Nicholas Wiley

On May 31, 2004, 31-year-old Lottie Thompson, a mother of three, was found stabbed to death in her apartment in Syracuse. She lived in the same West Onondaga Street building where Wiley was living at the time. The next day, on June 1, the body of 22-year-old Hannah Finnerty was discovered inside a trash can outside of the building, the cause of death was due to numerous stab wounds.

During the trial, Wiley's defense attempted to sway the jury that Wiley, a mentally sick and twisted individual, was coerced to confess. The defense also tried to drop a first-degree murder charge due to the killings not fitting the profile, but the judge pointed out a 1995 ruling which had met the term. The six men and six women jury found Wiley guilty of three counts of first degree murder and three counts of second degree murder. Days later, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. Wiley attempted to appeal his sentences in 2009, but the convictions were all upheld.

Nicholas Lee Wiley (born July 17, 1962), known as The Syracuse Serial Killer, is an American serial killer and sex offender who killed at least three women in Syracuse, New York between April and May 2004. After his arrest, he confessed to a total of seven murders to which have never been confirmed. For his known crimes, he was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.

Little is known about Wiley's background. He was born on July 17, 1962 and had his first run in with the law in 1979. In 1983, he was accused of striking an elderly woman with a claw hammer, a crime for which he was sentenced, but was later given a sentence reduction, and was released sometime before 1990. In 1991, he was convicted for sexually assaulting and beating a 16-year-old girl. He was sentenced for this crime and was released from prison in January 2004, and registered as a high-risk Level 3 sex offender.