Francisco Acevedo (born September 2, 1968) is an American

serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

who was convicted of

strangling Strangling is compression of the neck that may lead to unconsciousness or death by causing an increasingly hypoxic state in the brain. Fatal strangling typically occurs in cases of violence, accidents, and is one of two main ways that hanging ...

three women to death in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

between 1989 and 1996. Acevedo was linked to the murders in 2009 after voluntarily giving his DNA as a

parole Parole (also known as provisional release or supervised release) is a form of early release of a prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by certain behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated parole officers, or ...

condition for

drunk driving Drunk driving (or drink-driving in British English) is the act of driving under the influence of alcohol. A small increase in the blood alcohol content increases the relative risk of a motor vehicle crash. In the United States, alcohol is invo ...

. In 2012, he was sentenced to 75 years to

life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes for ...

Early life

Francisco Acevedo was born in Meriden,

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

on September 2, 1968, one of three children to Yadira Acevedo. His parents divorced when he was 14 years old, after which he moved in with his father. According to court records, he abused alcohol,

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

, and

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...

at the age of 12. Acevedo dropped out of high school during his freshman year and worked a series of jobs, including as a

laborer A laborer (or labourer) is a person who works in manual labor types in the construction industry workforce. Laborers are in a working class of wage-earners in which their only possession of significant material value is their labor. Industries e ...

, a cook at a

pizzeria A pizzeria is a restaurant focusing on pizza. As well as pizza, dishes at pizzerias can include kebab, salads and pasta. Many pizzerias offer take-away, where the customer orders their food either in advance or at the restaurant and then take ...

, a dishwasher at Testa's Silvertown Inn, and a midnight baker at

Dunkin' Donuts Dunkin' Donuts LLC, also known as Dunkin' and by the initials DD, is an American multinational coffee and doughnut company, as well as a quick service restaurant. It was founded by Bill Rosenberg (1916–2002) in Quincy, Massachusetts, in 195 ...

. In the 1990s, he was living in Mount Vernon,

. He met his wife while working at New Way Kitchen, with whom he would have two sons.

Crimes and trial

On July 3, 1986, three years before his first known murder, Acevedo picked up a woman in his company truck in Meriden and drove her to a secluded area, where he bound her hands, blindfolded, and sexually assaulted her. The woman fled after he fell asleep, and he was arrested and sentenced to ten years in prison. He was released in June 1988. On November 11, 1997, he was charged with third-degree assault on his wife in Yonkers; however, the charge was later dismissed. On August 30, 1998, he was arrested again for breaking his wife's nose after punching her in the face. He was convicted of a misdemeanor and served nine months in jail. Acevedo was arrested in Brentwood on January 26, 2009, his fourth time for drunk driving. While in prison, he gave a sample of his DNA as part of an optional parole application. His DNA was linked to evidence from three decade-old murder victims: * Maria Ramos of

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, murdered on February 5, 1989, aged 26 * Tawanda Hodges of the Bronx, murdered on March 28, 1991, aged 28 * Kimberly Moore of

Greenburgh Greenburgh is a town in western Westchester County, New York. The population was 95,397 at the time of the 2020 census. History Greenburgh developed along the Hudson River, long the main transportation route. It was settled by northern Europeans ...

, murdered on May 24, 1996, aged 30 Each victim was found naked and beaten, and were posed after their deaths. Investigators were aware of the murders being connected due to matching DNA found on each victim. However, they had no suspect whose DNA matched prior to Acevedo's arrest. Acevedo maintained his innocence, claiming that he had sexual intercourse with the victims but had no involvement in their murders. He was acquitted of three counts of rape, as the victims were known prostitutes. He was found guilty of the murders on the first day of jury deliberations and was sentenced three times to 25 years to life imprisonment, each to be served consecutively, totaling to a minimum of 75 years. He is currently incarcerated at

Green Haven Correctional Facility Green Haven Correctional Facility is a maximum security prison in New York. The prison is located in the Town of Beekman in Dutchess County. The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision lists the address as Route 216 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Acevedo, Francisco 1968 births American male criminals American people convicted of murder Living people People convicted of murder by New York (state) Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by New York (state) Serial killers from New York (state) Violence against women in New York (state)

Early life

Crimes and trial

See also

References