Philip Joseph Hughes Jr.

Philip Joseph Hughes Jr. (born 1947/1948) known as The East Bay Strangler, is an American convicted serial killer.[1] He killed at least three young women in Contra Costa County throughout the 1970s with the help of his ex-wife, Suzanne Perrin.[2][3]

Philip Joseph Hughes Jr.
Born
Philip Joseph Hughes Jr.

1947 or 1948 (age 75–76)[1]
Other names"The East Bay Strangler"
Conviction(s)Murder 3x
Criminal penaltyLife imprisonment
Details
Victims3+
Span of crimes
1972–1975
CountryUnited States
State(s)California
Date apprehended
1979
Imprisoned atCalifornia Correctional Institution

He is currently serving life imprisonment at California Correctional Institution.[4]

Known victims

Maureen Field

On November 14, 1972, Maureen Field, 19, was waiting for her father to pick her up after ending her shift at Kmart, when Hughes offered her a ride. When her father, Joe Field, drove up to the store, he learned she had left earlier, but was not concerned. Two days later the family received an anonymous phone call from a man saying, "I'm calling about your daughter. She's dead and I killed her." The man never called again. Several months later, on February 15, 1973, her badly decomposed body was found along Morgan Territory Road.[5][2]

Lisa Ann Beery

On January 26, 1974, Hughes and his wife, Suzanne Perrin, kidnapped Lisa Beery, 15, at knifepoint while hitchhiking near her home. They took her to a house in Oakland, where she was forced into the basement, sexually assaulted, and stabbed to death. Her body was wrapped in a sheet and dumped in a shallow grave in a deserted area in Contra Costa County. Her body was found five years later in Moraga.[6][2]

Letitia Fagot

On March 19, 1975, Letitia Fagot, 25, was found nude in her Walnut Creek home after a welfare check was requested by her coworkers when she failed to show up for work. She was found strangled and suffered a severe blow to the head by a blunt object.[7]

Arrest

In July 1979, a friend of Suzanne Perrin contacted the Oakland police department on Perrin's behalf, due to Perrin's fear of Hughes. The following day, Perrin agreed to meet a police sergeant at a restaurant and disclosed information linking Hughes to the murder of Lisa Beery. On July 13, 1979, police obtained a search warrant for Hughes' Pleasanton home to seize evidence.[6]

Trials

On April 3, 1980, Hughes was found guilty of the first degree murder of Lisa Beery.[8] A jury ruled on April 8, 1980 that Hughes was legally sane during the time of the murder. Dr. Hugh Winig testified that Hughes had, "an actual need to kill someone and have sex with them after they were dead."[9] Hughes was sentenced to life in prison on May 21, 1980.[10]

On October 14, 1980, six months after his first murder conviction, Hughes was found guilty of the first degree murders of Maureen Field and Letitia Fagot. On November 25, 1980, a Superior Court judge sentenced Hughes to two concurrent life sentences, calling him "a dangerous man to society."[11][12]

In both cases, Hughes ex-wife, Suzanne Perrin, testified against him. She was granted immunity for her testimony, despite her participation, which included providing Hughes with a list of potential victims, kidnapping, and the disposing of Field's body.[11]

On August 12, 1983, the state Court of Appeal upheld the murder conviction of Hughes for the Contra Costa slayings.[13]

After seven parole hearings from 1985 to 2006, Hughes began voluntarily waiving his right to hearings. In 2015, he stipulated that he was not suitable for parole, agreeing not to request a new parole hearing until 2025.[4]

See also

General

References
  1. Gafni, Matthias (January 25, 2006). "Pleasanton serial killer parole bid is denied". East Bay Times. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  2. "1970s serial killers sowed fear in Contra Costa". The Mercury News. July 16, 2011. Archived from the original on October 23, 2019. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  3. Bulwa, Demian (September 30, 2005). "CONTRA COSTA COUNTY / DNA links girl's 1978 slaying to convict who died in 2002 / Authorities have now tied 8 killings to ex-handyman". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on August 21, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  4. "CDCR Public Inmate Locator Disclaimer". Archived from the original on February 11, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  5. "CC Fears Disappearances Are Linked". Contra Costa Times. February 22, 1973. p. 4. Archived from the original on December 11, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Police seek to link 8 unsolved murders". The San Francisco Examiner. July 17, 1979. p. 10. Archived from the original on December 11, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Walnut Creek Woman Slain". Oakland Tribune. March 20, 1975. p. 1. Archived from the original on December 11, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Man Convicted Of Homicide In Oakland Girl's Death". The Sacramento Bee. April 4, 1980. p. 28. Archived from the original on December 12, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Killer Ruled Legally Sane". Santa Cruz Sentinel. April 9, 1980. p. 31. Archived from the original on December 12, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Oakland Sex Killer Gets Life Sentence". The Sacramento Bee. May 22, 1980. p. 12. Archived from the original on December 12, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Jury Convicts Janitor Of Two More Deaths". Santa Cruz Sentinel. October 15, 1980. p. 8. Archived from the original on December 12, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "A dangerous man to society". The San Francisco Examiner. November 26, 1980. p. 13. Archived from the original on December 12, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Murder conviction upheld". Oakland Tribune. August 13, 1983. p. 8. Archived from the original on December 12, 2022. Retrieved December 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
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