December 8, 2025 • 34 mins
In Part 6 of this multi-part docu-series, award winning host Kelly Jennings picks up with the horrific account of the murder of Gina Wilson Green, a 41-year-old nurse and office manager, who found murdered in her home on Stanford Avenue in Baton Rouge on September 24, 2001.
Derrick Todd Lee (DTL) terrorized the Baton Rouge and Lafayette Louisiana. A Serial Killer who took the lives of at least (7) women in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, Lee’s reign of terror finally ended in late May of 2003 when he was captured in Atlanta, GA after being linked by DNA to several of the murders.
#DTL #podcast #DerrickToddLee #BatonRouge #SerialKiller #unspeakable #Serial #StanfordAvenue #GinaWilsonGreen
Timestamps
01:53 Nurse Gina Wilson Green
08:18 The House on Stanford Ave
15:30 The Attack Ensues
23:05 Detectives Work The Scene
31:02 Unlikely Release
Derrick Todd Lee (DTL) terrorized the Baton Rouge and Lafayette Louisiana. A Serial Killer who took the lives of at least (7) women in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, Lee’s reign of terror finally ended in late May of 2003 when he was captured in Atlanta, GA after being linked by DNA to several of the murders.
#DTL #podcast #DerrickToddLee #BatonRouge #SerialKiller #unspeakable #Serial #StanfordAvenue #GinaWilsonGreen
Timestamps
01:53 Nurse Gina Wilson Green
08:18 The House on Stanford Ave
15:30 The Attack Ensues
23:05 Detectives Work The Scene
31:02 Unlikely Release
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
In the sultry heat of Louisiana, where the bayous whisper
secrets and the air hangs heavy with the scent of magnolias,
a darkness lurked beneath the surface. Derrick Todd Lee was
a man whose charm masked a sinister reality.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
He was a monster.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Lee, a seemingly ordinary man with a disarming smile, led
a double life that would unravel in a series of
murders in the capital city of Baton Rouge and the
surrounding areas. As the first reports of disappearances and murders
began to surface, South Louisiana was thrust into a nightmare,
igniting a frantic search for answers. The true horror was
(00:46):
just beginning, and the hunt for a serial killer, eventually
known by just three letters, would reveal not only the
depths of Dereck Todd Lee's depravity, but also the resilience
of those most affected by his evil acts, the families
and the survivors.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
This is DTL.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
It was now September of two thousand and one, and
Derek Toddlee had just been in a fight with his wife,
and this fight resulted in his arrest. But luckily for him,
those charges would be dropped in the moment, though he
was highly agitated. Women were just too damn hard to
get along with, especially when they didn't do what he
(01:31):
said and they didn't do what he wanted them to do,
and he would need a way to work off some
of this tension, and he knew exactly what he was
going to do. Whether his wife or girlfriend ever sought
medical attention after he beat them, that's up for speculation.
But if they did, Our Lady of the Lake Regional
Medical Center on Essen Lane would have proved the best
(01:51):
place to go for treatment. Our Lady the Lake serves
as the largest private medical center in the state of
Louisiana and provides care for basically every thing, from complex
medical issues to the more common ones. They provide care
for both pediatric and adult patients. The hospital is an
interesting one in that it's a nonprofit and founded in
(02:12):
Catholic health care ministry.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
The hospital is massive.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Employing seventy five hundred employees with services provided by more
than twenty nine hundred active physicians. Employees are often drawn
to the facility as it's a primary teaching site for
graduate medical education programs from serious traumas to cancer treatment.
This is the facility in the area, which is exactly
why thirty nine year old Gina Green loved to work there.
(02:38):
When Gina was just a young child, it was discovered
that she had a unique kidney disorder that required continued
medical care. She had numerous procedures and spent a great
deal of time interacting with medical professionals who took amazing
care of her. That experience left a profound and lasting
impression on her that extended into adulthood. When she began
chasing her dream of being a nurse, she wanted to
(03:00):
help people, just as she had been helped during all
of those treatment years of her own. She knew first
hand how important a nurse's job is and that patients
appreciate help from people you can tell love their job.
She felt it was her calling and would eventually choose
the specialty of infusion nursing. In very basic terms, an
(03:21):
infusion nurse administers ivy medicine and fluids, helping patients with
varying conditions from dehydration all the way through cancer. Gina
was built for it, too, Known for her sense of
humor and upbeat personality, people were just drawn to her outgoing, vivacious, strong, opinionated.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Full of life.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
Those are the very words used to describe her. Her
personality must have been a combination of her parents. Dad,
a military man having served in Vietnam, gave her that
boldness and her mom, who loved to dance, teach Sunday school,
and tend to her flower beds. She gave Gina that
warmness that friends looked for in others. She could also
(04:03):
communicate well, and I would attribute that life skill to
having two sisters. She made friends easily. She was just
a flat out likable person. But not everyone as happy
all of the time.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
Right.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
We all have our struggles, and she was no different.
She had married her high school sweetheart, Mark some years ago,
but as is common when young people marry, they mature
and over time they change ONTs and goals begin to differ,
and that was the case here. She and Mark had
divorced and she was a single woman. This didn't mean
(04:37):
that she and Mark hated one another, though they still
maintained a very good relationship. They still spoke and interacted
often because they were truly friends, just no longer lovers.
While looks certainly are not everything, I can tell you this.
Gina was a naturally beautiful woman, and she took care
of herself. She was also very close with the women
(04:59):
in her lif family, her mother, whom she spoke to
by phone almost daily, and her sisters Amy and Scherie.
Considering how much she spoke with her family. More recently,
Gina had spoken up about an uneasy feeling she was
having at home. She couldn't put her finger on it necessarily,
but she just felt that lingering alarm that someone was
(05:19):
watching her. They talked it over and her mother reminded
her to lock her doors and set her alarm, all
the things that a loving mother would do. But she
also reassured her daughter that everything would be okay. Be
conscious of your surroundings and if you need me, I'm
just a phone call away. And Gina knew this was true.
(05:40):
Her mama was an absolute blessing in her life. The
stress of the uneasiness was so much, though, that she
also confided Interrex's husband Mark about her feelings.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
She was genuinely worried about it.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
She may have had a reason to be also, see
they had had some issues with a painter recently, and
it resulted in a court case. When they went to court,
that painter acted completely out of pocket and went as
far as to make threats against them. Both people these
days are crazy and you never truly know what they
are capable of, do you. But Mark helped to ease
(06:15):
her mind and they two discussed the safety measures she
had in place. Mark thought honestly that her fear was
a little bit overboard, but if she felt that way,
she felt that way, and he wanted her to feel safe.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
That said, Gina was a vigilant woman.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
She was almost ocd about having her home alarm on
at all times. She also had pepper spray in every window.
