998)
Represented State on appeal; Special Deputy Attorney General Ellen B. Scouten argued case
Source: North Carolina Supreme Court
North Carolina Department of Adult Correction · NC
Agency case Multiple convictions - death row inmate
Houses Warren at Central Prison, Raleigh on death row for North Carolina convictions
Asheville Police Department · NC
Agency case Jayme Denise Hurley disappearance/murder
Investigated Hurley disappearance beginning May 28, 1990; Detective Lambert conducted interviews
Solicitor's Office, 7th Judicial Circuit, South Carolina · SC
Agency case Velma Faye Gray murder conviction (1993)
Prosecuted Velma Gray murder case; obtained conviction and life sentence
Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office · SC
Agency case Velma Faye Gray murder (1989-08-26)
Initial arrest on South Carolina warrant for Gray murder; investigated Gray's death in Lake Bowen
Source: North Carolina Supreme Court, Murderpedia
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.
GA
Augusta, Georgia
Apr 1986 – Apr 1986 · Fort Benning; Army basic training · army
NC
Candler, North Carolina
1967 – 1985 · Family home; raised by mother after parents' divorce in 1973
Candler, North Carolina
Sep 1974 – Sep 1974 · Emma Elementary School
Erwin, North Carolina
Apr 1979 – Jan 1982 · Erwin Middle School then Erwin High School
Buncombe, North Carolina
Oct 1982 – Oct 1985 · Buncombe County Detention Center and Juvenile Evaluation Center (Greenwood Cottage) in Swannanoa
Candler, North Carolina
Oct 1985 – Apr 1986 · Moved back in with mother
Candler, North Carolina
Sep 1988 – Dec 1988 · Moved back with mother; worked as cashier
Candler, North Carolina
Sep 1988 – May 1989 · Cashier at location 1 mile from mother's house
North Carolina
Dec 1988 – Mar 1989 · Enrolled in 3-month truck driving training at Alliance Truck Driving Center
North Carolina
May 1989 – Aug 1989 · Truck driver at AM-CAN Haulage Company
North Carolina
Jun 1989 – Aug 1989 · Transient; traveled while employed as truck driver; where Velma Gray murder occurred
Candler, North Carolina
Jun 1989 – May 1990 · Moved back with mother after separating from wife
North Carolina
approx. Jun 1989 – May 1990 · Truck driver; transient employment
High Point, North Carolina
Jul 15, 1990 – Jul 21, 1990 · Stayed at friend Terry Quimby's house; where Katherine Johnson murder occurred
High Point, North Carolina
Jul 21, 1990 – Jul 21, 1990 · Arrested at Terry Quimby's home in High Point on murder warrants
Raleigh, North Carolina
Jul 21, 1990 – present · Central Prison; on death row
NY
Fort Drum, New York
Dec 1986 – Jun 1988 · Tenth Mountain Division; stationed at Fort Drum near Watertown; where Patsy Vineyard murder occurred · army
New York, New York
Jun 1988 – Sep 1988 · Homeless, lived in flophouses
PA
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Aug 1988 – Sep 1988 · Brief travel and arrest on vagrancy charges
SC
Spartanburg, South Carolina
approx. Sep 1988 – 1989 · Lived with wife and child after military discharge
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.
1990 black Kawasaki motorcycle – Black Kawasaki motorcycle
approx. Jul 1990 – Jul 1990
Warren stole this motorcycle and swapped tags with another bike on July 11, 1990
1968 white Chevrolet unknown – White 1968 Chevrolet car with handcuffs hanging from mirror
approx. May 1990 – Jul 1990
Warren hung handcuffs on mirror. Whereabouts after this date unknown.
Timeline
Oct 15, 1967
Lesley Eugene Warren born in Candler, North Carolina.
1971
Father Douglas Warren set family trailer on fire, nearly killing his wife and children.
1973
Warren's parents divorced; mother granted sole custody and restraining order.
1982
Warren convicted of kidnapping Betty Pressley and attempted murder; sent to Juvenile Evaluation Center until October 1985.
Oct 1982
Warren attempted suicide by hanging while in custody; transferred to psychiatric hospital.
Oct 04, 1982
Warren arrested for kidnapping neighbor Betty Pressley and attempted murder of her friend with a revolver; placed in Buncombe County Detention Center.
Apr 10, 1986
Warren enlisted in U.S. Army, began basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia.
May 09, 1986
Warren married Tracey Bradshaw.
Dec 1986
Warren joined Tenth Mountain Division at Fort Drum, New York.
May 15, 1987
Warren murdered Patsy Vineyard, a 20-year-old woman at Fort Drum; body disposed in Black River, later found in Lake Ontario.
Feb 21, 1988
Warren went AWOL from Fort Drum.
Feb 25, 1988
Warren apprehended by military police for AWOL.
