had a history of drugs and prostitution, died of a gunshot wound to the head, likely in September or October. Melinda Lee Mercer On December 7, 1997, Melinda Mercer, 24, was found shot and dumped in a field in Tacoma; she had been shot several times and had four plastic bags covering her head. At Yates' trial, it was revealed that even after she was shot in the head, Mercer had chewed through two of the bags before succumbing to her injuries. Mercer did not have a criminal record, nor any ties to prostitution, and reportedly worked as a waitress. Shawn Lynette Johnson On December 18, 1997, the body of Shawn Johnson, 36, was found with two gunshot wounds and two plastic bags covering her head, about a mile from the remains of Darla Scott. She had been missing since October 29, 1997. Shawn Ann McClenahan and Laurie Page Wason On December 26, 1997, the bodies of Shawn McClenahan, 39, and Laurie Wason, 31, were found in a gully in Spokane. Both women were shot twice in the head and their heads were wrapped with three plastic bags each. Wason, who was last seen on November 3, was the devoted mother of a 12-year-old son until a slip with heroin unravelled six years of sobriety; she began working as a prostitute to fund her addiction. McClenahan also struggled with heroin, and was arrested early November for forging a check during a binge. She had been missing since December 18. Sunny Gail Oster On February 8, 1998, Sunny Oster, 41, was found shot to death, in an identical manner as McClenahan and Wason, in a rural area of Spokane. Oster, a mother of two, was last seen in October; she disappeared the day after completing a drug treatment program. Linda Marie Maybin On April 1, 1998, the remains of Linda Maybin, 34, also known as "Barefoot Linda," was found in Spokane, just 100 yards from the bodies of Shawn McClenahan and Laurie Wason. She was shot once and had two plastic bags covering her head. Maybin, who paid for her crack habit by working as a prostitute, had been missing since November 22, 1997. Melody Ann Murfin Sometime in mid-May 1998, Melody Murfin, 43, went missing. She was considered a victim of the same killer, due to her history and association with other victims, but her body was not discovered until