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House
The house is a single story, detached middle-class home like in the previous attacks.
Analysis
Several significant things developed with this attack. This is the first time that an open corridor underneath power pylons was used tactically. This created a tactical border with a neighborhood and potential victims’ houses. Along its uncultivated area it is a silent prowl at night. Along its one cultivated area— from the levee to La Riviera— due to its walking path, EAR could easily pretend to be a biker rider or jogger and survey the neighborhood during the daytime.
Glenville Circle is easily accessed off the parkside of the corridor via Tay Way. Since EAR would later return to La Riviera and confine himself to the condos backing the levee, it seems safe to deduce that he was prowling the community during this, his first attack. This is supported by the fact he seems to have parked at quite a distance from the area and was spending the night working his way through streets looking for potential victims. Victim 4 and 8 appear to have been opportunistic attacks, and after those assaults EAR had done the same thing— he stole the victims’ cars.
The same rings true here, for obviously EAR did not drive to the house that night. It is far more likely that he parked at or nearby the College Green Shopping Center on Folsom Blvd or by the apartment complex on Great Falls Way. There his parked car would have been safe and not have stood out as much, as it would merely look like a guest or renter parking on the street. However, this is the furthest he seems to have ever stalked a community.
This reinforces the importance of Folsom Blvd in EAR’s pattern of stalking and escape.
The EAR had possibly prowled the general area extensively before the attack. The week before, a neighbor had seen a man looking in his house window. He called the police, though without response. On January 12 a woman saw a white male, early 20s, standing in her front yard. The next evening she noted that a light bulb had been removed from her porch light. On the night of the rape, at 8:30 p.m., another neighbor had seen a prowler in her front yard. He walked up to her side gate. She immediately went into her garage and made sure the side door was locked. Looking out the garage window she saw the stranger standing there in her side yard looking at her house. When he saw her he fled with great agility over the fence. He was about 175 pounds, 5’11” and about 25 (one account says 35) years old. His hair was dirty blond. He was underdressed for the coldness, wearing only a light windbreaker and dark pants.
Victim described EAR as wearing polyester pants and a light jacket during the rape.
The reports of those witnesses who encountered a prowler within the week before the rape give us some visual insight into his prowling method. We know from reports in other communities were he struck that side gates were often noted to be found carelessly open. If that one witness truly saw EAR here in La Riviera, then he apparently just walked up and opened side gates and surveyed the yard first. At other times, he merely stood in the front yards. In this case, he even removed a light bulb in possible anticipation of returning.
This arrogance is quite amazing. This pattern is also incredibly bold. However, it must be noted that this is the first time there were so many witnesses before-the-fact and, in connection with this, this was the first time EAR struck outside his previous zones of Rancho Cordova and Carmichael-Citrus Heights. He made such mistakes here, perhaps, because he was quite unfamiliar with new ground in La Riviera. This argues for some longstanding connection with those previous areas or some form of work that had allowed him to survey those other neighborhoods far more thoroughly and nonchalantly. This advantage apparently didn’t exist in La Riviera.
The EAR’s rape that very night now raises the question: was he intending to rape or did he take advantage of a readily available victim that really excited him? In this context it must be noted that he had not brought precut bindings with him, but used electric cord in the house. In earlier rapes, he had prowled the neighborhoods for some time. As it will turn out soon, EAR’s MO of stalking will become apparent to us from his variations and mistakes. He would stalk a neighborhood from a distance, but on the night of an attack he would come in close. From this pattern, it sounds as if EAR was still narrowing his choice of victims this night and took advantage of this woman since she was alone.
As with earlier attacks The EAR made comments that were purely bogus to the victim. The items taken were of little value intrinsically. Since he could prowl the house silently beforehand in order to obtain his bindings, the ransacking is a purely and intentionally dramatic action, perhaps inspired by his desire to instill more fear in the victim as she awaits his return.
The Chief of Police of Sacramento would make a statement that would express the feelings of many victims. He said The EAR was not just a rapist. He called him a “sexual terrorist.”
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