John Floyd Thomas Jr. is an American serial killer convicted of killing seven women in the Los Angeles area in 1970-1980, and also a suspect in at least 10-15 murders.
| John Floyd Thomas Jr. | |
|---|---|
| John Floyd Thomas, Jr. | |
 | |
| Nickname | The Westside Rapist Southern Strangler |
| Date of Birth | July 26, 1936 (83 years old) |
| Place of Birth | Los Angeles , California , USA |
| Citizenship |  USA |
| Occupation | |
| The killings | |
| Number of victims | 7-15 |
| Kill period | November 1972 - June 1986 |
| The main region of the killings | California |
| Way to kill | Asphyxiation |
| Motive | Sexual |
| Date of arrest | March 31, 2009 |
| Punishment | Seven life sentences without parole |
Content
- 1 Early life
- 2 Arrest in 2009
- 3 Case History
- 4 References
Early life
Thomas was born in Los Angeles in 1936. His mother died when Thomas was 12 years old, in connection with this he was raised by an aunt and godmother. Subsequently, Thomas served in the U.S. Air Force for a short time, and during his time at Nellis base, one of the commanders noticed that Thomas was often late and untidy dressed.
According to his personal file, he was shamefully dismissed from the US Air Force and arrested for burglary and attempted rape. Thomas was convicted and sentenced in 1957 to 6 years in prison. However, as a result of several violations of parole, he remained behind bars until 1966.
Arrest in 2009
Thomas was arrested on March 31, 2009, and on April 2 he was charged with the murder of Ethel Sokoloff in November 1972 and Elizabeth McKeun in February 1976. However, on September 23 of the same year, five more murder charges were brought against him: Cora Perry in September 1975; Maybellyn Hudson in April 1975; Miriam Mackinley in June 1976; Evelyn Banner in October 1976 and Adrian Escue in June 1986.
A breakthrough in the investigation of these murders occurred in October 2008, when insurance adjuster John Floyd, twice convicted of sexual offenses, passed DNA analysis to law enforcement agencies during the creation of a database of criminals in California. Police arrested John Floyd on March 31, 2009, and the District Court refused him bail.
On April 1, 2011, John Floyd confessed to seven murders as a deal with the investigation to avoid the death penalty for the murder of Adrian Escue. He was subsequently convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment without the right to parole for each episode.
Case History
During the first wave of killings in Los Angeles in the mid-1970s, a man nicknamed the Westside Rapist by the police infiltrated the homes of single elderly women, raped them, and subsequently strangled them to death. At least 17 murders were committed with typical signs for all victims. Ten years later, 40 kilometers east of Los Angeles, five elderly women in Clermont, who were also strangled with a blanket or pillow, were killed and raped.