Shivangi Sinha
In June 2012, a teenage couple was found shot in a park in Portland, Texas. Mollie Olgin lost her life, while Mary Kristene Chapa survived and slowly recovered from her severe injuries. Although many believed the attack was a hate crime targeting the LGBTQ+ community, the police never confirmed this. It wasn’t until 2014 that David Strickland was arrested and later convicted for the crime. NBC’s episode of ‘Dateline’ titled ‘The Overlook,’ delves into the case against Strickland, examining the evidence that ultimately secured his conviction.
David Strickland Was Spotted By Many People Around the Crime Scene
On the morning of June 23, 2012, birdwatchers visiting Violet Andrews Park in Portland, Texas, stumbled upon a horrifying crime scene. They discovered two young women who had been brutally shot in the head. Police identified them as Mollie Olgin and Mary Kristene Chapa. While Mollie was pronounced dead at the hospital, 18-year-old Kristene survived and recounted the traumatic events. She explained that she and her partner had been assaulted and shot by a man who attacked them without warning. She provided the police with a composite sketch of the assailant, initiating a thorough investigation.
On June 27, 2012, a man named David Malcolm Strickland visited the police station and claimed to have seen a white car speeding away from the park on the night of the attack. He was also reported to have engaged with individuals at the crime scene. At the time, he was mentioning that his partner, Laura, knew one of the victims. Despite this, Strickland was not initially considered a suspect. DNA evidence recovered from a cigarette butt and an energy drink can at the scene matched a man named Dylan Spellman, who had been spotted near the crime scene by eyewitnesses. However, the evidence was insufficient to file formal charges against him.
The breakthrough in the case came in 2014 when Kristene’s father received an anonymous letter. The letter was written by a man who claimed the attack had been carried out by someone from Layton, Utah, and included a photo of the suspect. The police tracked down the man, but he had a solid alibi. However, the information he provided significantly changed the direction of the investigation. The man revealed that he had once been friends with Strickland, but their relationship had soured after the latter was accused of burglarizing his house.
Physical Evidence Found in David Strickland’s Car Led to His Arrest
The man who had sent the anonymous letter revealed that the photo included in the letter had been taken by David Strickland’s partner, Laura. This led the police to investigate a burglary involving Strickland, and they executed a search warrant on his car. During the search, they found two guns, ammunition, a suppressor, gloves, and a backpack containing items like condoms, flex handcuffs, bolt cutters, a knife, and other tools. The evidence was later tested against the case involving Kristene Chapa and Mollie Olgin, and it was determined that the bullets from Strickland’s gun matched the shell casings found at the crime scene.
Additionally, the police tracked Strickland’s cell phone activity and discovered that he had been near Kristene’s house around the time the anonymous letter was delivered. A draft of the letter was also found on his computer, further linking him to the crime. A black car that had been seen near the house when the letter was delivered also matched the car that Strickland and his wife owned at the time. On June 20, 2014, both Strickland and Laura were arrested. The former was charged with capital murder, aggravated sexual assault, and aggravated assault. Laura was charged with tampering with evidence, but it was later dropped.
David Strickland is Serving a Life Sentence Today
While in custody, David Strickland confessed to the murders, claiming he killed the girls because they had been rude to his wife, who worked as a server. However, the police did not charge him with a hate crime, as they found no evidence to support that claim. During the trial, an expert witness suggested that Strickland’s confession may have been manipulated, with the belief that his wife would be arrested if he didn’t confess. A 2009 psychological report was also presented, stating that he suffered from hallucinations and suicidal ideations. This was the basis on which he had been formerly discharged from the Army.
On September 28, 2016, a jury convicted him of capital murder and aggravated sexual assault, sentencing him to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. In 2017, Kristene Chapa filed a lawsuit seeking $500 million in damages, but there are no updates available. His defense team filed a motion in light of new DNA evidence, but it was struck down in 2020. Strickland is currently serving his sentence at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice William G. McConnell Unit, where he will spend the rest of his life.
Read More: Dylan Spellman: Where is Mollie Olgin’s Suspected Killer Now?
