Timothy Wilson Spencer was born on March 17, 1962, in Green Valley, Virginia.

Debbie Dudley Davis, a 35-year-old account executive, was murdered between 9:00 p.m. on September 18, 1987, and 9:30 a.m. on September 19, 1987, in her apartment in Westover Hills. The police found her naked body lying on the bed. She had been strangled with a ligature and a ratchet-type device.

Dr. Susan Hellams was killed in her home on October 2, 1987. Her husband discovered her partially clothed body in the bedroom closet when he returned home. The attacker gained access to the house by cutting a hole in the bedroom window screen. Hellams died from ligature strangulation using two belts found around her neck.

On November 22, 1987, 15-year-old high school student Diane Cho was found murdered in her family's apartment. She was also raped and strangled, similar to the murders of Davis and Hellams.

Susan Tucker, 44, was Spencer's last known victim. She was believed to have been raped and murdered in her condominium around November 27, 1987. Her body was discovered on December 1, 1987. Forensic evidence indicated that her death was caused by the murderer called the "Southside Strangler."

On January 20, 1988, Timothy Spencer was arrested for the rape and murder of Susan Tucker. Police linked him to the crime through travel records showing he had been in Arlington during the time of her death. Spencer was also charged with the murders of Debbie Davis, Susan Hellams, and Diane Cho.

Spencer's trials began in 1988. The first trial was for Susan Tucker's murder. DNA evidence connected him to her crime scene, making it the first case in Virginia to use DNA to prove guilt. He was convicted and sentenced to death.

Following this conviction, he was tried for Debbie Davis's murder. DNA from the crime scene matched Spencer's DNA with a very high statistical likelihood. He was again convicted and sentenced to death.

In January 1989, Spencer's trial for Susan Hellams's murder also relied on DNA evidence linking him to the crime. He was convicted and sentenced to death a third time.

Investigators compared Spencer's DNA with samples from other cases, including the murder of Carolyn Hamm. While the DNA evidence here was inconclusive, it suggested that he was likely responsible for her murder as well.

Spencer's attempts to appeal his convictions were denied. He was executed on April 27, 1994, at Greensville Correctional Center in Virginia. He was pronounced dead at 11:13 p.m. and did not give a final statement.