Tony Ables

Tony Alvin Ables
Born	(1954-12-28) December 28, 1954 United States
Occupation	Serial killer
Years active	1970–1990
Known for	Serial killings in Tampa Bay area, Florida

Tony Alvin Ables (born December 28, 1954) is an American serial killer linked to several homicides in the Tampa Bay area. While formally convicted of two murders, DNA analysis in 2006 connected him to two additional cases: the 1983 homicide of 84-year-old Adeline McLaughlin and the 1987 death of his 31-year-old girlfriend, Deborah Kisor. Despite their intimate relationship, Ables was neither charged for Kisor’s killing nor prosecuted for McLaughlin’s. He is currently serving a life sentence for the 1990 murder of another partner, 48-year-old Marlene Burns.

Murders

At just 16 years old in 1970, Ables participated in a robbery in St. Petersburg, Florida that resulted in a fatality. He entered a guilty plea for first-degree murder in March 1971 and was sentenced to life imprisonment. After completing 12 years behind bars, he was released on parole in 1983 and subsequently employed as a construction laborer.

On June 25, 1983, five months after his release, Ables forcibly entered the residence of Adeline McLaughlin, an 83-year-old retired widow originally from Worcester, Massachusetts. She was smothered with a pillow and her home was ransacked. Neighbors described McLaughlin as a quiet yet amiable individual who was disturbed by the crime.

Deborah Kisor, aged 31 and from Monterey, California, was sexually assaulted and murdered on February 14, 1987. Last observed making a telephone call near an apartment complex, her body was discovered close to Roser Park Bridge with visible bruising and her jeans left nearby. Although Ables was romantically involved with Kisor at that time, he was not detained or investigated as a suspect.

On June 4, 1990, Ables brutally attacked his girlfriend and roommate Marlene Burns, age 48. He pushed her down a flight of stairs and inflicted multiple blows. Witnesses reported seeing him depart the scene while wiping blood off his hands and had previously alerted authorities about a domestic altercation. Law enforcement apprehended Ables promptly and charged him with first-degree murder; he was held without bail at the Pinellas County, Florida detention center.

Trial and imprisonment

Tony Alvin Ables was found guilty in January 1992 for the murder of Marlene Burns. Although the jury favored a death penalty by an 8-4 margin, Judge Bob Barker overruled this recommendation, sentencing Ables to life imprisonment due to concerns regarding his mental health. Testimony from his brother Anthony revealed their abusive upbringing, which likely impacted Ables’s psychological condition.

The cases involving Adeline McLaughlin and Deborah Kisor remained unresolved until DNA evidence linked Ables to both in 2006. While he was formally booked for McLaughlin’s homicide, no charges were filed; Kisor’s case remains closed without prosecution. Police Major Michael Puetz indicated a strong likelihood that Ables could be connected to other unsolved offenses.

See also

• List of serial killers in the United States

External links

• Serial Dispatches article
• Florida Department of Corrections Information