RICHMOND, Va. -- Thirty years ago one of the worst nightmares in Richmond history ended when the serial rapist and murderer who terrorized the city was convicted and sentenced to death.
In 1987, Timothy Spencer, also known as the “The Southside Strangler,” committed a series of rapes and murders across Central Virginia.
He was ultimately captured in Arlington, Virginia, where he also killed a woman.
One year later, he was convicted of capital murder.
It was the first capital murder case in the US to be successfully prosecuted on the basis of DNA evidence.
Mark Holmberg remembers The Southside Strangler case very well.
It happened just one year after he began working at the Richmond Times Dispatch.
Holmberg returned to CBS 6 to offer his memories of the infamous case and the two legendary crime fighters who helped bring an end to Timothy Spencer’s reign of terror.
