Case 53
The East Area Rapist – 1978–1979
*** Content Warning: serial rapist/killer, sexual assault, stalking, disturbing audio clips ***
[Part 4 of 5]
As the 1970s drew to a close, the East Area Rapist continued terrorising residents of Northern California. His attacks became increasingly violent, with one psychologist warning that the perpetrator would most likely escalate to murder as soon as he felt killing was justified.
CREDITS
EPISODE:
Research & writing – Anna Priestland
Narration – Anonymous Host
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
– Michelle Cruz
– Debbi Domingo
– Patti
– Orange County District Attorney’s Office Investigator Erika Hutchcraft
– Contra Costa County DA Cold Case Investigator Paul Holes
– Detective Richard Shelby
– Detective Larry Crompton
MUSIC:
‘Flatline intro’ and ‘Come play with me’ intro and outro – www.dl-sounds.com
Audio production – Mike Migas
Scoring – Mike Migas and Andrew Joslyn
OTHER:
Logo and website design – Paulina Szymanska
PREMIUM
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RESOURCES
MAPS:
Open and download map #4 of the attacks here
BOOKS:
HUNTING A PSYCHOPATH: The East Area Rapist / Original Night Stalker Investigation – By Detective Richard Shelby
SUDDEN TERROR: The True Story of California’s Most Infamous Sexual Predator. The East Area Rapist And The Original Night Stalker – by Larry Crompton
DOCUMENTS:
The Original Nightstalker profile
WEBSITES:
East Area Rapist / Original Night Stalker
Phone calls and communications
Letters from Michelle and Debbi
ARTICLES:
Veterans honor California’s Vietnam War dead at Capitol Park memorial – The Sacramento Bee
Valley of death – News Review
The mystery of the Visalia Ransacker won’t go away after 41 years – The Fresno Bee
The story behind the first rape kit – CNN
USA: Rapists Escape Prosecution – Backlog of Rape Kit Tests – Safe World for Women
DNA Technology in Forensic Science – NCBI
Colleen Cason: Cast of thousands searches for killer – Ventura County Star
VIDEOS:
48 Hours (CONNECTING THE DOTS IN THE SEARCH FOR A CALIFORNIA SERIAL KILLER) – CBS News
UNSOLVED: CALIFORNIA’S ‘EAST AREA RAPIST’ REMAINS AT LARGE – Crime Watch
Cold Case Killer – FBI
Golden State Killer – East Area Rapist Survivor #5 Speaks
Interview with Debbi Domingo on Golden State Killer EAR-ONS
Interview with Det. Richard Shelby on East Area Rapist – Golden State Killer
THE HOMEWORK FILES:
Download the PDF document here
SUSPECT’S SKETCHES:
The official East Area Rapist/Golden State Killer – FBI*
*Over the years nearly all of the sketches have been retracted as they were considered misleading.
FBI TOLL-FREE TIPLINE:
If you have any information regarding this case, please contact the FBI’s Toll-Free Tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), your local FBI office, or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate. You can also submit a tip at: tips.fbi.gov.
The official FBI poster