Mar 1988
Warren convicted at court-martial of larceny and unauthorized absence; confined to base 75 days, demoted to PFC.
Apr 28, 1988
Warren went AWOL again from Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana; became deserter.
Jun 17, 1988
Warren received dishonorable discharge from U.S. Army.
Jul 01, 1988
Deserter status confirmed; official separation from Army with $1,340 wages forfeit.
Aug 26, 1989
Warren murdered Velma Faye Gray, a 42-year-old woman in Spartanburg, South Carolina; beat and choked her, body disposed in Lake Bowen.
Aug 27, 1989
Body of Velma Gray discovered in Lake Bowen by fishermen.
May 24, 1990
Warren murdered Jayme Denise Hurley by strangulation at her residence near Candler, North Carolina.
May 29, 1990
Warren arrested on charges of larceny of Hurley's pocketbook and failing to produce motor vehicle title.
Jun 07, 1990
Warren released on bond from Buncombe County Jail.
Jul 15, 1990
Warren attended work picnic with Terry Quimby where he met Katherine Johnson.
Jul 16, 1990
Warren murdered Katherine Noel Johnson, a 21-year-old woman; strangled her in deserted soccer field, placed body in trunk of her car abandoned in High Point parking garage.
Jul 18, 1990
Body of Jayme Hurley discovered in shallow grave near Candler, North Carolina.
Jul 20, 1990
Police issued nationwide news release about suspected serial killer Lesley Eugene Warren.
Jul 21, 1990
Warren arrested at Terry Quimby's home in High Point on South Carolina warrant for Velma Gray murder; confessed to murders of Vineyard, Gray, Hurley, and Johnson.
Sep 17, 1990
Warren indicted in Guilford County, North Carolina for first-degree murder of Katherine Johnson.
1992
Warren convicted in South Carolina for first-degree murder of Velma Gray; sentenced to life imprisonment.
Feb 1995
Warren pleaded guilty to first-degree murder of Jayme Denise Hurley in North Carolina; sentenced to death.
Mar 1996
Warren tried and convicted in North Carolina of first-degree murder of Katherine Johnson; sentenced to death.
Nov 07, 1997
North Carolina Supreme Court upheld Warren's death sentence for Jayme Hurley murder.
May 03, 1998
U.S. Supreme Court upheld Warren's death sentence.
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 ·
Lesley Eugene Warren“Warren was not tried for Patsy's murder but he did receive a life sentence for killing Velma Gray in Spartanburg, South Carolina and the Asheville murders of Jayme Hurley and Katherine Johnson.”
News report · Crime Solvers Central ·
Lesley Eugene Warren, Serial Killer“Warren was apprehended in July 1990 in High Point, North Carolina, after investigators linked him to the disappearances of Hurley and Johnson.”
News report · Wikipedia ·
Lesley Eugene Warren“Convicted and sentenced to death for the murders in North Carolina, he later confessed to five additional murders, including one in New York, but was never charged with them.”
News report · Missing in the Carolinas ·
Episode 78-North Carolina Serial Killer Lesley Eugene Warren“Lesley was dishonorably discharged from the Army after receiving convictions for larceny and unauthorized absences, returning back to North Carolina and becoming a truck driver.”
News report · My Crime Library ·
Lesley Warren North Carolina Death Row“Lesley Warren was sentenced to death by the State of North Carolina for the murders of Jayme Denise Hurley, Patsy Diane Vineyard, Velma Faye Gray and Katherine Johnson.”
Court record · United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit ·
WARREN v. THOMAS (2018)“By then, he already had been convicted in South Carolina of the first-degree murder of Velma Gray, for which he received a life sentence. He also had pled guilty to the first-degree murder of Jayme Hurley in North Carolina, for which he was sentenced to death.”
News report · Greensboro News & Record ·
CONFESSED KILLER MADE OTHERS CARE“The discovery of Hurley's body in a shallow grave near Candler July 18 led to Warren's arrest two days later.”
Other · Radford University Department of Psychology ·
Radford University serial killer biography: Warren, Lesley Eugene“Killed Patsy Vineyard (WF, 20) —dropped body in the Black River near Sackets Harbor, NY—strangled and sexually assaulted”
Court record · North Carolina Supreme Court ·
STATE v. WARREN (1998)“Defendant Lesley Eugene Warren was indicted on 17 September 1990 for the first-degree murder of Katherine Johnson. The jury found defendant guilty of first-degree murder on the basis of premeditation and deliberation.”
Court record · North Carolina Supreme Court ·
State v. Warren, 347 N.C. 309, 492 S.E.2d 609 (N.C. 1997)“In February 1995 defendant, Lesley Eugene Warren, pled guilty to the first-degree murder of Jayme Denise Hurley. After a capital sentencing proceeding, the jury recommended a sentence of death.”
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