Serial Rapist at large

[BouncerDan]

I live near and work in the small town of Gainesville Fl. As you may know it is the home to the University of Florida and Gator football team. Also as you may know if you live in the area There is a serial Rapist at large (I believe last count was 7 or 8 in 16 days) Being a bouncer I am required to deal with extremely drunk people as well as people who may or may not be on drugs. Also one of my task (since the the rapes started) is to walk all female employs to the vehicles. So I can truthfully say that I am 100% aware of who and what is around me while walking the girls to the cars. However I was wondering if anyone can give me the general profile of the serial rapist. Also while I am out making money and protecting other girls my girlfriend is by herself (she is also borderline anti-gun. She feels uncomfortable around them) so does anyone have any ideas on how to better secure her when I am not there

Thanks
Dan

[JohnKSa]

I suppose it's possible that the profile for a specific rapist put together by a pro based on all the evidence available might have enough information about the appearance of the rapist to help you rule some people out, but even that's a bit of a stretch.

Profiles are more about background, behavior patterns, occupations, past relationships, etc. than they are about appearance. Usually the gender and ethnicity can be estimated with a decent degree of certainty.

[garryc]

Also one of my task (since the the rapes started) is to walk all female employs to the vehicles. So I can truthfully say that I am 100% aware of who and what is around me while walking the girls to the cars. However I was wondering if anyone can give me the general profile of the serial rapist.

You are not likely to see him. Most rapists do the act not for sexual gratification but to dominate another person. When you walk them to the car he does not see an easy mark. He would have to dominate you, another man not so easy to take down, so he's going to pass. If he thought a woman was packing he'd not likely mess with her.

[natjohnb]

If your girlfriend does not like guns, get her a really good pepper spray (can be attached to car keys) and have her hold it ready for use when she is going to/from her car. While pepper spray is not always 100% it should at least give her a chance to get away from the threat.

[dixierifleman]

i havent heard of this. Dan, im from Williston but now live in crystal river. can you provide any other info on this?

[riverkeeper]

Good Pepper spray story--
About 5 years ago one of the workers at Mt Rainier NP was tricked into a secluded place by a serial (about 6 or 7) rapist under the pretense that some one was hurt.

About 2 years later he struck again and strangely grabbed the same woman.

This time however she filled his mouth and nose with pepper spray but he unfortunatley got away.

The guy and his willy are now retired or moved away.

[Carlo]

Hello,
I have no advice to give. Given the situation I just wanted to say that I wish you the best and that I feel for the victims of that pervert.

Carlo

[BouncerDan]

Dixierifleman,

I don't have alot of info on it. Only what I see in the news and What we are told and talk about at work.

What we do know is that the epicenter is just off of campus on 13th St.. So based on that we are lead to believe that he lives in that area which as you know is the center of town. So based on that assumption the next victim can be anywhere. That is really all we know except for his tactics.

His tactics are fairly strait forward as well. He targets girls late at night, wears a mask, uses a gun and come from behind as soon as they take there attention away for getting to there front door. IE getting there keys out.

But that is basically it.

[AirForceShooter]

My daughter was a student there when the Gainsville Slasher was running around.
She just went to "locked and loaded" all the time. Screw CCW's.
She got caught by a State Trooper once and he just asked if she knew how to use it and sent her on her way.
This is why you teach your daughter to shoot.

AFS

[stuckon308]

Some good advice so far. But as long as there are at least two people the rapist probably won't go after them. Same idea as walking the girls to their cars. I personally keep a small knife on me (not so small to the human body) it's easy to open and at my right hip almost all the time. But I don't exactly have to worry about myself. I'm 6'5" 230lbs. Just in case......

[Trip20]

Here is a profile summary. While it's from a university, it's so general it really does nothing to help your situation, as others have suggested above.

Here's another perspective (source):

Originally Posted by Dr. William Glaser, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne

The Use and Misuse of Prediction
IF ANY MAN CAN BE A RAPIST (BROWNMILLER 1975) AND IF SEXUAL offenders (including rapists) are 'not a homogeneous group' (Canada. Working Group, Sex Offender Treatment Review 1990), then the definition of the 'typical' rapist and the development of a typology of rapists should be considered a fruitless enterprise. There are no physical or psychological characteristics which distinguish rapists, or types of rapists, from their fellow men.

