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Cold case · 1997
The short answer
Between February 1997 and August 2001, women including Sandra Kay Walters and Ellen Louise "Star" Stowe were killed across South Florida. Joel Tiller later pleaded guilty to the rape and murder of Sheila Griffin; in 2021, authorities attributed the deaths of Kim Dietz-Livesey, Sia Demas, and Jessica Good to the late Roberto Wagner Fernandes, while the remaining cases are unresolved.
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Suggest coverage for South Florida serial murdersThe case file
Between February 1997 and August 2001, a number of women were found killed in Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties in South Florida. Several had experienced homelessness, substance-use disorders, or involvement in sex work. Investigators at various points considered whether some of these killings were connected, though most remain unsolved or only partially resolved.
Sandra Kay Walters, 32, was found strangled behind an adult bookstore in Palm Beach County on February 25, 1997. Investigators said they believed she had been killed by someone who had solicited her for sex. On March 16, 1997, the body of 40-year-old Ellen Louise "Star" Stowe was discovered behind an Eckerd pharmacy in Coral Springs. Stowe had been Playboy's Playmate of the Month for February 1977 and had moved to Fort Lauderdale in 1986; contemporary reporting said she later struggled with substance use and engaged in sex work. Later that year, on November 21, Theresa Kettner, 41, was found killed behind Turtle Run Shoppes in Coral Springs, and on November 28, 36-year-old Tammy M. Strunk, who had experienced homelessness, was found in a trash bin at a Sunrise shopping center. After Strunk's death, investigators began considering a possible link among the cases and collected physical evidence, including a monogrammed towel found with her body.
In January 1999, 44-year-old Sheila Griffin, a former nurse, was found partially clothed and strangled in a vacant lot in Fort Lauderdale. In February 1999, Crystal Martin was found strangled in a Fort Lauderdale motel. In June 2000, 30-year-old Melissa Ljames was found in a canal in Fort Lauderdale.
Joel Tiller was arrested on June 27, 2001, after DNA evidence linked him to the sexual assault and murder of Sheila Griffin. In 2003 he pleaded guilty to those crimes and received two life terms. He also pleaded guilty to a separate rape in Orlando and received a life sentence plus 40 years. Investigators said they were examining whether he might be connected to other unsolved killings.
Separately, in 2021 Broward County and Miami investigators identified Roberto Wagner Fernandes, who died in a 2005 plane crash in Paraguay, as responsible for three killings originally grouped with the broader series: Kim Dietz-Livesey in June 2000, Sia Demas in August 2000, and Jessica Good, whose body was found in Biscayne Bay in August 2001. Authorities said fingerprint and DNA evidence connected Fernandes to all three crime scenes. Investigators said he might have been responsible for other unsolved South Florida killings, but they publicly attributed only these three deaths to him.
14 dated entries · 1997–2021
Sandra Kay Walters, 32, found strangled and nude behind an adult bookstore in Palm Beach County.
Star Stowe, 40, former Playboy Playmate, found dead behind an Eckerd pharmacy in Coral Springs.
Theresa Kettner, 41, found murdered behind Turtle Run Shoppes in Coral Springs.
Tammy M. Strunk, 36, found dead in a trash bin at a shopping center in Sunrise, Florida.
Sheila Griffin, 44, found partially clothed and strangled in a vacant lot in Fort Lauderdale.
Crystal Martin found strangled in a Fort Lauderdale motel.
Melissa Ljames, 30, found murdered and dumped in a canal in Fort Lauderdale.
Kim Dietz-Livesey killed; later connected to Roberto Fernandes.
Sia Demas killed; later connected to Roberto Fernandes.
Joel Tiller arrested in Miami after DNA linked him to the rape and murder of Sheila Griffin.
Body of Jessica Good discovered in Biscayne Bay; later connected to Roberto Fernandes.
Joel Tiller received two life sentences.
Roberto Wagner Fernandes died in a plane crash in Paraguay.
Roberto Fernandes connected to the murders of Kim Dietz-Livesey, Sia Demas, and Jessica Good.
12 named in this file
Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
Found strangled in a Fort Lauderdale motel in February 1999.[4]
Body discovered in Biscayne Bay in August 2001; later connected to Roberto Fernandes in 2021.[4]
Killed in June 2000; later connected to Roberto Fernandes in 2021.[4]
Found murdered and dumped in a canal in Fort Lauderdale in June 2000.[4]
Found strangled and nude behind an adult bookstore in Palm Beach County on February 25, 1997.[4]
Former nurse found partially clothed and strangled in a vacant lot in Fort Lauderdale in January 1999; her murder was connected to Joel Tiller via DNA.[4]
Killed in August 2000; later connected to Roberto Fernandes in 2021.[4]
Former Playboy Playmate found dead behind an Eckerd pharmacy in Coral Springs on March 16, 1997.[4]
Homeless woman found dead in a trash bin at a Sunrise shopping center on November 28, 1997.[4]
Found murdered behind Turtle Run Shoppes in Coral Springs on November 21, 1997.[4]
Arrested June 27, 2001, after DNA connected him to the rape and murder of Sheila Griffin; received two life sentences in 2003; previously convicted of a 1968 rape and murder in Georgia and a 1996 rape in San Diego.[4]
Identified by the Broward Sheriff's Office via exhumed DNA evidence in August 2021 as the killer of Kimberly Dietz-Livesey, Sia Demas, and Jessica Good; died in a 2005 plane crash in Paraguay years before the identification, so was never prosecuted.[4]
From the record
4 cited
Coverage is not a source: every fact in this file rests on the records below.
PressThe LedgerAccessed Jul 11, 2026
PressCBS NewsAccessed Jul 10, 2026
Presssun-sentinel.comAccessed Jul 10, 2026
EncyclopedicWikipediaAccessed Jul 10, 2026
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