VICAP Alert
The Orange County, California, Sheriff's Department is seeking
the identity of a serial rapist and murderer. Between June 1976
and July 1979, the offender, known as the East Area Rapist (EAR),
committed at least 50 sexual assaults in the counties of Sacramento
and Contra Costa. In 2001, DNA linked the EAR to six murders
occurring between March 1980 and May 1986 in southern California,
and his method of operation also implicated him in additional
area murders. The possibility exists that the suspect is deceased
or currently in prison.
Crime Scenes
A nocturnal criminal, the suspect prowled and burglarized
his victims' neighborhoods days, and sometimes weeks, prior
to his attacks. He wore a ski mask, gloves, dark clothing with
long sleeves, and tennis shoes or military-style boots. He brought
a knife or firearm (.45-, .357-, or .38-caliber) with him. His
method of entry often would involve prying open sliding-glass
doors with a screwdriver. He would attack even in the presence
of children or dogs. Initially, the suspect targeted single
females, but evolved into attacking male-female couples while
they slept or as they prepared to retire for the night.
Possible Suspect Information
Authorities describe the suspect as probably white with
fair to light olive complexion and most likely dark hair, between
5'7" and 5'11" in height, currently in his late 40s to early
50s, and possibly bearing a tattoo of a bull on either forearm.
His modus operandi included such actions as--
* talking/whispering to victims through clenched teeth;
* waking sleeping victims by shining a flashlight on them
or speaking to them;
* telling victims that all he wanted was money and food
and repeatedly asking where money or jewelry was located, but
seldom taking anything of value;
* threatening victims by pressing a gun or knife against
their skin and threatening to kill them;
* binding victims, often very tightly, with shoestrings,
twine, or cord he brought to the scene;
* covering victims' heads or blindfolding them with a towel
or article of clothing;
* separating the female victim from the male, moving the
woman to another room where he raped and sometimes sodomized
her or ordered her to perform fellatio;
* placing dishes or similar objects on the male's back prior
to moving the female, telling the male that he would kill everyone
if he heard any noise; and
* spending a significant amount of time with the victims,
from several minutes to 4 hours.
The EAR evolved into a killer, generally bludgeoning his
victims' heads multiple times with a blunt object or shooting
those he could not control. Over time, he appeared to become
more aware of evidence, removing the ligatures from his victims'
bodies before leaving the crime scene. Investigators surmise
that, in later cases, he observed the couples performing sexual
intercourse, then entered the house and killed them in a blitz-type
attack.
Alert to Law Enforcement
Authorities have eliminated known serial offenders Richard
Ramirez, Gerald Parker, and Robert Mark Edward as suspects in
these incidents. If any agency is aware of similar cases or
has information that may assist in identifying this individual,
please contact Investigator Larry Pool of the Orange County
Sheriffs Department at 714-834-5445, 888-390-CLUE, or
lpool@ocsd.org.
COPYRIGHT 2002 Federal Bureau of Investigation
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group