Predicting the future is difficult. Predicting who will do something in the future is even more difficult.

Rather than worrying about profiling, as far as your girlfriend goes I suggest you have a long talk with her about your safety concerns. Forget about forcing the firearm issue down her throat. Explore other avenues such as self-defense classes, OC spray...etc.

It's not a stretch to believe a majority of rapes can be prevented through better situational awareness and safety precautions taken in advance. This means avoiding those areas where abductions are most likely to occur, which may require a change in routine. Most likely, though, this only requires one to use common sense when going about their business (i.e., do not park next to that van with blacked out windows, avoid rest stops when traveling, avoid parking garages and stairwells,...etc).

[garryc]

Originally Posted by Dr. William Glaser, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne

The Use and Misuse of Prediction
IF ANY MAN CAN BE A RAPIST (BROWNMILLER 1975) AND IF SEXUAL offenders (including rapists) are 'not a homogeneous group' (Canada. Working Group, Sex Offender Treatment Review 1990), then the definition of the 'typical' rapist and the development of a typology of rapists should be considered a fruitless enterprise. There are no physical or psychological characteristics which distinguish rapists, or types of rapists, from their fellow men.

O.K. feminist crap that any man can be a rapist. When only a rape occurs you can bet the guy doing it is a coward looking for an easy mark. The tough guys who commit rapes generally do so in conjunction with another crime.


This kind of liberal crap is exactly why I hate phycologists. They live in their own world. I see tham come to the prison system thinking they know more about criminals than someone like me who has worked with them for 15yrs. Sometimes the inmate makes a fool out of them, at those times part of me snickers at all their fancy bull crap education.

[wayneinFL]

One of the old men at the range noticed I was shooting a high-standard Sentinel. He told me they had a rash of rapes in Central Florida when he used to live there. Mid 1960's I think. He said these sentinels sold cheap in one of the local hardware stores, and started flying off the shelves, and that the police started teaching the women to shoot. He didn't say whether the rapist was caught or not, but he said the rapes stopped.

[The Body Bagger]

The tough guys who commit rapes generally do so in conjunction with another crime.

I'm not sure I understand this comment. Are you talking about prison? I see little in the way of "tough guys" raping anyone. Rapists through and through are cowardly animals, they are the trash of humanity.

[Carlo]

Dr. William Glaser wrote: There are no physical or psychological characteristics which distinguish rapists, or types of rapists, from their fellow men.

In other times, a statement like this could be answered by throwing the glove.
I think of myself in higher terms than above, if the said doctor is taking himself as example, well, it's another matter :barf:

Carlo

[Samurai]

Don't profile the rapist. Profile the victims. Serial rapists typically seek out victims within a set demographic. You can almost always find a commonality among the victims. Here, for example, I'd just bet they were all college-aged women. Ask yourself, what else did the victims have in common? Did the attacks happen at home, at work, or near vehicles? Did the victims look similar? Did they engage in similar activities?

Know what he's looking for. Then, you will know how to avoid being seen as a target. (If you wish, you can also know how to appear as a target... but I wouldn't tempt fate.)

[Vic303]

Bouncer, how about getting her a large dog? Since she's an anti, and since OC requires close contact to the target, and since OC will not deter the BG from approaching the victim (it may stop the attack, but won't stop the attempt as you don't SEE the OC can in the hand). However a large dog may well deter an attempted attack.

[garryc]

I'm not sure I understand this comment. Are you talking about prison? I see little in the way of "tough guys" raping anyone. Rapists through and through are cowardly animals, they are the trash of humanity.

I'm talking about guys who rape in conjunction with a strong arm robbery or a burglary or gang activity. I think it's because they suddenly find themselves in the position of having power over someone, even if they were not seeking that rush when they planned the initial crime. A person who plans and executes a rape alone was looking for that feeling of power, it was his main goal. Someone who commits a crime such as robbery or burglary had a monetary goal as his initial reason. I'd say the rape is done for the same reason an execution style killing is done, not planed ahead but due to the sudden rush of having someone else at his mercy

[Bigfatts]

Samurai gave excellent advice. Profile the other victims. Look closely at where they were attacked. Age, body type, hair color, how they were dressed, etc. Rapists descriminate as to who they attack, they pick the type of women they like.

