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LAPD ties 72-year-old man to two waves of serial killings (may have killed up to 30 elderly women)
LA Times ^ | 4/30/09 | Andrew Blankstein and Joe Mozingo

Posted on 04/30/2009 12:08:25 PM PDT by NormsRevenge

The first wave of slayings haunted Los Angeles in the mid-1970s. The killer slipped mostly unseen through the night, preying on older women who lived alone. He raped them and squeezed their necks until they passed out or died. On the 17 who were killed, he placed pillows or blankets over their faces.

The second wave hit a decade later in Claremont -- five older women raped and strangled, faces again covered.

Even with at least 20 survivors, police never connected the two homicide-and-rape rampages nor solved either of them. The victims gave conflicting descriptions of the rapist, police in different jurisdictions didn't communicate, and DNA technology had not come into use.

Now authorities say they have linked John Floyd Thomas Jr., a 72-year-old state insurance claims adjuster who twice has been convicted of sexual assault, to five of the slayings. Detectives also describe him as a suspect in up to 25 more based on the circumstances of those crimes.

"When all is said and done, Mr. Thomas stands to be Los Angeles' most prolific serial killer," said LAPD Robbery-Homicide Cold Case Det. Richard Bengston.

(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; US: California
KEYWORDS: california; deathpenalty; killings; lapd; serial; westsiderapist
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Over to you, Death Penalty Opponents..

What say Ye?

1 posted on 04/30/2009 12:08:26 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
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To: NormsRevenge

Has he been convicted?


2 posted on 04/30/2009 12:10:05 PM PDT by stuartcr (If the end doesn't justify the means...why have different means?)
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To: NormsRevenge

a 72-year-old state insurance claims adjuster who twice has been convicted of sexual assault

Why would someone with two sexual assault convictions even be considered for a position of public trust?

3 posted on 04/30/2009 12:11:51 PM PDT by CaptainMorgantown
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To: stuartcr

Coming soon.

DNA don’t lie.

I don’t think he is going to get offered a plea bargain.


4 posted on 04/30/2009 12:14:37 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Godspeed.)
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To: NormsRevenge

If guilty, he deserves the penalty.


5 posted on 04/30/2009 12:15:26 PM PDT by stuartcr (If the end doesn't justify the means...why have different means?)
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To: CaptainMorgantown
Why would someone with two sexual assault convictions even be considered for a position of public trust?

How is "insurance claims adjuster" a position of public trust, more than any other job?

6 posted on 04/30/2009 12:16:48 PM PDT by TChris (There is no freedom without the possibility of failure.)
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To: stuartcr
He was arrested last month.. linked to 5 murders so far,,
he left a lot of survivors too..

LA County Sheriff's Dept.
L.A. County booking shot of murder suspect John F. Thomas.

7 posted on 04/30/2009 12:17:28 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Godspeed.)
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To: TChris

The position was “State” insurance claims adjuster which I assume means he worked for the State.


8 posted on 04/30/2009 12:18:36 PM PDT by Lurker (The avalanche has begun. The pebbles no longer have a vote.)
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To: NormsRevenge
Over to you, Death Penalty Opponents..

What say Ye?

Not that I'm an Opponent to the Death Penalty (In fact, I don't think it's used nearly enough!) but can we get real here for one minute. The guy is 72 years old! With the current 20 plus year death row time frame, the old codger is gonna croak before he even comes up for his first appeal!

9 posted on 04/30/2009 12:19:28 PM PDT by cuz_it_aint_their_money (I'll show their president the exact same respect and loyalty that they have shown my president.)
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To: NormsRevenge

As I said, if guilty, he deserves the death penalty.


10 posted on 04/30/2009 12:19:55 PM PDT by stuartcr (If the end doesn't justify the means...why have different means?)
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To: NormsRevenge

Well, there goes the next Governor of California.


11 posted on 04/30/2009 12:21:04 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (~"This is what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps !"~~)
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To: cuz_it_aint_their_money

aww, crud.. I tried. ;-)


12 posted on 04/30/2009 12:22:24 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Godspeed.)
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To: Lurker

State Comp is the name of the biggest Workman’s Comp carrier here in California. However, this is a position of trust where you have access to lots of private info. A better job of security might be good!


13 posted on 04/30/2009 12:29:12 PM PDT by The Californian (The door to the room of success swings on the hinges of opposition. Bob Jones, Sr.)
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To: NormsRevenge

I think Obama has his next Sec’y of HHS.


14 posted on 04/30/2009 12:38:35 PM PDT by Disambiguator
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To: Lurker
The position was “State” insurance claims adjuster which I assume means he worked for the State.

That's possible, but it could also mean he was assigned to that state as his territory by an insurance company.

Are insurance adjusters government employees in CA?

15 posted on 04/30/2009 12:50:19 PM PDT by TChris (There is no freedom without the possibility of failure.)
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To: TChris

How is "insurance claims adjuster" a position of public trust, more than any other job?

Well it said "state insurance claims adjuster", so I'm assuming that means he worked for the State of California, making recommendations on the amounts of money to paid out in various insurance claims. That seems like an awful lot of authority to give a convicted felon. When I deal with a government agency, I guess I expect to be assaulted in a figurative sense, but not a literal one.

The scant amount of information in this article raises an awful lot of questions about how someone who was obviously a predator was allowed to spend so many years preying on others. The women who he victimized were somebody's wife, somebody's sister, somebody's mother. The good news is that the evil man who ended their lives couldn't blot out the full lives that they lead before that moment, but what a sad way for good people to leave this world.

16 posted on 04/30/2009 12:51:19 PM PDT by CaptainMorgantown
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To: cuz_it_aint_their_money

The real statement in your comment is about the pathetic case of our justice system.

The victims never got a 20 year stay of thier execution.

Hang the bastard immediately after a fair trial and be done with this trash. Oh...and tell him about Jesus before ya slip the rope over his neck, so he has a chance to repent.

This earth does not need him breathing our air for one second longer than necessary.


17 posted on 04/30/2009 12:56:15 PM PDT by woollyone (I believe God created me- you believe you're related to monkeys. Of course I laughed at you!)
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To: stuartcr
As I said, if guilty, he deserves the death penalty.

He'll never be executed.
First of all, it will probably take a couple of years before his case comes to trial. Then add at least 25 years for all the appeals before a death sentence can be carried out. That's about average for California. There are men on Death Row that have been there since 1978 and are not even close to their execution date.

So, best case scenario, he'll be 100 years old before an execution date is set. I predict he'll be dead of old age long before that.
18 posted on 04/30/2009 12:59:32 PM PDT by Deo volente
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To: NormsRevenge

Oh, the poor guy, he looks so sad.


19 posted on 04/30/2009 12:59:33 PM PDT by ladyjane
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To: Deo volente

Death row for life sounds ok too.


20 posted on 04/30/2009 1:02:06 PM PDT by stuartcr (If the end doesn't justify the means...why have different means?)
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