Tommy Lynn Sells

The Cross Country Killer

  Active for 20 years
(1980-1999) in United States

3

CONFIRMED
VICTIMS

70

POSSIBLE
VICTIMS
Jump to:
  1. Summary
  2. Serial Killer Profile
  3. Serial Killer Type
  4. General Information
  5. Characteristics
  6. Childhood
  7. Cognitive Ability
  8. Incarceration
  9. Death
  10. 10 Timeline Events
  11. Serial Killers Active During Spree
  12. Boolean Statistical Questions
  13. 21 Books About Tommy Lynn Sells
  14. 9 External References
  15. Internal References

Tommy Lynn Sells an American serial killer and drifter known as The Cross Country Killer. Sells was active throughout the United States killing children and multiple victims after breaking into their homes. He was arrested when a ten-year-old girl survived his attack and provided his description to the authorities. In 2000, Sells pleaded guilty and was convicted of the capital murder of Kaylene Harris and attempted murder of Krystal Surles. In 2003, Sells was indicted for the 1997 Missouri murder of Stephanie Mahane and pleaded guilty to strangling to death nine-year-old Mary Bea Perez, for which he received a life sentence. In 2014, Tommy Lynn Sells was executed by lethal injection in Texas.

Tommy Lynn Sells Serial Killer Profile

Serial Killer Tommy Lynn Sells (aka) The Cross Country Killer, was active for 20 years between 1980-1999, known to have ( 3 confirmed / 70 possible ) victims. This Serial Killer was active in the following countries: United States

Tommy Lynn Sells was born on June 28th 1964 in Oakland, California, US. He was raised by his aunt, Bonnie Woodall, in Holcomb, Missouri until age (Age 5), biological mother until (Age 13). He had four including one twin sister. His mother, Nina Sells. During his education he had academic, social or discipline problems. Tommy Lynn Sells was sexually and abused at some point of his life.

Tommy Lynn Sells a heterosexual male citizen of the United States of America, with religious ties and/or beliefs connected with the atheism religion, organization or belief system. He took an intelligence quotient test before or after his crimes, Tommy Lynn Sells had an IQ of 100. He completed 8 years of school, no degree received. He married multiple times. He had no children. He had a medical condition: bipolar disorder.

Prior to his spree he had killed, commited crimes, served time in jail, and served time in prison. He was known to abuse alcohol and drugs.

In 1980 (Age 15/16) Tommy Lynn Sells started his killing spree, during his crimes as a serial killer he was known to rob, strangle, rape, and murder his victims. Tommy Lynn Sells used a weapon and was in possession of a firearm during his crimes. He was known to kill at both his home and the home of the victim. He positioned or posed at least one body after death. At the time of his crimes he was living with himself, alone as a homeless man in multiple locations, where he was known to work as a serial killer.

He was arrested on January 2nd 2000 (Age 35), convicted on September 18th 2000 (Age 36), sentenced to death lethal injection at Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas, US. He was convicted on charges of murder and other possible charges during his lifetime. Tommy Lynn Sells was executed on April 3rd 2014 (Age 49).

Tommy Lynn Sells died on April 3rd 2014 (Age 49), cause of death: capital punishment, executed by lethal injection at Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas, US.

Profile Completeness: 94%
serial killers by profile completeness

Tommy Lynn Sells has been listed on Killer.Cloud since November of 2016 and was last updated 5 years ago.

Tommy Lynn Sells a known:

Tommy Lynn Sells
Serial Killer Profile:

Updated: 2019-04-21 Collected by Killer.Cloud
General Information
Name: Tommy Lynn Sells
Nickname: The Cross Country Killer
Victims: 3 - 70
Years Active: 1980 - 1999
Ages Active: 15/16 - 34/35
Active Countries: United States
Convicted Of: murder
Life Span: 1964 - 2014
Characteristics
Gender: Male
Citizenship: United States of America
Sexual Preference: heterosexual
Religious Affiliation: atheism
Medical Condition: bipolar disorder
Astrological Sign: Cancer
Jun 21 - Jul 23
Birth Month: June
Marital Status: married multiple times
Children: no children
Living With: himself, alone as a homeless man in multiple locations
Occupation: serial killer
Childhood Information
D.O.B.: Jun 28, 1964
Given Name: Tommy
Birth Location: Oakland, California, US
Birth Order: N/A
Siblings: four including one twin sister
Raised By: his aunt, Bonnie Woodall, in Holcomb, Missouri until age (Age 5), biological mother until (Age 13)
Birth Category: N/A
Mother: Nina Sells
Father: N/A

