Jake was in love with a prostitute named Angel, whom he didn't realize was a multiple personality of Jessica Blake. They ran off to get married, but when the Jessica personality made herself known, she ran off from the wedding. Something snapped inside Jake, and he turned into the Salem Strangler. Samantha Evans' was actually a mistake -- he meant to kill her twin sister Marlena. He almost killed René DuMonde, but she managed to get away. Luckily, Roman was able to capture Jake, but he died before he could stand trial for his crimes.