Mystery unfolds as body dumped in river unearths ‘serial killer who murdered three men’ as cops search for more victims

A MAN is being connected to three murders that occurred over the course of two months.

John Richardson, 53, has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder for three separate homicides between early February to late March, said the Greensboro Police Department.

Greensboro Police DepartmentJohn Richardson has been charged in connection with three separate homicides between February and March, said police[/caption]

Facebook/Greensboro/Guilford Crime Stoppers, IncMichael Hemphill was shot on January 25, later dying from his injuries on February 1[/caption]

Richardson was charged in connection with the death of Michael Hemphill on February 1, the murder of Mark Anthony Gilbert Jr on March 10 and the disappearance of James Goolsby who was found in Virginia in mid-April.

Goolsby had disappeared sometime around March 25, according to authorities.

The District Attorney’s office is working to determine if Richardson is connected to more murders. A serial murderer is defined by the FBI as “the unlawful killing of two or more victims by the same offender(s) in separate events.”

Hemphill was found by police on January 25 suffering from a possible gunshot wound to the head. He was taken to the hospital and died days later on February 1, upgrading the investigation to a homicide.

A 911 caller informed police that Gilbert Jr was found beaten and lying near a dumpster on March 10. He would die later that day from his injuries. 

Court records allege that Richardson took the victim’s car, phone and wallet.

Goolsby was reported missing on March 28 after last being seen days earlier on March 25. Investigators believed foul play had a role in his disappearance.

His body was recovered in Henry County, Virginia on April 14. During that time, Richardson was charged with the death of Hemphill.

Detectives from the Henry County Sheriff’s Office said Goolsby’s remains had been dropped into the Mayo River from a bridge in Spencer, Virginia.

Richardson would later be charged with Gilbert Jr and Goolsby’s deaths on April 19 and April 22 respectively.

He was also charged with possessing a firearm, felony robbery with a dangerous weapon and two counts of felony concealment of death or tampering with a corpse.

Some of the charges alleged that Richardson may have dismembered some of the victim’s remains, according to warrants.

Another man, Jonathan Murphy, 38, was also arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the death of Hemphill along with possession of a firearm by a felon on April 8.

Court records showed text messages between Murphy and Richardson, possibly connecting them to the murder.

Facebook/Greensboro/Guilford Crime Stoppers, IncJames Goolsby’s body was pulled from the Mayo River in Virginia after last being seen on March 25[/caption]

Facebook/Greensboro/Guilford Crime Stoppers, IncMark Anthony Gilbert Jr was found severely beaten on March 10 and died later that day from his injuries[/caption]