Victim was sleeping on her stomach in her bed. She was awakened by someone sitting on her and holding her arms. She woke up and saw a man with a nylon mask. She started to scream, but he punched her face and told her to “Shut up!” He then said all he wanted was money. He tied her up and called her “bitch” several times.

     The details of this attack are secondhand through Lt. Larry Crompton who in company of Sac. County Sheriff detective James Bevins visited the victim at one of her friend’s home. The victim’s face was swollen and purple on the left side. Her left eye was blackened and partially closed. She had trouble talking. Her two 12-year-old twins were with her.

     According to victim she was awakened in her room around 4:30 or 5 a.m. The assailant had something in his hand as he hit her, but she couldn’t see what it was. He ordered her to roll over and he tied her hands behind her back and then blindfolded her. His nylon mask seemed homemade and it hung loosely off his face. He wore gloves that were very soft.

.  The assailant then threw the comforter over her face. She could hear him rummaging and going through her drawers. She could hear him taking jewelry. Of particular note is that the assailant spoke in a threatening, gasping way, calling her “bitch” in between gasps and using the F word a lot.

     Assailant left the bedroom and she could hear him rummaging in the kitchen drawers.   According to the victim it sounded like he was in every room in the house except the children’s bedrooms. However, he apparently closed the girl’s bedroom door. She always slept with it open.

     The assailant rummaged around the house (duplex actually) for about 45 minutes before he returned to her room. He pulled the comforter off her back and pulled her pajama bottoms down. Yet he did nothing but slide something cold down her back. She believed it was the flat side of a knife blade. “This is your last chance. Where’s the money?” She insisted she didn’t have any and begged him to believe her. He continued to hold them and she felt he was staring at her. She estimated he stared at her back for about three minutes. Then he let go of the elastic waist and let it snap back. “Bitch,” he said and left the room. She heard him rummaging again. Then it fell silent. 

     It must have been around 6 a.m. He may have heard the daughter’s alarm clock go off. Ten minutes later victim was able to get up and awake the boy.

     During the time the assailant was staring at her back, victim believed she was going to be raped. She believed she wasn’t because she has the nasty scar on her back. She believes that was what he was staring at.

Investigation

Investigation showed that Victim had been tied with a nylon cord cut from a tent they had in their garage. She had been gagged by one of her own scarfs which assailant had taken from her dresser drawer. Victim locked all the doors and windows before going to bed. There was no evidence how the intruder got in.

   Continuing investigation uncovered that the son had heard someone prowling around the house at 12:30 a.m. but hadn’t told anyone. Between his rummaging the house the intruder returned to the bedroom and checked the bindings several times. Each time he asked for the money and each time he called her “bitch.” Victim felt that his whole routine was a pre-planned script.

     In addition to this, Sunday evening around 6 p.m. her son answer the phone. He could tell  someone was on the line. He kept saying “hello” but no one answered. Then the caller hung up.

     Investigation also proved assailant took $3,000 worth of jewelry.

Description

Loose fitting nylon mask, soft thick gloves.

Geography

Geography fits the EAR modus operandi. It was a new development, next to an apartment complex and very accessible via the main eastern Rancho Cordova roads— Coloma and Zinfandel.

House

The house was a duplex.

Analysis

Despite the fact that Sac. County Sheriffs did not want to accept this as a genuine EAR attack, both Bevins and Crompton did. There are many reasons to agree with them. The mask was loose-fitting nylon. This description may mean it was some form of stocking pantyhose, but not that tight. This would suggest beyond a doubt that this was EAR, since he only used a stocking when striking next to an apartment complex. Apartments are right across the street to the north of Filmore Lane, and can be seen in some vintage pictures.

     The language of this perp was similar. Not just in structure but in the fact it was a scripted, yet illogical dissertation, such as after punching the victim the assailant said he wasn’t going to hurt her. Such contradiction was common when EAR awakened his victims, saying he only wanted money and he wasn’t going to hurt them and then in the same breath telling them if they made a false moved he’d “blow their fucking brains out.”

     When EAR visited far distant places, he seems to have taken his most in loot. Was he no longer based in the Sacramento area now? His Contra Costa strikes indicated he was based there somewhere.

     EAR had used ligatures he had gleaned from the house before, closed the room where the children were sleeping and never bothered them.

     EAR had straddled victims in bed before and he had used soft, tight fitting gloves before. He also had staked out a house hours before striking.

   Although this is a disputed attack, I tend to accept it as a genuine EAR attack.

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