The Murder Tapes on ID: How did Bill DuBois die?

Bill DuBois
Bill DuBois was beaten to death and was found in the bathroom of his Fort Smith house during a welfare check (Image via Find a Grave)

Bill DuBois, a 72-year-old Army veteran and teacher from Arkansas, was found beaten to death in the bathroom of his Fort Smith duplex house during a welfare check in July 2019. A subsequent autopsy revealed that DuBois died of severe blunt force trauma to the head with at least 27 impact points. He and his wife, Susan, lived in separate houses at the time.

At the crime scene, authorities discovered DuBois' car and other valuables, including his gold lieutenant's bars, were missing, and the place had been completely ransacked. The police were able to track the stolen car, which led them to a drug and s*x trafficking house where they arrested two men who then turned in the killer, a 22-year-old mother-of-two named Taylor Elkins.

The Murder Tapes on ID is slated to chronicle Bill DuBois's gruesome killing in an episode titled The Quick Change, which airs on the channel this Tuesday, June 13, at 7:00 pm ET.

Here's a look at the synopsis for the upcoming episode:

"The town of Fort Smith, Ark., reels when an elderly, retired school teacher turns up dead, bludgeoned to death with a hammer no fewer than 36 times; when the person responsible receives justice, an unlikely perpetrator comes to light."

Bill DuBois and his wife resided in separate houses when he was murdered due to "a series of strokes" he suffered

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One of Bill DuBois' neighbors contacted 911 on July 11, 2019, requesting a welfare check at the 72-year-old's duplex because the retired teacher's car was missing from the house and he hadn't been spotted in a couple of days. DuBois was an army veteran and a Fort Smith teacher who taught for 30 years before retiring and then served as a substitute teacher for another 16 years.

Police found no signs of a break-in, but inside the house, they discovered DuBois beaten to death in the bathroom. An autopsy ruled that he died of blunt force trauma to the head and had at least 27 impact points.

Furthermore, the house appeared to have been completely ransacked, and multiple items of value were missing from the scene. Among the items missing were his gold lieutenant's bars, two television sets, a microwave oven, his car, and his wallet. Authorities knew the motive was robbery.

Bill DuBois' wife, Susan, who resided in a separate house due to medical conditions, informed authorities that the stolen car had a tracking system installed. Susan claimed that he "had had a series of strokes, the last one very violent," when he allegedly "grabbed my wrist and wouldn’t let me go."

The family decided that he should be given his own place, but the couple remained close. Moreover, his wife visited him about two hours before he was viciously beaten to death.


Bill DuBois' car led authorities to Taylor Elkins, a mother-of-two, who eventually pleaded guilty to the killing

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Authorities were then able to locate Bill DuBois' stolen vehicle using "a Verizon app called Hum that showed us the car's location" at an address known to the local police as a drug and s*x trafficking house.

Upon reaching the house, authorities arrested two men, who then implicated a 22-year-old mother-of-two named Taylor Elkins as the killer. Afterwards, she provided an inconsistent statement, claiming that someone else gave her the car as payment for s*xual favors. Meanwhile, authorities learned that Elkins had robbed DuBois once before, a day or two prior to the murder.

According to reports, Elkins eventually confessed to the plot to rob DuBois, stating that her job was to knock on his door while another man was supposed to go inside and steal the valuables.

Surprisingly, the suspect's grandfather was the victim's neighbor, who admitted to authorities that she came over to his house after the incident and told him that she "knocked him [DuBois] in the head." Elkins later confessed to an inmate that she had hit the 72-year-old repeatedly in the head with a hammer when he told her he did not have money.

Taylor Elkins eventually pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was given a 40-year prison term.


Learn more about Bill DuBois' case on ID's The Murder Tapes this Tuesday at 7 pm ET.

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