Timothy Spencer was the first person to be convicted and sentenced to death using what crime solving tool?

Timothy Spencer (1984-1987) was the first person to be convicted and sentenced to death using DNA profiling. His rape and murder spree began in January of 1984 when he killed Carol Hamm after raping her in her Arlington, Virginia, home. Another man was convicted of the murder; he was not released until Spencer was uncovered five years later.

Tim Spencer aka "the Southside Slayer" was a 35-year old resident of Richmond, Virginia who viciously raped and strangled 7 people, 6 women and 1 man. The man was left hanging from a street overpass. Each of his crimes were somewhat different, leading Richmond police to suspect copycat killers. Finally, in 1985, they convicted the wrong man for one of the murders. They learned it was the wrong man via DNA evidence. This was the first case in Virginia legal history to use DNA profiling; and, it both convicted Spencer and exonerated the person wrongfully convicted. Spencer received the death penalty and was executed on April 27, 1994.