Alfred J. Gaynor (born December 10, 1966) is an American serial killer and rapist who committed a series of nine murders in the city of Springfield, Massachusetts from 1995 to 1998.
[2][3] In early April 1995, Gaynor began his murder spree, first starting with 45-year-old Vera E. Hallums, whom he asked to spend a night in her apartment.
In the middle of the night, Gaynor attacked the sleeping woman, tying her up and beating her; Hallums subsequently died of a brain injury.
Having lured the woman to a parking lot under the pretense of selling her drugs, he attacked her, strangling and robbing her before hiding her body in a truck.
Several blocks away, Gaynor strangled Daniels in an alley, after which he sodomized her corpse, leaving semen traces on her.
During said interrogation, a blood sample was taken from him, and while he failed to provide an adequate alibi, he was nevertheless released, since Dickerson-Peay's body hadn't been located at the time.
Her corpse was finally located on March 11, and as in previous cases, the killer's biological traces were found on the body.
[9] Based on the results from DNA profiling, Gaynor's involvement in the deaths of Rosemary Downs and Joyce Dickerson-Peay was established, and he was arrested again on April 10.
During the assault with a chair, Gaynor received physical injuries ranging from a mild to moderate severity.
[citation needed] As a result of the DNA examination and fingerprint evidence, the prosecutors were able to prove that the accused had indeed killed Rosemary Downs, Joyce Dickerson-Peay, Loretta Daniels, and JoAnn Thomas.
In May 2000, Gaynor was found guilty and received four sentences of life imprisonment without chance of parole, never having admitted his guilt.