The Killer in Our Grasp: the North Side Strangler Unmasked

In early September the Milwaukee Police Department issued a BOLO alert for a vehicle belonging to the girlfriend of Walter E. Ellis, a man DNA linked to nine murdered women.

Fourteen miles to the south of the North Side Strangler's haunts, suburban Police Officer Jason Fincel jotted down the license plates of vehicles parked at the cheap motels in his beat. Located on the far southwest side of Milwaukee County, the sprawling suburb of Franklin has a reputation for good schools and safe neighborhoods. Yet several main thoroughfares create a well traveled grid through this city of 34,000. After grabbing a cup of joe, the young officer returned to his squad and proceeded to run the license plates through the NCIC computer. To Fincel's surprise, the vehicle listed to Ellis' girlfriend came back with a hit to a Milwaukee homicide suspect.

After confirming this information with the Milwaukee police, law enforcement officers made contact with the Park Motel's night manager. The motel's surveillance video provided images of Ellis' girlfriend, absent the alleged killer. As luck would have it, the rooms on either side of the suspect's remained vacant, providing officers with an opportunity to identify the voices on the other side of the thin walls. After hearing a male's voice, detectives obtained the legal documents necessary to enter and search the motel room.

Within minutes, a swarm of heavily armed, tactically trained Milwaukee police officers joined their Franklin colleagues. When the blue blanket moved in, Ellis put up quite a fight. Nine officers grappled with the alleged serial killer. During the struggle, Ellis reached for an officer's high powered rifle. Heavily outnumbered, Ellis was subdued, handcuffed and shackled.

While only 14 miles separate the near north side of Milwaukee from the Park Motel, as far as demographics are concerned, these two areas are worlds away. In 2007, the average income of a Franklin household was $70,000. In the neighborhoods of Milwaukee, however, where the North Side Strangler hunted his victims, 73 percent of families with children receive public assistance. Nonetheless, knowledgeable street cops know the spots no-goodniks frequent, which is precisely why Officer Fincel had eyed the parking lot of the Park Motel.

With news of an arrest the saga of the man identified as the alleged North Side Strangler has begun. While in police custody, Ellis refused to answer questions without the presence of legal counsel. Online court records show that Ellis is represented by Russell Jones, a lawyer with a solid courtroom reputation. I believe Ellis' attorney will argue that his client paid for sex but isn't a killer. In several instances, the DNA belonging to multiple persons was found at these crimes scenes. The Milwaukee County DA's office will counter by highlighting the statistical probably of Ellis' DNA being found at all seven locations.

Follow this blog for updates, as well as insights into other homicide cases. And please check out the e-magazine expose I authored exclusively for Amazon.com, The Killer in Our Midst: the Case of Milwaukee's North Side Strangler.
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Steve Spingola is an author and retired Milwaukee Police Department homicide detective