The Nor-Cal Rapist

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The Nor-Cal Rapist

I can’t thank people enough for the success of The I-94 Murders . Success only comes with the support of others. I am looking forward to answering questions on forensics and writing True Crime at the Beaver Island Brewing Co. in St. Cloud on Tuesday, April 23 at 6:00 pm.

Thank you Bob Hughes for the interview on KNSI on Friday, April 12. I may be back again on Friday April 19 at 8:05 am. 103.3 FM is a great classic rock station!

On April 19, Jim Maurice is interviewing me on WJON at 12:20 pm. on AM 1240.

On April 16, I have an interview with Clarissa Baker, reporter from St. Cloud Times. I will let people know when her article comes out.

I will be speaking on The I-94 Murders at the Ortonville and Graceville Public libraries on Saturday, April 27, 2019. We were snowed out last week so this is the new schedule:
Graceville Public Library at 10:30 a.m. located at 415 Studdart Ave, Graceville, MN. Ortonville Public Library at 2:00 p.m., located at 412 2nd St NW, Ortonville, MN

On May 7, 2019, I will be presenting on The I-94 Murders at the Lake Elmo library in Washington County located at 3537 Lake Elmo Avenue North, Lake Elmo, Minnesota.

The I-94 Murders hypothesis is used, again, to catch a serial rapist.

While I’m not attempting to take any credit for the work of investigators, it is interesting that the solution I proposed to catch the killer in The I-94 Murders was used, 4 months after the book was sent to print, to catch the Golden State Killer. It was now used again to catch the Nor-Cal rapist. The Nor-Cal (northern California) rapist collected data on his victims for months before breaking into their homes. He raped women in 6 different California counties, including: Sacramento, Butte, Contra Costa, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo.

A map released by the Sacramento Police Department traces the 10 assaults tied to the "Norcal rapist." 1991: Rohnert Park, 1st victim, age 21.
1992: Vallejo, 3rd victim, age 30                 2nd victim in Sonoma.
1996: Martinez, 4th victim, age 39.
1997: 6th assault involving 2 victims in Davis, both age 29                 5th victim in Woodland.
2000: Davis, 8th victim, age 22
2006: Sacramento, 8th assault, involving his 9th and 10th reported victims, ages 24 and 28

The Nor-Cal rapist had been in his victims’ homes days before the rape. In one home he cut a hole in the sheetrock in the garage days earlier and covered it so he could reach in and unlock the door on the night of his attack.

In 1991, Nicole Earnest-Payte was raped in her home in Rohnert Park. She woke to a gun pressed against her head. She was tied up and raped over and over again throughout the night.

In 1992, rapes occurred in Vallejo and Sonoma, California involving torture for hours on end. The rapist had stalked the victims as he knew he’d have hours with them uninterrupted. The process was the same. He tied the women up. He repeatedly raped them. He took their ATM cards and made them give up their PIN numbers. All 3 rapes revealed the same DNA. There was no match in the national DNA system (CODIS), indicating the rapist has never been convicted of a felony.

The rapes stopped until Halloween night of 1996. A woman answered the door, thinking it’s a late night trick or treater. A man in a skeleton mask and a black robe was at the door. He threw the woman down. He tied her up, and repeatedly raped her. He took her ATM card. He phoned the victim several weeks later at work to apologize to her. This attack, referred to as “the Martinez assault,” has DNA that matches the assaults from years earlier. All of the victims are of European ancestry up to this point.

RAW: NorCal Rapist Victim Speaks in 2006 January 25, 1997 in Davis, California, a clear change has been made in the rapists victim pool. This is a man who stalked for months, rather than committing crimes of convenience. This time he broke into the home of 2 young Asian women who live together. He raped both women, and took an ATM card. Once again, he made her relinquish the PIN number. He is pictured wearing a clear Halloween mask at the ATM machine.

