Still, Kaye said, there is room for exceptions. We believe that he may have never left the Greater Los Angeles area, Murphy said. In 1972, the Supreme Court declared the death penalty unconstitutional, and his sentence was commuted to life in prison. Family and friends are welcome to leave their condolences on this memorial page and share them with the family. She was 14 years old when she was killed. She said that he assumed the name of Victor Young and got a hunting license, which didnt require fingerprints, as his ID proof. Other unique physical characteristics include a mole under his left eye, according to the U.S. marshals. "You know, a little girl. And thats how he escaped. It's quite repulsive; it's unfathomable. Eubanks was featured last year on theNetflix show "Unsolved Mysteries" in an episode titled "Death Row Fugitive.". He thoroughly enjoyed bowling and spent many years on a bowling league. Lester Eubanks (born October 31, 1943)[1] is an American criminal and fugitive who escaped prison in Ohio in 1973 after being jailed for the murder of 14-year-old Mary Ellen Deener. This United States biographical article related to crime is a stub. His case was the subject of an episode of Netflix's "Unsolved Mysteries. [2][3] His disappearance featured on the Netflix series Unsolved Mysteries. Unsolved Mysteries season 2 releases on October 19; one of the episodes, Death Row Fugitive, features the murder of Mary Ellen Deener at the hands of Lester Eubanks in 1965. But for the last 49 years, his whereabouts have been a mystery. His case received renewed attention when it was the subject of a recent episode of true crime documentary series "Unsolved Mysteries," released on Netflix in October. Hundreds of new clues poured in after the ABC News Investigative Unit went inside the manhunt with the U.S. Eubanks might have lived in Gardena, South Los Angeles, Long Beach, and North Hollywood at various times, Murphy said. Siler said investigators know Eubanks has friends and associates in the Los Angeles area. Acknowledgement: The family of the late Lester A. Eubanks wishes to acknowledge with deep appreciation the many expressions of love, concern andkindness shown to their family during this hour or bereavement. It was the last time the 14-year-old was seen alive. We know that he has a footprint there, we know that he has associates throughout the area. Bob Harrell, who . "We continue to fight for her so that someday she will get justice when we're able to put Lester Eubanks in custody.". Messmore said his parents operated TheFairmont Dairy Store and he and his parentsknew Deener's mother and the family who were in the store frequently and lived nearby. We are fueled by one thing, and that is justice for 14-year-old Mary Ellen Deener of Mansfield, Ohio, the innocent victim in this case.. . And then lo and behold, he goes Christmas shopping, first of all thats a shock and then escapes. In the years that followed Lester Eubanks conviction, his execution was pushed back thrice for reasons unknown. He shot her twice then beat her with a brick. Lester Eubanks has been at large since escaping during a Christmas shopping trip while on furlough from the Ohio Department of Corrections nearly half a century ago. That meant Eubanks couldve been caught speeding or engaged in any other minor infraction and the officer who took his prints or ran his license wouldnt have known he was a wanted fugitive. Marshals have unearthed photos of people believed to have worked and socialized with long-missing fugitive murderer Lester Eubanks in the 1970s, and they're. Then, with the 1972 abolishment of the death penalty, his sentence was commuted to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Lester A. Eubanks Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information Sign In Lester A. Eubanks June 29, 1920 - November 30, 2017 Tribute Wall 6 Obituary & Events Share a memory Plant a tree Share a memory of Lester A. Eubanks Loading. He was sentenced to the death penalty, but in 1972 his sentence was commuted to life in prison without parole. At various times, authorities suspect he might have lived in Gardena, South Los Angeles, Long Beach and North Hollywood. Lester Eubanks is suspected to be in the Los Angeles area, an official with the U.S. Lester will be remembered for his contagious smile, great sense of humor and his giving heart! He loved watching and discussing everything sports and politics with his family and friends. This especially comes into play when the situation is that of a criminal on the run, as is showcased in Death Row Fugitive with Lester Eubanks a murderer who managed to slip away from the authorities while Christmas shopping. Incarcerated for life without parole in 1966, Eubanks had been a model inmate for about seven years, so