Death of Cold Cases?

Now the alleged NorCal Rapist has been arrested. Personally, for me, a lot is off my plate. I wanted to give this villain the publicity he deserved but, alas, it was not to be. Hopefully, he will get the sentence he deserves and not see the light of day again. There was never much out there in the public about him. True crime buffs openly pondered why I was the only one talking about him. Well, he had flown under radar his whole crime career. Even now the news articles are sketchy and reporting the factoid inaccuracy of his crime spree. He didn’t call to apologize to the Halloween victim. He called to be smug, as always, in his theatrical way.

In any case, to the point. Are we witnessing the death of cold cases? The answer is yes– for crimes that are associated with DNA anyway. This means rape will not be a cold case anymore . . .for the most part.

Detectives take great pride in having unraveled a serial crime spree through the gray cell method– the deductive and inductive logic that tests and pits their intellect against the villain they are hunting. And well they should take pride in this. Tracking a creep by snooping into his cousin’s pedigree isn’t exactly the same thing, and some fear in a decade or so, after the genealogy method has long become the norm, the true bloodhound detective will be a thing of the past– retired or simply the art falls from lack of practice.

Potentially this is a dangerous thing. Unveiling the identity of a villain through genealogical tracing is dependent on that villain having a close enough relative in the database. For someone adopted, genealogical database searching could lead to nothing but deadends.

There are also crimes that don’t involve DNA– the ultimate is, of course, one of them: murder. Serial killers don’t have to come in close. Had The Zodiac Killer not mailed letters to brag of his crimes, there would be no chance at DNA. The Zodiac’s MO wasn’t unique. The Phantom of Texarkana (1946), The Atlanta Serial Killer (1977) just approached the petting couples and started blasting. Son of Sam did it the same way. The Colonial Parkway killer was a little more involved, but essentially he was a lovers’ lane killer, and circumstances have boiled DNA down to touch DNA from the cars, as I understand it. There are other suspected serials that are known as Highway Killers, who simply started shooting their victims. True crime followers know the cases. They are named after the highway upon which they struck.  I don’t know if there is DNA from the Long Island Serial Killer, but the lack of it is helped here by his disposal method.

This is another problem. Some serials dispose of their victims in certain ways that get rid of the DNA. As news of genealogical tracing becomes more common in cracking cases, serials will begin to cover themselves better.

Like the NorCal Rapist case, there’s a lot of cases out there people haven’t heard about. So there is most definitely the need for gray cells to put them together and then track the villains responsible. Some of them are old and there is no DNA.

The Doodler Case may be one of them. I don’t know what was preserved in the case of the Monster of Florence. The Killing Fields of Texas is a good example of how hard it is to sometimes identify a single serial killer in action. Jurisdictions responsible for these old cases should seriously consider putting as much information up as possible in the public so that these villains can be hunted by society on the whole and finally brought to justice.

Decades ago some villains showed brilliance at avoiding leaving clues. Mr Cruel was one of them. Sadly, there are more still out there. 

One desires the death of cold and hot cases. But genealogy isn’t the smoking gun. We’re going to have a rash of solutions and then triumph will fall silent. Not all villains will be traceable. New ones will arise who use an MO conditioned to protect themselves more. The snoop dog detective should still be a prized commodity to any law enforcement body.

* * *
Since 1990 Gian J. Quasar has investigated a broad range of mysterious subjects, from strange disappearances to serial murders, earning in that time the unique distinction of being likened to “the real life Kolchak.” However, he is much more at home with being called The Quester or Q Man. “He’s bloody eccentric, an historian with no qualifications who sticks his nose into affairs and gets results.” He is the author of several books, one of which inspired a Resolution in Congress.

Advertisements

NorCal Rapist– a real life SCREAM Villain

I have given a few updates on Twitter or Facebook regarding my hunt for NorCal Rapist. There is only a general introduction page up on Quester Files. I’ve withheld a lot of information for a number of reasons. A lot of my investigation so far has been trying to establish NorCal’s attacks and get him the notoriety he deserves. He will now today start getting that attention, as Sacramento PD holds a press conference.

Major Development To Be Announced In ‘NorCal Rapist’ Case

Part of the reason I haven’t said much is that most of my investigation has been trying to uncover his crimes rather than write about them. Martinez was sure it wasn’t their case.  Rohnert Park lists the case as active still, but I haven’t checked with the DA’s office whether the complaint was filed against the perp’s DNA. Whether yeah (unlikely) I really didn’t care. I figured a local cop just might want to remain on the guy’s trail even if it is out of SOL now. More power to him! Rohnert Park, I suppose, might now also attempt what other counties have done with EAR-ONS and file a kidnapping charge against NorCal since, by my understanding, he took the victim by surprise on her couch downstairs and led her upstairs to her bedroom at gun point.  I haven’t tried to contact Woodland because not even the year is in the public forum and the other jurisdictions I asked (if they had shared info) haven’t responded.

