Nathaniel Burkett: The Las Vegas and Mississippi Serial Killer
Overview
Nathaniel Burkett was a serial killer responsible for the murders of at least five women in Nevada and Mississippi over a span of 24 years. His crimes, which began in 1978, went unsolved for decades until a cold case review and DNA technology definitively linked him to several killings. Burkett's victims were women he encountered in his daily life, including his own mother. He had a significant criminal history prior to being identified as a serial killer, including two previous manslaughter convictions. In 2018, he pleaded guilty to the murders of three women in Las Vegas and was sentenced to life in prison, where he died in 2021.
Early Life and Background
Nathaniel Burkett was born in 1946 in Picayune, Mississippi. Details about his childhood are scarce, as he rarely spoke of it. He reportedly suffered from polio as a child, which left him with a permanent limp and earned him the nickname "Criptoe" as an adult. Throughout his life, Burkett used several different birth dates, making his exact age a point of confusion. From 1965 onwards, he divided his time between Mississippi and Las Vegas, Nevada. His criminal record began in the mid-1970s, with arrests for a variety of offenses including battery, domestic violence, kidnapping, robbery, and rape.
The Murders
Burkett's known murders began in April 1978 in Las Vegas. His victim was 22-year-old Barbara Ann Cox, who was sexually assaulted and strangled. Her body was found discarded near the apartment where Burkett was living at the time. Though police questioned him shortly after the discovery, as he was found intoxicated near the scene, there was insufficient evidence to charge him.
In 1982, while living in Mississippi, Burkett murdered his own mother, Ruby Burkett. On April 13, he doused her with gasoline and set her on fire. He was initially charged with capital murder, but the charge was later reduced to manslaughter. He was convicted in 1983 and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
After his release in 1992, Burkett returned to Las Vegas. On February 20, 1994, he raped and strangled 27-year-old Tina Gayle Mitchell. Her body was found less than a mile from where he had killed Barbara Ann Cox. Just a few months later, on May 14, 1994, Burkett murdered 32-year-old Althea Williams Grier. Her body was hidden near the location of Mitchell's murder.
Burkett's final proven victim was 41-year-old Valetter Jean Bousley. On September 4, 2002, he lured her behind a church in Las Vegas and strangled her to death. A witness to the abduction later came forward, leading to Burkett's arrest in October 2003.
In addition to these five murders, Burkett is the prime suspect in the disappearance of 33-year-old Brigitte Mitchell Thomas, who went missing in Las Vegas on August 19, 1999. Thomas was Burkett's neighbor, and her brother recalled that Burkett's staring made her uncomfortable. She has not been seen since she was observed getting into a truck with two men.
The Victims
- Barbara Ann Cox, 22 — April 22, 1978, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Her sister described her as an attractive and street-smart woman who was good with children and had a "sparkle in her eye."
- Ruby Burkett, age unknown — April 13, 1982, in Pearl River County, Mississippi. She was Nathaniel Burkett's mother, whom he burned to death.
- Tina Gayle Mitchell, 27 — February 20, 1994, in Las Vegas, Nevada. She was found raped and strangled not far from the scene of Burkett's first known murder.
- Althea Williams Grier, 32 — May 14, 1994, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Her murder occurred in the same vicinity as Tina Gayle Mitchell's just a few months earlier.
- Valetter Jean Bousley, 41 — September 4, 2002, in Las Vegas, Nevada. A hotel maid, she was strangled behind a church.
Investigation and Capture
For years, the murders of Barbara Ann Cox, Tina Gayle Mitchell, and Althea Williams Grier remained cold cases. The initial investigation into Cox's death in 1978 was hampered by a lack of evidence. Although Burkett was found near the scene, he was deemed too intoxicated to interrogate and was not considered a prime suspect.
The break in the case came years later, thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice that funded the testing of DNA evidence from cold cases. In 2004, while incarcerated for the manslaughter of Valetter Jean Bousley, Burkett was required to submit a DNA sample. This sample was later matched to DNA evidence recovered from the bodies of Barbara Ann Cox and Tina Gayle Mitchell.
The investigation into Althea Williams Grier's death did not have the benefit of DNA evidence, but the similarities in the circumstances of her murder to that of Tina Gayle Mitchell led police to connect Burkett to her case as well.
After his release from prison in 2009 for the Bousley killing, Burkett returned to Mississippi and lived a seemingly quiet life. In August 2012, armed with the new DNA evidence, Las Vegas homicide investigators tracked him down to a garage he was living in behind his sister's home in southern Mississippi. He was arrested and extradited to Las Vegas to face charges for the decades-old murders.
Trial and Sentence
Following his arrest in 2012, Nathaniel Burkett was charged with the murders of Barbara Ann Cox, Tina Gayle Mitchell, and Althea Williams Grier. Prosecutors initially sought the death penalty. However, the case moved slowly through the court system for six years.
During this time, it was revealed that Burkett had a low IQ, which had been measured at 55 while he was in a Mississippi prison. Later evaluations determined he was in the early stages of dementia. In light of his diminished mental capacity, prosecutors withdrew their intent to seek the death penalty.
On October 25, 2018, the 68-year-old Burkett, appearing in court in a wheelchair, pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree murder. One count covered the 1994 deaths of Tina Gayle Mitchell and Althea Williams Grier, while the other was for the 1978 slaying of Barbara Ann Cox. He entered an Alford plea, which meant he did not admit guilt but acknowledged that prosecutors had enough evidence to convict him. He was sentenced to 10 years to life in prison.
This was in addition to the sentences he had already served for the deaths of his mother and Valetter Jean Bousley. In 1983, he was sentenced to 20 years for manslaughter for his mother's death and was released in 1992. For the death of Valetter Jean Bousley, he was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and served six years in prison from 2003 to 2009.
Aftermath and Legacy
The identification of Nathaniel Burkett as a serial killer brought a painful and long-delayed resolution to the families of his victims. For the family of Barbara Ann Cox, the 40-year wait for justice was agonizing. Her sister expressed her frustration that Burkett was allowed a plea deal for second-degree murder, believing his actions warranted a first-degree murder conviction.
Las Vegas police have stated their belief that Burkett may have had more victims than have been identified. Upon his arrest in 2012, police released a video asking for public assistance in identifying other potential crimes he may have committed. When a detective asked Burkett how many women he had killed, he reportedly laughed and said nothing, but agreed with a smile to reveal the true number after his cases were adjudicated.
Burkett's case highlights the importance of DNA technology in solving cold cases and bringing long-hidden serial offenders to justice. He died from complications of COVID-19 on January 19, 2021, while incarcerated at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center, taking any further secrets of his crimes to his grave.
