Tennessee Serial Killers
ColdCaseIndex documents 2 serial killers whose murders took place in Tennessee, with first known killings from 1977 to 1997. 2 of them were caught; 0 linked case files document their victims. The earliest series is Joseph Paul Franklin (1977) and the most recent is Paul Dennis Reid (1997). Profiles are added in order of public interest, so this page is not a complete census of the state.
All 2 profiles
Joseph Paul Franklin
James Clayton Vaughn Jr. (birth name)
Executed. Joseph Paul Franklin, a white supremacist sniper, was convicted of eight murders in Utah, Missouri, Wisconsin, Ohio and Tennessee committed between 1977 and 1980.
Paul Dennis Reid
The Fast Food Killer
Died in prison. Paul Dennis Reid was convicted of murdering seven workers in robberies at a Captain D's and a McDonald's in Nashville and a Baskin-Robbins in Clarksville, Tennessee, in 1997.
At a glance
| Name | Alias | State | Active | Convicted | Confessed | Suspected | Legal status | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph Paul Franklin | James Clayton Vaughn Jr. (birth name) | Utah, Missouri, Wisconsin, Ohio, Tennessee | 1977 to 1980 | 8 | — | 8 to 22 | Convicted | Executed |
| Paul Dennis Reid | The Fast Food Killer | Tennessee | 1997 | 7 | — | 7 | Convicted | Died in prison |