In late September, the weather was perfect for outdoor play
and bike riding was something that Gina enjoyed. She would
ride around the LSU Lakes, taking in the sites and
the calm of the university on a sleepy Sunday, which
was so refreshing. After her ride, she returned home and
(06:53):
showered before calling her sister demanding to see her two
year old niece. Obviously, I mean this playfully, but she
she needed some quality time with that baby girl. Of course,
that was no problem, so she and her sister made
plans for dinner the restaurant of choice on the half shell,
the name a nod to the delectable raw oyster. This
dinner wasn't gonna be a big fuss though. Neither sister
(07:14):
even feeled like doing their makeup nor getting all dressed up.
This was a casual dinner for girls to enjoy each other,
not even worrying about what others may think. So dinner
was delicious, and after paying the tab, the women drove
back to Amy's house, chatting it up with full stomachs
and smiles. Back at the house, they weren't done for
the night. They wanted to watch a movie together. But first,
(07:36):
little miss Mayham needed a bath, and Gina was more
than happy to help her sister out.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
Complete with a warm towbel hug, she dried.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Her hair and put on lotion that smelled like everything
a baby girl should smell like. She tucked her into
bed and told her how much she was loved, before
turning out the light and gently shutting the door. Once asleep,
the sisters settled in and they watched a movie together,
which ended around eleven thirty.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
It was late, but it was worth it.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
Gina was ready to head home, but her sister made
sure to walk her out to her car. A quick
wave and Gina's BMW backed out and then took off
in the direction of her home. Gina's home was located
in the heart of LSU campus. In terms of nearby housing,
twenty one to fifty one Stanford Avenue, a three bedroom,
one bath home is a house that many people pass
(08:24):
on their way to Tiger Stadium on Saturday nights. Matter
of fact, if you stood in Gina's front yard and
you turn and looked left, you can actually see the
Interstate from the grass. Gina's home was on the side
heading inbound to campus.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
The home was a.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
Nice middle class home, yet while small, the location made
it very valuable. Estimated at around two hundred and fifty
thousand dollars, it was a cute home with a porch
that wrapped around one side, and that porch had been
updated glassed in, and while beautiful, it also made it easy.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
To look inside.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
Of course, she had doors and walls, but the glass
had bushes outside of it, and at night, someone could
easily blend in and watch her.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
If they wanted to.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
Gina knew this, and so as she drove up to
the house that night, she got out and made it inside. Quickly,
she locked her doors, and she set her alarm. Everything
she was supposed to do to be safe. But this
begs the question, what exactly is safe? Locking your home
doors is to keep honest men honest? In all reality,
(09:33):
a door can be breached with enough power and an alarm.
Sure it sounds loudly, but a loud noise doesn't always
thwart someone with murder on their mind. Gina did all
that she could to feel safe. Once inside the house,
she had plans to turn in for the night. Cars
passed by, and the lights would briefly shine in the
windows until quickly fading.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
She dropped her keys.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
And her purse on the counter and she made her
way back to her bedroom. She had already bathed, so
with a quick change into her PJS, she slipped into
the bed for the night. The next day was going
to be a really busy one for her. Gina's peaceful
sleep wouldn't last long when at three forty seven am,
her house alarm shattered to silence and the tranquility of
(10:15):
the evening. Oh my god, her worst fears were coming true.
She jumped out of bed, prepared to face whoever was
trying to enter her home. The noise of the alarm
continued as she moved through the house, flipping on lights,
looking room to room as she was rushing, opening doors,
and even checking the closets for anyone who may be there.
(10:36):
About that time, her phone rang and it was the
alarm company calling to check on her. We have an
alarm going off. Is everything okay? Gina was on edge,
but able to punch in the code to silence the alarm.
She wasn't sure what was going on. The operator was
ready to send police units her way immediately, but once
the house was lit up and she was able to
(10:56):
see well, no.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
One was there.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
At first, startled and afraid, she was happy to have
someone on the phone. She peered out of her windows
and she looked out on the porch, but again nobody
was there. Now talking with the operator and calming down
a bit, she almost felt embarrassed that it was obviously
a false alarm. It was probably thunder or something that
rattled the door. She unlocked it and briefly peered outside,
(11:21):
but again nothing was a miss. Now convinced that everything
was okay, Gina declined help being sent to the house.
There was nothing for them to do. She was fine.
Good lord, what an unsettling thing to just shake off.
How was she going to just fall back to sleep
after this? But everything, thankfully was fine. She gave her
(11:43):
verbal code, proving always well to the operator, and the
call ended, just another false alarm, like nearly half of
the alarms turn out to be. What no one knew, though,
was that a plan had just worked out perfectly, an
impromptu one, but a plan. See when the lights are
on inside your house and it's dark outside, you can't
(12:06):
see out that well when you're looking into the darkness,
can you. You can't see someone crouching down, eyes locked
on yours as you peer outside your window. You also
can't hear their breath, heavy with adrenaline as they continue
to watch you like pray. The truth was that someone
(12:26):
was out there, and they did try to come inside.
He just didn't expect that alarm, and he had scurried
off into the dark at first sound. But he didn't
leave entirely, because once the alarm was turned off and
it remained quiet, no police cars rushing up, no lights,
(12:47):
no nothing, the person in the shadows realized she thought
this was a false alarm, and now with no responders arriving.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
He was moving in with a vengeance.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
As Gina hung up the phone, ending the only chance
she had for a lifeline, her worst nightmare came barely.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Through her door.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
The thing she had feared and had worked diligently to
avoid was now rushing through her house after her, with
only one mission in mind. When Gina realized she wasn't alone,
shock instantly turned to horror, which then shifted into fight mode.
If this stranger wanted her, he was going to have
to work for it because she was in straight survival mode.
(13:31):
The fight took place in nearly every room of the house.
He slung her around like a rag doll, but a
doll that refused to give up. As Gina mustered every
bit of strength inside of her and surely yelled out
for help.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
Help was nearby, but tragically just unaware.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
Without question, every officer on the beat that night would
have stormed the gates of hell to get to her,
but they just didn't know. Derek grabbed her by the wrists,
and she undoubtedly the way no let go.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
But no matter how hard.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
She pulled away, he was just too big, and as
he slung her to the ground, help was parked and
waiting for another assignment from dispatch, as Gina was on
her back, struggling and kicking and pulling herself away, all
the while her clothes being violently ripped from her body.
Help was watching the intermittent cars pass by in the night,
(14:26):
looking and listening for danger on the streets, but the
danger was behind closed doors. He had free rein to
do whatever he wanted to Gina because he was inside
her home. The officers just didn't know as Gina's throng
underwear was literally torn from around her legs, the one
item that we women wear that gives us comfort and
(14:49):
privacy amongst anything else, the item that everyone knows is
off limits in a civilized society. The uncivilized Derek Todd
Lee couldn't cared less. He was getting what he wanted,
and as he did, Help listened just a few blocks
away to the quiet chatter on the radio as a
(15:12):
stray dog in the distance caught his eye, searching for
a scrap to eat. The night and the fight continued.
