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On October 4, California authorities released footage of a suspected serial killer who was allegedly involved in six murders.
In the video, an unidentified individual is seen walking through an apartment complex. California police identified the individual as a 'person of interest' in a spate of attacks that have occurred across the city of Stockton since July.
According to NBC, the incidents always took place after dark in relatively secluded areas with limited surveillance. As per Stanley McFadden, Stockton's Chief of Police, gang activity and robberies have been ruled out as possible motives.
According to NBC, California authorities initially announced that a reward of $95000 would be offered to anyone who can provide leads on the suspected killer. The reward has since been raised to $115000.
Details of the Northern California killings
Fox News reported that the first victim of the suspect was identified as Paul Alexander Yaw, who was gunned down in a Stockton park on July 8. In an interview with NBC, the victim's mother, 60-year-old Greta Bogrow, said that her son had been homeless for approximately five years.
The last victim, 50-year-old Lawrence Lopez Sr (also known as Lorenzo Lopez) was killed on September 27. The victim's brother reported to KCRA that like Paul Yaw, Lopez was also homeless. In the press release, it was stated that five of the six murdered victims were Latino, and all of them were male.
Besides forensic evidence and the fact that the first and last victims were identified as homeless by family members, no other patterns have been identified in the series of attacks.
Other victims include 43-year-old Salvador Debudey Jr., who died on August 11. 21-year-old Jonathan Hernandez Rodriguez, who was killed on August 30, and 52-year-old Juan Cruz, who died on September 21.
While investigating the five killings linked to the killer in 2022, authorities also connected the suspect to the April 10, 2021 murder of 39-year-old Juan Vasquez Serrano in Oakland, California.
CNN reported that another potential victim, a 46-year-old African American woman, was non-fatally shot in Stockton just six days after the Serrano murder, on April 16.
Why do the authorities suspect a serial killer?
In a press release, Police Chief Stanley McFadden explained how Stockton authorities came to the conclusion that a serial killer may be active in the city.
McFadden said:
“By definition, you could probably very well call this serial killings.”
He later added:
“It wasn’t a robbery. Items aren’t being stolen. They’re not talking about any gang activity in the area or anything. It’s just element of surprise.”
McFadden also entertained the idea that multiple individuals may be involved in the killings. However, they are believed to be connected, as the ballistics were a match in all six cases.
He said:
“At this time, we don’t know if it is a person or persons. As I said before, we have absolutely no evidence that connects a person or persons to any of these incidents.”
The case remains under investigation.
