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Victim’s mother, D. Wardlow, was awakened by a banging noise. It was the closing of the bedroom’s patio sliding glass door. Victim’s mother, 56 years old, bolted up in bed. Her eyes were immediately blinded by the splatter of a bright flashlight beam. She demanded to know what the figure behind the light wanted.
“I won’t hurt you or harm you,” replied a male voice in undertones. “All I want is your money. Lie back down.”
The man was masked. He spoke in an angry whisper between clenched teeth. He now ordered her to lie on her stomach. He tied her hands and then her ankles. She complained that her hands were tied too tight.
“Do you want me to cut off your fingers?” he replied. Then: “Who else is in the house? If you lie to me, I’ll slit your throat.”
She replied that the only other person in the house was her daughter.
The intruder then told victim’s mother that he was going to go tie the daughter. He left the room.
Intruder then tried to wake up the 13 year old daughter, Margaret, in her own room. He had to shake her awake. Still half asleep she told him to leave her alone. When fully awake she realized that the intruder was a man wearing a black ski mask with holes for eyes and mouth.
“This isn’t a joke,” he snarled. Get on your stomach and put your hands behind your back.”
She argued with him. “No!”
“Do what I say or I’m going to stick you with a knife. I’ll slit your throat and watch you bleed to death.” Assailant then pressed the knife against her neck, behind her ear. “Do you want me to cut off your ear?”
“I don’t care,” she replied while she rolled over.
“All I want is your money,” he reaffirmed in a snarl.
“I don’t have any,” she replied.
Assailant then tied her hands and feet and left her bedroom. She heard him go into the bathroom.
During this time, victim was able to loose the ties from her feet. She then heard him returning.
Assailant growled and started retying her feet. “If you move again,” he warned her, “I’ll kill your mother.”
Assailant left the room and started rummaging throughout the condominium. These condominiums have kitchens upstairs. Victim had heard him go up and now heard him coming back downstairs. She heard dishes rattle. She knew now it was the East Area Rapist. He walked past her room to her mother’s. Victim now knew she would be the victim.
Assailant returned to the mother’s bedroom and put two plates on victim’s mother’s back. “If I hear these plates jiggle you’ll be dead, bitch. All I
want is your money and food. Do you hear me?” She did not reply. “Do you hear me? Do you hear me?”
“Yes,” she finally replied.
“I need things for my apartment. Blankets. My car’s parked out front and I’m going back to L.A.”
Assailant returned to victim’s room. Victim saw strips of towels in his hands. He gagged her. Then he blindfolded her. He untied her feet and straddled her on the bed. He placed his penis in her tied hands.
Assailant ordered her: “Grab it. Squeeze it.” As her stiff fingers moved, he said: “Do you know what this is?” She replied that she did not.
Assailant then asked: “Have you ever fucked before?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do you know what that means?”
“No.”
“Roll over,” he ordered.
“Why?”
“Roll over or I’ll kill you!”
“I don’t want to!”
Assailant then viciously ordered her to roll over. She did not. He grabbed her and rolled her over. “Bend your legs!” he ordered.
Investigation
Police investigators were faced with an adamant victim and mother who insisted that there had been no rape. Investigators were certain this was an East Area Rapist attack and that the 13 year old had been raped.
Description
Description of the attacker was similar to that in previous rapes, not only in how he spoke but in how he used the knife and flashlight.
Geography
The location on La Riviera Drive near Watt Avenue is condominiums on one side and houses on the other. These condos share the same levee and bike trail as the condos further down La Riviera where Victim 18 was attacked.
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