Pawing at Gina like a tiger who's caught their praise.
Still alive, he wailed down punches on Gina as.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
He drug her through the hallway.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
Badly injured from fighting a man who greatly outweighed her
and was stronger than she would ever be, Exhaustion began
to set in. We all have our limits, Gina was
realizing that she had reached hers. Brutally beaten, bleeding, and
now utterly depleted of the surge of adrenaline, Gina became
(15:49):
weaker and weaker, yet her attacker became stronger and stronger.
Her arms felt like massive weights as she tried to
swing back at him, she could barely lift them, and
he ripped her hair from her head as he continued
to drag her down the hallway towards her bedroom. But
that hallway would just be the beginning of this sexual
(16:10):
depravity that this monster was ramping up to engage in
her vision blurry and her heart pounding, out of breath
and struggling to breathe. But outside her bedroom, the crickets
chirped their nightly song, and the cars passed by and help.
It was now radio to respond.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
To a call.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
The lights lit up, the siren flipped, and the police
unit raced full speed ahead in the opposite direction of
Gina's home. As the sun rose, the next morning, it
was sure to be a beautiful day. Students on their
way to classes blaring their music and sipping their ice lattes.
(16:52):
Those driven to exercise now filled the busy street on Stanford, biking, walking,
and gossiping too, but at the hostile spittle they usually prompt.
Gina was late for work. No call, no show. No,
that wasn't her. Something was amiss. Coworkers tried to call her,
but there was no answer. They gave it some time,
(17:13):
but Gina never called back, nor did she ever show up.
Nursing is a special job where people care about others.
It's literally what they do. But this care, well, it
extends past just the patience, and it's especially strong amongst
coworkers as you can imagine the ups and downs of
the job and saving people's lives, well, those experiences forge
(17:36):
a bond between coworkers, almost like soldiers in war. The
tragedies and hardships they create a brotherhood and a sisterhood
in the shared trauma That said co workers were now
pretty worried, and so Gina's boss decided to leave work
and head to her house. Everyone knew where she lived
and that she lived alone, and if she was in distress.
(17:59):
They certainly wanted to help. Maybe she got a flat
tire and she forgot her cell phone. I mean, crazier
things have happened. The world was just in a wild
place altogether. Just thirteen days prior, two planes flew into
the World Trade Center in New York.
Speaker 2 (18:14):
It's a scary world we live in.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
But that said Gina's boss, Greg LeBlanc, he never passed
her on the side of the road. He never found
her broken down or anything like that. Before reaching her home,
pulling in, Gina's BMW was parked in her driveway, so
she had to be home. As Greg approached the house,
nothing seemed out of order, being an older home. The
door had a cute little mail slot, which he pushed
(18:37):
open and he yelled inside playfully, Gina, Gina, Hello, but
there was no answer. He walked around the home, looking
through the windows to see if he could see anything,
but all he noticed was that her keys still hung
in the door from the inside. He remembered that once
she said she kept a spare key under a flower pot,
but he couldn't find one. So he walked up and
(18:58):
he turned the doorknob. Been a last ditch attempt and
to his surprise, it opened instincts at this point told
him something he didn't want to know. There was a problem,
but he shook it off and slowly walked down the hall,
yelling out to her, and as he turned into the
bedroom there the answer was a sight no one wants
(19:21):
to see, but one a medical professional.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
Knows immediately and all too well death.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
Gina was clearly deceased and in her bed, her stiff
arm off the side, hanging telling him everything all at once.
The call was immediately made to nine one one and
police arrived, but it wouldn't change anything. Gina was gone forever,
and the scene, well, it told investigators that someone had
(19:50):
it out for her. This was a level of violence
only someone fueled by hate could inflict upon someone else,
and a woman at that pushing emotions aside. Investigators combed
the crime scene and they documented what they saw. They
would be lying if they said they didn't for a
moment think about their own wives and how scared.
Speaker 2 (20:10):
They would be in scenes like this. Who does this
to a woman?
Speaker 1 (20:14):
Obviously, Gina hadn't done this to herself, and the scene
told a horror that no one should ever get used
to police determined that the fight began in the kitchen
of the house and it lasted all the way through
the home, ending in her bedroom. Clothing had been ripped
from her as she fought through this house. In the
kitchen on a chair, police documented a blue striped shirt
(20:37):
with blood around the collar and down the front of it.
In the living room, a black thong lay in front
of the TV, and it appeared to have been forcibly
removed by the sofa. Black pantyhose. Also found was a
chain belt on one end of the room, and then
her black skirt on the opposite side. And I know
what you're thinking, Wait, I thought she was in bed.
(21:00):
I held the same question, what exactly was miss Gina
wearing during the fight? It seems so trivial, but to
me it mattered. But my answer is this, I'm not
exactly sure, but neither were police. So I'm giving you
the information as police found it and documented it that day.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
Moving down the.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
Hall, it became clear that the most brutal portions of
the attack took place there. A hallway is just a
transport location, isn't it, to get from one end to
the other. But this hallway was the beginning of the
end for Gina Green. Police documented her earrings ripped from
her ears, both hoops strewn apart. Her bracelet lay on
(21:46):
the carpet too, alongside one lonely shoe, proof of the violence.
In that small area, police photographed a large clump of
brown hair that had been forcibly ripped from her scalp.
And if you're a woman, you just cringed at this.
We've all had our hair pulled at one time or
another for whatever reason, and it is so insulting not
(22:10):
to mention having it pulled completely out of your head
by the fistful. This wasn't just to insult, this was
pure domination. The next detail I am giving, but with
the expectation that it is to be regarded with the
utmost respect, a testament to what miss Gina experienced, and
(22:31):
her horror to be defended at all times. There was
a large amount of staining on the carpet in that
narrow passage. Testing would prove this a mix of blood
and fecal matter, a likely result of the autopsy reports
confirmation that Miss Gina had been vaginally and anally raped.
Although the trauma of the rape was evident on her body,
(22:52):
no seaman was recovered in the rape testing kit. Her body, however,
was not on the floor in the hallway, had been
picked up and carried to her bed after death by
her killer. As detectives looked over her body, it was
obvious that she had been strangled, bruising and abrasions around
her neck.
Speaker 2 (23:12):
Proof of this.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
Whoever was responsible for taking her life had done so manually,
an average seven minutes of intense constant pressure required to
do this to someone. It's never quick, it takes immense effort,
and it's meant to be up close and personal. Next
to Gina's body on the floor lay her black brawl
(23:35):
and a night shirt.
Speaker 2 (23:37):
The cordless phone, the one used.
Speaker 1 (23:39):
To call for help. It was found under her nightstand.
Finding who was responsible for this was investigator's prime goal
and the first person they had in mind, someone who
may be angry with her her ex husband. While I'm
sure this was stressful and possibly offensive, he had to
be cleared as a suspect, and this was done quickly.
(24:02):
Mark was just as devastated as the rest of Gina's family.
