The couple were awakened by a flashlight beam shining in there eyes. Behind the splatter of the beam, a dark silhouette spoke. “I won’t hurt you, just be quiet. All I want is your money and food so I can live a little longer. I won’t hurt you, just be quiet.” The intruder waffled his hand with the gun so they could see it. “This is a .357 Magnum, you see, and I’ll blow your head off.”

     Shocked, they stared.

     “Get on your stomachs.” They obeyed. He was soon by the man’s side. “Turn your head,” he ordered. The intruder then placed the muzzle of the gun against his head and cocked it. “Put your hands behind your back and cross them.” Intruder now looked to the victim. “You. You, get up and don’t look at me. Don’t turn around. Tie him up.”

     The intruder threw a brown shoelace on the bed near the victim. “One move, one flinch and I’ll blow your fucking head off. Tighter. Tighter!” His clench, gloved hand produced another shoelace before her. “Tie him again; tighter and go around again,” he growled.

     When she was finished, he ordered “On your stomach. Don’t you move. Don’t flinch or I’ll blow your head off.” He now stuck the muzzle of the gun between her shoulder blades. “Put your hands behind your back and cross them.”

     Assailant tied victim’s wrists very tightly. Then he ripped she sheets off the foot of the bed to expose the man’s feet. “Cross them,” he ordered. “One hand under the pillow, one hand under the mattress or you’re dead.” Assailant tied the man’s ankles.

     When he finished, he demanded: “Where’s your money?”

     Victim replied: “My purse is on the kitchen counter.”

     The man replied: “My wallet is on the coffee table in the living room.”

     “One squeak of the bed and you’re dead,” threatened the intruder with a deadly hiss through his clenched teeth.

     Assailant left the room. They could hear him tearing towels in the family room. Then he returned. “It isn’t there. Where is your wallet?” He put the gun to the man’s neck.

     “Maybe it’s in the kitchen,” replied the man.

     “Oh man,” the assailant said as he left the room.

     He soon returned. “Put your head up.” The man did so and was quickly blindfolded by a torn strip of towel.

       “Don’t cover my mouth,” said the man.

       “Shut up!”

       “I have allergies and I’ll die.”

     The intruder ignored him. “Get up and get away from him,” he ordered the victim. He shoved the gun muzzle into her back. “Don’t look at me or I’ll blow your head off. Walk and be quiet.” He prodded her down the hall with the muzzle of his gun in her back.

     “Get on your stomach,” he ordered her as they stood in the middle of the living room. “Turn your head and don’t look at me or I’ll kill you.”  He ordered her to cross her ankles and then he tied them. “Pull your head up.” Then he blindfolded her with a towel strip. “Don’t make a sound or I’ll kill you.”

     Assailant left and went into the kitchen where he rummaged, opening and closing drawers and cabinets, rifling about and opening the refrigerator. Then the victim heard him walk past. Assailant returned to the bedroom.  He put a dish and bowl on the man’s back. He warned him: “If I hear these move I’m going to kill your girlfriend.” Just to hit home his point, he put the muzzle of his gun to the man’s head and cocked it.

     He returned to the living room and squatted down on the victim. He asked her. “Do you like to fuck?”

     He raped her.

     Assailant raped her in many different ways. He used suntan lotion as a lubricant. At one point during her raping she started crying. He said “Shut up! This is how me fuck.” After he finished raping her, he placed a bowl and plate on her back. Then he warned her: “One click, one small noise and he’s dead.”

Investigation

Investigation uncovered that during the times the East Area Rapist had left his victim he had rummaged through the house and in one instance had found the victim’s nylon pantyhose, tied one leg in a knot and pushed a hole through the crotch with his finger. This was something he had done at other rape scenes. After raping the victim, he also went to a corner of the room and sobbed and blamed “Mommy.” 

     EAR was in the home for about an hour and 10 minutes. He had made his entrance through an unlocked door leading from the garage to the home’s interior. Questioning the victim’s boyfriend revealed that on March 16, 1978, he had noticed the door did not work properly anymore. Even when locked one could still turn the knob to the left and open it. He had not repaired it yet.

     EAR clearly knew this was the easiest way into the home, which underscores he had stalked the residence and even entered it before. Another indication he had been in the house before is the fact he had uncovered something that indicated the couple were boyfriend/girlfriend and not married. He had made this mistake a few time before, calling a boyfriend husband or just referring to the male as “him” when talking to or ordering the respective victim.

     Investigation also proved that the victim’s driver’s license and $13 in cash from her billfold had been taken along with $150 in quarters, dimes and nickels in two jars. Her earrings, rings, watch and high school picture were also taken.

     Assailant appears to have drunk 2 bottles of beer before he left. Brand name is not given.

     Canvass of the neighborhood revealed that on March 13, 1978, at 11:30 p.m. a married couple had observed a white male approximately 30 years old walking near the Meadow Avenue residence. Two nights later they heard someone in their backyard.

     On March 15, 1978, a 10-year-old girl saw a figure in her backyard window. The time was 10:30 p.m. They lived on the cross street of Rivara Drive. Her father checked the backyard. He saw no one. The mother had seen a faded Volkswagen van parked across the street several times over the past two weeks. It was usually there at 4 a.m. She also saw an older green Ford in the same location on occasion.

    On March 16, 1978, a 28-year-old woman with two children answered the phone. The male voice whispered lewd things and then hung up. At 9:30 p.m. that night someone was heard in the backyard of another Meadow Avenue yard. The daughter of this family was 17 years old. Another Meadow Avenue neighbor, a 26 year old housewife, heard something rattling on the side of her house. The time was 10:30 p.m. At 11:30 p.m. another Meadow Avenue resident, just arriving home, saw a white male 18 to 25 years old get out of a small vehicle and take something out of the trunk. The subject was wearing a light colored nylon jacket. At 12:30 a.m., March 17, this resident’s 17-year-old daughter saw a flashlight beam shining in her bedroom window. Her father checked and found no one. Just after midnight, a 24-year-old housewife was awakened by someone at their sliding glass window. She nudged her husband and he checked. He saw nothing.

