Offender Record · OFF-2026-186
Farion Wardrip (photo from the Radford University biography)
Faryion Edward Wardrip
Sex
Male
Race
White
Height
6'6"
Weight
220 lbs
Born
1959
Custody
Incarcerated
States
IN, TX
Custody
Incarcerated at Allan B. Polunsky Unit · #00999331
Custody record at the facility
On death row; TDCJ SID 03709079, TDCJ Number 00999331. Sentenced to death November 5, 1999 for capital murder of Terry Sims; three life sentences for murders of Toni Gibbs, Ellen Blau, and Debra Taylor.
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
Faryion Edward Wardrip was convicted of the murders of five women in Texas between 1984 and 1986. In 1986, he pleaded guilty to the murder of Tina Kimbrew, a 21-year-old waitress in Wichita Falls, and was sentenced to 35 years in prison. He was paroled in December 1997 after serving approximately 11 years. In 1999, DNA evidence linked Wardrip to four additional murders of women in Wichita Falls, Archer County, and Fort Worth, Texas. He confessed to all four murders and pleaded guilty on November 5, 1999, receiving a death sentence for the capital murder of Terry Sims and three life sentences for the murders of Toni Gibbs, Ellen Blau, and Debra Taylor. Wardrip remains on death row at the Allan B. Polunsky Unit in Livingston, 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 Dec 21, 1984, Wichita Falls, Texas
Capital Murder (Terry Sims)
Denton County, Texas (capital trial jurisdiction) · Denton County District Court · Docket F-99-0988-E · Arrested Feb 14, 1999 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Death by lethal injection
Terry Sims was a 20-year-old college student. On December 21, 1984, Wardrip broke into the apartment where she was staying, bound her hands with an electrical cord, sexually assaulted her, and stabbed her to death. She survived several minutes after the attack. Police recovered a semen sample and fingerprint from her shoe that were later matched to Wardrip. He pleaded guilty on October 25, 1999, to the capital murder charge on November 5, 1999.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Wardrip, Farion; Faryion Wardrip; Faryion Wardrip; WARDRIP v. LUMPKIN (2020)
Offense date Jan 19, 1985, Archer County, Texas
Murder (Toni Gibbs)
Archer County, Texas · Archer County District Court · Arrested Feb 14, 1999 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Life imprisonment (one of three consecutive life sentences)
Toni Gibbs was a 23-year-old nurse at Wichita Falls General Hospital. On January 19, 1985, Wardrip forced her to drive to a secluded area in Archer County where he sexually assaulted and stabbed her eight times (three wounds to back, three to chest, two defensive wounds on left forearm and thumb). She survived briefly and crawled approximately 100 feet before dying. Her body was found on February 15 in a field. He pleaded guilty on November 5, 1999.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Wardrip, Farion; Faryion Wardrip; Faryion Wardrip; Faryion Wardrip
Offense date Mar 29, 1985, Fort Worth, Texas
Murder (Debra Taylor)
Tarrant County, Texas · Tarrant County District Court · Arrested Feb 14, 1999 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Life imprisonment (one of three consecutive life sentences)
Debra Taylor was a 25-year-old woman. On March 24, 1985, Wardrip met her at a bar in Fort Worth, danced with her, and offered to drive her home. Once outside, he made unwanted sexual advances that she rejected. Enraged by her rejection, he killed her with blunt-force trauma and left her body at a construction site in east Fort Worth, where it was discovered on March 29, 1985. He was not initially a suspect in her case but confessed during 1999 police questioning.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Wardrip, Farion; Faryion Wardrip; Faryion Wardrip
Offense date Sep 20, 1985, Wichita Falls, Texas
Murder (Ellen Blau)
Wichita County, Texas · Wichita County District Court · Arrested Feb 14, 1999 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: Life imprisonment (one of three consecutive life sentences)
Ellen Blau was a 21-year-old college student and waitress. On September 20, 1985, Wardrip abducted her from a parking lot in Wichita Falls as she was leaving her job. He forced her at knifepoint to drive to a remote field where he strangled her. Her decomposed body was found three weeks later. He pleaded guilty on November 5, 1999.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Wardrip, Farion; Faryion Wardrip; Faryion Wardrip; Faryion Wardrip
Offense date May 06, 1986, Wichita Falls, Texas
Murder (Tina Kimbrew)
Wichita County, Texas · Wichita County District Court · Docket 23-520-A · Arrested May 09, 1986 · Convicted Convicted · Sentence: 35 years in prison
Tina Kimbrew was a 21-year-old waitress. Wardrip suffocated her in her apartment on May 6, 1986. He confessed within 72 hours and drove to Galveston, claiming he intended to commit suicide but surrendered to police instead. He pleaded guilty to the murder and was sentenced to 35 years on December 2, 1986.
