FBI Rehashes Decades-Old Case of Infamous Local Killer

By: Jerika L.H.

The FBI is joining with local law enforcement in an attempt to finally close a cold case file – that of the infamous East Sac Rapist. The case, which has been open and unsolved for over 35 years, now boasts a $50,000 reward to anyone who is able to provide verifiable information leading to the identification or arrest of the prolific murderer and rapist who terrorized East Sacramento during the 1970s. The East Sac Rapist (also known as The Diamond Knot Killer, The Original Night Stalker, The East Area Prowler and The Golden State Killer) began his reign of terror in 1976. Investigators have theorized that he initially began his crime spree as a burglar until he gained enough confidence to begin committing sexual assaults. Overall, at least fifty women were raped in the neighborhoods of Rancho Cordova, Carmichael, and Citrus Heights between June 18, 1976, and July 5, 1979.

The rapist would stalk middle class women who appeared to be home alone – strategically, those living near a park, school or wooded area to abscond his getaway. As he got more precise in his selecting of victims, he changed his preference to sleeping couples. He was known to enter into a home, wake his victims at gunpoint, force the female to tie up the male before putting dishes on his head – telling the male victim that if he heard the dishes fall he would be killed immediately. The murderer would then commit horrific acts upon the woman before pillaging the home – even eating food from their kitchens before finally making a getaway. The perpetrator was witnessed by several people but always outran his pursuers and was never able to be apprehended. The surviving victims and witnesses were able to generate these composite sketches. They described a man with blond or light brown hair, approximately 5 feet 9 inches tall. Although it is unknown if the East Sac Rapist is still living, he would now be between 60 and 75 years old.

Criminologists and psychological profilers have spent decades compiling data on the East Sac Rapist as technologies have advanced. The case of the East Sac Rapist was the catalyst that led to the development of California’s DNA database, which stores the genetic identifiers of every convicted felon in the state. Ironically, despite the fact that the creation of the database has led to the capture of countless other criminals, it was never able to link the East Sac Rapist to any other entry in the massive index. Below is a list of personal qualities that experts find to be likely probable, given what is known about his crimes. However, it is important to note that psychological profiles are based on statistical and probabilistic frequencies and therefore cannot be deemed accurate until the perpetrator is linked with DNA evidence.

• Possibly in the military or had a big interest in the military or law enforcement because of the ways in which he committed his crimes
• Emotional age of 26 to 30 at the time the crimes were committed
• Likely began as a voyeur in his late teens or early twenties
• Lived and/or worked near Ventura, California, in 1980
• Had some means of income, but did not work in the early morning hours
• Drove a well-maintained car
• Dressed well and would not stand out in upscale neighborhoods
• Would appear harmless
• Intelligent and articulate
• Neat and well-organized in his personal life
• Possibly unmarried and did not enter into long-term relationships
• Would have been described by those who knew him as arrogant, domineering, manipulative, and a chronic liar
• Had some knowledge of police investigative methods and evidence-gathering techniques
• Was a skilled and experienced cat burglar and may have begun that way
• Was in good physical condition
• Had a criminal record as a teenager that was expunged
• Engaged in sex with prostitutes
• Peeped into the windows of many potential victims who were not attacked
• Engaged in deviant paraphilic behavior and brutal sex in his personal life
• Sexually functional and capable of ejaculation with consenting and non-consenting partners
• Self-assured and confident in his abilities
• Hated women for real or perceived wrongs
• Would continue committing violent crimes until incapacitated by prison, death, or some other intervention
• If married, probably has a submissive spouse who tolerated his sexually deviant behavior

Another bizarre characteristic of the East Sac Killer was his method of calling victims before the attack and he would either hang up, act as if he had the wrong number, breathe into the phone, or make chilling premonitions to scare his victims. Below is the only audio evidence police have of the East Sac Killer which was left on an answering machine in 1978. The man repeats “gonna kill you” several times before hanging up.

              *BEWARE THE AUDIO IS DISTURBING

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdElYnd-xMo

The last known documented contact with the East Sac Rapist was in 1991 when a similar phone call was placed to terrorize his surviving rape victim. Eerie methods of communication were a consistent modus operando of the perpetrator, who left several personal excerpts from his diary at the scenes of his crimes. He even tipped off the police of his intentions to commit another murder in 1977 when he called the Sacramento Sheriff and briefly said in muffled voice “I am going to hit tonight. Watt Avenue.”  He later called to wish one of his rape victims a Merry Christmas years after the attack. Even more bizarre than the serial killer’s handwritten diary pages, which include an essay on General Custer, an anecdote about being humiliated in the 6^th grade, and a punishment map, was a poem that was sent to the editor of the Sacramento Bee, the mayor’s office and the television station KVIE 6 entitled “Excitement’s Crave.”

The FBI said in yesterday’s press conference that the East Sac Rapist has been connected to at least 12 homicides, 45 rapes and 150 burglaries in total. His crime territory included Davis, Modesto and Stockton, in addition to the Bay Area and Southern California. Anyone with information about the East Area Rapist is urged to call the FBI at 800-Call-FBI (800-225-5324).

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