ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA — Authorities fear a convicted murderer already serving life in prison could be responsible for more killings than previously known, after DNA testing linked him to two additional murders in Florida’s Tampa Bay region.
Tony Alvin Ables, born in 1954, has a violent criminal history stretching back more than five decades. His crimes began at just 16 years old when he participated in a fatal robbery in St. Petersburg in 1970. Sentenced to life in prison for murder, Ables was released on parole in 1983 after serving 12 years.
That decision would prove deadly.
New Crimes After Release
Just five months after regaining his freedom, Ables murdered 83-year-old Adeline McLaughlin, a retired widow from Massachusetts who lived in a St. Petersburg apartment. On June 25, 1983, Ables broke in through a window, suffocated McLaughlin with a pillow, and ransacked her home. Neighbors were stunned, describing McLaughlin as a quiet but friendly woman.
But Ables’ violence did not end there.
On February 14, 1987, Ables’ then-girlfriend, 31-year-old Deborah Kisor of Monterey, California, was found sexually assaulted and murdered near Roser Park Bridge in St. Petersburg. She was discovered partially clothed, with bruises on her legs and her jeans discarded nearby. Despite their relationship, Ables was not arrested for Kisor’s murder at the time.
Brutal Killing of Marlene Burns
In 1990, Ables killed again—this time 48-year-old Marlene Burns, his live-in girlfriend. During a heated argument on June 4, he shoved Burns down a flight of stairs before beating and kicking her. Witnesses saw Ables leaving the apartment wiping blood from his hands and quickly called police, who arrested him on the spot.
Ables was charged with first-degree murder. At trial in January 1992, a jury recommended a death sentence in an 8-4 vote, but Judge Bob Barker overrode the recommendation, citing Ables’ mental health issues and his abusive childhood, and instead imposed a life sentence.
“He had a rough childhood, and it affected him deeply,” said his brother, Anthony Ables, who testified on his behalf during sentencing.
DNA Breakthrough Links Ables to Two More Murders
For years, the murders of McLaughlin and Kisor remained unsolved. That changed in 2006 when detectives submitted Ables’ DNA for testing. The results were chilling: his DNA matched evidence collected from both victims.
Although prosecutors have officially closed Kisor’s case based on this evidence, Ables has not been charged for her murder. Similarly, he was booked in connection with McLaughlin’s homicide but has not stood trial. Authorities say both cases are considered solved, though they have left the door open to possible future charges.
Police Major Michael Puetz said investigators believe there could be even more victims tied to Ables, describing the possibility that he may be linked to other unsolved crimes in the Tampa Bay area.
A Continuing Investigation
Despite spending decades behind bars, Ables remains a figure of significant interest for cold case detectives. His known pattern of violence and history of targeting both strangers and intimate partners raise the specter of other victims whose cases remain unsolved.
“Tony Ables is a predator who never should have been released,” said one retired detective familiar with the case. “He took multiple lives and left countless others grieving.”
Ables, now in his 70s, is currently serving a life sentence for the murder of Marlene Burns at a Florida state prison.
