United States of America

GRIBBLE
Timothy Lane

Active from 1985-1987 in Texas

DID YOU KNOW...

Crime Fact

His previous crimes included felony false imprisonment and sexual assault

Victim Fact

Authorities were not able to track down "Christina," his first victim

Distance Fact

All victims were within 1.5 hour drive of each other

THE DISPATCH

The Beginning

By the age of 18, Timothy Lane Gribble had already started assaulting women. Gribble pleaded guilty and was convicted for felony false imprisonment in November 1981. He copped a plea, paid $750 and was given probation. In December, 1983, Gribble (as Timothy Wayne Gribble) was sentenced to 5 years for the rape of 15-year-old girl. He was still on probation for the 1981 attack.

The Murders

Christina

Christina had been picked up by Gribble in October or November, 1985 near Dickinson. She had asked for a ride to Austin, and paid Gribble $10 for gas. Christina was in her 20s, with brownish-blonde hair and a medium build. She had been wearing jeans and blouse.

He raped and strangled Christina. He left her body at the Brazos River near Highway 59, in Fort Bend County.

Police are unaware.

Donna Weis

Donna Weis was a Texas City college student. Gribble kidnapped her from Texas City. He took her to a wooded lot near Santa Fe. His father owned a storage business there. Gribble raped and strangled Weis, wrapped her in a blue plastic tarp and buried her. Weis was not found until Gribble led police to her body. She was 23.

Elizabeth Louisa "Libby" Jones

Elizabeth Louisa “Libby” Jones lived in Clear Lake Shores, Texas. She was active in her community, and was on the local council. Jones told her partner she was not feeling well, and mentioned that the roofer was still hammering away. She was going to bed early to rest. Gribble was her roofer. And he was the last person to see her alive.

Jones worked for IBM at the Johnson Space Center on the NASA Shuttle project. On September 9, 1987, Jones’s co-workers were concerned that she did not come into work, and visited her. Her car was in her driveway and her door was locked. They searched and found nothing suspicious, but notified police she was missing.

Gribble had returned to Jones’s home in the evening, under the pretext of having dropped his wallet. Once inside, Gribble raped Jones. He then kidnapped her, driving around the country roads until finding a suitable dark place. She screamed as he strangled her. Gribble left her body near a tree. Jones was 36.

A few days after her disappearance, Gribble’s partner hired a private investigator. Although Gribble had been questioned by police, he was also questioned by the PI. He admitted to the PI that cigarette butts and a wine bottle found in Jones’s home were his. A few days later, he fled the state.

Arrest & Trials

Gribble Arrested

On September 30, Tennessee police arrested Gribble on an outstanding sexual assault warrant out of Texas. He had sexually assaulted his ex-wife on September 17.

Jones Found

Gribble confessed under questioning. On October 4, led police to skeletal remains in a wooded area near Farm to Market Road 46 and Interstate 45. It was the body of Libby Jones. A cloth sash was knotted around her neck.

Tammi Gribble, Timothy’s current wife, said she was sticking by his side. She said he wasn’t like that, and was not violent. She knew about his previous sexual assault charge.

On October 21, 1987, Gribble was indicted for the murder of Jones.

Weis Found

Gribble told his wife Tammi where Weis was buried. Tammi wanted the Weis family to recover their daughter’s body. She was present when Weis was found.

Weis’s skeletal remains are found wrapped in a trap in a shallow grave near an auto rental agency. The agency had been owned by Gribble’s parents, and he and his wife had worked there. He had told his wife the location and specific details. She told police and they located the body near Farm To Market Road 519.

Gribble's Taped Confession at Trial

Gribble confessed to murdering 3 women during the investigation. On April 29, 1988, the taped confession was played during trial.

Gribble talked about “Christina,” the hitchhiker from 1985.

Her body was never recovered despite searches. The Fort Bend Sheriff’s Department told the searching officers the river had risen 4 or 5 times since the date Gribble said he killed Christina. Gribble was never charged in her murder.

Gribble Guilty, Gets Death

Gribble was found guilty of the capital murder of Jones. Three women who survived Gribble’s sexual assaults testified at the punishment hearing. A few days late, the jury recommended the death penalty. His sentence was confirmed by a Judge on January 11, 1989.

Appeal Overturns Conviction

Texas Court of Criminal Appeals reversed Gribble’s conviction for Jones’s murder. There was a problem with jury instruction. The jurors had heard from a doctor who said Gribble showed serious mental illness. They were instructed to disregard it during sentencing. This was the basis for the successful appeal.

In Texas at the time, when a sentence was appealed and won, an entirely new trial had to be held.

New Trial Begins, Same Conclusion

Gribble’s new trial in the murder of Jones began on April 14. He pled not guilty. On April 23, 1992, Gribble was again found guilty. On April 30, he was again sentenced to death.

Gribble’s Execution

Although charged with Weis’ murder, Gribble never went to trial for her murder. On March 15, 2000, Gribble was executed in Hunstville, Texas, by lethal injection. He apologized for his actions to witnesses and victims. Gribble said he was opposed to the death penalty, but did not mind dying. He did not want to spend his life in prison. It took Gribble about 8 minutes to die.

SIMILAR SERIAL KILLERS

Lin Yuru

Like Gribble, Lin was sentenced to death, retried, and sentenced to death again

Henry Lee Jones

Jones, like Gribble, was born in August 1963

Marshall Lee Gore

Gore and Gribble both died by lethal injection

WHERE IT HAPPENED

A non-interactive map of where things happened

THE STATS

Siblings

School grade

Age of youngest known victim

Timothy Lane Gribble in a Historical Timeline

Statistical table for Timothy Lane Gribble

Killer Name	Gribble, Timothy Lane
Gender	M
Suspected Only	Yes
Arrest Date	September 30, 1987
Conviction Date	October 24, 1988
Sentence	Death sentence, overturned; Death sentence again
Birth Location	USA
Birth Date	August 27, 1963
Death Date	March 15, 2000
Deceased	Yes
Executed	Yes
Cause of Death	Lethal injection
Height	178
Sexual Abuse	Claimed during trial
School Grade	gr 9
Job Types	mechanic, roofer (self-employed)
Labour Type	Blue
Killer Type	Sexual/Sadistic, Territorial
sk_killer_type2	Territorial
Psychology	Claimed during trial that he had a mental disorder
comment2	confessed to Jones murder; indicted not tried for Weis
comment3	Retrial, found guilty again and given death
Total Dead Victims	3
Victims (Confessed)	1
Victims (Convicted)	1
Victims (Misc)	1 not tried
Victim Gender	F
Victim Race	White
Victim Age	23, 36
Method of Killing	Strangulation
Weapon	Bathrobe belt
Abduction	Yes
Sex Assault	Yes
Binding	Yes
Body - Moved, Buried	Yes
Previous Crimes	felony false imprisonment, sexual assault, possession of marijuana, carrying a prohibited weapon
Previous Prison Time	5 years

Killer Rating

 3/5

RESOURCES

E. Kelly Hemingway | Last updated August 20, 2021