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The North side strangler is believed to be a serial killer who has raped and strangled at least seven women prostitutes and a runaway teenage girl to death in the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA between 1986 and 2007.^[1] On September 7, 2009 Walter E. Ellis, 49, was arrested on suspicion of being the notorious serial killer.^[2][3] Ellis had been arrested 12 times between 1981 and 1998, when he was sentenced to five years for reckless endangerment.^[4] Six of the victims were black women who worked as prostitutes in Milwaukee except for the seventh victim who was a white 16-year old girl who had run away from home.^[5] The white girl who was identified as Jessica Payne^[6] was also murdered in a different way, as her throat was cut instead of being strangled like the rest of the victims which all ranged from 16 to 41.^[7][8] Another man, Chaunte Ott, was believed and sentenced to have killed Jessica Payne and served 13 years imprisonment before being released and is no longer a suspect in the murder.^{[9] [10]}The Milwaukee County district attorney's office has filed five new murder charges against Walter E. Ellis. Ellis had already been charged with two counts of first degree intentional homicide and is being held on $1 million bail. Walter E. Ellis is currently represented by Criminal Defense Attorney Russell J.A. Jones. ^[11] The use of the name "North Side Strangler" in reference to the case has been limited to one local news organizaation, WTMJ, Channel 4, which is believed to have coined the nickname,^[12] although it has been picked up by some bloggers and by British media as well. Use of the nickname, however, has also been a subject of criticism in other Milwaukee media.^[13],^[14]

Confirmed victims

References