Offender Record · OFF-2026-185
Fred Waterfield (photo from the Radford University biography)
Fred Levin Waterfield Jr.
Sex
Male
Race
White
Height
6'0"
Born
1952
Custody
Incarcerated
States
FL, NJ
Custody
Serving two consecutive life sentences with specified minimum of 50 years before parole eligibility; initially incarcerated at Okeechobee Correctional Institution, transferred to Hardee Correctional Institution.
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
Fred Levin Waterfield Jr. was convicted of two counts of murder and two counts of kidnapping in connection with the deaths of teenagers Barbara Ann Byer and Angelica LaVallee on May 20, 1983, in Vero Beach, Florida. He was also convicted of manslaughter in the death of 17-year-old Lynn Elliott on July 26, 1983. Waterfield was charged but not convicted in connection with the deaths of mother and daughter Hsiang Huang Ling and Ying Hua Ling on February 19, 1981. He has been incarcerated in Florida since his convictions, currently serving two consecutive life sentences.
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 19, 1981, Vero Beach, Florida
Murder
Indian River County Sheriff, Florida · Docket 311983CF000361B (83-361) and 311984CF000481A (84-481) · Arrested Jul 26, 1983
Waterfield was charged but not convicted in connection with the February 19, 1981 murder of Hsiang Huang Ling, a 48-year-old woman. Gore claimed he tied her to a tree and she choked to death while he and Waterfield raped her daughter, Ying Hua Ling, 17. Their bodies were dismembered and placed in oil drums that were buried.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Waterfield, Fred; David Alan Gore #1290
Offense date Jul 15, 1981, Vero Beach, Florida
Murder
Indian River County Sheriff, Florida · Docket 311983CF000361B (83-361) and 311984CF000481A (84-481) · Arrested Jul 26, 1983
Waterfield was charged but not convicted in connection with the July 15, 1981 murder of Judith Kay Daley, a 35-year-old former Fort Pierce resident visiting from California. Gore disabled her vehicle at the beach and offered assistance, then both men abducted and raped her. Gore claimed he disposed of her body in a swamp.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Waterfield, Fred; David Alan Gore #1290
Offense date May 20, 1983, Vero Beach, Florida
Kidnapping
Indian River County Sheriff, Florida · Lake County Circuit Court, Fifth Judicial Circuit · Docket 311984CF000481A (84-481) · Arrested Jul 26, 1983 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Included in two consecutive life sentences
Two counts of kidnapping as part of conviction for the murders of Barbara Ann Byer and Angelica LaVallee.
SourcesWATERFIELD v. STATE (2008); Fred Waterfield, Serial Killer
Offense date May 20, 1983, Vero Beach, Florida
Murder
Indian River County Sheriff, Florida · Lake County Circuit Court, Fifth Judicial Circuit · Docket 311984CF000481A (84-481) · Arrested Jul 26, 1983 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Two consecutive life sentences with minimum 50 years before parole
On May 20, 1983, Waterfield and his cousin David Gore picked up two 14-year-old hitchhikers, Barbara Ann Byer and Angelica LaVallee, near Orlando. The girls were taken to a secluded location where both were raped, murdered, and dismembered. Their bodies were placed in oil drums and buried.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Waterfield, Fred; David Alan Gore #1290; WATERFIELD v. STATE (2008); Fred Waterfield, Serial Killer
Offense date Jul 26, 1983, Vero Beach, Florida
Manslaughter
Indian River County Sheriff, Florida · Charlotte County Circuit Court, Twentieth Judicial Circuit · Docket 311983CF000361B (83-361) · Arrested Jul 26, 1983 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Fifteen years imprisonment
On July 26, 1983, Waterfield and Gore picked up two teenagers, Lynn Elliott, 17, and Regan Martin, 14, while hitchhiking. They took the girls to Gore's parents' house at gunpoint and bound them in separate rooms. According to court records, Waterfield left the house and did not personally kill Elliott. Witness testimony indicated Waterfield departed before Elliott's death, leaving only Gore present. Waterfield was convicted of the lesser-included offense of manslaughter rather than murder because Gore backed out of a plea agreement that would have provided stronger evidence of Waterfield's involvement.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Waterfield, Fred; WATERFIELD v. STATE (2010); Gore v. State
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
6
Victims confessed
6
Victims suspected
Active years
1981–1983
Victim profile
Young women, Teenagers, Hitchhikers, Strangers
Range from home
regional
Accomplice
Yes
Confessed
Yes
Education
high school
Marital history
Divorced
Children
3
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.
