Mervin Ray Hughes

Serial Killer

Mervin Ray Hughes: The Oakland Serial Shooter

Background

Mervin Ray Hughes was an American murderer and serial shooter whose crimes occurred mainly in Oakland, California. His known record of lethal violence began when he was a teenager and later developed into a series of apparently unprovoked drive-by shootings. Hughes became known as the "Serial Shooter" after a two-week shooting spree terrorized several East Oakland neighborhoods in January 1999. Hughes was born on January 27, 1969. He was only 17 years old when he committed his first confirmed killing in 1986. More than a decade later, after serving time in prison and being released, he carried out a rapid series of attacks that killed two additional people and wounded numerous others. The shootings appeared especially frightening because most of the victims had no known connection to Hughes and were attacked without warning.

The Killing of Jesse Clarence Dunlap

On September 16, 1986, Hughes shot 38-year-old Jesse Clarence Dunlap during a drug-related dispute in Oakland. Dunlap was seriously wounded and taken to Highland Hospital, where he died from his injuries. Hughes was arrested soon afterward. Although the shooting resulted in Dunlap's death, Hughes was convicted of involuntary manslaughter rather than murder. He received an eight-year prison sentence. This conviction established Hughes as a violent offender while he was still a juvenile, but it did not prevent him from returning to the community after serving his sentence. ...

Confirmed Victims: (3)

Jesse Clarence Dunlap Age: (38), Date of Death: 1986-09-16

Survivors:

Unnamed man , Date of Attack: 1999-01-15

Unnamed man , Date of Attack: 1999-01-23

Two unnamed men , Date of Attack: 1999-01-27

Unnamed man , Date of Attack: 1999-01-28

Three unnamed men , Date of Attack: 1999-01-28

Unnamed man and woman , Date of Attack: 1999-01-29

Unnamed man , Date of Attack: 1999-01-29

Mervin Ray Hughes