"Anytime you talk about this case, it is appalling . Before that, though, he had been arrested a couple of times for sexual offenses. And thats how he escaped. Incarcerated for life without parole in 1966, Eubanks had been a model inmate for about seven years, so Ohio State Penitentiary granted him a furlough to go Christmas shopping at a local mall that December. To use as powerful a word as I can think of, we were traumatized, said sister Myrtle Carter who was 18 at the time of the murder. His death sentence was commuted to life in prison in 1972 when the California Supreme Courtruled the death penalty unconstitutional. Prosecutors alleged he raped and beat her then. He fled the scene of the crime, passing by it 45 minutes later to discovered Deener alive and suffering through her injuries. Upon looking into it, it turned out that Lester was there, but only until the mid-80s. Lester would give you the shirt off his back and would do everything to help support hisfamily. Sorry, you need to enable JavaScript to visit this website. https://t.co/G9Ve0bpFv2. MANSFIELD - Convicted child killer Lester Eubanks of Mansfield is being sought in the Los Angeles area after being convicted of killing a 14-year-old Mansfield girl in 1965 and walking away from a prison shopping trip with other honor inmates on Dec. 7, 1973, having been a fugitive ever since. Kay, the widow of Lesters cousin and his previous pen-pal, turned out to be crucial in the investigations that followed. Authorities follow the trail of a confessed child killer to Southern California and hope newly unearthed photos will crack the case. The woman who ran the factory, Joy Springer, recalls that Eubanks was hired "right in the beginning of the waterbed era and we were going big guns.". For the seven years Lester Eubanks was in jail, reports said he acted like a model prisoner. Marshals Service number: 866-4WANTED (866-492-6833). We thought it was over. Real Name: Lester Edward Eubanks Aliases: Victor Young, Pete Eubanks, Lester William Eubanks Wanted For: Murder, Escape Missing Since: December 7, 1973 Case Details: Lester Eubanks is wanted for escape; he had been serving a life sentence for the murder of fourteen-year-old Mary Ellen Deener of Mansfield, Ohio. Authorities also alleged that he tried to rape her. Two guards dropped them off at the Great Southern Shopping Center in Columbus at 10 a.m., told them that they could shop unsupervised for four hours, and gave them instructions about where they were to return afterward. 28. . "This is one of these cases that you go to bed with, it's one of these cases that you wake up with. The case was fairly straightforward. Lester Eubanks passed away on August 27, 2017 in Griffin, Georgia. . Fugitive Lester Eubanks is seen here in this U.S. That's all conjecture though. They want the child killer captured, and they wont stop until they succeed. After being charged with first-degree murder while perpetrating rape, he tried to plead insanity, to no avail. He was shocked to find the National Crime Information Center hadnt listed him as wanted. Newly resurfaced photos may finally lead authorities to capturing him. Funeral Home Services for Lester are being provided by Conner-Westbury Funeral Home. Lester A. Eubanks Newark resident Lester A. Eubanks, 97, departed this life on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2017, at home. "He picked up a brick and bashed her skull in. After the sister alerted their grandmother and the two found the police around Deeners lifeless body. Fox News Flash top headlines are here. They are also trying to gain his biological sons DNA in an attempt to compare it against samples collected from unsolved crime scenes across America in the hopes that it will yield a match and offer hints about Lesters new identity or location. I think theres people who know who he is and what he did. A visitation for Anthony Scott Lester, 21, of Canton, will be held 6 - 8 pm Monday, January 4, 2021, at Eubank Funeral Home in Canton. Marshals posting their highest-ever reward for information leading to his capture, $50,000. He was driven to a city just outside Detroit and has been on the run now for 46 years. After fleeing Ohio, Lester went to Michigan for a few weeks because he wanted to see the extent of the search against him. MASSACHUSETTS WIDOW'S KILLING SOLVED 36 YEARS LATER, ALLEGED KILLER CONFESSED BEFORE HE DIED, Lester Eubanks escaped from an Ohio prison in 1973. Family and friends are welcome to leave their condolences on this memorial page and share them with the family. Marshal Brian Fitzgibbon said after the Netflix showing that the marshals service received a lot of tips from people filling in the holes. The program was borne from hopes that time outside the prison walls would help reform felons like him and was heavily curtailed after three convicts including Eubanks escaped. Powered by. Henry T. Greely, director of the Center for Law and the Biosciences at Stanford University Law School, said the challenge is getting the sample into