Comedy and Tragedy — the masks represent the broad spectrum for the theatre and indeed for life. All shades of life — adventure, romance, thriller, etc. — are colored by both comedy and tragedy. But the masks represent something more basic– they are masks. They are put-on. They are performances.
Such was the signature of NorCal Rapist. Northern California’s musing rapist. He delighted in what he did to his victims. He raped them. Terrorized them. Was on stage before them. He emptied their ATM accounts. He apologized profusely to some for what he did. But these extremes of humor and apology are not him. His real face is below:
Wearing such a guise he arrived at his victim’s house in Martinez, California, in 1996. It was Halloween. He pointed a gun at her. He bound her. Then he raped her over several hours. Then he left. Weeks later he called and apologized. It was not sincere.
She was only his third victim. He would over the next decade carefully stalk at least 7 women and rape or assault them in their homes. Sometimes he would later call and taunt. Sometimes apologize.
NorCal always attacks them in their own home.
NorCal first struck in Rohnert Park, north of the San Francisco Bay Area in June 1991, forcing his way into a condo. He was wearing a ski mask. But thereafter he developed a more suitable veneer to his personality. He started wearing odd theatrical masks. In January 1997 he raped two women in Davis, California. He took their ATM card and was captured on Bank video using it. But what was captured was a man wearing a distorted, smirking mask, fit for Jason Voorhees.
Obviously, we can deduce he knew he’d be on camera. He left the mask on. This was risky. It was dark, early morning. 7:30 a.m. A time when people are about. Yet he didn’t worry about being seen. But imagine if you had seen such an apparition driving along in his vehicle, get out and stroll up to an ATM. A strange, disturbing sight. If you were in the parking lot you’d probably duck down and wait for him to leave. Think of the victims seeing such a man suddenly appear in their homes and point a gun at them.
NorCal developed his MO. He started with white women and then moved on to “Asian” women. He also struck over northern California, thereby earning the unwieldy moniker of “NorCal Rapist.” He struck first in Rohnert Park. Then in February 1992 he raped a woman in Vallejo. In 1996 he dramatically raped a woman in Martinez on Halloween. Then he tied up but did not finally rape a victim in Woodland. In 1997 two women in Davis (January). Then another in Chico (July). In July 2000 he returned to Davis and raped another woman. Then he waited 6 years and raped two women in North Natomas area of Sacramento (October). He never struck in Spring.
You can spot another MO here. NorCal takes quite a long time between rapes. Why? It doesn’t take years to stalk victims beforehand. So why the span of time between attacks? Is he away for some of the time?
It’s not remorse. He’s not fighting some impulse. He carefully and stealthily finds out information about his victims. This takes time and calculation. It’s not just following them from the grocery store. He has some information source that he taps into. Just what is this?
- Cluster 2 with Chico included.
NorCal was active between 1991 and 2006, and within that time put on lots of weight. At his last attack in 2006 he was estimated to weigh between 200 and 250 pounds. He is only about 5 foot 9 inches tall. So he must have been a pretty bulky guy by this time. At that time he was estimated to be between 30 and 40. Thus he must have been in his 20s in 1991 when he began. He had brown hair. It was spiked in 2006.
Another thing is apparent in his general MO. NorCal is using highways. The Sacramento Area Cluster is particularly revealing.
Being inundated with EAR/ONS and ZODIAC, I have not had time to investigate this case. So far, I only know the address in North Natomas area of Sacramento on Ivycrest. The location of this street in relation to Highway 99 makes it plain that his victims’ residence here had to comply with certain prerequisites. It was off a main road (Del Paso Blvd) from a major highway. Easy in, quick out. If this is his pattern in the others, then he simply didn’t see these women at the grocery store and follow them. If he did, they had to lead him to ideal locations to be considered viable victims. I prefer to think he selected them via a stealthier and simpler means.
If I am right in my supposition that his first victim lived in the Parkway area of Rohnert Park, then NorCal started out with this carefully laidout plan. He strikes a home/condo off a main boulevard from the highway. This is someone very calculating and premeditative.
No doubt his apologies are the result of the same. They are calculated. It is the musing of the masks. He then plots his attack on another unsuspecting woman.
For 9 years now he has been silent. Is he finished?
It would be nice to have a better name than “NorCal” for him, something that befits his Phantom of the Opera type of signature.
Anne Marie Shubert, Sacramento Co.’s DA, made sure that they filed against his DNA. In this way Sacramento at least circumvented Statute of Limitations. NorCal can still be prosecuted. But we need much more information on him. Details, details. “The devil is in the details,” said Holmes.
questersite 