SourcesRadford University serial killer biography: Wardrip, Farion; Faryion Wardrip; Tina Elizabeth Kimbrew (1964-1986) - Find a Grave Memorial; WARDRIP v. LUMPKIN (2020)
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.
5
Victims convicted
0
Victims confessed
0
Victims suspected
Active years
1984–1986
Victim profile
Young women, Strangers, Acquaintances
Stated motive
Sexual, Anger or revenge
Range from home
local
Confessed
Yes
Cooperated with investigators
Yes
Education
some high school
Children
2
Military discharge
other than honorable
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.
Archer County District Attorney's Office · TX
Agency case 99-03-0004A-CR
Prosecuted Toni Gibbs capital murder case
Wichita Falls Police Department · TX
Agency case Terry Sims murder
Investigated December 1984 murder of Terry Sims
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals · TX
Agency case 73,671
Direct appellate review of conviction
Fort Worth Police Department · TX
Agency case Debra Taylor murder
Investigated March 1985 murder of Debra Taylor
Wichita County Sheriff's Department · TX
Agency case Ellen Blau murder
Investigated October 1985 murder of Ellen Blau
Tarrant County District Attorney's Office · TX
Agency case 0722664D
Prosecuted Debra Taylor murder case
Texas Department of Criminal Justice · TX
Agency case 999331
Custody of inmate; housed at Polunsky Unit
United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas · TX
Agency case 7:01-CV-247
Federal habeas corpus proceedings
Wichita County District Attorney's Office - Cold Case Division · TX
Agency case Multiple
Detective John Little led 1999 cold case investigation and DNA linkage
Wichita County District Attorney's Office · TX
Agency case Multiple
Prosecuted multiple cases; reopened cold cases in 1999
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit · TX
Agency case 18-70016
Appellate review of federal habeas corpus decisions
United States Supreme Court · US
Agency case 21-5226
Petition for writ of certiorari reviewed
Archer County Sheriff's Department · TX
Agency case Toni Gibbs murder
Investigated January-February 1985 Toni Gibbs case
Denton County District Court · TX
Agency case F-99-0988-E
Trial court for Terry Sims capital murder (change of venue from Wichita County)
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.
IN
Indiana
approx. 1978 – 1984 · Army National Guard · national guard
TX
Wichita Falls, Texas
1980 – 1986
Wichita Falls, Texas
1983 – 1985 · Hospital janitor, then orderly at Wichita Falls General Hospital
Galveston, Texas
May 09, 1986 – May 09, 1986 · Voluntarily surrendered; arrested for murder of Tina Kimbrew
Huntsville, Texas
Dec 1986 – Dec 1997 · Huntsville Unit, Texas Department of Criminal Justice; sentenced for murder of Tina Kimbrew
Olney, Texas
Dec 1997 – Feb 1999
Olney, Texas
Dec 1997 – Feb 1999 · Screen and door factory materials buyer; Sunday school teacher at Hamilton Street Church of Christ
Wichita Falls, Texas
Feb 14, 1999 – Feb 14, 1999 · Arrested for capital murders of Terry Sims, Toni Gibbs, Ellen Blau; later charged with murder of Debra Taylor
Livingston, Texas
Nov 05, 1999 – present · Allan B. Polunsky Unit, Texas Department of Criminal Justice; death row inmate
Timeline
Mar 06, 1959
Faryion Edward Wardrip born in Salem, Indiana to George and Diana Wardrip.
1978
Wardrip joined the Army National Guard at age 19.
1983
Wardrip married a woman in Wichita Falls and began working as a hospital janitor, promoted to orderly within a year.
1984
Wardrip received a less-than-honorable discharge from the National Guard for smoking marijuana, disorderly conduct, and willful absences.
Dec 21, 1984
Wardrip murdered Terry Sims, a 20-year-old college student, by breaking into her apartment, binding her with an electrical cord, sexually assaulting her, and stabbing her to death.
1985
Wardrip separated from his wife.
Jan 19, 1985
Wardrip murdered Toni Gibbs, a 23-year-old nurse, forcing her to drive to a remote field where he sexually assaulted and stabbed her eight times.
Mar 29, 1985
Two construction workers discovered the body of Debra Taylor, a 25-year-old woman, whom Wardrip had killed after she rejected his sexual advances outside a Fort Worth bar.