His high school sweetheart murdered, regardless of the fact their
marriage had ended. This was awful Meanwhile, Gina's family was
gutted by the notification of her passing and left to wonder.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
Why why her.
Speaker 1 (24:22):
She didn't have enemies, she was a good person, She
helped people. She wasn't someone that should happen to. While
they certainly couldn't know this, many other people would be
grieving alongside them. Coworkers, friends, even her massage therapist who
had just seen her days prior at an appointment, her neighbors,
(24:45):
her patience, she showered with love under her care, and
even the first responders who saw her in a condition
no normal person.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
Could ever forget.
Speaker 1 (24:56):
Why would be answered with a sickeningly simple answer. Someone
ended her beautiful life for sexual gratification. Can you even
imagine it? Murder seems to just roll off the tongue
these days, but it shouldn't, and it can't.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
This isn't normal.
Speaker 1 (25:16):
Some monster is out there, and you can trust he's
not gonna stop. He also took souvenirs from his conquest.
Items were missing from Gina's home, her purse, her phone,
and her wallet contents. Surely the phone would be turned
off by now, but detectives don't work in what is obvious.
Their job is to turn over every leaf. This included
(25:39):
Gena's phone records, her last known whereabouts. Singular Wireless was
her phone carrier, and when records were subpoenaed, it turned
out the cell phone was still on and they could
get a signal on its location. BINGO, let's go find
this killer. The signal brought detectives to an area of
downtown Baton Rouge Chalk Tall if you're local, but if not,
(26:04):
this is a warehouse district, a rather visually boring street
lined with commercial businesses, large metal buildings, and power lines.
Maybe this guy worked at one of these facilities, but
too bad for him. He left the phone one But
when police arrived, using a device known as a triggerfish,
also sometimes referred to as a stingray, they were able
to hone in on its exact location. Basically, in general terms,
(26:29):
this device acts as a cell phone tower. If your
cell phone is on, it's constantly connecting to towers nearby.
The further you get away from a tower, the lower
your signal gets until it's picked up by the next
closest tower. Well.
Speaker 2 (26:44):
In this case, the.
Speaker 1 (26:45):
Triggerfish is a mobile piece of equipment that mimics a
cell tower, and it can intercept a cell phone signal
locating where it's coming from. In this case, the phone
brought the detective to an old meat processing company, but
finding the phone would prove more difficult because it was
out on the property, not on a person. As he
(27:07):
tried to locate the phone, he happened to look down
and see a credit card on the ground. He picked
it up, and when he flipped it over there was
her name, Gina Green. Whoever had killed her had been
right or the detective stood now. Eventually he was able
to find not only her cell phone, but her wallet
(27:29):
and a towel that had been removed from her home.
These were great pieces of evidence to find, but there
was something not yet known or realized. Rather see this
murder happened in East Baton Rouge Parish, but where these
items were just found, while they were only three blocks
from where nine years earlier, the body of Connie Warner
(27:51):
had been discovered, but she she was from Zachary. The
murder of Gina Green would jumpstart the massive search for
a serial killer.
Speaker 2 (28:02):
But not immediately because no one.
Speaker 1 (28:04):
Realized it yet that these cases were connected the killer
he had just broadened his hunting grounds. Also four years
before Gina was murdered, Eugenet Woifontaine had been abducted, living
just doors down from Gina, but her body it had
been located in Iberville Parish. Multiple agencies were working multiple murders,
(28:26):
but the connection was yet to be made. DNA would
matter in due time, but DNA had to be found
to link anything. Until then, a murderer was still in
the loose, a murderer who four months before Gina's murder
had found himself before a parole board. Remember when Derek
was sentenced previously for beating his girlfriend, Well, the beating
(28:49):
was serious. He had actually grabbed her by her hair
and ripped her out of the car during that fight,
something he loved to do when he brutalized women. He
had stomped her face and stomped her head with his
cowboy boots against the concrete, before jumping back on top
of her and punching her relentlessly until he was pulled
(29:10):
off by some patrons at a nearby bar. She had
run into the bar to get away from him, and
he followed her with boldness. He wanted to hurt her
and he didn't care who saw it, because he was
on a mission. She had hidden behind the DJ booth
and luckily he couldn't find her before police arrived, at
which time he took off, running, able to jump in
his vehicle, trying to run over the very police officer
(29:33):
responding who was giving chase in the process. Well, for
that incident, he was originally sentenced to four years in prison,
but he was let out early on good time, meaning
he only spent a year before his release from Dixon Correctional.
Once out, he was ordered to wear an ankle monitor
(29:55):
until June, but he couldn't even do that. He was
busted disconnecting it on multiple occasions, including in May, four
months before Gina was murdered. His parole officer was pissed,
and Derek's rude attitude it wasn't helping anything. All of
that was why on May twenty third, the parole board
(30:16):
found him in direct violation of his parole for disconnecting
the device. He had three years left to serve on
that original four year sentence. He should have gone straight
back to prison. So why why was he out in
September when Gina was murdered? The answer the parole board
only reprimanded him, slapped him on the wrist and told
(30:39):
him basically, hey, don't do that. They let him walk
and by doing so day in essence, gave him the
freedom to walk straight into Gina's house. When someone violates parole,
they should go back to prison. What's the point of
a parole board when consequences aren't given for misbehavior?
Speaker 2 (30:58):
Parole is a gift with strings attached.
Speaker 1 (31:02):
You mess up, you go back and finish out your
complete sentence. What a failure of accountability all around. But
get this, Derek would again be in front of the
parole board just days after murdering Gina, this time because
of his charges for beating his wife. They had been
placed against him. He would spend the month of October
(31:26):
in jail for this. Actions have consequences, but unfortunately, so
does inaction. His parole officer pushed for parole to be
revoked due to his constant violations, but again the parole
board simply reprimanded him. By December of two thousand and one,
(31:47):
Derek Toddley walked out of jail a freeman and he
was hired back on at Dow Chemical. This would bring
him back over that Mississippi River bridge where he would
travel down Louisiana Highway One to get to work, a
highway that also passed right in front of another plant
worker's home, a home that while the husband was gone
to work all day, that meant that his wife must
(32:10):
be home alone.
Speaker 2 (32:14):
Coming up on the next episode of DTL.
Speaker 1 (32:26):
Dow Chemical was one of the largest employers in South Louisiana,
with an annual payroll somewhere around three hundred and thirty
five million. It's obvious that this is where a lot
of people make.
Speaker 2 (32:36):
A living in the state Plaquamen. It just has that
old time.
Speaker 1 (32:44):
Feel about it, and it was the perfect place for
Jerrelyn de Soto to establish her home. On January fourteenth,
two thousand and two, Darren de Soto left for work
like every other day, and Jerlyn too. She had plans
for that day. While anyone would hate to part with
(33:06):
their hard earned money, Jerrolyn on this day was happy
to go and pay her tuition for grad school. Derek
Toddley was traveling Highway One on his way to pick
up his final paycheck after being laid off. Now he
was back boiling with anger.
