True crime Friday: Danueal Drayton, The Alleged Tinder Serial Killer

In 2018, Danueal Drayton, 27, was arrested in Los Angeles, California for raping a woman he met in an Uber Pool. He has also been charged with murdering a woman he met on the Tinder App. Danueal Drayton whereabouts was traced all the way to North Hollywood via a New York-New Jersey Police Task Force investigating the murder of Samantha Stewart, a 29-year-old nurse who was found strangled to death. The victim had all of her teeth knocked out. She was found murdered in her Queens, New York apartment. Police stated that Drayton killed Stewart after arranging a date through Tinder. He was arrested for her murder. He then confessed to other murders but those have yet to be proven by police. He was also charged with attempted murder, rape, false imprisonment and sexual penetration with a foreign object of another woman that he met via Tinder. The 27 year-old killer could be linked to as many as seven murders, including one in Connecticut, according to police.

Serial Killer Classification as stated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI)

A serial killer or serial murderer is typically a person who murders three or more persons, with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three murders, others extend it to four or lessen it to two. By this definition, the Tinder Serial Killer is known as an alleged serial killer because he only has one known murder by the police. He more than likely has committed more than one murder based up his pattern of behavior.

Danueal Drayton's Early Years

Not much can be found regarding Danueal Drayton childhood. He is obviously a disturbed young man. As many of you know that follow true crime stories and podcasts, childhood trauma can contribute to the making of a serial killer. After his arrest, Drayton talked about killing at least five others in Connecticut and New York, the officials said. Investigators are trying to determine whether his claims are true.

The Victims of Danueal Drayton

• Samantha Stewart, Victim, 29.
• Survivor 1, Attempted Murder and rape.
• Survivor 2, Attempted Murder and rape.

Danueal Drayton could be linked to as many as seven murders, even though we only know of the women referenced in the article. The murderer has claimed that he killed many more people. This has yet to be confirmed but a New York police officer stated that the statement probably has merit. One detective stated if you review the body of work, what took place, it is not much of a stretch unfortunately to think that there are going to be other victims per Dermot F. Shea, the chief of New York detectives, told the New York Times. The police need those victims to come forward for a lot of different reasons.

The System Failed

Danueal Drayton was arrested earlier in the year of 2018 on charges that he choked an ex-girlfriend in Nassau County. He had a left a trail of similar crimes in his home state of Connecticut. When Drayton came before a county judge for a bail hearing, no one there was aware that he had a history of violence against women. Not the local prosecutor, the public defender and/or the court clerks. His out-of-state criminal history was missing from his court file, even though the Nassau County police insist they hand-delivered a copy to the court. On July 5, 2018, the judge canceled Drayton’s initial bail of $2,000 and let him out of jail on his own recognizance to await trial.

Lady Justice

In July of 2018, the police began searching for Danueal Drayton. They eventually tracked him to a hotel room in Los Angeles, California. When a regional task force barged into his hotel room, they found him holding another woman captive after he had sexually assaulted her. Drayton pleaded not guilty in Los Angeles County Superior Court to charges of sexual assault and attempted murder in the case of the North Hollywood woman, who met Drayton in during an Uber ride. New York investigators are also looking into other cases to which Drayton is tied. For example, a month before Drayton killed Stewart, detectives in New York’s Special Victims Division were investigating a Brooklyn woman’s report that Drayton choked and raped her after they went on a Tinder date.

Drayton has been charged with attempted murder, forcible rape, and false imprisonment by violence, and sexual penetration by a foreign object. Danueal Drayton faces up to 25 years to life in prison.

Reference

Is Alleged Tinder Serial Killer Behind as Many Murders as He Claims? (rollingstone.com)

Missing Paperwork Got Him Out of Jail. Then, Police Say, He Raped and Killed. - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

NYC Nurse Murder Suspect Talked of Killing at Least 5 Others in New York, Connecticut: AP – NBC New York