Bio

Bobby Lee Tankersley was born on May 28, 1952. He grew up in a challenging environment, but not much is known about his early life. His background suggests he may have faced difficulties that impacted his development.

As he grew older, Tankersley struggled with issues that included alcoholism. These challenges may have influenced his behavior in later years. He lived in Yuma, Arizona, for some time. While there, he was known to have interactions with various people, including neighbors.

At one point, Tankersley lived in a low-budget motel where he met Thelma Younkin, a 65-year-old woman who also resided there. The motel was located in an area that had some social issues. There were reports that he had conflicts with some of the people living nearby, and that he had concerns about debts owed to him.

Details of his life in Yuma indicate that he was involved in illegal activities, which may have further complicated his relationships with others. Despite his struggles, not much information is available to fully understand his early life or what led to his later actions.

Murder Story

On November 17, 1991, Bobby Lee Tankersley murdered Thelma Younkin, a 65-year-old woman who lived nearby. Tankersley had asked a neighbor for the location of Younkin's room before entering it with a strange look on his face. Hours later, Younkin's son found her dead in her room.

After exiting the room, the son encountered Tankersley, who asked him what was wrong. The police later concluded that Younkin had died from ligature strangulation, using her own oxygen tubing. Her body showed signs of sexual assault, and there were severe injuries to her vagina. The victim was found mostly nude, and there were bite marks on her body, including missing parts of her ear.

Tankersley was arrested and charged with the crime. His trial began on October 19, 1993. The jury convicted him of murder and sexual assault on November 10, 1993. The presiding judge sentenced him to death on May 18, 1994.

However, in 2004, a new judge allowed a resentencing hearing based on questions about the bite-mark evidence used during the trial and inconclusive DNA tests related to the case. The judge determined that the new evidence did not exonerate Tankersley but warranted a reevaluation of his sentence.

On August 1, 2008, Tankersley was resentenced to life in prison. This meant he would not be executed but would serve a life sentence for the murder of Thelma Younkin.