Speaker 2 (33:25):
She laid her close.
Speaker 1 (33:26):
Out on the bed and was just about to get
changed when she heard an unexpected knock at the door.
Jerlyn's eyes widened, but it was far too late, as
that man came crashing through the front door full force,
swiping and grabbing at her with every inch forward. She
(33:53):
had been roughed up before in the past by a man,
but this wasn't just male ego here. This was brutality
and nothing like she had ever been up against before.
She turned towards the hallway, trying to run from this
crazed attacker. But for every near silent footstep that she
(34:14):
stumbled across the carpet, a steel toed boot shook the
thin trailer floor behind her as he gave chase
In the sultry heat of Louisiana, where the bayous whisper
secrets and the air hangs heavy with the scent of magnolias,
a darkness lurked beneath the surface. Derrick Todd Lee was
a man whose charm masked a sinister reality.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
He was a monster.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Lee, a seemingly ordinary man with a disarming smile, led
a double life that would unravel in a series of
murders in the capital city of Baton Rouge and the
surrounding areas. As the first reports of disappearances and murders
began to surface, South Louisiana was thrust into a nightmare,
igniting a frantic search for answers. The true horror was
(00:46):
just beginning, and the hunt for a serial killer, eventually
known by just three letters, would reveal not only the
depths of Dereck Todd Lee's depravity, but also the resilience
of those most affected by his evil acts, the families
and the survivors.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
This is DTL.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
It was now September of two thousand and one, and
Derek Toddlee had just been in a fight with his wife,
and this fight resulted in his arrest. But luckily for him,
those charges would be dropped in the moment, though he
was highly agitated. Women were just too damn hard to
get along with, especially when they didn't do what he
(01:31):
said and they didn't do what he wanted them to do,
and he would need a way to work off some
of this tension, and he knew exactly what he was
going to do. Whether his wife or girlfriend ever sought
medical attention after he beat them, that's up for speculation.
But if they did, Our Lady of the Lake Regional
Medical Center on Essen Lane would have proved the best
(01:51):
place to go for treatment. Our Lady the Lake serves
as the largest private medical center in the state of
Louisiana and provides care for basically every thing, from complex
medical issues to the more common ones. They provide care
for both pediatric and adult patients. The hospital is an
interesting one in that it's a nonprofit and founded in
(02:12):
Catholic health care ministry.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
The hospital is massive.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Employing seventy five hundred employees with services provided by more
than twenty nine hundred active physicians. Employees are often drawn
to the facility as it's a primary teaching site for
graduate medical education programs from serious traumas to cancer treatment.
This is the facility in the area, which is exactly
why thirty nine year old Gina Green loved to work there.
(02:38):
When Gina was just a young child, it was discovered
that she had a unique kidney disorder that required continued
medical care. She had numerous procedures and spent a great
deal of time interacting with medical professionals who took amazing
care of her. That experience left a profound and lasting
impression on her that extended into adulthood. When she began
chasing her dream of being a nurse, she wanted to
(03:00):
help people, just as she had been helped during all
of those treatment years of her own. She knew first
hand how important a nurse's job is and that patients
appreciate help from people you can tell love their job.
She felt it was her calling and would eventually choose
the specialty of infusion nursing. In very basic terms, an
(03:21):
infusion nurse administers ivy medicine and fluids, helping patients with
varying conditions from dehydration all the way through cancer. Gina
was built for it, too, Known for her sense of
humor and upbeat personality, people were just drawn to her outgoing, vivacious, strong, opinionated.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Full of life.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
Those are the very words used to describe her. Her
personality must have been a combination of her parents. Dad,
a military man having served in Vietnam, gave her that
boldness and her mom, who loved to dance, teach Sunday school,
and tend to her flower beds. She gave Gina that
warmness that friends looked for in others. She could also
(04:03):
communicate well, and I would attribute that life skill to
having two sisters. She made friends easily. She was just
a flat out likable person. But not everyone as happy
all of the time.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
Right.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
We all have our struggles, and she was no different.
She had married her high school sweetheart, Mark some years ago,
but as is common when young people marry, they mature
and over time they change ONTs and goals begin to differ,
and that was the case here. She and Mark had
divorced and she was a single woman. This didn't mean
(04:37):
that she and Mark hated one another, though they still
maintained a very good relationship. They still spoke and interacted
often because they were truly friends, just no longer lovers.
While looks certainly are not everything, I can tell you this.
Gina was a naturally beautiful woman, and she took care
of herself. She was also very close with the women
(04:59):
in her lif family, her mother, whom she spoke to
by phone almost daily, and her sisters Amy and Scherie.
Considering how much she spoke with her family. More recently,
Gina had spoken up about an uneasy feeling she was
having at home. She couldn't put her finger on it necessarily,
but she just felt that lingering alarm that someone was
(05:19):
watching her. They talked it over and her mother reminded
her to lock her doors and set her alarm, all
the things that a loving mother would do. But she
also reassured her daughter that everything would be okay. Be
conscious of your surroundings and if you need me, I'm
just a phone call away. And Gina knew this was true.
(05:40):
Her mama was an absolute blessing in her life. The
stress of the uneasiness was so much, though, that she
also confided Interrex's husband Mark about her feelings.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
She was genuinely worried about it.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
She may have had a reason to be also, see
they had had some issues with a painter recently, and
it resulted in a court case. When they went to court,
that painter acted completely out of pocket and went as
far as to make threats against them. Both people these
days are crazy and you never truly know what they
are capable of, do you. But Mark helped to ease
(06:15):
her mind and they two discussed the safety measures she
had in place. Mark thought honestly that her fear was
a little bit overboard, but if she felt that way,
she felt that way, and he wanted her to feel safe.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
That said, Gina was a vigilant woman.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
She was almost ocd about having her home alarm on
at all times. She also had pepper spray in every window.
In late September, the weather was perfect for outdoor play
and bike riding was something that Gina enjoyed. She would
ride around the LSU Lakes, taking in the sites and
the calm of the university on a sleepy Sunday, which
was so refreshing. After her ride, she returned home and
(06:53):
showered before calling her sister demanding to see her two
year old niece. Obviously, I mean this playfully, but she
she needed some quality time with that baby girl. Of course,
that was no problem, so she and her sister made
plans for dinner the restaurant of choice on the half shell,
the name a nod to the delectable raw oyster. This
dinner wasn't gonna be a big fuss though. Neither sister
(07:14):
even feeled like doing their makeup nor getting all dressed up.
