Jacksonville, Florida, links George Ronald York’s family origins to the beginning of his and James Douglas Latham’s multistate murder spree. The city was first their intended refuge after escaping the Fort Hood stockade; when York decided against contacting his family, a stop at an Esso station on Jacksonville’s outskirts became the setting for their first killings.

Hometown and Intended Destination

Jacksonville was York’s home town. After escaping from the stockade, he and Latham stole a pickup truck and drove there, initially intending to visit York’s family. York reconsidered, concerned that his father could have a temper. The pair discussed their plans and chose New Orleans as their next destination instead.

The Esso Station Encounter

On the night of May 29, 1961, the two men stopped for gas at an Esso station on the dark outskirts of Jacksonville. A car alongside theirs carried two Georgia women, respectable housewives returning home near the Florida-Georgia border after a day of shopping and pleasure. Having lost their way, they asked York for directions. He offered to lead them to the right road, but guided them onto a narrow side road that ended in swamp. The women followed until the vehicles stopped; York and Latham then robbed and killed them using bullwhips taken from the stolen truck.

From Jacksonville to the Murder Spree

The station encounter marked the first killings in the series described in the account. Afterward, York and Latham continued toward New Orleans, where they bought a pistol and carved two notches into its handle. Jacksonville thus serves both as the abandoned destination of York’s attempted return to family and as the point of departure for a journey that quickly widened into a succession of murders across several states.