Tony Ables
Tony Alvin Ables (born December 28, 1954) is an American serial killer. Officially convicted of two murders, one of which occurred while he was still underage, Ables was later connected via DNA evidence to two other murders in 2006: of 84-year-old retiree Adeline McLaughlin in 1983, and his 31-year-old girlfriend Deborah Kisor in 1987. Despite their romantic involvement, Ables was not charged with Kisor's killing, and is yet to be tried to McLaughlin's.[1] He is currently serving a life sentence for killing another girlfriend, 48-year-old Marlene Burns, in 1990.[2]
Tony Ables | |
|---|---|
 Inmate mugshot | |
| Born | Tony Alvin Ables December 28, 1954 St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S. |
| Other names | Tony Abels Thadaisis Gordon Michael Jones James Selbey |
| Conviction(s) | Murder |
| Criminal penalty | Death; commuted to life imprisonment |
| Details | |
| Victims | 4 (2 convictions) |
Span of crimes | 1970–1990 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | Florida |
Date apprehended | June 4, 1990 |
| Imprisoned at | Charlotte Correctional Institution, Punta Gorda, Florida |
Murders
Ables' first murder occurred at age 16 in 1970, when he killed a man during a robbery in St. Petersburg. He was quickly arrested for that murder, and in March 1971 pled guilty to first-degree murder, receiving a life sentence. In 1983, after serving 12 years at a state prison, he was released on parole and got a job as a construction worker.
Five months after his release, on June 25th, he broke into the apartment of 83-year-old Adeline McLaughlin, a retired widow from Worcester, Massachusetts, by breaking through her window.[3] He suffocated McLaughlin with a pillow and then proceeded to burglarize her apartment.[4] The killing shocked the neighboring tenants, who knew Adeline as a mysterious, yet friendly old lady.[3]
On Valentine's Day, 1987, Ables sexually assaulted and murdered his 31-year-old girlfriend at the time, Deborah Kisor, of Monterey, California.[5] She was last seen the previous day making a phone call from a payphone in front of an apartment building. Her body, dressed in only a blouse and a jacket, was found by a passer-by walking along a path near Roser Park bridge. She had bruises on her legs, with a blue pair of jeans laying beside the body. Despite being romantically involved with Kisor, Ables wasn't arrested as a suspect in her murder at the time.[6]
On June 4, 1990, after getting into a drunken argument with his new girlfriend and roommate, 48-year-old Marlene Burns, Ables pushed her down the stairs, beating and kicking her to death afterwards.[7] As he was leaving the apartment and wiping the blood off his hands, he was seen by witnesses, who had already called the authorities to report a domestic dispute.[8] When police arrived, they arrested Tony on the spot and soon charged him with first-degree murder, holding him without bail at the Pinellas County jail.[7]
Trial and imprisonment
In early June, Tony Ables was convicted of killing Burns and sentenced to die in the electric chair, but two years later, his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment by Justice Bob Barker. The reason for this was that Ables suffered from mental health issues, a claim that was corroborated by his brother Anthony, who said that their rocky childhood, in which their father abused their mother to the extent that she left the family, was a definite contributing factor.[2]
The McLaughlin and Kisor murders remained unsolved until 2006, when homicide detectives submitted Ables' DNA to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which matched with evidence found on both women's bodies. Ables wasn't charged with killing Kisor, as they were romantically involved, but officials consider the case closed. As for the McLaughlin murder, he was officially booked for it, but has yet to be charged.[1] According to Police Major Michael Puetz, there's a strong possibility that Ables could be responsible for other crimes, for which he has yet to be connected with.[9]
References
- Abhi Raghunathan (December 6, 2006). "DNA solves two murders, police say". Tampa Bay Times.
- William Yelverton (May 12, 1992). "Man's sentence goes from death to life". The Tampa Tribune.
- Lynda Richardson (June 27, 1983). "Slaying at retirement hotel unnerves elderly tenants, Page 2". Tampa Bay Times.
- Lynda Richardson (June 27, 1983). "Slaying at retirement hotel unnerves elderly tenants". Tampa Bay Times.
- "Deborah D. Kisor Obituary". Tampa Bay Times. February 18, 1987.
- "Passer-by finds woman's body near park". Tampa Bay Times. February 15, 1987.
- Will Rodgers (June 6, 1990). "Beating death called domestic violence". Tampa Bay Times.
- "Roommate charged in woman's death". The Tampa Tribune. June 6, 1990.
- "Cops: Inmate linked to 2 other killings". Orlando Sentinel. December 7, 2006.