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Victim sensed a light playing over her eyes. She awoke and realized it was a flashlight beam. Behind the bright splatter of light, a masked man stood by the bed holding the flashlight on her. He wore a dark jacket. His face was distorted by a tight nylon mask. His clenched lips barely moved in the constrictive nylon. “You make a sound and I’ll kill you. I have a .45 and I’ll kill you if you move.”
Victim froze. At this moment the husband, who had been stirring, awoke and looked over.
In typical fashion, the assailant gave the appearance of trying to ease them by saying he was only after money and food and then “I’ll leave in my van.” He ordered them on their stomachs and warned them that he was only going to tie them up. Assailant removed shoelaces from jacket pocket and threw them on the bed by the victim. “Tie his hands!” he ordered. Yet victim was shaking so badly she couldn’t do it well. “Do it over,” he barked. “Tie them tighter! In a knot, or I’ll kill you.” When she was finished, he pushed her flat on the bed, gruffly grabbed her arms and locked them behind her back. Then he tightly tied her wrists with more shoelaces.
“Don’t hurt her,” said her husband.
“Shut up or I’ll kill you!”
Now that they were tied, he became more aggressive. Victim worried about her dog, which she told him was in bed. He merely growled at her to “Shut up!” He ordered her to cross her ankles and then tied her feet. He retied the husband, tightly. Now he pressed the muzzle of his gun against the man’s neck. “Where’s the money?” he demanded. The man replied “On the dresser.”
There on the dresser stood a bottle filled with pennies. Assailant swung his gun and broke the neck of the bottle off. The noise caused some alarm, and the dog started to act up, so he took the little dog and threw him in another room. When he returned, he asked if there was money in the “green box [on the dresser].” After he was told “no,” he threatened the husband: “You better not be lying or I’ll kill you.” He insisted there were only insurance papers therein.
Husband had told the truth, but the assailant did not believe him. He pried the lock and found only papers. He angrily threw them on the floor. Instead he took coins from a glass coffee mug (they were Canadian coins). He emptied them into his pocket.
“I have to take a break now,” assailant said as he left the room. They heard him leave through the backyard sliding glass door.
When he returned, he asked: “Do you have a purse?”
After being told it was in the family room, assailant left down a hallway. He soon returned with a cup and saucer and placed this on the husband’s back. “I can’t find your purse,” he growled. “If I hear these move, I’ll slit her throat, cut off her ear, and bring it to you.” He untied the victim’s feet. “Walk and don’t look at me. If you don’t do as I tell you I’ll kill you both.” He pushed the muzzle of his gun into her back and jabbed her long in front of him to the family room.
The time with 4:45 a.m.
He ordered her on her stomach, then growled for her to cross her legs. He knelt down and tied her ankles. He already knew where the purse was. Victim heard him stand up and take if from the shelf and empty it on the couch. Her put the money in his pocket and went to the kitchen. Victim could hear the refrigerator being opened. She heard a can of beer popping open as he walked back in the room.
“Please God, don’t kill me! Please!” Although she did not say this very loud (mostly just whispered to herself), the assailant heard her.
“Shut up!” he growled. “You better cooperate or I’ll kill you.”
He did not remain long, but went back to the bedroom to check on the husband. Here he put a gun to his head. “You move and I’ll kill you,” he threatened. He put the gun away and took out a knife. He put it against the man’s neck. “I’m going to rest now and have a beer.” Then he left the room.
Instead of returning to the family room, the assailant stopped at the hallway bathroom and removed from the medicine cabinet a bottle of Vaseline. He took a towel.
Victim, still lying on her stomach, heard him return. But assailant said nothing. She could sense he was standing over her and watching her. Then she heard him tear the towel (in half). He went to the television and hung half the towel on it. He placed a candleholder on the towel to hold it in place over the screen and then turned the television on (with sound off). This dimly lit the room. He walked back to her and placed a cup and saucer on her back.
“If you move, I’ll kill you.” He then tied the other part of the towel around her eyes. He stood up and now she heard his belt unbuckle and his fly unzip. Then his pants fell to his ankles.
“No! Just leave me alone and go!”
“Be quiet or I’ll kill you. I’ll slit your throat.”
Victim heard jar lid being removed and assailant lubricate himself. Assailant now knelt over her and placed his penis and her hand. “Massage it,” he ordered. “Play with it.” He then rolled over and untied her feet. He slid her pajama bottoms down and then her underpants down. He manipulated her orally. He raped her.
“You are beautiful,” he whispered devilishly through his clenched teeth. “I’m going to
take you in the van with me. How would you like to be in the river?” She started to cry. “Shut up! Don’t make a sound or I’ll kill you.”
He stopped raping her. He rolled her over and replaced the cup and saucer on her back. She heard him pulling his pants up. The glint from her diamond ring must have caught his eye, for she felt his hand grab hers and pull at the ring.
“No, please don’t take them,” she begged. “Please don’t take them off.”
He put the gun muzzle to her head. “Shut up or I’ll kill you.” He yanked the rings off her finger.
She heard him pick up what sounded like a carry bag and then walk to the back door, open it, and then step out into the backyard. Moments later she heard him climb the fence.
Investigation
Investigators arrived about 6 a.m. and saw the now-typical scene: shoelaces on the living room floor, victim’s panties, her purse on the couch and all the contents spread over it. A bottle of Vaseline intensive care notion was next to the purse, its lid off.
Iodine fuming on the victim’s body did not uncover any fingerprints. House was, like the others, dusted for hours. No prints were picked up.
Investigation also revealed that the current homeowners had only lived here three months. The previous homeowner had moved out of the home in February. Upon being questioned, the last owner reported having experienced a very strange man. She felt he was only posing as a real estate agent. He had visited the house, expressing an interest in it. She described him as dark complexion, medium frame, about 5 foot 10 inches tall. He was only about 25 years old. He asked her very strange questions that unnerved her. Such as: 1) What does your husband do? Why is your daughter not home? According to her, his eyes seemed to glare at her and she felt very uneasy while he was there. She made a point of watching him leave. She noticed that his car was an older brown color. It did not match is well-dressed appearance. Moreover, she had also experienced a number of hang-up phone calls.
Assailant made his entrance by removing a screen and then prying on a sliding glass window in the backyard.
Description
Assailant wore a heavy dark jacket and was about 5 foot 10 inches. Atypically, he wore a tight nylon rather than a ski mask. He carried a black bag on this occasion.
Geography
He parked on a blind spot on Birdcage Ave. where nobody would pay much attention to his coming and going.
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