L.A. police arrest man linked to 30 rape-murders

[Niels Bohr 72]

Thu Apr 30, 2009 11:19pm EDT LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Police said on Thursday they arrested a man suspected of killing up to 30 older women in two waves of unsolved strangulation-rapes that terrorized Los Angeles and other communities in the 1970s and '80s.

Detectives of the Los Angeles Police Department's "cold case" unit said John Floyd Thomas Jr., 72, the man they now believe to be the "Westside Rapist," was linked by DNA evidence to five slayings, two with which he is formally charged.

Police said Thomas was a suspect in as many as 25 other unsolved killings.

"When all is said and done, Mr. Thomas stands to be Los Angeles' most prolific serial killer," LAPD detective Richard Bengston told the Los Angeles Times.

Thomas had worked as a state insurance claims adjuster since 1989, the year the second wave of slayings stopped, the newspaper reported.

Held without bail since his March 31 arrest, Thomas is to be arraigned May 20 on two counts of murder in connection with the 1972 slaying of Ethel Sokoloff, 68, and the 1976 killing of Elizabeth McKeown, 67. Both women were also raped.

Since no death penalty existed in California at the time the crimes were committed, Thomas faces a maximum penalty of life in prison without parole if convicted.

The wave of sex crimes was noticed in the early 1970s when a killer began creeping into the homes of mostly older women who lived alone on Los Angeles' west side. The assailant raped them and then squeezed their necks until they passed out or died. Seventeen victims were found with pillows or blankets placed over their heads.

At least 20 women survived, but conflicting descriptions of their assailant confounded efforts to identify him.

The LAPD said Thomas was already a convicted felon, having served 12 years in prison for various burglaries, many involving sexual assault. The Times said he also was convicted of a 1978 rape and went to prison for that crime until 1983, coinciding with the period between the two waves of unsolved murders.

(Editing by Peter Cooney)

[Nagishkaw 510]

Good. Im glad they caught the monster.

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

[one...two...tree 2,762]

We were watching that on the news last night. What doesn't make sense is that the guy had a criminal past, but had once worked a social worker. A criminologist said that it is typical for a sociopath to take a job or role in helping people because they like to play God - whether it's killing them or helping them. And this guy just aged out of murdering....he stopped in '89.

[Ban Hammer 13,340]

shocking. i'm just shocked. shocked that la police solved a crime.

[Chica Yeyé 41]

We were watching that on the news last night. What doesn't make sense is that the guy had a criminal past, but had once worked a social worker. A criminologist said that it is typical for a sociopath to take a job or role in helping people because they like to play God - whether it's killing them or helping them. And this guy just aged out of murdering....he stopped in '89.

So did Ted Bundy mi hermano --- volunteered at a crisis center.

[almaty 19]

We were watching that on the news last night. What doesn't make sense is that the guy had a criminal past, but had once worked a social worker. A criminologist said that it is typical for a sociopath to take a job or role in helping people because they like to play God - whether it's killing them or helping them. And this guy just aged out of murdering....he stopped in '89.

So did Ted Bundy mi hermano --- volunteered at a crisis center.

no comment.///* slides off*

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

[Heracles 417]

shocking. i'm just shocked. shocked that la police solved a crime.

I wouldn't blame them. I'd blame the liberal clowns there who are more concerned about the killers rights being infringed. God forbid that happens. #### the victims.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

It was a cold case. They had DNA evidence which they were able to analyse due to the advancements in technology in the intervening period.

Sounds like bog standard detective work to me. No need to "infringe" on the man's rights. He was caught red-handed - albeit some years after the original crimes.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

shocking. i'm just shocked. shocked that la police solved a crime.

I wouldn't blame them. I'd blame the liberal clowns there who are more concerned about the killers rights being infringed. God forbid that happens. #### the victims.

Boo-yah! Where have you been, buddy? Did you see the recent poll on the world's best cities? Australia's cities were on the bottom of the list? What gives?

[Heracles 417]

It was a cold case. They had DNA evidence which they were able to analyse due to the advancements in technology in the intervening period.

Sounds like bog standard detective work to me. No need to "infringe" on the man's rights. He was caught red-handed - albeit some years after the original crimes.

Sounds like a typical case of cannot do any proactive policing because: 1. his race 2. it's in LA and it's a crime to look out for the good guys. If someone even smells that their "rights" are being infringed, he will be the next millionaire thanks to 1001 lawsuits. F-ck the victims he tortured and killed along the way, as long as his freedom was not infringed.

[Heracles 417]

Boo-yah! Where have you been, buddy? Did you see the recent poll on the world's best cities? Australia's cities were on the bottom of the list? What gives?

Dude, you missed the updates in that thread. May want to look at the 'quality of living' aspect of the survey. You know, the main point of the survey that my bud failed to include. Better luck next time for LA hey.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

It was a cold case. They had DNA evidence which they were able to analyse due to the advancements in technology in the intervening period.

Sounds like bog standard detective work to me. No need to "infringe" on the man's rights. He was caught red-handed - albeit some years after the original crimes.

Sounds like a typical case of cannot do any proactive policing because: 1. his race 2. it's in LA and it's a crime to look out for the good guys. If someone even smells that their "rights" are being infringed, he will be the next millionaire thanks to 1001 lawsuits. F-ck the victims he tortured and killed along the way, as long as his freedom was not infringed.

No that's not right. They weren't able to test for DNA 30-40 years ago. Now they can.

[Niels Bohr 72]

DNA testing was available experimentally during the OJ Simpson Trials. This shows how new DNA testing was. So, 30-40 years ago they didn't know what a PCR machine is nor do they know what electrophoresis is which are the key components to DNA testing.