Ruth Gwynn, 57, was attacked twice in just seven years in Los Angeles, and died in the second attack. She is believed to be the first victim of the Bouncing Ball Murders.
The Associated Press reported on Friday, May 29, 1959, “A sex maniac attacked her early Thursday morning as she walked at 24th Street and Grand Avenue.” “A shadowy figure jumped out of the tree and dragged me in.” [her] In the parking lot. He beat her with oak flooring, raped her and abused her with a broken wine bottle. ”
In a disturbing turn of events, the attackers continued their attack even as the neighbors woke up.
The Associated Press reported that the assailants “ignored shouting calls from nearby apartment residents who were agitated by Mrs. Gwynne’s cries.” “Mrs. Gwynne suffered a skull fracture and internal injuries.”
Gwynne survived long enough to tell the police what happened, but died the next day. She was the Bouncing Ball Killer’s youngest victim, and after her brutal murder, the killer remained in custody for eight months until January 1960, when he began a six-month reign of terror in Los Angeles. It seemed like he had taken a long vacation. .
Los Angeles police have identified the killer’s next victim as 73-year-old Amanda Rockfellow. Her body was found strangled to death in an alley about two blocks from her home on January 29, 1960, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Nurse Ann Cotter, 60, was killed as she walked to church around 6:30 a.m. on February 10, 1960, according to the Associated Press.
Police described the killer as a “depraved strangler who preyed on weak and elderly women.”
A few months later, on May 2, 1960, 74-year-old semi-invalid Elmira Miller was murdered in her home. Her death was linked to the Bouncing Ball Killer, the Associated Press reported. Shortly after, on May 13, 1960, Bessie Elba Green, a 60-year-old apartment manager, was murdered in her home. Then, on June 20, 1960, 83-year-old Grace Moore was murdered in her home. The serial killer’s oldest victim.
“After 13 months, [police] “Six women were sexually abused, sometimes sadistically tortured, and all but one were strangled to death,” the Associated Press reported.
When 72-year-old Mercedes Langeron became the Bouncing Ball Killer’s seventh victim. Police received their first testimony in the case after she was strangled to death in her apartment on June 28, 1960.
The Associated Press reported, “Her roommate, Mrs. Adela G. Williams, 62, told police that when she returned from the store, she saw the man she believed to be the killer standing in her apartment, bouncing a rubber ball.” Ta. “He ran away when she approached.”
At least three other people had also seen the killer and believed they could identify him.
The California Eagle reported, “They saw him bouncing a soft white rubber ball with a calm expression on his face shortly after his latest killing.”
Williams provided a description of the killer: He was wearing gray Ivy League pants with a buckle in the back, a light sports shirt, and dark glasses. He was black, approximately 30 years old, approximately 6 feet tall, and weighed approximately 155 pounds. She also helped police artist Hector Gracia create a composite drawing of the suspect.
