Denise Collins, Darius Kimbrough: ‘Motives And Murders’ On ID Heats Up With Case Of Florida Python Killer Who Was Executed For Death Of Orlando Artist
Denise Collins, a woman murdered at the Carousel Club apartment complex in Orlando 25 years ago, is the next disturbing case to air on Investigation Discovery’s Motives and Murders: Cracking the Case.
The episode, “Where Her Future Ends,” tells the sad story of a young artist who is found savagely beaten in her apartment. The killer eludes police until a ladder and a neighbor’s tip leads detectives directly to him. Denise Collins’ story will be told through reenactments and commentary from police, friends, and other experts. Darius Kimbrough, the man who was convicted in Collins’ death, was executed by lethal injection in 2013.
Denise Collins was a 28-year-old artist who loved her family, her artwork, and her two cats. She had studied Fine Arts at a college in Boston, but by 1991, she was living in Orlando, Florida, and looking for a way to make a living doing what she loved the most — creating art. Authorities say that is what made her settle at the Carousel Club, a cheaper apartment complex that would allow her to have cats and develop her art.
Denise Collins often kept her sliding glass door on the balcony slightly ajar to allow them to move freely indoors and outdoors. What she hadn’t counted on was that a vicious predator would be stalking her every move.
In October 1991, police were dispatched to the Carousel Club apartment complex, where they found the body of a semi-conscious young female in a pool of blood in her bathroom. The woman, who was identified as Denise Collins, was moaning as police tried to assist. She had been severely beaten about the face and head, and she’d also been raped.
Court recordsvdescribe the scene this way.
“At one point the woman made some 7 grunting sounds and moved her head from side to side. Rescue personnel then began to give aid. The victim suddenly sprung up to a seated position and slumped forward and the deputy could observe trauma to the left side, and as rescue people brought her back to position she began to vomit and lose blood in gushes.”
As detectives processed the area, they noticed that the apartment was in disarray. It was obvious that Denise had fought with her attacker to the bitter end. A bloody iron was found nearby, and police believed that it was the weapon used to fracture Denise Collins’ skull. Outside, police discovered strange ladder mark impressions in the dirt.
Paramedics rushed the badly beaten woman to the local hospital, and her family was notified. Denise Collins stayed in the hospital for a time but eventually died from her injuries. Her death rattled the community and completely devastated her loving mother. The investigation revealed that this crime was not a robbery gone bad. Denise Collins had been purposely targeted.
A neighbor came forward, stating that he saw a ladder placed under Denise Collins’ balcony on the night of the murder. A heavy set black male was also seen watching Denise’s apartment. Police zeroed in on a suspect: Darius Kimbrough, a 19-year-old man who was known to keep a large python snake around his neck. Kimbrough denied knowing Denise Collins, and he wouldn’t allow detectives to take his DNA. Without much evidence, police were unable to make an arrest.
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Detectives had a stroke of luck when Darius Kimbrough’s fingerprints were found at the scene where another victim had been raped. And his DNA matched evidence collected in the Denise Collins case. Finally, Kimbrough was arrested and charged with rape and murder, according to the Orlando Sentinel. A jury found him guilty, and a recommendation of death was made, according to the New York Daily News.
In order to see just how police were finally able to catch the killer, tune in to Motives and Murders: Cracking the Case tonight at 9/8 p.m. central on Investigation Discovery (ID). Last week, the Inquisitr told you about the case of Debra Dill. Her story was also profiled on Motives and Murders.