This was a casual dinner for girls to enjoy each other,
not even worrying about what others may think. So dinner
was delicious, and after paying the tab, the women drove
back to Amy's house, chatting it up with full stomachs
and smiles. Back at the house, they weren't done for
the night. They wanted to watch a movie together. But first,
(07:36):
little miss Mayham needed a bath, and Gina was more
than happy to help her sister out.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
Complete with a warm towbel hug, she dried.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Her hair and put on lotion that smelled like everything
a baby girl should smell like. She tucked her into
bed and told her how much she was loved, before
turning out the light and gently shutting the door. Once asleep,
the sisters settled in and they watched a movie together,
which ended around eleven thirty.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
It was late, but it was worth it.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
Gina was ready to head home, but her sister made
sure to walk her out to her car. A quick
wave and Gina's BMW backed out and then took off
in the direction of her home. Gina's home was located
in the heart of LSU campus. In terms of nearby housing,
twenty one to fifty one Stanford Avenue, a three bedroom,
one bath home is a house that many people pass
(08:24):
on their way to Tiger Stadium on Saturday nights. Matter
of fact, if you stood in Gina's front yard and
you turn and looked left, you can actually see the
Interstate from the grass. Gina's home was on the side
heading inbound to campus.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
The home was a.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
Nice middle class home, yet while small, the location made
it very valuable. Estimated at around two hundred and fifty
thousand dollars, it was a cute home with a porch
that wrapped around one side, and that porch had been
updated glassed in, and while beautiful, it also made it easy.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
To look inside.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
Of course, she had doors and walls, but the glass
had bushes outside of it, and at night, someone could
easily blend in and watch her.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
If they wanted to.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
Gina knew this, and so as she drove up to
the house that night, she got out and made it inside. Quickly,
she locked her doors, and she set her alarm. Everything
she was supposed to do to be safe. But this
begs the question, what exactly is safe? Locking your home
doors is to keep honest men honest? In all reality,
(09:33):
a door can be breached with enough power and an alarm.
Sure it sounds loudly, but a loud noise doesn't always
thwart someone with murder on their mind. Gina did all
that she could to feel safe. Once inside the house,
she had plans to turn in for the night. Cars
passed by, and the lights would briefly shine in the
windows until quickly fading.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
She dropped her keys.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
And her purse on the counter and she made her
way back to her bedroom. She had already bathed, so
with a quick change into her PJS, she slipped into
the bed for the night. The next day was going
to be a really busy one for her. Gina's peaceful
sleep wouldn't last long when at three forty seven am,
her house alarm shattered to silence and the tranquility of
(10:15):
the evening. Oh my god, her worst fears were coming true.
She jumped out of bed, prepared to face whoever was
trying to enter her home. The noise of the alarm
continued as she moved through the house, flipping on lights,
looking room to room as she was rushing, opening doors,
and even checking the closets for anyone who may be there.
(10:36):
About that time, her phone rang and it was the
alarm company calling to check on her. We have an
alarm going off. Is everything okay? Gina was on edge,
but able to punch in the code to silence the alarm.
She wasn't sure what was going on. The operator was
ready to send police units her way immediately, but once
the house was lit up and she was able to
(10:56):
see well, no.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
One was there.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
At first, startled and afraid, she was happy to have
someone on the phone. She peered out of her windows
and she looked out on the porch, but again nobody
was there. Now talking with the operator and calming down
a bit, she almost felt embarrassed that it was obviously
a false alarm. It was probably thunder or something that
rattled the door. She unlocked it and briefly peered outside,
(11:21):
but again nothing was a miss. Now convinced that everything
was okay, Gina declined help being sent to the house.
There was nothing for them to do. She was fine.
Good lord, what an unsettling thing to just shake off.
How was she going to just fall back to sleep
after this? But everything, thankfully was fine. She gave her
(11:43):
verbal code, proving always well to the operator, and the
call ended, just another false alarm, like nearly half of
the alarms turn out to be. What no one knew, though,
was that a plan had just worked out perfectly, an
impromptu one, but a plan. See when the lights are
on inside your house and it's dark outside, you can't
(12:06):
see out that well when you're looking into the darkness,
can you. You can't see someone crouching down, eyes locked
on yours as you peer outside your window. You also
can't hear their breath, heavy with adrenaline as they continue
to watch you like pray. The truth was that someone
(12:26):
was out there, and they did try to come inside.
He just didn't expect that alarm, and he had scurried
off into the dark at first sound. But he didn't
leave entirely, because once the alarm was turned off and
it remained quiet, no police cars rushing up, no lights,
(12:47):
no nothing, the person in the shadows realized she thought
this was a false alarm, and now with no responders arriving.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
He was moving in with a vengeance.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
As Gina hung up the phone, ending the only chance
she had for a lifeline, her worst nightmare came barely.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Through her door.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
The thing she had feared and had worked diligently to
avoid was now rushing through her house after her, with
only one mission in mind. When Gina realized she wasn't alone,
shock instantly turned to horror, which then shifted into fight mode.
If this stranger wanted her, he was going to have
to work for it because she was in straight survival mode.
(13:31):
The fight took place in nearly every room of the house.
He slung her around like a rag doll, but a
doll that refused to give up. As Gina mustered every
bit of strength inside of her and surely yelled out
for help.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
Help was nearby, but tragically just unaware.
Speaker 1 (13:48):
Without question, every officer on the beat that night would
have stormed the gates of hell to get to her,
but they just didn't know. Derek grabbed her by the wrists,
and she undoubtedly the way no let go.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
But no matter how hard.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
She pulled away, he was just too big, and as
he slung her to the ground, help was parked and
waiting for another assignment from dispatch, as Gina was on
her back, struggling and kicking and pulling herself away, all
the while her clothes being violently ripped from her body.
Help was watching the intermittent cars pass by in the night,
(14:26):
looking and listening for danger on the streets, but the
danger was behind closed doors. He had free rein to
do whatever he wanted to Gina because he was inside
her home. The officers just didn't know as Gina's throng
underwear was literally torn from around her legs, the one
item that we women wear that gives us comfort and
(14:49):
privacy amongst anything else, the item that everyone knows is
off limits in a civilized society. The uncivilized Derek Todd
Lee couldn't cared less. He was getting what he wanted,
and as he did, Help listened just a few blocks
away to the quiet chatter on the radio as a
(15:12):
stray dog in the distance caught his eye, searching for
a scrap to eat. The night and the fight continued.
Pawing at Gina like a tiger who's caught their praise.
Still alive, he wailed down punches on Gina as.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
He drug her through the hallway.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
Badly injured from fighting a man who greatly outweighed her
and was stronger than she would ever be, Exhaustion began
to set in. We all have our limits, Gina was
realizing that she had reached hers. Brutally beaten, bleeding, and
now utterly depleted of the surge of adrenaline, Gina became
(15:49):
weaker and weaker, yet her attacker became stronger and stronger.
Her arms felt like massive weights as she tried to
swing back at him, she could barely lift them, and
he ripped her hair from her head as he continued
to drag her down the hallway towards her bedroom. But
that hallway would just be the beginning of this sexual
(16:10):
depravity that this monster was ramping up to engage in
her vision blurry and her heart pounding, out of breath
and struggling to breathe. But outside her bedroom, the crickets
chirped their nightly song, and the cars passed by and help.