the FBI database for review, when the FBI policy prohibits searches using a relatives DNA. From their union of 43 years five children were born: Michael, Sheila, James, Vincent and Catherine. Officials also believe he worked as a janitor at St. Francis Hospital in Lynwood in the late 1980s or early 90s, Murphy said. ", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lester_Eubanks&oldid=1140459173, This page was last edited on 20 February 2023, at 04:34. We know that he has a footprint there, we know that he has associates throughout the area, we just need to talk to those people.. Mary Ellen encountered Eubanks in 1965 when she ran out of change while doing laundry for the family at a local laundromat in Mansfield, Ohio. It's quite repulsive; it's unfathomable. For decades, investigators suspect he has been "hiding in plain sight," using a series of false identities for years to remain undetected, ABC News reported. The U.S. He shot her twice then beat her with a brick. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. "I really believe we're going to catch up to this guy," Deputy U.S. Authorities follow the trail to L.A. in pursuit of a killer who escaped in 1973. Marshals Service said on Saturday. After reviewing recently obtained photographs that allegedly show Eubanks working and socializing with people in Los Angeles County including a former waterbed factory in Gardena the Marshals Service began focusing their investigation there,U.S. Previously a Spanish - then Mexican - territory, the U.S. paid $15 million dollars for the area in 1848. And over time, he earned "honor status" as an inmate and the trust of prison guards. The three images showed Davis in glasses, her iconic afro, and a resolute stare. On November 30, 2017, Lester A. Eubanks entered into his ultimate resting place at the age 97. U.S. Convicted murderer Lester Eubanks, whose escape from custody was detailed in the "Death Row Fugitive" episode of Netflix's "Unsolved Mysteries Vol. Lester Eubanks was imprisoned in the first place for trying to rape a 14-year-old girl before shooting her to death and then bludgeoning her into a pulp with a brick. "Take him out and turn him loose in a shopping center for rehabilitation purposes? "on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Pandora, Spotify, Stitcher and TuneIn. That bothers me.. Deener died after Eubanks shot her twice and then beat her over the head with a brick. ", "Any information that can get us to that front door, get him in custody," says Siler. Would love your thoughts, please comment. NOTICE TO LAW ENFORCEMENT: Before arrest, verify warrant through the National Crime Information Center (NCIC). ", The U.S. Reports suggest Eubanks fled to Michigan, and also spent time in Los Angeles. The ongoing manhunt for Eubanks is the focus of the ABC News podcast, Have You Seen This Man?. The U.S. He came back an hour later to finish the job. U.S. MarshalsIt took decades for the U.S. The show aims to understand how anything like it couldve happened. Eubanks was so well-mannered and docile that he became an Honor Inmate at the facility, which earned him certain privileges. It was the last time the 14-year-old was seen alive. The sad thing is, those who he has won over are victims, too, said Siler. The girl had only tried to help her family out with chores and ended up dead in the streets with change still in her hand. The promising Gardena lead ended with news that their suspect had quit his job and vanished. William Lester Eubanks, Jr. passed away on Saturday, May 27, 2017 in Houston, TX. Eubanks was serving a life sentence for the murder of a teenage girl when he escaped from Ohio authorities in 1973. Marshals' list of its 15 most wanted fugitives, and authorities are offering $50,000 for information that directly leads to his arrest. On that day, Mary Ellen Deener and her younger sister, 12-year-old Brenda Sue, were doing laundry. He was initially sentenced to death,. Marshals offer record reward for fugitive Lester Eubanks, More: U.S. Eubanks confessed to the murder the following day after local authorities placed him under arrest. On trial in 1966, Eubanks confessed to the murder yet again, not showing remorse, and he was convicted and given the death penalty for his crimes. [All we need is] that one tipster, that one person that can bring in the last piece of the puzzle, even if they knew him a year ago, two years ago, said Siler. One of the U.S. Marshals 15 most-wanted fugitives, authorities are offering a $50,000 reward for his capture, the agencys highest ever. At the time of his disappearance, he weighed approximately 175 pounds. "We're hoping that the viewers in Los Angeles are able to identify some of these people," says Siler. Eubanks was living and working in Los Angeles under the name "Victor Young" after his 1973 escape from the Ohio State Penitentiary, where he was serving a life sentence for the brutal murder of 14-year-old Mary Ellen Deener. But every state contributes its DNA repository to the national database, and