On Dec. 30, 1999, a drifter named Tommy Lynn Sells broke into a home in Del Rio, Texas, and brutally killed 13-year-old Kaylene Harris. Krystal Surles, 10 years old at the time, had her throat slit by Sells but managed to escape and go for help.
Through a sketch artist, Krystal helped authorities create a profile of her attacker that eventually led to Sells' capture. She also became the star witness in Sells' capital murder trial.
While under arrest for the murder of Kaylene, Sells shocked authorities when he freely admitted that he had been criss-crossing the country for 20 years, murdering men, women and children.
His confession to a multiple murder in Illinois may have closed a 13-year-old case for authorities there. In 1987, Elaine Dardeen, seven months pregnant at the time, and her 3-year-old son, Peter, were found bludgeoned to death in their home.
On Dec. Thirty, 1999, a drifter named Tommy Lynn Sells broke into a home in Del Rio, Texas, and cruelly rubbed out 13-year-old Kaylene Harris. Krystal Surles, ten years old at the time, had her throat slit by Sells but managed to flee and go for help. Through a sketch artist, Krystal helped authorities create a profile of her assailant that at last led straight to Sells’ capture. She also became the star witness in Sells’ capital murder trial. While under arrest for the murder of Kaylene, Sells surprised authorities when he openly admitted he had been criss-crossing the country for twenty years, murdering men, ladies and kids. His confession to a multiple murder in Illinois may have closed a 13-year-old case for authorities there. In 1987, Elaine Dardeen, 7 months pregnant at the time, and her 3-year-old boy, Peter, were discovered shillelaghed to death in their home. The shock of the assault caused Elaine to give birth. The newly born girl, who authorities believe was alive at the time, was also clubbed to death. Elaine’s partner, Keith, was discovered dead in a nearby field, shot in the head. “How you can kill a 3-year-old and also kill a newborn child, that just goes past explanation,” announces Investigator John Kemp who originally analyzed the case.
Sells has confessed to scores of murders.
To date, authorities have conclusively linked him to 13 murders, including those of Haley McHone, thirteen, of Lexington, Ky, and Mary Perez, nine, of San Antonio, Texas. And since this story was first broadcast early in 2001, authorities have linked him to extra cases. “We do not have an exact number. We are not so gauche as to believe we’ll ever have an actual number,” claims Texas Ranger Johnny Allen, one of the investigators of the Kaylene Harris murder.
The Rangers have worked closely with authorities in other states, even taking Sells to other locations so he could show police where he buried a body or disposed of a murder weapon. Sells, in a case supported by the emotional affidavit of Krystal Surles, was at last found guilty of capital murder in the Kaylene Harris case. After just two hours of thought, the jury returned with a sentence of death.
After the trial, Krystal related the sole good thing to come out of her trial with Sells is “that he was caught and that nobody else will get hurt from him.” Sells ha snow bene move dto Death Row, but Texas has an automated appeal in capital cases, so it might be years before an execution date is even set. For investigators, one downside is a Texas state law that restricts Death Row inmates from leaving jail. It’s no longer possible for Sells to show investigators in other states where all of the bodies are buried.
