African American Serial Killers Part 8

Call him the “Jacksonville Strangler” or the “Killer Cabbie” or just a horrific loser, Paul Durosseau demonstrated how not to go about life as a human being. A dishonorable discharge receiver, he couldn’t summon the courage and fortitude that would last him a lifetime of endless bliss. No, he chose the vicious path. By killing five women and only being convicted of one instance of murder, he is currently serving a life sentence after the jury found the death penalty a 10-2 decision. The judge would not permit a split choice.

Little is known of Durosseau’s childhood but it is known that he served in the United States Army and had been stationed in Germany. In later records, authorities would also link murders in Europe to Durosseau during his stint there.

What is so damning is always the DNA. These puzzle pieces to the makeup of organisms led investigators right to Durosseau’s doorstep. It didn’t afford them an easy route, but they chose to march down the path to correct the wrongs that this malicious monkey had carried out in his adulthood. In the case in Jacksonville, Florida, Durosseau had raped and murdered a woman with an extension cord. Strands of semen lay on her body. The authorities had one end of the string but still missed the other end to tie together the crime.

In time, Durosseau would work as a taxi cab driver. An instance where he either got careless or sloppy or both, his cab had been in the footage of a woman at an ATM withdrawing funds, most likely to pay for her fare. Durosseau continued his spree of slayings as he killed four other women. What makes his case so intriguing is the fact he had a checkered past but either pleaded to a lesser charge or had them dropped altogether. In a city as extreme as Jacksonville with welcoming coast lines, gleaming towers, and an overall warm environment, darkness still loomed on some of the lower end locales.

This is where Durosseau did his dirt. Again, he knew where to aim when it came to his next victim. Youthful, beautiful black women in their prime who may or may not have children became his outlet for devious deeds. Strangulation became his calling card like so many other serial killers because of the relative easiness and ability to not leave too much behind in the way of lacerations or bullet wounds. Durosseau, however, did not even consider that DNA would ultimately be his downfall. The investigators finally matched DNA on other victims and related the samples to the killer.

The underpinning to all of this is the notion of irrationalism and emotion. Had he thought about how unselfish and selfless it was to kill another human being, he might be at home watching documentaries on serial killers. Instead, he flouted the notions of reason, purpose, and self-esteem. For being a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad person, he allowed himself to disregard human life over and again.

Irony lies at the foot of his crimes. In the purported freest nation in the world, Durosseau is among the over two million inmates locked up behind bars in the United States, the most than any country in the world. Did his feelings get the best of him? Maybe. But it’s more like he completely chucked the notion of being an upright and honorable member of the human race. He is an animal. Locked away in a cage, he will most likely rot and be remembered for his misdeeds by investigation instructors and criminal units for years to come.

He is may reflect on the hurt and pain he caused his victims, and their families. His consciousness may attack him and drive him to a state of total mental annihilation. To not think is the root of all evil. Money is just a tool for exchange. The love of it is not the source of wickedness. The refusal to use one’s reason is. To not lean on one’s own understanding is the worst case scenario for any human being. Durosseau forfeited his ticket as a man and kept on killing to sate some internal thirst for blood.

Because of his actions, he is a lowlife who deserved to die but possibly, he will spend decades behind bars contemplating the sorrow he caused and just fade away.