By Ashley Sanders

The News staff writer

A serial murder, whose crimes continue to haunt the city Port Arthur, lost an appeal before the U.S. Supreme Court this week when justices refused to review his case.

Elroy Chester, 38, confessed to the slayings of a Port Arthur fireman and at least four other people during a six-month crime spree nine years ago.

He pleaded guilty to killing fireman Willie Ryman III, who was trying to keep Chester from raping his two nieces.

According to News archives, Ryman, who frequently checked on the girls when their mother was at work, was shot during the Feb. 6, 1998 break-in of his sister's home in Griffing Park. He went there to check on his two nieces at around 11 p.m. and encountered an intruder sexually assaulting the girls.

A Jefferson County jury in 1998 took just 12 minutes to decide Chester should be put to death.

Chester is also accused of murder in the 1997 slayings of John Henry Sepeda on Sept. 20, Etta Stallings on Nov. 15, Cheryl DeLeon on Nov. 20 and Albert Bolden Jr., sometime before Dec. 21, according to News archives.

READ MORE IN WEDNESDAY'S EDITION OF THE NEWS