Cognitive Ability
IQ: 100
Highest School: 8 years of school
Highest Degree: no degree received

Incarceration
Arrested: Jan 2, 2000 (Age 35)
Convicted: Sep 18, 2000 (Age 36)
Sentence: death lethal injection
Prison Location: Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas, US
Executed: Apr 3, 2014 (Age 49)
Previous Crimes: TRUE
Previous Jail: TRUE
Previous Prison: TRUE

Death Information
Death Date: Apr 3, 2014 (Age 49)
Manner of Death: capital punishment
Cause of Death: executed by lethal injection
Death Location: Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas, US
Killed In Prison: FALSE
Suicide: FALSE
10 Timeline Events of Serial Killer
Tommy Lynn Sells

The 10 dates listed below represent a timeline of the life and crimes of serial killer Tommy Lynn Sells. A complete collection of serial killer events can be found on our Serial Killer Timeline.

Date Event Description
Jun 28 1964Tommy Lynn Sells was born in Oakland, California, US.  #19640628
1980
(Age 15/16)
Tommy Lynn Sells started his serial killing spree. #1980
Jun 28 1984
(Age 20)
20th Birthday
Jun 28 1994
(Age 30)
30th Birthday
1999
(Age 34/35)
Tommy Lynn Sells ended his serial killing spree. #1999
Jan 02 2000
(Age 35)
Tommy Lynn Sells arrested. #20000102
Sep 18 2000
(Age 36)
Tommy Lynn Sells was convictedand sentenced to death lethal injection at Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas, US.  #20000918
Jun 28 2004
(Age 40)
40th Birthday
Apr 03 2014
(Age 49)
Tommy Lynn Sellswas executed.cause of death:capital punishment,executed by lethal injectionat Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas, US. #20140403
Jun 28 2014
(Age 50)
50th Birthday
Back to top Serial Killers Active During

The following serial killers were active during the same time span as Tommy Lynn Sells (1980-1999).

Serial Killers By Active Year


37 / 40
ANSWERED
Serial Killer
Boolean Questions:
Killer
Question
Killer
Answer
Total
Answered
problems in school TRUE 221
sexually abused TRUE 226
drug abuse TRUE 226
alcohol abuse TRUE 226
previous crimes TRUE 367
previous jail TRUE 352
previous prision TRUE 336
previous killed TRUE 208
kill at killers home TRUE 320
kill at victims home TRUE 323
used weapon TRUE 453
used gun TRUE 451
rape TRUE 453
strangle TRUE 443
posed body TRUE 365
robbed TRUE 418
living with children FALSE 268
suicide FALSE 225
killed in prison FALSE 218
teased in school FALSE 218
physically defect FALSE 300
speach defect FALSE 300
head injury FALSE 299
physically abused FALSE 231
psychologically abused FALSE 224
psychologist FALSE 258
forensic hospital FALSE 257
torture FALSE 426
stalk FALSE 418
blindfold FALSE 363
bound FALSE 406
sex with body FALSE 430
mutilated FALSE 447
ate part of body FALSE 451
drank blood FALSE 442
totem body part FALSE 365
totem personal item FALSE 354


Books that Mention Tommy Lynn Sells

Book: Serial Killer Stranglers (mentions serial killer Tommy Lynn Sells)
Kevin Smith
Serial Killer Stranglers
Book: Serial Killer Rapists (mentions serial killer Tommy Lynn Sells)
Kevin Smith
Serial Killer Rapists
Book: Green River, Running Red (mentions serial killer Tommy Lynn Sells)
Ann Rule
Green River, Running Red
Book: Adnan's Story (mentions serial killer Tommy Lynn Sells)
Rabia Chaudry
Adnan's Story
Book: The Serial Killer Whisperer (mentions serial killer Tommy Lynn Sells)
Pete Earley
The Serial Killer Whisperer
Book: Through the Window (mentions serial killer Tommy Lynn Sells)
Diane Fanning
Through the Window
Book: Through the Window (mentions serial killer Tommy Lynn Sells)
Diane Fanning
Through the Window
Book: Gone Forever (mentions serial killer Tommy Lynn Sells)
Diane Fanning
Gone Forever