It was now radio to respond.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
To a call.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
The lights lit up, the siren flipped, and the police
unit raced full speed ahead in the opposite direction of
Gina's home. As the sun rose, the next morning, it
was sure to be a beautiful day. Students on their
way to classes blaring their music and sipping their ice lattes.
(16:52):
Those driven to exercise now filled the busy street on Stanford, biking, walking,
and gossiping too, but at the hostile spittle they usually prompt.
Gina was late for work. No call, no show. No,
that wasn't her. Something was amiss. Coworkers tried to call her,
but there was no answer. They gave it some time,
(17:13):
but Gina never called back, nor did she ever show up.
Nursing is a special job where people care about others.
It's literally what they do. But this care, well, it
extends past just the patience, and it's especially strong amongst
coworkers as you can imagine the ups and downs of
the job and saving people's lives, well, those experiences forge
(17:36):
a bond between coworkers, almost like soldiers in war. The
tragedies and hardships they create a brotherhood and a sisterhood
in the shared trauma That said co workers were now
pretty worried, and so Gina's boss decided to leave work
and head to her house. Everyone knew where she lived
and that she lived alone, and if she was in distress.
(17:59):
They certainly wanted to help. Maybe she got a flat
tire and she forgot her cell phone. I mean, crazier
things have happened. The world was just in a wild
place altogether. Just thirteen days prior, two planes flew into
the World Trade Center in New York.
Speaker 2 (18:14):
It's a scary world we live in.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
But that said Gina's boss, Greg LeBlanc, he never passed
her on the side of the road. He never found
her broken down or anything like that. Before reaching her home,
pulling in, Gina's BMW was parked in her driveway, so
she had to be home. As Greg approached the house,
nothing seemed out of order, being an older home. The
door had a cute little mail slot, which he pushed
(18:37):
open and he yelled inside playfully, Gina, Gina, Hello, but
there was no answer. He walked around the home, looking
through the windows to see if he could see anything,
but all he noticed was that her keys still hung
in the door from the inside. He remembered that once
she said she kept a spare key under a flower pot,
but he couldn't find one. So he walked up and
(18:58):
he turned the doorknob. Been a last ditch attempt and
to his surprise, it opened instincts at this point told
him something he didn't want to know. There was a problem,
but he shook it off and slowly walked down the hall,
yelling out to her, and as he turned into the
bedroom there the answer was a sight no one wants
(19:21):
to see, but one a medical professional.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
Knows immediately and all too well death.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
Gina was clearly deceased and in her bed, her stiff
arm off the side, hanging telling him everything all at once.
The call was immediately made to nine one one and
police arrived, but it wouldn't change anything. Gina was gone forever,
and the scene, well, it told investigators that someone had
(19:50):
it out for her. This was a level of violence
only someone fueled by hate could inflict upon someone else,
and a woman at that pushing emotions aside. Investigators combed
the crime scene and they documented what they saw. They
would be lying if they said they didn't for a
moment think about their own wives and how scared.
Speaker 2 (20:10):
They would be in scenes like this. Who does this
to a woman?
Speaker 1 (20:14):
Obviously, Gina hadn't done this to herself, and the scene
told a horror that no one should ever get used
to police determined that the fight began in the kitchen
of the house and it lasted all the way through
the home, ending in her bedroom. Clothing had been ripped
from her as she fought through this house. In the
kitchen on a chair, police documented a blue striped shirt
(20:37):
with blood around the collar and down the front of it.
In the living room, a black thong lay in front
of the TV, and it appeared to have been forcibly
removed by the sofa. Black pantyhose. Also found was a
chain belt on one end of the room, and then
her black skirt on the opposite side. And I know
what you're thinking, Wait, I thought she was in bed.
(21:00):
I held the same question, what exactly was miss Gina
wearing during the fight? It seems so trivial, but to
me it mattered. But my answer is this, I'm not
exactly sure, but neither were police. So I'm giving you
the information as police found it and documented it that day.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
Moving down the.
Speaker 1 (21:22):
Hall, it became clear that the most brutal portions of
the attack took place there. A hallway is just a
transport location, isn't it, to get from one end to
the other. But this hallway was the beginning of the
end for Gina Green. Police documented her earrings ripped from
her ears, both hoops strewn apart. Her bracelet lay on
(21:46):
the carpet too, alongside one lonely shoe, proof of the violence.
In that small area, police photographed a large clump of
brown hair that had been forcibly ripped from her scalp.
And if you're a woman, you just cringed at this.
We've all had our hair pulled at one time or
another for whatever reason, and it is so insulting not
(22:10):
to mention having it pulled completely out of your head
by the fistful. This wasn't just to insult, this was
pure domination. The next detail I am giving, but with
the expectation that it is to be regarded with the
utmost respect, a testament to what miss Gina experienced, and
(22:31):
her horror to be defended at all times. There was
a large amount of staining on the carpet in that
narrow passage. Testing would prove this a mix of blood
and fecal matter, a likely result of the autopsy reports
confirmation that Miss Gina had been vaginally and anally raped.
Although the trauma of the rape was evident on her body,
(22:52):
no seaman was recovered in the rape testing kit. Her body, however,
was not on the floor in the hallway, had been
picked up and carried to her bed after death by
her killer. As detectives looked over her body, it was
obvious that she had been strangled, bruising and abrasions around
her neck.
Speaker 2 (23:12):
Proof of this.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
Whoever was responsible for taking her life had done so manually,
an average seven minutes of intense constant pressure required to
do this to someone. It's never quick, it takes immense effort,
and it's meant to be up close and personal. Next
to Gina's body on the floor lay her black brawl
(23:35):
and a night shirt.
Speaker 2 (23:37):
The cordless phone, the one used.
Speaker 1 (23:39):
To call for help. It was found under her nightstand.
Finding who was responsible for this was investigator's prime goal
and the first person they had in mind, someone who
may be angry with her her ex husband. While I'm
sure this was stressful and possibly offensive, he had to
be cleared as a suspect, and this was done quickly.
(24:02):
Mark was just as devastated as the rest of Gina's family.
His high school sweetheart murdered, regardless of the fact their
marriage had ended. This was awful Meanwhile, Gina's family was
gutted by the notification of her passing and left to wonder.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
Why why her.
Speaker 1 (24:22):
She didn't have enemies, she was a good person, She
helped people. She wasn't someone that should happen to. While
they certainly couldn't know this, many other people would be
grieving alongside them. Coworkers, friends, even her massage therapist who
had just seen her days prior at an appointment, her neighbors,
(24:45):
her patience, she showered with love under her care, and
even the first responders who saw her in a condition
no normal person.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
Could ever forget.
Speaker 1 (24:56):
Why would be answered with a sickeningly simple answer. Someone
ended her beautiful life for sexual gratification. Can you even
imagine it? Murder seems to just roll off the tongue
these days, but it shouldn't, and it can't.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
This isn't normal.