   The earliest report of what appeared to be stalking was on March 11, 1978. An old faded van was seen on Rivara Drive. Subject was a white male 20 to 22 years old, driving very slowly and looking at the homes. That evening a baby sitter heard someone in the backyard on that same street; when she checked she saw nothing.

   At 3:30 a.m. the morning of the attack, another neighbor heard someone running. She then heard what was possibly a Volkswagen start up and drive off. It had a loud muffler.

Description

There is no clear description of the assailant except naturally his penis. Victim said it was small, about 3 inches long. Assailant wore dark clothes and a mask. He had a revolver. While being raped, the victim felt a shoulder holster hitting her.

Geography

The area of Meadow Avenue fits the pattern of EAR’s prowling MO. It backs to a very wooded area by a creek (Five Mile Creek). There is also a court (Monty Court) behind the area. It is also not that far from a major park and schools. It fact, the area is close in layout to Winding Way/College View areas and the attack on Victims 29/30.

House

The house was a single story, detached middle class home.

Analysis

When the prowling reports and eyewitness testimony are added to the general location of the crime, this becomes a very peculiar case. The witness reports seem to indicate that the young man seen prowling Rivara Drive and Meadow Avenue was EAR— the older cars, the VW— all fit with EAR. The general location does too— creek, wooded area, park, schools. But, of course, EAR could not make use of most of them tactically in prowling Meadow Avenue. He didn’t even park around Lincoln or the school and stalk Meadow Ave from behind (up Monty Court). Rather he parked in front and prowled from the cross streets.

   Was he just that bold by this time that he didn’t stick to the cover of parks and schools and wooded areas? Then why are they nearby? Or is there another answer? At Lincoln Road and Alexandria Place there is yet another pumping station. These are becoming all too common in The EAR’s choice of a general location. He may not have used the school and park and the wooded area to stalk Meadow Avenue, but could he have been attracted to the general area by the pumping station and from there prowled the area on his own until he found the right and comfortable area of the street?

     If not, it is otherwise hard to explain how he even would have found Meadow Avenue. Again, yes, it is in perfect juxtaposition tactically to a wooded area and a creek, but otherwise it is just streets and cross streets. The school and park offer no vantage to Meadow Ave. If the witness reports are to be believed, EAR parked on Rivara Drive, which is a cross street with the front of Meadow Avenue. This isn’t EAR’s usual backdoor entry to a neighborhood. Thus it is a clue.

     Following EAR’s usual prowling MO, if he was initially parking on Meadow and Rivara he was interested in Lincoln Road or a number of sequestered courts off it. Meadow and Rivara are really the backdoor to Monty Court or Lincoln Road. Thus it could be that EAR was attracted to the area by his work or the golf course/park/schools/ on a map and then parked on Rivara in order to jump fences and prowl Monty Court or Lincoln— his usual backdoor approach. Instead he finds a perfect victim on Meadow Ave. and opts to rape her. Thus what should have been the backdoor, where perhaps police would not have even questioned homeowners,  becomes the front door to another clue.

     The witness report that night of a Volkswagen starting up around when the rape must have ended is remarkably coincidental with the earlier Stockton attack at Portage Circle South. There too the victims heard a VW start up afterward. It seems EAR used a VW for Stockton. Was he more familiar with the engine on these models and was he sure he could fix any problem? After all, this was long distance roaming from Sacramento.*

     This is certainly something which the EAR must have logistically considered at this stage in his crime spree. He must have required the assurance that none of the cars he used could break down on him. If they did, he was in big trouble. He had to be sure that when he left a scene of the crime his car would start. He had to know enough auto-mechanics, but what exactly is the answer to always a VW in Stockton?

     There is one other curious point. All the prowling on Meadow/Rivara occurred within the week of the attack. This is identical with the other Stockton attack. EAR had called and stalked the area of Portage Circle for only a week before. The rest of the Summer of 77 he was unaccounted for. The faded VW bus seen across the street on Rivara for around two weeks, if his, might indicate that his first week of prowling he was in fact jumping the fence and prowling the lanes of Lincoln behind Meadow Avenue and Five Mile Creek.

     But it is certain EAR stalked Meadow itself for only a week. Not very long by EAR standards. But then that was about the only time that he stalked Portage Circle South in Stockton as well. Clearly he didn’t know the town. He narrowed in on a particular area, devoted only a week to it, and then struck and moved on. I don’t think prolonged prowling revealed the areas to him. Something else had acquainted him with these areas.

   In any case, it was unquestionably EAR. At times he was subtle, calculated, at others he seems very slipshod. He was simply lucky no one took down any of those license plates. He put on his “mommy don’t” act but was always vicious and premeditated otherwise.

     The shoulder holster had never been reported before, but then we must remember that most victims only saw the gun in his hand. The EAR seemed to have an aversion for warm weather and preferred the cool. When stalking he sometimes didn’t even wear a jacket. But he always wore one the night of the attack, even in warm weather. Obviously, he would have to in order to hide his mask therein and his gun and knife. Thus he may have frequently worn a shoulder holster, but this was the only time it was ever reported.

* There is a conflicting report. The witness report of the VW starting up is timed at 2:30 a.m. and 3:30 a.m. in some accounts. The Sacramento Union said that EAR remained in the house only 1 hour and 10 minutes, which means if he entered at around 1 .a.m. he was long gone by 3:30 a.m.

Night Predator
Files on the East Area Rapist/Original Night Stalker