21 Books that mention Serial Killer
Tommy Lynn Sells

ISBN10 Book Title Killers
1733630600 Serial Killer Stranglers 164
1733630619 Serial Killer Rapists 266
0743276418 Green River, Running Red 3
1250087112 Adnan's Story 2
1439199043 The Serial Killer Whisper... 7
1429904135 Through the Window 1
0312985258 Through the Window 1
142990416x Gone Forever 1
1466834544 Sleep My Darlings 1
1101477660 I Would Find a Girl Walki... 3
1429929480 A Poisoned Passion 1
1613734905 Devil's Defender 2
1548786209 The Cross Country Killer 1
0313386730 The Mind of a Murderer: P... 4
1312203676 ULTIMATE SERIAL KILLER IN... 4
0571265065 Happy Like Murderers 3
0980080207 13 1/2 1
198103711x Serial Killer Stories Vol... 2
1980749779 The Brutal Texan 1
0816069875 The Encyclopedia of Seria... 108
1463477031 Coast to Coast 1

Tommy Lynn Sells (June 28, 1964 – April 3, 2014) was an American serial killer. He was convicted of one murder, for which he was executed. Authorities believe he committed at least another 21 murders.

Wikipedia
External References
  1. Tommy Lynn Sells on en.wikipedia.org, Retrieved on Sep 14, 2018.
  2. Juan Ignacio Blanco, Tommy Lynn SELLS on murderpedia.org, Retrieved on Sep 14, 2018.
  3. Catherine Rowe, Nicole Ruggiero, Sells, Tommy Lynn on maamodt.asp.radford.edu, Retrieved on Sep 14, 2018.
  4. Q1364334 on www.wikidata.org, Retrieved on Oct 9, 2018.
  5. Charles Montaldo, Profile of Serial Killer Tommy Lynn Sells on www.thoughtco.com, Retrieved on Jan 21, 2019.
  6. Graphic Excerpts From Tommy Lynn Sells' Transcripts on www.14news.com, Retrieved on Jan 21, 2019.
  7. Execution Report: Tommy Sells on www.txexecutions.org, Retrieved on Jan 21, 2019.
  8. Roxanna Sherwood, Serial Killer Tommy Lynn Sells Executed in Texas on abcnews.go.com, Retrieved on Jan 21, 2019.
  9. Tommy Lynn Sells on www.serienkillers.de, Retrieved on Feb 18, 2019.
Internal References

Tommy Lynn Sells is included in the following pages on Killer.Cloud the Serial Killer Database

  1. #30 of 34[ Page 2 ] of Cancer Serial Killers sorted by Confirmed Victims
  2. #30 of 34[ Page 2 ] of Serial Killers with birthdays in June
  3. #39 of 72[ Page 3 ] of serial killers sorted by IQ Level
  4. #51 of 651[ Page 4 ] of serial killers sorted by Years Active
  5. #75 of 651[ Page 5 ] of serial killers sorted by Profile Completeness
  6. #238 of 250[ Page 16 ] of Serial Killer Stranglers sorted by Confirmed Victims
  7. #295 of 307[ Page 20 ] of Serial Killer Rapist sorted by Confirmed Victims
  8. #303 of 327[ Page 21 ] of Serial Killers active in the United States
  9. #533 of 651[ Page 36 ] of the A-Z List of Serial Killers
  10. #613 of 651[ Page 41 ] of serial killers sorted by Confirmed Victims
Statistics:
Serial Killers Statistics, charts Tommy Lynn Sells is included in: Active Serial Killers by Country, Serial Killers By Gender, Age of Serial Killer by Date, Killers By Astrological Sign, Killers By Birth Month, Serial Killers IQ Level, Years of School Completed, Highest Degree Achieved, Sexual Preference, Mannor of Death, Active Serial Killers by Year and Statistical Boolean Questions.
Years Active: