Martin Lee Sanders

Martin Lee Sanders (born 1955–1956) is an American rapist, murderer, and suspected serial killer. A former truck driver, Sanders murdered at least two teenage girls in Washington and kidnapped two hitchhikers in Montana, raping one of them. He was apprehended in 1990 and sentenced to life imprisonment.[1]

Martin Lee Sanders
Born1952–1953 (age 69–71)
OccupationTruck driver
Years active1983–1986
Criminal statusIncarcerated
Conviction(s)
Criminal penaltyLife imprisonment
Details
Victims2–4 killed
2 survived
CountryUnited States
State(s)Montana, Washington
Date apprehended
1990 (for the final time)

Crimes

On the evening of May 20, 1983, Sanders murdered Rhonda Rima and Elizabeth Marks, two 15-year-old girls. The two were last seen at the Lilac Festival carnival in Spokane, Washington. Three weeks after their disappearances, their bodies were discovered in the Spokane River.[2][3]

On May 18, 1986, Sanders, using an unloaded gun and handcuffs, kidnapped two hitchhikers in Missoula, Montana. He raped one of the victims in the sleeping compartment of his semi-truck. He was soon arrested for this crime and sentenced to 20 years in prison the following year.[4]

Sanders is also suspected of murdering Marsha Weatter, 18, and Kathy Allen, 19 — two hitchhikers who were shot to death in Grant County between late March and early May 1980.[3]

Arrest and trial

Sanders became a suspect in the murders in 1989 after he confessed to his cellmate about the murders of Rima and Marks, revealing details about the murders that only the perpetrator would know. The inmate told authorities about Sanders' confession, and Sanders was extradited to Washington to face trial the next year.[3] In order to avoid the death penalty, he pleaded guilty to the two murders and received a life sentence[5] which he is serving at the Coyote Ridge Correctional Center, Connell, Washington.[6]

See also

References
  1. STAFF, Compiled by SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER (2003-02-20). "Suspected or convicted serial killers in Washington". seattlepi.com. Archived from the original on 2021-08-05. Retrieved 2022-09-20.
  2. "Prisoner Suspect In Rape, Slayings | The Seattle Times". archive.seattletimes.com. 1990-03-14. Retrieved 2022-09-20.
  3. DeFede, Jim (1990-07-11). "Suspect in killings may face death penalty". Spokane Chronicle. p. 3. Retrieved 2022-09-19.
  4. "Kidnapper-rapist gets 20-year sentence". Kalispell Daily Inter Lake. 1987-11-19.
  5. Newton, Michael (2006). The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers. Infobase Publishing. p. 404. ISBN 9780816069873.
  6. Vickers, Marques (2020). Unsolved Western American Murders and Extended Cold Case Resolutions. Marquis Publishing. p. 178.
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