Milwaukee police arrest local man in connection to the slayings of 9 women since 1986

Milwaukee man arrested in connection to 9 killings

MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee man whose DNA authorities say linked him to the slayings of nine women since 1986 has been charged with two counts of homicide, with more charges expected later this week, police and prosecutors said Monday.

Walter E. Ellis, 49, was taken into custody after a struggle at a motel on Saturday, days after police served a search warrant to obtain a DNA sample, police Chief Edward Flynn said. Ellis was charged with two counts of first-degree intentional homicide and more charges will be filed within the next few days, Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm said.

Each homicide charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.

Police said Ellis’ DNA was found on the bodies of nine women who were killed between 1986 and 2007 on the city’s north side. Investigators believe eight of the women were prostitutes and one was a runaway. They ranged in age from 16 to 41.

“Good police work and good police science led us to Walter Ellis,” Flynn said. “These cases, some more than 20 years old, were never forgotten.”

Flynn declined to say what the motive may have been.

“I don’t think it’s possible for me to speculate what would cause someone to engage in these horrific acts,” Flynn said.

Online court records show that Ellis pleaded no contest in 1998 to a reduced charge of second-degree reckless injury. He served three years of a five-year sentence, Flynn said.

Chisholm didn’t know whether Ellis had an attorney. A message left with Ellis’ previous attorney was not immediately returned Monday.

According to the criminal complaint, detectives searched Ellis’ home on Aug. 29 and seized a toothbrush and razors that a female roommate said belonged to Ellis. Investigators at the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory matched DNA from the toothbrush with samples taken from one victim and fingernail samples of the other, the complaint said.

A brother of one of the victims said earlier Monday that his family has carried a great burden since his sister, Joyce Mims, was strangled in 1997 at the age of 41. Terry Williams said the family thinks the killer might have been related to his sister’s boyfriend at the time. That man has since died.

“We just hated that it had taken so long for them to find her killer, those women’s killer. But you know, justice one day is better than no justice at all,” said Williams, 49, of Madison.

Before Monday, investigators had said they believed one person was responsible for seven deaths. Police now believe he’s connected to the deaths of two more women who were both strangled.

The investigation produced breaks in other cases after detectives resubmitted numerous DNA samples to the state crime lab in the unsolved homicides of suspected prostitutes. The work led to progress in at least 10 unrelated killings, authorities said.

“This is a phenomenal feat,” Mayor Tom Barrett said. “The lesson here is there is never a totally cold case in the city of Milwaukee.”

Associated Press writer Carrie Antlfinger contributed to this report.

(This version CORRECTS Corrects that search warrant for DNA was issued on Aug. 29 sted Friday; ADDS details from criminal complaint; ADDS audio link. AP Video.)