Some thoughts on the book

[nightdriver]

Ista said to me on the phone that she did not know how vicious our guy was. I've seen many things to indicate that, but some of the things said in the book really shocked me.

He was a serious head case, but what triggered it? and how long did it last? My mother ship has hinted to me that he may have lost a parent, and that he was an only child.

That could answer the haunting question, why no one knew him? Because he was not a public person...

I'm wondering if the talking through clenched teeth was really an attempt to hide an accent? I knew a guy who did that, even in a normal conversation you never saw his jaw move.

Unfortunately this is just an example, this guy was born in about 1971, and I don't even know where.

I think people should hone in on some of the non-typical attacks, like the shooting of Rod Miller. Like just who was Cpage??

[hdmi]

Unreal how the guy would walk down the street with no pants. He had to have left them in a neighbors garbage can or garage. Unless he actually left his vehicle without them and went from bushes to bushes, Tree to tree and backyard to backyard.

I originally thought he kept his teeth clenched to keep his voice from carrying. But, after reading the book , I see he made a lot of noise all over the neighborhood.
His game playing really makes me feel he was no older than 24, yet no younger than 20.

He was learning as he went along, I believe an older offender would have already learned and/or established a more concrete M.O. by then.

The Goleta is a puzzler in that he hit first with an identical M.O. as the EAR. He then returned to kill wearing the same shoes. He had to know/fear that the EAR crimes were going to be tied to the Goleta. For that reason I feel he never lived anywhere near Goleta.

To strike the second time would make it seem like he lived there, I believe the third Goleta event was an attempt to draw the focus back to Goleta or he felt he had "unfinished business" there.

I was thinking he was sent away from mom, to stay with grandparents. He is a momma's boy. And then returned to mom in SoCal. Grandparents would give him free reign.

Grandparents would be in their 70's at the time. EAR early twenties, parents late 40 to early 50's. Grandparents 70's.

An anomaly, to me, would be away from a greenbelt, canal, schoolyard and especially a Freeway.

An anomaly like that may point to close proximity of his residence.

I personally, think the guy never lived in any of the areas that he hit. His Modesto/Davis/Modesto/Davis/Stockton/Sacramento/Etc. shows that he was extremely mobile and could have lived anywhere.

What I took from the book that really confuses me is Shelby. He was on E! stating that none of the detectives could figure out the knot. He also claims to have been the victim of a prowler on his roof. He also claimed to be able to predict where the next victim would live. AND, he was the one claiming the EAR killed a dog in Sacramento in 1974.

If I could believe anything Shelby says, then the 1974 first dog beating in Sacramento could be the key. Where did this happen? What date? If it fits with the VR timetable, than it is very important as the VR/EAR/ONS could have made a mistake early on.

I am starting to think that the diamond knot was actually tied by Mrs. Smith. That the EAR/ONS had been in the residence earlier and became obsessed with the ornate macrame knots that she had.
The knots, I believe were only on the hands and not the feet.

I am thinking that Crompton also said on E!, that "they (Santa Barbara detectives) didn't know about the knot being used up there" as if there was a special knot used, yet the book dispels that.

I have to go back and watch E!

Lastly, alcohol and cigarettes. May need to try an experiment. Does a mask filter the smell?
Would a person talking through clenched teeth with a mask, that has no opening for the mouth, emit an alcohol or tobacco smell? Or was it all misdirection.

[wintergirl]

For non-smokers the smell of smoke can be very strong. It would be in his clothes, hair and even ski mask. He doesn't have to have recently smoked either. It could be in his breath if he recently smoked but it will hang in his clothes. It would be especially strong if he smoked in his car just before the rapes.
To me the clenching of the teeth was a way to show aggression and put fear into his victims. It could mask an accent, but he talked to himself in some of the rapes and I don't remember an accent mentioned.

[dengas]

hdmi
I need to take some time tomorrow to absorb your post. You bring up several points worth more discussion, but my brain is too exhausted to concentrate. I'm not certain that I can completely agree with your age references, but obviously all is worth consideration.

