Kathy E <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: The life of homeless vagrants in Los Angeles has never been an easy one. Despite the pleasant climate, poverty and hunger take their toll, and random violence is a daily fact of life along "Skid Row." Since 1974, the drifter's plight has been further complicated by a succession of serial killers, preying on vagrants as the ideal "targets of opportunity." Easily reached and seldom missed in death, L.A.'s homeless rank low on the average homicide detective's list of priority victims. The appearance of another "Skid Row Slayer," in September 1986, provided Angelenos with an opportunity to act concerned while risking nothing of themselves. The first to die, ironically, was not a transient. Visiting L.A. from San Diego, 54-year-old Rudolfo Roque was killed on the street by a gunman who stepped up behind him, firing a .22-caliber slug through the back of his head. The same weapon was used to kill 66-year-old Rick Stamps, a few days later, and the hunter claimed two victims on September 13: 31-year-old Rojello Sirven was killed outright, by a shot to the head, while a second victim, 47-year-old Joseph Griffin, lived until October 5. Michael Singer, age 66, was shot in the back of the head on September 20, and 36-year-old David Towns, another vagrant, was killed in his sleep three days later. September 30 marked another double-header, with victims Christopher Boyle, 25, and Leon Gaines, 56, murdered in separate attacks. Chang Kang, a 23-year-old Korean resident of Texas, was gunned down while visiting L.A. on October 7, and 44-year-old vagrant Wayne Ellis was killed in Athens Park the following day. That same afternoon, a surviving gunshot victim described his assailant as a youngish black man, offering police their first solid lead in the case. Detectives were still beating the brush for a suspect on October 10, when a well-dressed black man checked into a Wilshire Boulevard hotel, paying in cash and signing the register as "Marcus Nisby." In his room, the guest removed his jacket, hung it in the closet, then lay down upon the bed and calmly shot himself to death. Upon discovery of his corpse, next day, a fingerprint comparison identified "Nisby" as 26-year-old Michael Player, convicted over the past two years on charges of theft, armed robbery, violating probation and carrying a concealed pistol. Player had been questioned as a suspect in the Roque murder and released for lack of evidence. A search of his belongings led police to name him as the Skid Row Slayer, and the case was closed in February 1987. -- Kathy E "I can only please one person a day, today is NOT your day, and tomorrow isn't looking too good for you either" http://members.delphi.com/kathylaw/ Law & Issues Mailing List http://pw1.netcom.com/~kathye/rodeo.html - Cowboy Histories http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Lobby/2990/law.htm Crime photo's Subscribe/Unsubscribe, email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the body of the message enter: subscribe/unsubscribe law-issues