some states have restrictions against those types of familial searches. While bouncing around to different jobs, the fugitive reportedly worked in a waterbed factory and as a hospital janitor. Eubanks fled to Los Angeles and worked under the name "Victor Young" after escaping from prison, living off and on with a woman named Kay Eubanks between 1975 and 1996, investigators say, according to KABC. U.S. He was born January 26, 1999 in Athens. Anthony grew up in Canton and graduated Canton High School in 2018 . After being escorted to the Great Southern Shopping Center on Dec. 7, 1973, the man who murdered Mary Ellen Deener vanished. Monday, retired Mansfield police Det. Reports suggest Eubanks fled to Michigan, and also spent time in Los Angeles. John Arcudi of the Mansfield Police Department. I think we were probably fairly close to Lester at some point, but the tips and the technology just didnt make it where we could get close enough, said Conner. An official website of the United States government. Detectives, journalists, and family members offer intriguing theories in this gripping series from the creators of the original docuseries. Anyone who knows anything about Eubanks whereabouts today is encouraged to report what they know to the appropriate authorities. Volume 2 of Unsolved Mysteries brings us six baffling cases that have shaken the world to its core. Dwayne Heard, Atlanta entrepreneur, dies at 67. On the Ohio streets, he used to walk around with numb chucks in his hands, swinging them around wherever he went, and in prison, he mostly painted. Officials said the new photographs were among the rush of tips that came in after ABC News ran a segment on the case for the podcast, Have You Seen This Man.. In Netflix's volume 2 description for Unsolved Mysteries, they say, Perhaps viewers hold vital clues that will help solve these mysteries. I think hes probably still alive. The bus that he was on was stopped by law enforcement officials on the interstate lines, and Lester did think that his freedom was over, but he got lucky yet again. "This is one of these cases that you go to bed with, it's one of these cases that you wake up with. 'Unsolved Mysteries' covers the case. Springer knew Eubanks as Victor Young and says that he worked hard, kept quiet and rode a 10-speed bicycle to work. Marshal David Siler reflected on Eubanks escape, lamenting to the Manfield News JournalLester A. Eubanks was born on June 29, 1920 to the late Hartwell and Leora Eubanks in Irvington, NJ. All rights reserved. She said that he assumed the name of Victor Young and got a hunting license, which didnt require fingerprints, as his ID proof. Siler's focus is on finding justice for Mary Ellen's family and putting Eubanks back behind bars. "I mean they're not in trouble, whatsoever. Unsolved Mysteries Host Robert Stacks Cause of Death: How Did He Die. Market data provided by Factset. Hes been avoiding the authorities for forty plus years.. His execution was pushed off on three separate occasions; according to Rolling Stone, once the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the death penalty unconstitutional in 1972, his sentence was changed to life in prison without parole. Eubanks was convicted in May 1966 and sentenced to death. Other unique physical characteristics include a mole under his left eye, according to the U.S. marshals. May God Bless and Keep You! Lester Eubanks grabbed Mary Ellen as she walked along the sidewalk. "Unsolved Mysteries" season 2 releases on October 19; one of the episodes features the murder of Mary Ellen Deener. Crazy!". "Unsolved Mysteries" volume 2 is released on October 19 on Netflix. The little girl who was killed was real quiet, just a little girl," Messmore said. The people in the photos may have worked with or socialized with fugitive murderer Lester Eubanks, according to ABC News. Local News Sports Politics Opinion For Subscribers NKY Obituaries . Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Unsolved Mysteries Volume 2 is now streaming on Netflix, and features one of the series' wildest stories yet.In Episode 3, "Death Row Fugitive," we learn of how convicted murderer Lester Eubanks . Marshals Service tipline at 866-4-WANTED. There were no services for her, but it was requested that if anyone wanted to do something for her or help in keeping her memories alive . Lester served in the United States Army and received an honorable discharge after 4 years of service. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Marshals Service Communications Center at 1-800-336-0102, or submit a tip using U.S. Recommend Lester's obituary to your friends. Eubanks escaped from the Ohio State Penitentiary in 1973, according to City News Service. When Lester didnt show up at the assigned place at the given time, the officers searched the area, finding no trace of him anywhere. Jerry Devinney officiating. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. The U.S. On November 30, 2017, Lester A. 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