What are your thoughts regarding all of the various cars seen in the areas prior to the attacks, as well as the various descriptions of the driver of the cars? What type of "job" would allow a person to have all of the various cars? Did he drive cars from used car lot to used car lot, like from Northern CA to Southern CA? I knew a person who had a used car lot, and they paid $ (not a whole lot) to move cars around from lot to lot. The guy must have needed money...enough that he asked where the victims' money was kept, and then I'm assuming he took it./

[hdmi]

In the late 1970's I bought a Chevy Malibu for $18, an American Motors Ambassador for $25, an Olds Delta 88 for $50, a Capri for $75, a VW bug for $100, an Opal for $125, and a Pontiac Catalina for $200.

All were decent running cars. The EAR could easily buy a different car every three months if he wanted. He was stealing cash from some victims. I haven't read anywhere that he was driving an expensive car. In fact some of the bloodhounds stopped at fresh oil spots.

Buying an inexpensive car from someone with cash and not showing them your I.D. was common.

He probably used them for a while until he felt they were getting hot and then bought another one and sold the old ones.

In the late 70's you could tell them your name was Joe Blow and get on a plane and fly practically anywhere.

[portofleith]

One of the most compelling excerpts from Crompton's book is the story of the taxi driver who picked up a guy at the Modesto airport who just wanted to be dropped off by a new housing development the afternoon before a Modesto attack.

The other real puzzler for me is the 9/25/79 incident where two different people on Kellogg in Goleta were approached by a young man to use their phones due to an injured dog and then a year and a half later, dog blood is found on the foot bridge by Domingo Sanchez. Just what kind of strange games/scenarios did this creep concoct in rehearsal?


What if he worked at a car rental in an airport? The Goleta crimes are very near the Santa Barbara airport. The Smith home is very near the Santa Paula airport.

[dengas]

Portofleith, I wonder if he drove cars from used car lot to used car lot. My father-in-law hired young people to do just that. He would have access in that manner. Don't rental cars have odd license plates? I don't know, just wondering.

[portofleith]

Dengas,

It also wouldn't surprise me if he stole cars and returned them without the owners even knowing they were missing. If someone parked a car for a night shift at the base or a hospital, a car could be missing for 5-6 hours without anyone noticing. It's risky behavior, but that never stopped him.

[nightdriver]

Wow, those are some very interesting points, when I mentioned anamolies, I was really referring to victimology. Some of the victims seemed to be picked, yet there is the one who beat up by him. She was not even living there. I guess you could call that "wrong time, wrong place"?

Some of us are aware of the exact location of the dog beating, but no one seems to know when. It could be him, but that may make VR a little questionable.

So far I'm only up to pg 169 or so, and I have found nothing about them damn Tareytons. If some of the victims could smell the baby oil, they sure should be able to smell that he had been smoking? In the old days, it was said that many of the victims said that he was "neutral smelling." I still stick with that.

As to the cars, those are some good thoughts.. Any of those are possible, I have always had a funny feeling about the Fulton Ave. auto row..

[dengas]

"Some of us are aware of the exact location of the dog beating, but no one seems to know when. It could be him, but that may make VR a little questionable."

ND,
Can you elaborate on the above?

Hello, ND! Yup, I'm still lurking in the background -- probably doing more reading/research/questioning than our local cold-case investigators! One of these days the right person will come forward with the right piece of information.

I've changed my email address and would like for you to email me via Ista or LFL. I have something I want you to look at, if you would.

[nightdriver]

Hello D, all I'm saying is that there are some people who are questioning some of the linkages. I'm referring all of earlier cases, including that report from RW many years ago.

I've always had weird feelings about fitting the two timelines together, since no one has been able to make a good VR suspect who may have been in both cities at the same time, would a possible disconnect make the task a little easier?

We do know that old #1 and #2 have now been discounted as EAR attacks, It looks like the timeline is tightened up a little, should we stipulate that he may have only came to town say, two months prior to the first attack?

Since our guy had so many significant characteristics, and they got over 2000 tips, how did they miss him? Maybe someone made a bad call? Remember that some in SCSO never accepted the Visalia connection, today its fairly clear, but who?

The other night I was driving around after reading a few pages and something came to mind, the stuttering in that case? Tourette's Syndrome??? It's just a thought.

