In 1997 and 1998, after killing at least one local woman in the year before, the Spokane

serial killer rampaged through the Eastern Washington, inland empire city, kidnapping

and murdering woman after woman, plucking them with increasing frequency from East

Bragg Avenue, a popular stretch of road for sex workers less than a mile from both downtown

Spokane and the campus of Gonzaga University.

Even though nearly all his victims came from the same place, this killer was especially

hard to catch because he didn't look like anyone.

He would think would be a serial killer.

He wasn't some loner with the history of sexual or violent crimes, wasn't some blatantly

dysfunctional deviant like Arthur Shawcross, wasn't some creepy loner like Richard Ramirez,

he was a married middle-aged father of five married for over 20 years to the mother of

all five of his children.

Robert Lee Yates, in addition to being a serial killer, was also a military veteran who served

honorably overseas, a former helicopter pilot, and a guy who just seemed to most to be

a good, hardworking, all-American family man.

Not always the greatest father.

He could be a good dad, actually.

He was real good at living two separate lives, but he could also be verbally and physically

abusive.

He definitely wasn't a great husband.

He was controlling and cruel in addition to constantly cheating on his wife.

He was a man who seemed addicted to sex workers, but only those sex workers seemed to know

...