Tommy Lynn Sells: The Coast to Coast Killer

For decades, Tommy Lynn Sells drifted across America, moving from state to state and leaving violence in his wake. He would eventually claim responsibility for dozens of murders, earning the nickname the Coast to Coast Killer. The crime that finally brought him down happened on New Year’s Eve 1999 in Del Rio, Texas. Thirteen-year-old Kaylene “Katy” Harris was sleeping when Sells entered the home and stabbed her to death. He then attacked 10-year-old Krystal Surles, slashing her throat. Somehow, Krystal survived. Badly wounded, she made her way to a neighbor’s house and later helped investigators create a description of the man who attacked her. That surviving child became the key to catching a serial killer. Police arrested Sells, and investigators soon began connecting him to crimes stretching across multiple states. Over time, Sells confessed to numerous murders and claimed he had killed as many as 70 people, although many of those confessions were never independently verified. His name also became connected to other notorious cases, including the murder of Joel Kirkpatrick, whose mother, Julie Rea, had originally been convicted of killing him before she was later acquitted. Sells confessed to the crime and provided details investigators said were consistent with aspects of the attack. But Sells was also known for giving questionable or inconsistent confessions, leaving investigators with the difficult task of separating truth from exaggeration. Some murders attributed to him remain disputed to this day. Tommy Lynn Sells was convicted of murdering Katy Harris and sentenced to death. On April 3, 2014, Texas executed him by lethal injection. This is the true crime story of Tommy Lynn Sells, the Coast to Coast Killer—a transient predator whose crimes crossed state lines, a child survivor whose courage helped stop him, and a trail of confessions that may never reveal exactly how many people he killed. Sources used for this podcast Support the show Send Kris and Rob a Message JOIN THE  HITCHED 2 HOMICIDE IN-LAWS AND OUTLAWS START KRIS CALVERT'S BOOKS TODAY FOR FREE H2H WEBSITE H2H on TWITTER H2H on INSTA Tommy Lynn Sells, Coast to Coast Killer, Tommy Sells serial killer, Tommy Lynn Sells murders, Kaylene Katy Harris, Krystal Surles, Del Rio Texas murder, Tommy Lynn Sells victims, serial killer confessions, Julie Rea, Joel Kirkpatrick, Texas serial killer, American serial killer, drifter serial killer, cross country serial killer, Texas death row, serial killer execution, true crime podcast #TommyLynnSells, #CoastToCoastKiller, #KatyHarris, #KrystalSurles, #SerialKiller, #TexasTrueCrime, #TrueCrime, #TrueCrimePodcast, #TrueCrimeCommunity, #SerialKillers, #CrimeStory, #DeathRow, #ColdCase, #AmericanTrueCrime, #Hitched2Homicide     Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.