[guessting]

I have found that most individuals associate Tourettes with the (coprolalia), "swearing" or blurting out of obsenities which is actually a very small perentage. It often can go undetected unless you are aware of the syndrome and how it presents. Once you are aware you may remember someone who had many of the symptoms of Tourettes. EAR did have some of the characteristics defined below.

Tourette's syndrome (TS), also known as Tourette syndrome or Tourette's disorder, is a neurological disorder characterized by repetitive, involuntary movements and vocalizations called tics. The symptoms are involuntary and cannot be controlled by the individual.
The disorder was first described in 1885 in an 86 year-old French noble woman by Dr. Georges Gilles de la Tourette, a pioneering French neurologist.
The early symptoms of TS are almost always noticed first in childhood, with the average onset between the ages of seven and ten years. TS occurs in people from all ethnic groups, and males are affected about three to four times more often than females.
Overall, about one in every 2,500 persons has TS. Three times as many may exhibit some features of TS, usually chronic motor tics or obsessive thoughts.
Individuals with TS have trouble controlling their impulses (they may act out verbally or have involuntary muscle movements), are prone to dyslexia (or other learning problems), and tend to talk during sleep or wake frequently. The nature and complexity of the tics usually change over time with natural variations in frequency (how many times they happen) and severity (the intensity of the symptoms).
Obsessive compulsive behavior is common in TS, occurring in 30-90% of all patients. Individuals with obsessions are bothered by thoughts or images that continue to repeat themselves and are almost impossible to ignore. These thoughts, which are annoying, distracting, and inappropriate, tend to cause the person to have moderate to severe anxiety and other emotional discomfort. Common obsessive thoughts include themes of violence, fear of germs and/or infection, and doubts about one's character and/or behavior.
Compulsions are behaviors in direct response to the individual's troublesome, obsessive thinking. Therefore, individuals engage in the compulsive behaviors in order to reduce their obsessive thoughts. Some of the most prevalent compulsions are repeated checking of doors, locks, electrical appliances, or light switches; frequent cleaning of hands or clothes; strict attempts to keep various personal items in careful order; and mental activities that are repetitious, such as counting or praying.
TS occurs in people from all ethnic groups. It is estimated that 200,000 Americans have the most severe form of TS, and as many as one in 100 exhibit milder and less complex symptoms such as chronic motor or vocal tics or transient tics of childhood.
Although there is no cure for TS, symptoms that start in childhood may improve in the late teens and early 20s. As a result, some may actually become symptom-free or no longer need medication for tic suppression. Although the disorder is sometimes lifelong and chronic, it is not a degenerative (worsens over time) condition. Individuals with TS have a normal life expectancy. TS does not impair intelligence.
Although tic symptoms may improve with age, disorders such as depression, panic attacks, mood swings, and antisocial behaviors may develop and can persist causing impairment in adult life.

[f1guyus]

I don't know how you separate being criminally insane (EAR/ONS) from being a garden variety nutcase. I've had experience with both. I think there are people who want every criminal to be a victim of some illness or social condition. And people who don't want illness or social condition to be a factor in any case. Anyway guessting, thanks for the info about Tourettes. I'm thinking just about everything our guy did was very deliberate. Maybe designed to convince any victim that he was nuts and really would kill them if they resisted. Even the crying and talking to himself.

[nightdriver]

It was just a thought that came into my mind. I was just looking for a new marker we can use for possible identification.

Look at all the markers we have now, a white? boy that is about 5' 8.5" and about 165lbs. and maybe with white hairy legs, or maybe with olive skin?

Maybe he was born with a slight problem and he carried a grudge against society.? His "poem" may seem to be hinting at that.

[itzmajick]

Oct 18, 2010 19:32:28 GMT -5 f1guyus said:

I don't know how you separate being criminally insane (EAR/ONS) from being a garden variety nutcase. I've had experience with both. I think there are people who want every criminal to be a victim of some illness or social condition. And people who don't want illness or social condition to be a factor in any case. Anyway guessting, thanks for the info about Tourettes. I'm thinking just about everything our guy did was very deliberate. Maybe designed to convince any victim that he was nuts and really would kill them if they resisted. Even the crying and talking to himself.

Garden Variety Nutcases don't take such precaution, plan out a big performance and get away with 50+ rapes over a period of 40 years. They attack randomly, if they attack at all and are usually sloppy and end up being caught.