Okeechobee Correctional Institution · FL
Facility where Waterfield was initially incarcerated; later transferred
Source: Wikipedia
State Attorney's Office, Fifth Judicial Circuit · FL
Agency case 84-481
Prosecuted kidnapping and murder case in Lake County (transferred from Indian River County)
Source: Florida District Court of Appeal, Second District, Florida District Court of Appeal, Fourth District
Indian River County Sheriff's Office · FL
Agency case 311983CF000361B, 311984CF000481A
Arrested Waterfield on July 26, 1983; investigated murders, kidnappings, and rapes
Source: Serial Killer Database Fandom, Florida Supreme Court, Crime Solvers Central
State Attorney's Office, Twentieth Judicial Circuit · FL
Agency case 84-25
Prosecuted manslaughter case transferred from Indian River County; Waterfield convicted of lesser offense
Source: Florida District Court of Appeal, Second District, Florida District Court of Appeal, Fourth District
State Attorney's Office, Nineteenth Judicial Circuit · FL
Agency case 311983CF000361B, 311984CF000481A
Prosecuted charges in Indian River County before venue transfer
Source: Florida District Court of Appeal, Second District, Florida District Court of Appeal, Fourth District
Hardee Correctional Institution · FL
Facility where Waterfield was transferred and currently serving two consecutive life sentences
Source: Wikipedia, Crime Solvers Central
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
Bowling Green, Florida
until present · Hardee Correctional Institution, serving two consecutive life sentences
Vero Beach, Florida
until 1983 · Managed and/or owned automotive shop (D&F automotive specialists)
Vero Beach, Florida
until 1983 · Lived in Vero Beach area and Indian River County; resided at 4774 Pilgrims Way with partner Pamela Marie Vards in 1981
Okeechobee, Florida
1985 · Okeechobee Correctional Institution; housed there after conviction, later transferred
NJ
New Jersey
1952 · Born in New Jersey; raised by uncle, David Gore's father
Timeline
Sep 29, 1952
Fred Levin Waterfield Jr. born in New Jersey.
1962
At age 10, Waterfield sexually assaulted an 8-year-old girl.
1971
At age 19, Waterfield molested his cousin Wendy Gore, age 15.
1976
Waterfield and David Gore were jailed and questioned after 20-year-old Angela Hommell Austin accused them of raping her at gunpoint; they were not charged.
Feb 19, 1981
Waterfield and Gore murdered Hsiang Huang Ling, 48, and her daughter Ying Hua Ling, 17, in Vero Beach, Florida.
Jul 15, 1981
Waterfield and Gore murdered Judith Kay Daley, 35, a visitor from California.
May 20, 1983
Waterfield and Gore murdered Barbara Ann Byer and Angelica LaVallee, both age 14, near Orlando, Florida.
Jul 26, 1983
Waterfield and Gore kidnapped Lynn Elliott, 17, and Regan Martin, 14, while they were hitchhiking; Elliott was shot and killed by Gore; Waterfield arrested.
Jul 26, 1983
Waterfield arrested in Indian River County, Florida for a series of murders, kidnappings, and rapes.
May 29, 1984
Waterfield convicted of manslaughter in the death of Lynn Elliott in Charlotte County; sentenced to 15 years.
Jan 21, 1985
Waterfield convicted of two counts of murder and two counts of kidnapping for the deaths of Barbara Ann Byer and Angelica LaVallee; sentenced to two consecutive life sentences with minimum 50 years before parole.
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 · Serial Killer Database Fandom ·
Killing Cousins“Waterfield was convicted of two murders and is currently serving two consecutive life sentences.”
Other government record · Wikipedia ·
Okeechobee Correctional Institution“Fred Waterfield (born 1952), The cousin and accomplice of serial killer David Alan Gore. He was later transferred to Hardee Correctional Institution.”
Other government record · Wikipedia ·
Hardee Correctional Institution“Fred Waterfield: Cousin and accomplice of serial killer David Alan Gore”
News report · Crime Solvers Central ·
Fred Waterfield, Serial Killer“On January 21, 1985, Waterfield was convicted for the murders of Barbara Ann Byer and Angelica LaVallee, receiving two consecutive life sentences. He is currently incarcerated at Hardee Correctional Institution in Florida.”
News report · Wikipedia ·
David Alan Gore“In 1976, prior to the murders, police jailed and questioned both Gore and Waterfield after 20-year-old Angela Hommell Austin accused them of raping her at gunpoint. The cousins insisted the sex was consensual, and they were not charged in her case.”
News report · Clark Prosecutor ·
David Alan Gore #1290“On January 21, 1985, Fred Waterfield was convicted in the Byer-Levallee murders, receiving two consecutive life terms with a specified minimum stint of 50 years before parole.”
Court record · Florida District Court of Appeal, Second District ·
WATERFIELD v. STATE (2010)“In 1983 Frederick L. Waterfield Jr. was charged in Indian River County with a series of murders, kidnappings, and rapes. One homicide charge was transferred to the Twentieth Judicial Circuit, Charlotte County, where Waterfield was convicted of the lesser-included offense of manslaughter and sentenced to fifteen years in prison.”
Court record · Florida District Court of Appeal, Fourth District ·
WATERFIELD v. STATE (2008)“Venue in case number 84-481 was transferred to Lake County in the Fifth Judicial Circuit, and Waterfield was convicted of kidnapping and murder and sentenced to life in prison.”
Other · Radford University Department of Psychology ·
Radford University serial killer biography: Waterfield, Fred“Fred Waterfield was born on September 29, 1952 in New Jersey. Date convicted January 21, 1985. Sentence: Two consecutive life terms with a specified minimum stint of 50 years before parole.”
Court record · Florida Supreme Court ·
Gore v. State“Waterfield was ultimately convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to fifteen years.”
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