But it is time to start sharing some details. NorCal laid down a couple of patterns and there needs to be some deduction and indication based on them.

One pattern:

This is seen clearly in Rohnert Park, Davis Strike 1 and Sacramento 2006.

The dates:

Rohnert Park– June 23, 1991 (Sunday morning)

Davis Strike 1– January 25, 1997– (Saturday morning)

Sacramento– October 13, 2006 (Friday night)

In just these 3 strikes we see the neighborhoods are largely identical. Rohnert Park’s attack occurred  at the 1300 block Parkway Drive. Davis Strike 1 in the Wildhorse area most likely. Sacramento on Ivycrest.

The location of strike 1, Rohnert Park, Sunday morning June 23, 1991. A newer community in the fields. 

Davis 1 Strike January 25, 1997. The bank is marked with B. The appendix off East Covell is the Wild Horse area, a new development surrounded by fields. This Google is from 2003, the closest to 1997 overhead I could get. 

North Natomas area marked, as it looked in 2005. The attack was October 13, 2006. Last known attack. It is a little appendix in the fields. 

As you can see, the three communities were new, under construction and accessed from a main thoroughfare that avoided any downtown congestion.  This is particularly noticeable in Davis 1 Strike. E. Covell’s extends between Highway 110 and 80.  The communities formed little appendices off this main road. For Natomas, it is a direct route from Del Paso Road to Highway 5.

For Davis Strike 1 I finally got tired of lack of responses and got off my honches and looked at the released ATM camera footage of NorCal and from the shades of background in the parking lot I was able to identify the bank as a credit union on East Covell.  This makes it highly likely he struck nearby, and the Wild Horse area follows his pattern, as much as can so far be determined.

Each strike above was on the weekend– Friday night, Saturday and Sunday morning. All strikes but Halloween 1996 were on a weekend.  Woodland and Vallejo unknown. Vallejo says they purged records. 

The Friday night attack (October 13, 2006) was before midnight. The others were in the early morning hours. The Davis 1 strike must have been fairly early since the ATM records the time on the screen. Parkway Drive attack (Rohnert Park) was Sunday morning, though I’ve heard that the victim fell asleep on the couch Saturday night the 22nd, so it is likely that it was very early Sunday morning when NorCal entered and put the cold steel of the gun muzzle.

Rohnert Park’s condos are close to a university. Chico’s occurred at 115 West Sacramento Avenue in the Paradise Apartments. This is across from Chico State. The apartments are occupied by young students. The victim here was 21 years old.

Chico’s strike is furthest from the highway, though it is right off Nord Avenue, which in turn is right off 32, a main road from Highway 101. The attack occurred at 4 a.m. July 18, 1997. This is Friday morning, so the NorCal was prepared Thursday night. 

The Martinez attack was Thursday night, Halloween, 1996– time unknown, street name unknown. The actual type of skeleton mask he wore still unknown. Vallejo’s attack was in February 1992– date and time unknown, street name unknown. Woodland’s attack– unknown, unknown, unknown. Davis 1 and 2 dates are known (January 25, 1997, Saturday, July 16, 2000, Sunday)– times, street names unknown.

After the press conference, hopefully there is complete information to finally start tracking him. I’m hoping for a phenotype.

* * *
Since 1990 Gian J. Quasar has investigated a broad range of mysterious subjects, from strange disappearances to serial murders, earning in that time the unique distinction of being likened to “the real life Kolchak.” However, he is much more at home with being called The Quester or Q Man. “He’s bloody eccentric, an historian with no qualifications who sticks his nose into affairs and gets results.” He is the author of several books, one of which inspired a Resolution in Congress.

 

 

Fearsome Faces– Hunting NorCal Rapist

We have to start by going back, going back to the tail end of the age of excess. The Decadent ’80s attitudes spilled over into the 1990s, making it yet another Naughty Nineties of excess and post Yuppie decadence. Halloween had become the big holiday now. It passed in excess of spending even Christmas. Newswires carried the stories, surprising people that more Americans actually spent the most money at Halloween.  It was an era of partying, self indulgence and, well, excess.

