Victim, a 29 year old White Female Adult, divorcé, visited her parent’s home in order to do some laundry. (Her machine had broken down). The home is a single story, detached middle class house. She pulled up into the driveway and entered through the garage. Her parents were away. She relaxed about the house while doing her loads of laundry. About 11 p.m. she was finished. She loaded her laundry in the trunk of her car (parked in driveway), locked up the house and proceeded back to the car. About to enter, victim felt a hand on her shoulder. Upon turning, she was faced with a masked man. His mask only had eye holes.

     Before she could entirely absorb the situation, the masked man punched her in the face, breaking her nose. She was drug unconscious into the house.

     This rape is of the most graphic nature, and it does not behoove me to go into details here. It is also one of the most aggressive rapes so far. Suffice it to say that the victim was raped repeatedly, over a couple of hours, in every way imaginable, bleeding and with her nose broken.

     As in the earlier cases, rapist threatened to kill her if she did not perform certain obscene acts, told her to “Shut up!” after asking her questions, and kept a knife to her throat. As in the earlier cases, he lubricated himself before raping.

     Rapist also made questionable remarks, in the way of red herrings, such as he needed “money to get to Bakersfield.” He also said he was in the Army. Surprisingly, he stole victim’s car. It was found a couple of blocks to the west.

Perpetrator Description

     Assailant was described as in other cases: lightweight, muscular though lean legs, about 5 foot 9 or 10 inches tall, lean body like a swimmer, small penis. He spoke in an angry whisper, through clenched teeth. He seemed to be disguising a higher pitched voice. He wore a gray flannel hood.

Geography

   The Crestview area of Carmichael is quite north of Del Dayo and Rancho Cordova and is compressed between major thoroughfares— Winding Way, Manzanita Blvd,  and Madison Avenue. The center of the development is the large Del Campo Park. This park has many points of entrance from various streets— Heathcliff, De Habra, Oleander, etc. It is in juxtaposition to 2 schools: Del Campo High, which abuts the park to the south, and Thomas Kelly Elementary School to the west. In this case, the home was situated a block away from the park on Crestview Drive.

     Understanding this area is crucial, for this is the first time that the EAR would use topographic points tactically. This is the first time he used a canal. This is also the first time he can clearly be said to have used a park and school as cover for his day-stalking. This area is far from where he struck before. Together this makes this attack a stark contrast to the previous ones.

House

House is a single story, detached middle class dwelling, with attached garage. This is similar to the previous attacks. All homes have been single story detached houses.

Analysis

This is the first time the assailant struck so far afield from Rancho Cordova/Del Dayo areas. This part of Carmichael is several miles north of Del Dayo. But it is directly connected by the main artery of the central East Area— Manzanita/Fair Oaks Blvd.

     It seems certain he relied on this main thoroughfare the night of the attack. The victim’s car was found on the south side of Oakgreen Circle, parked mid block. This is only a couple of blocks to the west of the victim’s house and closer to Manzanita. More importantly, it is near to the beginning of the canal that winds through the area. The victim’s house backs the canal.

     Much comes together to tell us how this assailant was developing his stalking pattern. The victim could not have been an intended victim. She was not expected at her parents’ house. Considering the location of the victim’s house along the manmade canal, this opportunistic attack reveals how the assailant stalked along the canal. The fact he took the victim’s car and parked it westward closer to the beginning of the canal indicates to what extent he also avoided any clear link with the neighborhood when he stalked, and how he began here by prowling along the canal. If he had come by car, he clearly had parked it closer to Manzanita, possibly on Muldrow, jumped fences, and crept along the canal and behind the houses.

   The location of huge Del Campo Park, its large wooded areas, and the several schools in the area, made Crestview an ideal place to blend-in during the day. The canal that ran through it and then behind homes for blocks made it an easy place to stalk at night.

   The distance from which the assailant stalked this community makes this attack quite a contrast to the last attack, Victim #3,  in which the assailant walked away bare from the waist down and disappeared into the darkness. It would seem in that attack the assailant had parked relatively close to the victim’s house or had used an unoccupied home nearby. Since this was an unintended attack, it would suggest the assailant was only stalking, having parked from some distance in order to protect his car’s identity.

     This attack also raises a question. Since he obviously stalked neighborhoods in advance, quietly prowling through several yards, did he know the homes that would be empty on a given night? Did he use one, or its yard, in Rancho Cordova the night he attacked Victim #3, where he left his pants before he then approached his intended victim’s yard at the right time?

     We see that possibility here at Victim #4. The victim’s parents were gone. The assailant either was stalking the canal and saw the victim arrive, at which point she became an easy and impromptu target or, possibly, the assailant was headed to this house to begin with in order to use it at his base for the night. When he saw the victim unexpectedly arrive, he had to standoff and wait. He then attacked her on the driveway. The only alternative to this speculation is that the assailant’s intended victim had not been home or accessible that night and the assailant, working back along the canal, infuriated, seized the opportunity to rape this victim spontaneously.

     It must be noted he had never struck this early before. He may therefore have been only prowling.

     Time will reveal many clues that bear on these suppositions.

     As it stands here, as we develop this, I would suggest that he entered the community from Manzanita Blvd, parked his own car on Muldrow, then stalked the canal eastward. He took the quick way back to his car.

     This is also the first time that a victim was attacked outside the house.

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