Sep 20, 1985
Wardrip abducted Ellen Blau, a 21-year-old college student and waitress, from a parking lot in Wichita Falls, forcing her at knifepoint to a remote field where he strangled her.
May 06, 1986
Wardrip murdered Tina Kimbrew, a 21-year-old waitress and recent acquaintance, by suffocating her in her apartment.
May 09, 1986
Wardrip drove to Galveston, Texas, where he surrendered to police and confessed to the murder of Tina Kimbrew, claiming he had planned to commit suicide.
Dec 02, 1986
Wardrip pleaded guilty to the murder of Tina Kimbrew and was sentenced to 35 years in prison at Huntsville Unit.
Dec 11, 1997
Wardrip was paroled after serving approximately 11 years of his 35-year sentence; he was required to wear an ankle monitor and was restricted to movements for work, home, and church.
1998
Wardrip remarried (to Glenda Kelley) while on parole.
1999
DNA evidence recovered from crime scenes of Terry Sims and Toni Gibbs murders were linked together, indicating both victims killed by the same perpetrator.
Feb 14, 1999
Wardrip was arrested on Valentine's Day for the capital murders of Terry Sims, Toni Gibbs, Ellen Blau, and later charged with the murder of Debra Taylor after he confessed to all four crimes.
Oct 25, 1999
Wardrip pleaded guilty to the capital murder of Terry Sims in Wichita County District Court.
Nov 05, 1999
Wardrip pleaded guilty to the murders of Toni Gibbs, Ellen Blau, and Debra Taylor, and was convicted of capital murder; sentenced to death by lethal injection for Sims murder and three consecutive life sentences for the others.
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.
Offender registry · Find a Grave ·
Tina Elizabeth Kimbrew (1964-1986) - Find a Grave Memorial“A bartender-waitress at a local hotel in Wichita Falls, Texas, Tina Kimbrew was murdered on May, 6, 1986 by Faryion Edward Wardrip. The 27 year old Wardrip pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to thirty-five years in prison.”
Other government record · Texas Department of Criminal Justice ·
TDCJ Inmate Search - Inmate Details“WARDRIP,FARYION EDWARD Race: W Gender: M Age: 67 Maximum Sentence Date: DEATH ROW Current Facility: POLUNSKY Projected Release Date: DEATH ROW”
News report · Wikipedia ·
Faryion Wardrip“Faryion Edward Wardrip (born March 6, 1959) is an American serial killer who sexually assaulted and murdered five women. Four of the women were killed in Wichita Falls, Texas, and the surrounding counties, and one woman was murdered in Fort Worth.”
News report · Grokipedia ·
Faryion Wardrip“Upon questioning, he confessed to all four additional murders, resulting in guilty pleas for three non-capital cases and an indictment for capital murder in the death of Sims. In 2001, following a jury trial on the capital charge, Wardrip was convicted and sentenced to death by lethal injection.”
Court record · United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit ·
WARDRIP v. LUMPKIN (2020)“Faryion Edward Wardrip committed five murders in Texas between December 1984 and May 1986, four in Wichita County and one in Tarrant County. After Wardrip murdered Tina Kimbrew in Wichita Falls in May 1986, he drove to Galveston, Texas, saying later that he had planned to commit suicide. Instead, he surrendered to Galveston police and confessed only to his latest murder.”
News report · NewsChannel 6 Now ·
District court reinstates Faryion Wardrip death sentence“In 1999, DNA testing connected Wardrip to unsolved murders and he was arrested before eventually confessing to four other murders. He was charged for capital murder in the death of Terry Sims, one of the Wichita County victims, to which he pled guilty.”
Other · Radford University, Department of Psychology ·
Radford University serial killer biography: Wardrip, Farion“Plead guilty for the murder of Tina Kimbrew and was sentenced to 35 years in prison. Was paroled after 11 years in prison. DNA evidence ties Wardrip to the 1985 murders of Sims and Gibbs. Arrested for the murders of Sims and Gibbs. Eventually confesses to the murders of Sims, Gibbs, Taylor, and Blau. Plead guilty to the murders of Sims, Gibbs, Taylor, and Blau. Received a sentence of death.”
News report · Murderpedia ·
Faryion Wardrip“Wardrip, 39, was charged last week with capital murder in the stabbing death of Sims, and two more counts of capital murder were added Tuesday for the killings of Toni Gibbs and Ellen Blau. He was indicted by a grand jury in the Sims and Blau slayings Wednesday.”
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