DOD: N/A, Not Deceased. [oai_citation:2‡Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Lee_Yates?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Height and Weight: reported descriptions vary, typical adult male build, hair sandy/blond to gray with advancing age, wears glasses in some official photos, age at arrest approximately 47, most recent public reports place him in his 60s. Distinguishing Features: often described in reports as appearing as an outwardly ordinary family man and service member, military uniform photos and later mugshots show receding hairline and facial hair variations across years. [oai_citation:3‡Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Lee_Yates?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

CHRONOLOGY AND INVESTIGATIVE SUMMARY

Earliest suspected killings: investigators examined a 1975 double homicide near Walla Walla as a potential early crime linked to Yates, though his confirmed spree centers on the 1980s and the 1990s. Between approximately 1988 and 1998 law enforcement tied multiple bodies and remains to a single offender pattern in eastern Washington, with a concentration of victims dumped in rural locations near Spokane. In late 1997 and 1998 several women were found shot and left in fields or gullies, two victims discovered within days of one another in December 1997. Investigators developed a task force to examine the cluster of prostitute murders in Spokane County. [oai_citation:4‡Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Lee_Yates?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

Breakthrough and arrest: In 2000 Spokane police arrested Yates for the murder of 16 year old Jennifer Joseph after linking blood evidence and other trace evidence in a vehicle Yates had owned, a white 1977 Chevrolet Corvette. Forensic DNA and property evidence connected Yates to multiple victims, and subsequent DNA matches tied him to a broader series of killings. Following his arrest Yates ultimately struck plea agreements confessing to multiple murders in order to avoid death in Spokane County proceedings, then faced additional Pierce County prosecution resulting in convictions and a death sentence that later was commuted. [oai_citation:5‡Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Lee_Yates?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

Victim count and plea agreements: Yates pleaded guilty in 2000 to 13 murders in Spokane County and was sentenced to 408 years. He was tried and convicted in Pierce County for two additional murders in 2002, receiving a death sentence that was later commuted to life after statewide changes to capital punishment. Investigators and court documents note at least 16 confirmed victims with Yates admitting involvement in multiple additional killings across decades; some reporting counts vary because of dropped or held charges, plea negotiations and ongoing investigative leads. [oai_citation:6‡Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Lee_Yates?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

EVIDENCE, CONFESSIONS, AND SURVIVOR ACCOUNTS

Forensic evidence: police recovered victim blood and belongings in Yates’ previously owned Corvette along with DNA matches that linked him to several killings. Investigators also used victim clothing and physical trace evidence to build cases across jurisdictions. After arrest Yates offered statements and in some proceedings admitted to killings as part of plea negotiations. [oai_citation:7‡Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Lee_Yates?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

Survivor: Christine Smith reported an assault in August 1998 and later identified Yates from a photo as the man who attacked her, she had been shot and survived, becoming a key witness in linking Yates to violent assaults beyond homicides. Smith’s description of the vehicle and the suspect proved important to investigators. [oai_citation:8‡Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Lee_Yates?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

MOTIVE, FORENSIC PROFILE, AND BACKGROUND

Background and dual life: Yates served over two decades in the U.S. Army and National Guard as a helicopter pilot and was widely described in reporting as an outwardly respectable family man with military commendations, while privately committing violent crimes against vulnerable women. Psychologists and journalists who examined the case described a man who compartmentalized his home life and violent predatory activities. [oai_citation:9‡Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Lee_Yates?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

Motive and signature: the killings show a predatory pattern focused on control, sexual access and lethal violence; some victims were found with plastic bags over their heads, and Yates admitted to shooting victims at close range. Law enforcement and expert commentary characterized Yates as a sexual predator who targeted marginalized women in contexts where detection risk was perceived to be low. [oai_citation:10‡Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Lee_Yates?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

SPICES

• ARMY AVIATOR, FAMILY MAN, SERIAL PREDATOR
• VEHICLE LINK: 1977 WHITE CORVETTE, crucial forensic nexus
• VICTIM PROFILE: sex workers and vulnerable women, bodies found in rural dump sites
• CONFESSIONS AND PLEA: 13-guilty plea in Spokane to avoid death, later Pierce County convictions
• SURVIVOR IDENTIFICATION: Christine Smith tied Yates to nonlethal assault

KILLER THEORY

Theory Summary: Robert Lee Yates, Jr. fits the profile of an organized, mobile offender who exploited his credibility as a service member and a “family man” to mask predatory behavior. His selection of victims who were socially marginalized reduced detection risk while his use of a vehicle to transport and dump bodies facilitated geographic dispersal. The presence of plastic bags on some victims suggests a ritualistic or control element in the post-offense staging, and the consistency of close-range shootings points to a decisive lethal method rather than opportunistic escalation. The vehicle evidence and DNA matches anchor the investigative theory to Yates beyond reasonable doubt in multiple confirmed murders. Continuing questions remain regarding possible earlier victims and whether all suspected links, including mid 1970s homicides, should be conclusively attributed to him pending further forensic re-examination. [oai_citation:11‡Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Lee_Yates?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

SOURCES

• Robert Lee Yates, Wikipedia entry. [oai_citation:12‡Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Lee_Yates?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
• Spokesman-Review coverage and court materials, social worker statement PDF, October 2018. [oai_citation:13‡Washington Courts](https://www.courts.wa.gov/content/publicupload/eclips/2018%2010%2012%20Social%20worker%20who%20served%20Yates%20victims%20supports%20end%20of%20death%20penalty.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
• Courthouse News coverage, “Death Sentence Upheld for Spokane Serial Killer.” [oai_citation:14‡Courthouse News](https://www.courthousenews.com/death-sentence-upheld-for-spokane-serial-killer/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
• Seattle Times reporting on Yates appeals and case history. [oai_citation:15‡Washington Courts](https://www.courts.wa.gov/content/PublicUpload/eclips/5.17.13%20STimes1.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
• Contemporary survivor reports and investigative summaries from primary reporting, aggregated in encyclopedia and legal reporting. [oai_citation:16‡Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Lee_Yates?utm_source=chatgpt.com)