Troy Graves (born May 4, 1972) is an American serial rapist and murderer of Shannon Schieber. He was charged with a series of robberies in Philadelphia between 1997 and 1999. He also was accused of rapes in Fort Collins, Colorado, in 2001, where he was ultimately arrested in 2002. He is presently serving a life sentence in the Sterling Correctional Facility in Sterling, Colorado for attempted robbery.

Early life

Troy Graves was born to Earl and Michal Graves in Minnesota. He grew up in New York and Pennsylvania, living with his mother and older brother, Marc, following his parents' divorce in 1986. He dropped out of Bensalem High School in 1989 and worked various jobs in the Philadelphia area while living in the neighborhoods of West Philadelphia and Center City.

His whereabouts were unknown throughout July-October 1999, when he reported for basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. Following training, he was assigned to F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming in April 2000 as a maintenance worker on missile silos.

In March 2001, Graves was married in Larimer County, Colorado and the couple later settled into a home a few blocks west of the Colorado State University campus in Fort Collins.

Criminal career

Philadelphia attacks

1. June 20, 1997: a woman on South 21st Street is the target of an attempted sexual assault by a home intruder;

2. July 11, 1997: a woman on Pine Street was sexually assaulted by a home intruder;

3. August 6, 1997: a woman on Pine Street was sexually assaulted by a home intruder;

4. August 13, 1997: a woman on Pine Street was raped by a home intruder;

5. May 7, 1998: Wharton School doctoral student Shannon Schieber was raped and murdered by a home intruder;

6. August 28, 1999: a woman on Naudain Street was forced to perform a sex act by a home intruder.

Fort Collins attacks

1. May 10, 2001: a woman on Raintree Drive was sexually assaulted;

2. June 13, 2001: a woman on Raintree Drive was assaulted;

3. June 24, 2001: a woman on Battlecreek Drive was forced to perform a sex act by a home intruder;

4. July 26, 2001: a woman on Prospect Road was forced to perform a sex act by a home intruder;

5. August 5, 2001: a woman on University Avenue was assaulted by a home intruder;

6. August 23, 2001: a woman on Landings Drive was forced to perform a sex act by a home intruder; she scared the intruder away as he savagely attacked her roommate.

Arrest and trial

On April 23, 2002, Fort Collins police arrested Graves for a series of six rapes near Colorado State University. Graves' mother's DNA matched that of the Center City rapist and that left at Schieber's murder scene, a link made in May 2001 that had led law enforcement in both states to work together to create a list of individuals who had connections in Fort Collins and Philadelphia. Fort Collins authorities also linked Graves' mother to at least one of the Colorado crimes through fingerprint evidence.

Graves pleaded guilty to a Fort Collins robbery on May 17, 2002 and to the Philadelphia crimes on May 30, 2002, in order to prevent a possible death sentence in Philadelphia. He was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole in both states, but will serve his time in Colorado because he pleaded guilty there first.

Notes

Television shows about the case include:

• Dateline NBC, episode "Justice for Shannon", first aired 2003-03-04

• Forensic Files, episode 137: "All Charged Up", first aired (date needed)

• Cold Case, episode "Our Boy Is Back", first aired 12 October 2003