And Halloween is the perfect party night!  It is America’s last national festival in which the community is the stage. For 4th of July we crowd the parks and watch the parades and blow off fireworks out front of back our homes. Thanksgiving is a quiet time of feasting in our homes. Easter a somber time of repentance. There are parades and bar frivolity for St. Paddy’s– you get my point.  Halloween the neighborhood, the basic American neighborhood is the setting and everybody is included. It is a raucous national festival you cannot avoid. You may bury yourself in your house if you don’t like it– but you can still hear it outside. The groups of kids shuffle past, screaming, squawking, boasting, oohing and awing over some scare fest they just experienced. It is the way. It is Halloween. Europe my have many white nights and festival days in which the old cobblestone streets are jammed with merriment, but American has only Halloween remaining as a national festival. 

Capitalizing upon and warping the exuberant era was one villain in particular. He was a home invasion rapist who carefully stalked his intended victims beforehand and then carefully working out his mode of attack before he appeared at their house or in it late one night or early morning and started his long, dramatic performance.

This is NorCal Rapist– yet another home invasion sadist and sexual terrorist. He is someone I have dedicated myself now to outing.  . . .or contributing thereto. It is difficult, as I have written before. Before he can be identified his crimes have to be put forward in order so that all can appreciate his evil and assist in any way in identifying him.

Much so far is lost– even the dates of a few of his crimes. For Woodland, even the year is lost. Vallejo has purged records (so far as is known) and a couple of jurisdictions refuse even the basics of information that always appear in newspaper stories.

But progress is still being made in the establishing the basics– dates, times, years. Recently, I’ve been able to establish the location of the bank where NorCal drained his first Davis (California) victim’s account while wearing that gaudy Mardi Gras mask. It is on East Cowell, making it likely that NorCal struck on January 25, 1997, in the Wild Horse area of Davis.

Showing all who would see this that he was wearing a jubilant mask– the taunting night stalker. 

Determining this helps in general with geoprofiling. But more details are necessary–specifically, the words he said to his victims, how he acted about the house, what things he might have stolen.

There should be no question this guy enjoyed his performances. It was with his Halloween 1996 attack in Martinez, California, that he first used a dramatic mask– possibly the Fearsome Faces skull face mask. He popped up at the victim’s house wearing this and gave himself his treat and payed on her his trick. Fearsome Faces are the manufacturers of Ghostface as well, and in that same year that mask would achieve lasting cultural status when used in Scream, which came out two months after his Halloween attack. Here this villain did likewise, taking his victims by surprise in his ghastly black cloak and wearing that distorted mask.

Such was NorCal, the taunting, theatrical sadist and rapist.

He took his act on the road, traveling about northern California and doing the same thing to other unsuspecting women at home.

Soon thereafter he used the perverse smiling mask in Davis and made sure we all knew it be wearing it as he stepped up to the ATM to be photographed. On July 18, 1997, he struck in Chico, another college town, and there the victim saw him to his face. I have no recollection of a mask having been worn, so he may have taken it off while he rummaged about the victims single bedroom Paradise Apartments.

But the drama didn’t stop. He theatrically told her not to look at him, the implication was that he’d have to kill her for seeing his face. But she jabbed him with the scissors and scarred his left forearm. He eventually left without raping her like the others.

Chico PD sketch

Something else hadn’t changed. NorCal struck only on weekends– from Friday to Sunday morning. Halloween 1996 was the only exception. It was a Thursday night.

But how dramatic was he at the other strikes? That remains to be seen. Much more data must be gathered to even identify Vallejo’s and Martinez’s attack points, and those in Davis. It would be a miracle to locate Woodland’s (but then miracles happen).

However, it is clear from the pattern so far that NorCal stuck to communities close to a main thoroughfare. East Cowell in Davis fits with the pattern in Rohnert Park, Sacramento, Chico. No doubt also in Vallejo, Woodland, and Martinez and in the July 16, 2000 attack in Davis.

Pattern is what we need. It is essential to reenact each of his footsteps so we can track him. He identified his victims somehow, stalked them, and got to their houses. And uncovering the locations will finally place us in a position to pick up his scent.

* * *
Since 1990 Gian J. Quasar has investigated a broad range of mysterious subjects, from strange disappearances to serial murders, earning in that time the unique distinction of being likened to “the real life Kolchak.” However, he is much more at home with being called The Quester or Q Man. “He’s bloody eccentric, an historian with no qualifications who sticks his nose into affairs and gets results.” He is the author of several books, one of which inspired a Resolution in Congress.