Speaker 1 (25:16):
Some monster is out there, and you can trust he's
not gonna stop. He also took souvenirs from his conquest.
Items were missing from Gina's home, her purse, her phone,
and her wallet contents. Surely the phone would be turned
off by now, but detectives don't work in what is obvious.
Their job is to turn over every leaf. This included
(25:39):
Gena's phone records, her last known whereabouts. Singular Wireless was
her phone carrier, and when records were subpoenaed, it turned
out the cell phone was still on and they could
get a signal on its location. BINGO, let's go find
this killer. The signal brought detectives to an area of
downtown Baton Rouge Chalk Tall if you're local, but if not,
(26:04):
this is a warehouse district, a rather visually boring street
lined with commercial businesses, large metal buildings, and power lines.
Maybe this guy worked at one of these facilities, but
too bad for him. He left the phone one But
when police arrived, using a device known as a triggerfish,
also sometimes referred to as a stingray, they were able
to hone in on its exact location. Basically, in general terms,
(26:29):
this device acts as a cell phone tower. If your
cell phone is on, it's constantly connecting to towers nearby.
The further you get away from a tower, the lower
your signal gets until it's picked up by the next
closest tower. Well.
Speaker 2 (26:44):
In this case, the.
Speaker 1 (26:45):
Triggerfish is a mobile piece of equipment that mimics a
cell tower, and it can intercept a cell phone signal
locating where it's coming from. In this case, the phone
brought the detective to an old meat processing company, but
finding the phone would prove more difficult because it was
out on the property, not on a person. As he
(27:07):
tried to locate the phone, he happened to look down
and see a credit card on the ground. He picked
it up, and when he flipped it over there was
her name, Gina Green. Whoever had killed her had been
right or the detective stood now. Eventually he was able
to find not only her cell phone, but her wallet
(27:29):
and a towel that had been removed from her home.
These were great pieces of evidence to find, but there
was something not yet known or realized. Rather see this
murder happened in East Baton Rouge Parish, but where these
items were just found, while they were only three blocks
from where nine years earlier, the body of Connie Warner
(27:51):
had been discovered, but she she was from Zachary. The
murder of Gina Green would jumpstart the massive search for
a serial killer.
Speaker 2 (28:02):
But not immediately because no one.
Speaker 1 (28:04):
Realized it yet that these cases were connected the killer
he had just broadened his hunting grounds. Also four years
before Gina was murdered, Eugenet Woifontaine had been abducted, living
just doors down from Gina, but her body it had
been located in Iberville Parish. Multiple agencies were working multiple murders,
(28:26):
but the connection was yet to be made. DNA would
matter in due time, but DNA had to be found
to link anything. Until then, a murderer was still in
the loose, a murderer who four months before Gina's murder
had found himself before a parole board. Remember when Derek
was sentenced previously for beating his girlfriend, Well, the beating
(28:49):
was serious. He had actually grabbed her by her hair
and ripped her out of the car during that fight,
something he loved to do when he brutalized women. He
had stomped her face and stomped her head with his
cowboy boots against the concrete, before jumping back on top
of her and punching her relentlessly until he was pulled
(29:10):
off by some patrons at a nearby bar. She had
run into the bar to get away from him, and
he followed her with boldness. He wanted to hurt her
and he didn't care who saw it, because he was
on a mission. She had hidden behind the DJ booth
and luckily he couldn't find her before police arrived, at
which time he took off, running, able to jump in
his vehicle, trying to run over the very police officer
(29:33):
responding who was giving chase in the process. Well, for
that incident, he was originally sentenced to four years in prison,
but he was let out early on good time, meaning
he only spent a year before his release from Dixon Correctional.
Once out, he was ordered to wear an ankle monitor
(29:55):
until June, but he couldn't even do that. He was
busted disconnecting it on multiple occasions, including in May, four
months before Gina was murdered. His parole officer was pissed,
and Derek's rude attitude it wasn't helping anything. All of
that was why on May twenty third, the parole board
(30:16):
found him in direct violation of his parole for disconnecting
the device. He had three years left to serve on
that original four year sentence. He should have gone straight
back to prison. So why why was he out in
September when Gina was murdered? The answer the parole board
only reprimanded him, slapped him on the wrist and told
(30:39):
him basically, hey, don't do that. They let him walk
and by doing so day in essence, gave him the
freedom to walk straight into Gina's house. When someone violates parole,
they should go back to prison. What's the point of
a parole board when consequences aren't given for misbehavior?
Speaker 2 (30:58):
Parole is a gift with strings attached.
Speaker 1 (31:02):
You mess up, you go back and finish out your
complete sentence. What a failure of accountability all around. But
get this, Derek would again be in front of the
parole board just days after murdering Gina, this time because
of his charges for beating his wife. They had been
placed against him. He would spend the month of October
(31:26):
in jail for this. Actions have consequences, but unfortunately, so
does inaction. His parole officer pushed for parole to be
revoked due to his constant violations, but again the parole
board simply reprimanded him. By December of two thousand and one,
(31:47):
Derek Toddley walked out of jail a freeman and he
was hired back on at Dow Chemical. This would bring
him back over that Mississippi River bridge where he would
travel down Louisiana Highway One to get to work, a
highway that also passed right in front of another plant
worker's home, a home that while the husband was gone
to work all day, that meant that his wife must
(32:10):
be home alone.
Speaker 2 (32:14):
Coming up on the next episode of DTL.
Speaker 1 (32:26):
Dow Chemical was one of the largest employers in South Louisiana,
with an annual payroll somewhere around three hundred and thirty
five million. It's obvious that this is where a lot
of people make.
Speaker 2 (32:36):
A living in the state Plaquamen. It just has that
old time.
Speaker 1 (32:44):
Feel about it, and it was the perfect place for
Jerrelyn de Soto to establish her home. On January fourteenth,
two thousand and two, Darren de Soto left for work
like every other day, and Jerlyn too. She had plans
for that day. While anyone would hate to part with
(33:06):
their hard earned money, Jerrolyn on this day was happy
to go and pay her tuition for grad school. Derek
Toddley was traveling Highway One on his way to pick
up his final paycheck after being laid off. Now he
was back boiling with anger.
Speaker 2 (33:25):
She laid her close.
Speaker 1 (33:26):
Out on the bed and was just about to get
changed when she heard an unexpected knock at the door.
Jerlyn's eyes widened, but it was far too late, as
that man came crashing through the front door full force,
swiping and grabbing at her with every inch forward. She
(33:53):
had been roughed up before in the past by a man,
but this wasn't just male ego here. This was brutality
and nothing like she had ever been up against before.
She turned towards the hallway, trying to run from this
crazed attacker. But for every near silent footstep that she
(34:14):
stumbled across the carpet, a steel toed boot shook the
thin trailer floor behind her as he gave chase
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