Kriti Mehrotra
While the rise of true-crime productions over the past few years has been a bit morbid, it’s undeniable that they inadvertently do help us understand human nature and psychology much better. Amongst these originals is actually Investigation Discovery’s ‘Before They Kill Again: The Outdoorsman Killer,’ which carefully chronicles the case of serial killer Thomas Lee Dillon. This Ohio-based former waterworks draftsman targeted people just for existing between 1989 and 1992, and he was ultimately found responsible for having taken the lives of five innocent men.
Thomas Lee Dillon’s First Victims Were Animals
It was July 9, 1950, when Thomas was born in Canton, Ohio, into a rather middle-class home, only to then reportedly reside in nearby Magnolia until it came time for him to pursue further studies. According to records, while his father passed away when he was just an infant, his mother was quite cold and indifferent towards him, meaning he didn’t have much love growing up. This is what led him to find solace in the outdoors, yet no one could have ever imagined it would soon result in his instinct turning to capturing and tormenting all kinds of animals before killing them.
As per Thomas’ own admission, he had heinously murdered over 10,000 creatures before he was eventually apprehended in 1992, all the while referring to himself as a “hunter” of animals and men alike. However, it’s imperative to note that he was simultaneously leading a very unassuming, simple life, starting with earning his Bachelor’s in Journalism from Ohio State University in 1972. As if that’s not enough, he then moved on to establish a notable 12-year career as a draftsman at the Canton Ohio Waterworks, all the while also building a family of his own — he had a wife and a son.
Thomas Lee Dillon Was Apprehended Thanks to Public Tips
Thomas was nearly 39 years old when he committed his first murder by shooting 35-year-old Donald Welling on April 1, 1989, as he was walking or jogging around Road 94 in Tuscarawas County. His next victim was 21-year-old Jamie Paxton on November 10, 1990, followed by 30-year-old Kevin Loring a mere 18 days later on November 28 – both were hunting at the time. Then there was 48-year-old Claude Hawkins on March 14, 1992, and 44-year-old Gary Bradley on April 5, 1992, who had left their respective home to go fishing in different parts of southeastern Ohio, never to return.
Little did Thomas know that he had actually shot his fourth victim, Claude, on federal property, which resulted in the FBI getting involved and gradually uncovering some disturbing news. It was when a friend reported him for behaving suspiciously that he was placed under surveillance, only to be found possessing an illegal silencer in July 1992. Then, in August of the same year, another friend came forward to assert that he had been boasted about and exhibited even more suspicious behavior by shooting out store windows, street signs, and cars.
Furthermore, with Thomas already being under surveillance at this time, the authorities reportedly also saw him burning buildings and killing animals to such an extent that they even put an aerial detail on him. However, it wasn’t until an individual to whom this Ohio native had sold his rifle came forward that he was finally linked to all five murders based on ballistics and apprehended for good. It’s possible he may have committed other offenses or murders over the years, yet he wasn’t ever positively linked to any of them despite a lot of suspicions.
Thomas Lee Dillon Passed Away in 2011
Although Thomas was arrested and charged with five counts of first-degree murder in 1992, it wasn’t until the death penalty was removed from the table that he admitted to his crimes. In fact, he actually pleaded guilty to five counts of aggravated murder on July 12, 1993, for which he was later sentenced to 5 consecutive terms of 30 years to life in prison as well as an additional 15 years for gun specification, with no possibility of parole for 165 years.
Thomas was subsequently incarcerated at the maximum-security Southern Ohio Correctional Facility just outside Lucasville in Scioto County, Ohio, where he remained until October 4, 2011. As per official records, the 61-year-old was actually transferred to the prison wing at the Ohio State University Medical Center in Columbus on that fateful day owing to an unspecified illness. So, it was also there that he passed away from the same nearly three weeks later – it was 7:55 am on October 21, 2011, when the Outdoorsman Killer was declared dead. He had gotten his moniker from the way he always shot his victims in the outdoors, and he reportedly never showed any remorse.
Read More: Shawn Grate: Where is the Serial Killer Now?