Ohio State Penitentiary granted him a furlough to go Christmas shopping at a local mall that December. It is scientifically plausible that a comparison of a biological sons DNA (if he is a genetic son) to unsolved profiles would turn up hits if the father had been the source of a crime scene DNA sample, Greely said. Before that, though, he had been arrested a couple of times for sexual offenses. Mary Ellen Deener is seen here in this undated photo. For his crimes, in 1966, Lester was sentenced to death at the Ohio State Penitentiary. His case was the subject of an episode of. Unsolved Mysteries Volume 2 is now streaming on Netflix, and features one of the series' wildest stories yet.In Episode 3, "Death Row Fugitive," we learn of how convicted murderer Lester Eubanks . (U.S. Unsolved Mysteries Host Robert Stacks Cause of Death: How Did He Die. "That's when the story took a real crazy turn," says Carter. John Arcudi of the Mansfield Police Department. Lester would give you the shirt off his back and would do everything to help support hisfamily. CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Lester Eubanks once sat on Ohio's death row for the rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl in Mansfield. The FBI would not make available the person in charge of the nations criminal DNA database, Thomas F. Callaghan, for an interview. Eubanks is on the U.S. They want the child killer captured, and they wont stop until they succeed. From their union of 43 years five children were born: Michael, Sheila, James, Vincent and Catherine. The little girl who was killed was real quiet, just a little girl," Messmore said. For the seven years Lester Eubanks was in jail, reports said he acted like a model prisoner. Eubanks, who is in his mid-70s, was described as a 5-foot-11-inch male with black hair and brown eyes. The .gov means its official. Hes easily recognizable as he has a huge scar on his right arm. [All we need is] that one tipster, that one person that can bring in the last piece of the puzzle, even if they knew him a year ago, two years ago, said Siler. Henry T. Greely, director of the Center for Law and the Biosciences at Stanford University Law School, said the challenge is getting the sample into the FBI database for review, when the FBI policy prohibits searches using a relatives DNA. Investigators are reportedly closing in on a convicted murdererof a 14-year-old girl who escaped from prison nearly 50 years ago, authoritiessaid Saturday. He might have known people in the system who conveniently didn't put his name in the system at the critical moment. "They hadn't even putout a locator or warrant for him and I got that reinstalled in the computer system for all of the United States," he said. Lester Eubanks was imprisoned in the first place for trying to rape a 14-year-old girl before shooting her to death and then bludgeoning her into a pulp with a brick. install docker desktop on linux mint . Crazy!". The duo teamed up to check out a mattress factory in Gardena, California where an anonymous source said Eubanks worked. Volume 2 of Unsolved Mysteries brings us six baffling cases that have shaken the world to its core. Would love your thoughts, please comment. It is suspected that he is still alive today. He said protections could be imposed so the biological sons sample could only be used for the purpose of searching for Eubanks and nothing else. In 1912, in the year that Lester Eubanks was born, Arizona was admitted to the United States in February (on Valentine's Day). Lester Eubanks was convicted of the 1965 rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl in Mansfield. In today's era, it would just never happen." Lester Eubanks was convicted of the 1965 murder of Mary Ellen Deener, 14. In October, Eubanks was featured on "Death Row Fugitives" on Netflix's "Unsolved Mysteries.". Authorities believe they know that highly sought-after fugitive Lester Eubanks is somewhere in or around Los Angeles. For the seven years Lester Eubanks was in jail, he acted like a model prisoner. LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Could the confessed killer of a little girl in Ohio be living in plain sight in Southern California? A visitation for Anthony Scott Lester, 21, of Canton, will be held 6 - 8 pm Monday, January 4, 2021, at Eubank Funeral Home in Canton. Lester Eubanks attempted to rape and then brutally beat 14-year-old Mary Ellen Deener in Mansfield, Ohio in 1965 after she ventured out on her own to get change for laundry. Eubanks simply walked away. I think the first problem is how to get it into the database to begin with, Greely said. Marshals Service Communications Center at 1-800-336-0102, or submit a tip using U.S. Marshal David Siler reflected on Eubanks escape, lamenting to the Manfield News Journal