The Fast Food Killer:

Paul Dennis Reid, the "Fast Food Killer," murdered seven people in fast-food restaurants in the state of Tennessee within a span of just three months. At the time of the crimes, Reid was on probation in Texas after committing an armed robbery but was released from prison early. Reid had come to Tennessee under the alias "Justin Parks" to pursue a career as a country singer, but instead, he became a serial killer...

FEBRUARY 16, 1997

On February 16, 1997, Reid stood outside a Captain D's fast-food restaurant in Nashville. Inside were two employees, Steve Hampton, a father of three, and Sarah Jackson, a student working to earn some extra money. To avoid upsetting the customer, they let Reid into the restaurant before opening hours. Reid then pulled out a weapon and robbed the establishment. He forced the two employees to lie down on the floor in the walk-in cooler, shot each of them in the back of the head, removed the surveillance camera recordings, and fled. He stole $7,000 from the safe and $600 from Hampton's wallet.

Although shoeprints were found at the crime scene, no fingerprints were recovered. Employees from the night shift mentioned that a man had come to apply as a cook the evening before, but they advised him to come back in the morning when the manager would be present. When a composite sketch of the suspect based on the employees' descriptions was completed, officers visited nearby fast-food restaurants to inquire about the depicted person. At one restaurant, Shoney's, Paul Reid, who worked there, was identified as a possible suspect. It was noted that Reid had inexplicably missed work on the days following the crime. However, a person check did not yield any results, and the investigation against him was dropped.

MARCH 23, 1997

Five weeks later, on March 23, 1997, Reid struck again. Just after closing time, he approached four employees of a McDonald's restaurant who were exiting through a rear door. Armed with a pistol, Reid forced them back inside and emptied the cash register. He then executed three of the four employees in a storage room. In the case of the fourth employee, Jose Gonzalez, the gun misfired. A struggle ensued, during which Reid stabbed Gonzalez 17 times. Believing Gonzalez to be dead, Reid left the scene with a haul of $2,300. Gonzalez, however, managed to call emergency services, and he ultimately survived the attack.

Once again, no fingerprints were found at the crime scene. However, Gonzalez provided an accurate description of the perpetrator—a dark-haired man with a mustache and a baseball cap. Although this composite sketch did not match the one created by an employee after the first robbery, investigators were certain that the two cases were connected.

APRIL 23, 1997

On April 23, 1997, Paul Reid struck at a Baskin-Robbins store in Clarksville, Tennessee. As the two night shift employees, Angela Holmes and Michelle Mace, were preparing to close the shop, Reid entered. Michelle's brother, Craig Mace, waited in vain in the store's parking lot to pick up his sister after work. After about 15 minutes, he entered the open store but couldn't find Michelle. He called emergency services. The investigators were able to collect shoeprints and, this time, several fingerprints. However, as in the previous two cases, the surveillance video was missing.

The following day, a man walking his dog in Dunbar Cave State Park noticed the dog barking aggressively near a lake. Upon investigation, he discovered a body floating in the water. Just a few meters away, another body was

found. The victims were Angela Holmes and Michelle Mace, their hands bound together. They had been stabbed multiple times before their throats were slit.

THE HUNT

The police increased their presence around all fast-food restaurants in the area, and the perpetrator refrained from further robberies.

It was not until June 1 that an incident occurred that would lead to Reid's capture. Reid appeared at the home of his former boss at Shoney's, Mitchell Roberts, on that day. Reid had been fired shortly after being questioned by the police. He begged for his old job back, but Roberts stood by his decision. In response, Reid threatened him with a weapon and attempted to abduct him. Roberts, however, remained firm and retreated back into his house. Claiming to have a gun inside, he convinced Reid to leave. Roberts immediately alerted the police and was instructed to convince Reid to return to his property if he contacted him again. And indeed, Reid contacted Roberts again, apologizing and seeking to talk. When Reid arrived, special units were waiting for him.

ARREST AND CONVICTION

Reid could not be immediately linked to the murders. He would have been released if Roberts had not advocated for a more thorough investigation against him.

Gonzalez, the survivor of the second robbery, identified Reid as the perpetrator in a lineup. The fingerprints found at the third crime scene matched Reid's. He was charged and ultimately sentenced to seven death penalties—the harshest punishment ever handed down to an individual in the state of Tennessee.

However, Reid's death sentence was never carried out. He died on November 1, 2013, at the age of 55, from natural causes while in prison.