In 1997, an Asian American psychology major at Chico State University in California had just broken up with her boyfriend. She’d come home and found things were out of place. Frustrated, she assumed her ex was coming into her apartment to torment her. Nothing was damaged- just moved about. Her ex adamantly denied this. Stressed, she went out to a club with friends. That night, she woke up to a man standing her over her with a gun. He tied her up with zip ties and ropes. The victim pretended she was holding a ball in her hand as her wrists were being tied, to give her some wriggle room to work her hands free. She kept pushing saliva against the duct tape on her mouth to loosen it. She finally breaks free and stabs him with scissors. She could have killed him, but couldn’t get herself to do it. He overpowered her and raped her again. He then stayed in her home for hours. After he left, she managed to work herself free again. This victim was able to offer a description, as she removed her blindfold. (Her ex-boyfriend had nothing to do with the break-ins.)

In 2000, Maki Anderson, an Asian college student, was living with friends in Davis, California. Her college friends had gone home for the weekend. She heard a noise in her home in the middle of the night and grabbed scissors. As she stepped around a corner, he attacked and overpowered her. She told him her roommates are coming back. He tied her up and threw her in her car and then drove around and parked, to repeatedly sexually assault her. Hours later, he returned her home, and asked if she needed to call someone. When he left, she eventually worked the tape free and ran to the police station, tape still hanging on her body.

Investigators continually check CODIS, but a match never comes up. The rapist is not in the national data base. There are no witnesses. There is no video tape. There is no progress in the investigation.

In 2006, 2 Young Asian women, ages 24 and 28, are living together in Sacramento, California. One showers, but when she steps out the rapist is waiting for her. He ties her up, throws her on a bed, and waits for her roommate to return. When the roommate steps into the garage, he attacks and binds her. He throws her in the same bed as the first woman. He then repeatedly rapes them next to each other, and then makes them both shower. He speaks to them about where they each work. The DNA on the bed matched the previous victims.

By 2006, there are more security systems on homes, so a home down the block catches a white Toyota Forerunner that has to belong to the rapist, by the process of elimination. The problem is with the large number of white Toyota Forerunners in California. The Nor-Cal rapist has raped in 6 different jurisdictions, so he’s covering a large area. One of the victims caught a glimpse of his face, and from the description they realize he has gained 30 pounds since 1997. Still, the investigation stalls.

A survivor agrees to do a press conference, which leads to thousands of new leads. They run over 120 new DNA tests on uncharged suspects—no matches. After 2006, there are no more rapes.

And then The I-94 Murders hypothesis—use Ancestry.com to trace ancestry of the rapist. In California, the Golden State Killer is caught using this exact method. The Nor-Cal investigators saw the success in the Golden State Killer case and decide to repeat the same process. And sure enough, they find a relative of the Nor-Cal rapist in a genealogy program. They use Gedmatch, a free genealogy program which identifies relatives. They found someone who has the same grandparents as the rapist.

Roy Charles Waller, a Safety Engineer (machine safety) for 25 years at the University of Berkley, is identified among the relatives as a suspect. But they need his DNA. Once you set your garbage on the street it becomes public property, so they pick up his garbage and find his DNA on a straw, match it, and arrest him. While relatives say there is no way you could suspect him, it’s interesting to note that 2 females who worked in his office said they purposely avoided walking by his office on campus because of the way he looked at women.

Rape suspect Roy Charles Waller, right, talks to attorney Joseph S. Forina as he makes his first appearance, Monday, Sept. 24, 2018, in Sacramento Superior Court. By SAM STANTON, SACRAMENTO BEE and DARRELL SMITH | Sacramento Bee Roy Waller was placed in a caged cell in the courtroom while the charges were brought forth, which was empowering to the victims. On March 7, 2109, Roy Waller pled not guilty.

Nicole Ernest Payte, his 1st recorded victim, stated if she had a chance to address the man who attacked her, she would say, "You didn’t ruin me. He's pathetic to me. I’m not afraid of him. I would tell him what he did, what he’s done to my life. The terror he caused me that night. It was terror. I didn’t think I’d make it out alive.” Payte, who is now a married mother, reports she has a "wonderful life" and that "He has not destroyed my life."

My praise goes out to the brave women who survived and my prayers to all the victims, known and unknown, in their recovery. I am thankful that advances in science are being used to make our world safer.

Thanks for listening,

Frank