It was during my college years when I got a call from my girlfriend — she was terrified.

She told me she was being followed. A white pickup truck had been tailing her all over town, even circling back when she tried to lose it. What made it worse was that this description — a white truck, following young brunettes — was all over the news. The Baton Rouge Serial Killer had been active for months, and her situation fit the victim profile exactly: a young brunette woman, living alone in a quiet, upscale neighborhood near LSU.

My roommate and I didn’t hesitate. We jumped in the car and headed straight toward her location, eventually lining up behind her and the white truck as she drove home. She was staying at her aunt’s house near campus — a peaceful, tree-lined area, the kind where things like this just don’t happen.

When she pulled into the driveway, the white truck stopped just a few houses down. The driver didn’t move. Didn’t roll down his window. Just sat there, headlights glowing faintly through the night.

I decided to confront him. My roommate protested, but I was angry and wanted answers.

I walked up to the driver’s side window and saw a man sitting there — calm, emotionless. The FBI had described the Baton Rouge killer as a white man, but this guy was African American. I tried to diffuse the tension, telling him he was scaring my girlfriend and needed to leave.

He said nothing. Just gave me this long, cold side-eye glance — and then drove off slowly into the darkness.

At the time, I thought it was over. Maybe some creep, maybe a misunderstanding. But a few months later, I saw that same face again — staring back at me from the front page of the Baton Rouge Advocate.

He’d been arrested.

It was Derrick Todd Lee — the Baton Rouge Serial Killer.

Who Was Derrick Todd Lee?

Derrick Todd Lee (born November 5, 1968 – died January 21, 2016) was an American serial killer responsible for a series of brutal murders of women in and around Baton Rouge, Louisiana, between 1992 and 2003.

Lee was often called The Baton Rouge Serial Killer due to the wave of fear his crimes created across southern Louisiana. His victims were typically young, attractive women, often brunettes, who lived alone or in quiet suburban neighborhoods. The attacks were violent and personal — often involving stalking, break-ins, and sexual assault before the murders.

For years, investigators believed the killer was white, based on witness descriptions and early profiling — a critical mistake that allowed Lee to evade capture. It wasn’t until DNA evidence linked him to several crime scenes that the truth came out.

Lee’s crimes were connected to at least seven confirmed murders, though authorities suspect the real number may be higher. He was finally captured in 2003 after fleeing Louisiana, and later sentenced to death.

He died in prison in 2016 of heart disease — but for years, his shadow lingered over Baton Rouge.

Even now, people who lived through that time remember the fear — the late-night phone calls, the feeling of being watched, the warnings to “lock your doors.”

And for one college student and his girlfriend, that night on a quiet LSU street became a moment that would haunt them forever.