Along a defensive line, get the OC spray if she won't use a gun. A can of Bear spray to keep in the car or house as well might be a good idea. Teach her some pressure points, more than the obvious one in the groin. It may usually be impossible for a small woman to fend off a larger man, but if she knows where and how to strike them the odds improve some. Along those lines, why not have her enroll in some self defense training. Alot of the Martial arts places give what they call "Common sense self-defense" or other basic classes. If she has no interest in guns, her body is her next best weapon and maybe the only thing she may rely on. OC spray will work most of the time is you score a good facial shot, but not always. And if this guy comes from behind as stated, she may not have time or space to use it.

Good luck to you and yours my friend.

[BillCA]

Originally Posted by wayneinFl

One of the old men at the range noticed I was shooting a high-standard Sentinel. He told me they had a rash of rapes in Central Florida when he used to live there. Mid 1960's I think. He said these sentinels sold cheap in one of the local hardware stores, and started flying off the shelves, and that the police started teaching the women to shoot. He didn't say whether the rapist was caught or not, but he said the rapes stopped.

Orlando, FL. In 1966-67, the media highly publicized a safety course which taught Orlando women how to use guns. The result: Orlando's rape rate dropped 88% in 1967, whereas the rape rate remained constant in the rest of Florida and the nation.

The above tidbit is on my website under reasons to own a gun. Perhaps someone should remind Gainesville authorities of this and have it played up in the news -- "A new twist on the Gainesville serial rapist story tonight - Police are teaching women how to shoot to defend themselves. Film at eleven."

Originally Posted by samurai

Don't profile the rapist. Profile the victims.

Originally Posted by Bigfatts

Rapists descriminate as to who they attack, they pick the type of women they like.

On the money, Samurai.

Bigfatts - I get your drift, but it would be more proper to say that rapists attack women they dislike or hate or perhaps the type they want to control and abuse.

A man with an overbearing, dominating wife may strike back at women who resemble his wife (e.g. tall, brunette with short hair). Or it may be his female boss (or ex-boss) that rides him too hard and he turns his agression to women who resemble her or have something in common with her.

There is often a common trait of some kind. It could be appearance, build, clothing style, the way they wear their hair or even the type of jewelry (or lack of it) they wear.

[markj]

does anyone have any ideas on how to better secure her when I am not there

A large dog and pepper spray for just in case. Try this, get a small .22 like a ruger and take her to the range. Works well if you have another gal go with you that shoots. They get competitive had a group of 6 last summer come out and shoot. They now all shoot at the local range and love it. Course they also talk about what they will do to a man that trys anything with them

I also got my wife and daughter tasers. They do hurt a bit, I did it to me to see what it was like, ouch it hurt worse that the dogs shock collars....

[billydiesel]

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/n...?storyid=60266

http://www.wcjb.com/news.asp?id=14517

Theyre not sure the other rapes are connected but they may be. I believe two of them were by an acquaintance of the victim.

[BouncerDan]

I am familiar with that story. However working in a club setting you get to know certain police officers VERY well and a trust devolves between the two of you. So when they say that they (THE LEO) think they are connected and that and than your cousin who is also and LEO for the university says the same thing you tend to believe them. Or at least I do.

[beezaur]

Serial rapist?

Is there another kind?

Scott

[Bigfatts]

A man with an overbearing, dominating wife may strike back at women who resemble his wife (e.g. tall, brunette with short hair). Or it may be his female boss (or ex-boss) that rides him too hard and he turns his agression to women who resemble her or have something in common with her.

Billca I hadn't thought of it from that angle, and it's a good/true one. I guess what I meant was that alot of rapists either are or think of themselves as deficient, either in looks, brains, social class or something. They tend to want women out of their league and can get them in no other way, which I guess would make them want to have and control women of that type even more.