Intended victim’s husband awoke. It was about 4:30 a.m. He saw a figure by the vanity by the doorway to their upstairs master bedroom. The figure, a man, was standing there. The man was wearing a dark blue vinyl jacket, buttoned all the way to his neck. His gloved hands were pulling down a mask, stretching it over his face. White shoelaces dangled from his hands.

   Intended victim’s husband was 6 foot 2 inches, 220 lbs. He sprang up from the bed. Assailant froze and stared at him.

     “Who the fuck do you think you are?” He stepped toward the assailant. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

     The intruder took a step backward.

   Victim’s husband continued to scream at him, demanding to know who the intruder was. Naturally his wife had quickly awakened. Due to the publicity given the East Area Rapist they had already rehearsed what to do if this should happen. In accordance with this procedure, he blocked the man and his wife ran past the two of them and went downstairs. Seeing she was free, the husband then ran down the stairs. They exited out the back sliding glass door. At this point the wife was already shouting “help, help!” outside. A neighbor called the sheriffs. The time was 3:57 a.m.

Investigation

Investigation showed that the intruder had already searched dresser doors and removed a pair of the husband’s shoes from the closet prior to his awakening. Neither husband nor intended victim noticed if the intruder had a weapon.

   A bloodhound soon arrived and detected the scent in the living room. This led him to the  backyard near the gate. The bloodhound followed the scent to the end of Morning Home and Park Hill (note in Sudden Terror Lt. Larry Crompton erroneously said Old Orchard and Morninghome), through the greenbelt area (park) unto Sycamore Valley Road, where the scent ended.

   Investigation also proved that the neighbor to the intended victim had heard an intruder on her back porch around 2 a.m. It is divided by the intended victim’s porch by a wall.

Description

Medium build, male, dark wind breaker type of nylon jacket, dark ski mask, dark gloved hands, holding white shoelaces. When questioned later by the police, husband said the intruder just stared at him motionless when confronted. Husband thought that he detected the words CORN or something like that written in white on the left breast of the wind breaker.

     This description above also fit with the description given of the wind breaker by No 45 in Walnut Creek.

Geography

The area fits The EAR’s prowling MO. This was the first and only time he attacked (or intended to) a couple upstairs.

House

The house was a 2-story condominium.

Analysis

One of the most interesting cases, as it tells us that on occasion EAR did not even put his mask on until he was ready to wake his victims. It also tells us how collected he was, for he certainly must have been taken aback. Instead of going berserk, he merely stepped back. I think so many of the victims were right when they said his lines and routine were like a script.

     Like the nearby Walnut Creek attacks perhaps he did not have a gun, though he did in both of his previous Danville attacks. In any case, he saw fit not to challenge a big man who was ready for him.

     He was also in the heart of a condominium complex and he had parked quite a distance away. He was not in a position to make a quick and successful break if he had opened fire and awakened the neighborhood.

     However, what is most significant about this attack is in retrospect. This is EAR’s last attack . . . as EAR. He would not strike again in northern California, and as far as law enforcement in the East Bay and Sacramento areas were concerned, this was his last attack.  . . until DNA would much later confirm him as southern California’s “Original Night Stalker.”

     Nevertheless, this remains his last northern California attack. Something must explain this. We have only one clue. This incident. He believed he had been seen without his mask. He had also been seen with a wind breaker that had either an identifiable name on the left breast or an identifiable brand name logo.

     EAR may have had “victory disease” and viewed himself as invincible by this time. Waiting to put the mask on in the bedroom may reflect that. But he viewed something as a huge mistake here. He must have. He either believed he had been seen or that the logo on that wind breaker could trace him.

     He laid low for months, and he obviously got out of northern California. He would not strike all the remaining Summer and into Fall. Perhaps by Fall he was sure he hadn’t been spotted in Danville. Whatever the motive, he would start all over in Santa Barbara County in the little coastal town of Goleta. He would not alter one iota of his prowling, tactical MO or his signature terrorizing lines as he played with the emotions of his victims.

     Curiously, there is one other clue. His last strike before he came to the Contra Costa Corridor in October 1978 had been on July 7, 1978, in the heartland area around Sacramento. He was then gone for most of July, August, and September. His last strike in the Contra Costa Corridor was this one on July 5, 1979. He was then gone for another July (for the most part), another August, another September. He would strike again in Goleta in October. But it doesn’t seem he had been stalking long there. He seems to have been elsewhere during these months on a regular basis.

     Nevertheless, wherever this guy went he took his “hobby” with him and his calculating desire to inflict terror on the unsuspecting.

Sketch based on the intended victims of the intruder.

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