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Crimes

In 1990, three sex workers were killed during a 4 month period in Spokane, Washington. 26-year-old Yolanda Sapp’s body was found on February 22. 34-year-old Nicki Lowe’s body was found on March 25th. And 38-year-old Kathleen Brisbois’ body was found on May 15th.

All three women were shot and left naked by the Spokane River. Detectives were able to determine that they were all killed by the same person. Investigators had some DNA and fingerprint evidence, but they couldn’t match it to anyone, and the cases went cold.

Investigation

In 2000, serial killer Robert Yates was apprehended after a killing spree that started in 1975. Police thought the three women were his victims, but they couldn’t link him to the cases. Yates was eventually convicted of 13 murders and two attempted murders. He was given the death penalty, but it was later commuted to life in prison.

Police would continue to suspect Yates until 2012, when a DNA match linked them to an unusual suspect. In 2011, Donna Perry was arrested for firearms possession. When Perry was convicted of the crime in 2012, a DNA submission was required. That DNA matched Perry to the three murders back in 1990.

Perry’s Background

Donna Perry was born as Douglas Perry. Not much is known about Perry’s childhood, but Perry had many arrests dating back to 1974. In 1987, Perry was arrested for reckless endangerment. In 1988, Perry was arrested for possessing a pipe bomb and was also found with 49 guns and 20,000 rounds of ammo.

In 1989, Perry was arrested for soliciting a prostitute. In the late 1990s, Perry spent 18 months in jail after being caught with a gun and a knife in Oregon’s red light district.

In 2000, Perry went to Thailand to have sex reassignment surgery.

After the DNA match, Perry was interrogated and made several interesting statements. Perry said when a man transitions from male to female, there’s a great downturn in violence.

Perry also claimed that she underwent the surgery as a permanent way to control violence. Perry stated that Donna didn’t kill anybody. When pressed by detectives if Doug did, Perry replied “I don’t know if Doug did or not, it was 20 years ago, and I have no idea whether he did or did not”.

Legal Proceeding

At trial in 2017, Perry’s attorney argued the DNA and fingerprint evidence were left behind because Perry was a customer.

Prosecutors, on the other hand, fingered Perry as the killer. One of their key witnesses was Chero Fread, a woman who spent time in jail with Perry in 2013. Fread testified that Perry’s reason for killing was “because she couldn’t breed and the women had the ability to have children and they were wasting it being ‘pond scum.’

Fread also told the court that Perry confessed to killing 20 to 30 people, including two people after the reassignment surgery.

Charlotte Nagrone, A Department of Social and Health Services employee, would testify that around 2007 or 2008, Perry slipped up and made a statement about shooting people in the past. Nagrone also testified that Perry admitted to being out of control and got the surgery to lower the chances of ending up dead or in prison.

In 2017, the then 65-year-old was convicted of three counts of first-degree murder. Perry was later sentenced to life with the possibility of parole.

Perry was most recently housed in Washington Corrections Center for Women in Gig Harbor, Washington.