David Parker Ray
Encyclopedia
David Parker Ray was a suspected American
serial killer
and known torturer of women; though no bodies were found, he was accused by his accomplices of killing several people, and suspected by police to have murder
ed as many as 60 people in the town of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico
. He is occasionally known as the "Toy-Box Killer".
d and presumably killed his victims in a $100,000 homemade torture chamber he called his "toy box", which was equipped with what he referred to as his "friends": whips, chains, pulleys, straps, clamps, leg spreader bars, and surgical blades and saws. It is thought that he terrorized the town of Truth or Consequences with these tools for several years, with the added assistance of multiple accomplices.
Inside the torture room, along with numerous sex toy
s, torture implements, syringes, and detailed diagrams (made by Ray himself) showing different methods and techniques for inflicting pain, there was a homemade electricity generating device that was used in torture. Ray would often have a recorded audio tape of himself played for his victims whenever they regained consciousness.
she found on the floor and escaped. Vigil ran away naked, wearing only an iron slave collar and padlocked chains. After Vigil's escape and rescue, Ray and Hendy were apprehended by the police.
Parker was arrested the day his last victim escaped. Throughout the trial, the prosecution brought forward two victims along with the mother of a deceased victim. Cynthia Vigil and Kelly Garret testified against Ray, describing the horrible tortures they endured. Garret was one who said she did not want him to receive the death penalty because she thought that was too easy. She wanted him to endure the pain she went through. She wanted him to stay in prison for his entire life.
Ray was sentenced to 224 years in prison after being convicted of numerous offenses involving the abduction and sexual torture of three young women at his Elephant Butte Lake home. His first trial ended in a hung jury
in Tierra Amarilla, New Mexico
. His trial was then relocated to a small town where he had been raised decades before. He was convicted of his crimes against Angie Montaño, and then admitted his crimes against Cynthia Vigil Jaramillo and another young woman, as part of a plea deal for a light sentence for Ray's daughter. He died eight months after sentencing, having been held for two and a half years while awaiting trial and re-trial. Hendy, who testified against Ray, received a sentence of 36 years for her role in the crimes.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
and known torturer of women; though no bodies were found, he was accused by his accomplices of killing several people, and suspected by police to have murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
ed as many as 60 people in the town of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico
Truth or Consequences, New Mexico
Truth or Consequences is a spa city and the county seat of Sierra County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population was 7,289. It is commonly known within New Mexico as T or C....
. He is occasionally known as the "Toy-Box Killer".
Childhood
Ray’s childhood was the start of what many believe turned him into a murderer. Ray lived with his grandfather. He still saw his father, but his father physically abused him. Parker also was bullied by his peers for his shyness around girls. As a teenager, he started abusing alcohol and drugs. Ray’s rough start continued to progress into adulthood and eventually led to the victimization of young women.Crimes
David Parker Ray tortureTorture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
d and presumably killed his victims in a $100,000 homemade torture chamber he called his "toy box", which was equipped with what he referred to as his "friends": whips, chains, pulleys, straps, clamps, leg spreader bars, and surgical blades and saws. It is thought that he terrorized the town of Truth or Consequences with these tools for several years, with the added assistance of multiple accomplices.
Inside the torture room, along with numerous sex toy
Sex toy
A sex toy is an object or device that is primarily used to facilitate human sexual pleasure. The most popular sex toys are designed to resemble human genitals and may be vibrating or non-vibrating...
s, torture implements, syringes, and detailed diagrams (made by Ray himself) showing different methods and techniques for inflicting pain, there was a homemade electricity generating device that was used in torture. Ray would often have a recorded audio tape of himself played for his victims whenever they regained consciousness.
Trial and conviction
On March 22, 1999, a living victim, Cynthia Vigil, escaped after being kidnapped and enduring torture in a three-day ordeal. To escape, Vigil waited until Ray went to work and then managed to get the keys to the lock of her chains that Ray's accomplice, Cindy Hendy, left on a table nearby while she was in another room on the phone. After getting the keys, Hendy noticed Vigil's attempt at escaping and fighting ensued. During the struggle, Hendy broke a lamp on Vigil's head, but she still managed to unlock her chains and then proceeded to stab Hendy in the neck with an icepickIcepick
An ice pick is a tool used to break up, pick at, or chip at ice. It resembles a scratch awl, but is designed for picking at ice rather than wood...
she found on the floor and escaped. Vigil ran away naked, wearing only an iron slave collar and padlocked chains. After Vigil's escape and rescue, Ray and Hendy were apprehended by the police.
Parker was arrested the day his last victim escaped. Throughout the trial, the prosecution brought forward two victims along with the mother of a deceased victim. Cynthia Vigil and Kelly Garret testified against Ray, describing the horrible tortures they endured. Garret was one who said she did not want him to receive the death penalty because she thought that was too easy. She wanted him to endure the pain she went through. She wanted him to stay in prison for his entire life.
Ray was sentenced to 224 years in prison after being convicted of numerous offenses involving the abduction and sexual torture of three young women at his Elephant Butte Lake home. His first trial ended in a hung jury
Hung jury
A hung jury or deadlocked jury is a jury that cannot, by the required voting threshold, agree upon a verdict after an extended period of deliberation and is unable to change its votes due to severe differences of opinion.- England and Wales :...
in Tierra Amarilla, New Mexico
Tierra Amarilla, New Mexico
Tierra Amarilla is a small unincorporated town near the Carson National Forest in the northern part of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the county seat of Rio Arriba County.-History:...
. His trial was then relocated to a small town where he had been raised decades before. He was convicted of his crimes against Angie Montaño, and then admitted his crimes against Cynthia Vigil Jaramillo and another young woman, as part of a plea deal for a light sentence for Ray's daughter. He died eight months after sentencing, having been held for two and a half years while awaiting trial and re-trial. Hendy, who testified against Ray, received a sentence of 36 years for her role in the crimes.