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By January 28, 1978, the East Area Rapist had attacked 29
victims. The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department still had
no viable leads in the case and no viable suspects. It seemed
as if they were powerless to stop this brazen criminal. And because
of the phony composite sketch, everyone in Sacramento County was
looking for the wrong man.
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On February 2, 1978, Brian and Katie Maggiore were walking
their dog on a quiet evening in Rancho Cordova. They
were confronted by at least one person armed with a
gun. Brian Maggiore was chased into a nearby backyard
and was shot in the chest. Katie Maggiore was shot in
the head on the street. There was no apparent motive
for this senseless double-homicide and it initially
seemed unrelated to the EAR attacks. Until now, the
EAR had never killed any of his victims, although he
threatened many times to do so.
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On April 14, 1978, the EAR struck again in the South Area
of Sacramento County, attacking a 15 year old babysitter.
No one knew it at the time, but it would be the last reported
attack by the EAR in Sacramento County. And it would be
no coincidence. The EAR was very methodical and calculating.
He always wore a mask, so none of his victims had ever
seen his face. He always wore gloves so he never left
any fingerprints behind. His vehicle was never parked
near the crime scenes, so his license plate was never
knowingly written down. So why did he leave Sacramento?
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By April 16, 1978, the Sacramento County
Sheriff's Department had no leads in the murder of the
Maggiores. A composite sketch of two men seen moments
before the shooting and running from the crime scene after
the shooting had been released on February 16th. A witness
provided additional detail on one of the suspects and
a new, enhanced composite sketch was published on 4/16/78
by the news media. There was now speculation about a connection
to the EAR because of shoelaces found at the crime scene.
The murders occurred down the street from the first EAR
attack. Was the EAR finally unmasked?
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