‘Jealous’ transgender woman murdered three sex workers because they were ‘more attractive than she could ever plan to be’, criminologist suggests

A transgender woman who killed three sex workers in 1990 may have been motivated by jealousy, a criminologist has suggested. 

Donna Perry – who used to be known as Douglas Perry before undergoing gender reassignment surgery in 2000 – murdered 26-year-old Yolanda Sapp, 34-year-old Nickie Lowe, and 38-year-old Kathy Brisbois. 

Their naked or partially exposed bodies were found dumped on the banks of the Spokane River in Washington state. 

When finally arrested connection with the crimes five years ago, she claimed that she had transitioned into a female to stop her male persona from being violent.

‘Douglas didn’t stop, Donna stopped it,’ Perry told police about the killings, according to an affidavit filed in January 2014. ‘I’m not going to admit I killed anybody, I didn’t. Donna has killed nobody.’

When asked if Doug was responsible, she responded: ‘I don’t know if Doug did or not, it was 20 years ago and I have no idea whether he did or did not,’ according to ABC News. 

And crime expert Brian Frederick told Channel 5’s latest episode of Making a Serial Killer. which is available on My 5, that Perry may have picked the victims based on their looks. 

‘I can imagine that there was also a little bit of jealousy,’ he told the documentary.

‘He picked some attractive victims, perhaps more attractive than he could ever plan to be as Donna and he felt that they were squandering this beauty by giving sex to other men who didn’t necessarily have the purpose that he had. He was mission oriented.’

Jim Dresback, a former Spokane detective, said that Perry’s former girlfriend Claire-Anne – who was also a sex worker who suffered with cocaine addiction – may have served as motivation as well.

‘It was interesting that Claire-Anne was booked in to jail on the night that two of these people were killed,’ he told the programme.

‘Now she’s back in jail again and that makes Doug Perry mad and then he finds somebody to take out on. 

‘And the first people he’s gonna look at are the people that maybe he thinks are standing in the way.’

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