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James Samuel Walraven, aka the Bathtub Strangler, was the reason for terror in Georgia in 1981 as he took three murder victims. Walraven went on a rampage with his first victim, Louise Dal Santo, in Fulton County, Georgia. The two other murders occurred in the two months that followed.
A decade later, Dale Devon Scheanette (aka the Bathtub Killer) took after Walraven (the Bathtub Strangler) and murdered two women in the Arlington area in 1996.
Walraven was sentenced to death by the electric chair in November 1981, but the verdict was overturned. Ultimately, he was sentenced to life in prison in 1983. James Samuel Walraven took his life by hanging himself with a torn bedsheet while he was incarcerated at the Jimmy Autry State Prison.
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The new Dateline NBC episode, Dark Intentions, will revisit the murders committed by Dale Devon Scheanette (the Bathtub Killer) on June 7, 2024, at 9 pm EST on NBC exclusively.
What did James Samuel Walraven do?
James Samuel Walraven, or the Bathtub Strangler, was infamous for attacking women, r*ping them, and strangling them to death in the 1980s. He allegedly set himself on a rampage after he was released from prison. He was held for 30 days on charges of threatening to kill a friend in June 1980.
Walraven's first target was Louise Dal Santo, who was found murdered in her bathtub in her apartment in Clarkston. Louise's brother reportedly found her naked, face-down, and submerged in water in her home in Woodcreek Apartments on April 15, 1981.
The second murder of Giselle Clardy in her home in Brookhaven looked similar to that of Louise. Giselle was found in her bathtub on May 29, 1981. Giselle had been naked waist-down, and submerged in three or four inches of water.
Walraven took his third victim on June 15 as Patricia Berry was found dead in her bathtub in her home in Windermere Apartments. She, too, was reportedly naked below her waistline and was submerged in water. Berry had been strangled using her hair ribbon.
According to court documents, all three women were found murdered in their bathtub three months apart, and they were 22 years of age. The forensic reports stated manual strangulation as the cause of their death. The murders took place in the same geographic area, leading investigators to believe that a serial killer had been on the loose, terrorizing women in Georgia.
Where is James Samuel Walraven now?
Multiple witnesses identified the perpetrator, and a composite sketch was prepared. James Samuel Walraven had reportedly attacked women in an attempt to strangle them or s*xually assault them. The survivors, including Margaret Finnerty and Constance Harrold, recognized Walraven after he was arrested on July 14, 1981, with the help of an anonymous tip.
Walraven received a trial in November 1981 and was sentenced to death by the electric chair in November, according to the Atlanta Constitution Journal. However, the verdict was reportedly overturned due to legal fallacies, and he was sentenced to life in prison in 1983.
James Samuel Walraven took his life by hanging himself using a torn bedsheet. He had served 20 years of his time and had been incarcerated at the Jimmy Autry State Prison, according to a WALB report. Walraven was found by a correctional officer in the prison.
Find all the details about the Bathtub Strangler on the latest episode of Dateline as it airs on NBC on Friday.
