REOPENED: Midnight Attacker

Summary

Cold Case Files: REOPENED - Midnight Attacker

Hosted by Paula Barros

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Introduction

In the "REOPENED: Midnight Attacker" episode of Cold Case Files, host Brooke Giddings delves into one of Long Beach, California's most harrowing unsolved cases. Spanning nearly a decade, this episode chronicles the relentless pursuit of justice for 18 women who fell victim to a serial rapist known as the Belmont Shore Rapist. Despite extensive investigations and initial breakthroughs, the case remained cold until a combination of perseverance and advancements in forensic technology led to the perpetrator's eventual capture.

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The Initial Attack

The saga begins with the traumatic incident experienced by a woman we'll call Jane.

• [02:57] Jane: "I went out to return a video, and I noticed that the deadbolt had been tampered with."

On a typical evening around 9:30 PM, Jane left her home to return a video to the local store. A lingering sense of unease about her front door's lock followed her as she walked. Despite suspecting a possible break-in attempt, Jane chose not to alert the police or friends, returning home to prepare for bed.

• [03:35] Jane: "I think I was pulling my nightgown on over my head so my arms were up. He leapt out of the closet and grabbed me and threatened me."

As Jane got ready for bed, an intruder disguised in a mask and gloves assaulted her violently. The attacker, posing as a silent threat, raped her twice before slipping out unnoticed. Two hours later, Jane courageously called the police, setting the stage for a lengthy investigation.

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Beginning the Investigation

Detective J. Craig Newland of the Long Beach Police Department spearheaded the initial response.

• [04:19] Detective J. Craig Newland: "I went to the hospital as a part of a sexual assault response team call out and met the victim there."

Jane underwent a thorough forensic examination, yielding a sample of the attacker's saliva. However, with no immediate suspects, DNA testing was delayed, and despite a public plea for information, no leads materialized. Six months post-attack, Jane's case was relegated to the cold files.

• [05:45] Jane: "I didn't really feel that he had singled me out or was attacking me personally."

Jane reflected on the senselessness of the crime, highlighting the randomness and the vulnerability felt by many women.

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Serial Attacks Unfold

Detective Katherine Kriskovic, part of the Long Beach Sexual Assault Unit, took charge as the attacks escalated.

• [06:20] Detective Katherine Kriskovic: "Obviously, this was an area here that was very close in proximity."

Over 18 months, ten more women were assaulted in Long Beach's affluent neighborhoods of Belmont Shore and Belmont Heights. Kriskovic and her team discerned two distinct patterns emerging from the cases:

1. Belmont Shore Rapist: Targeted older women (ages 40-79), committed assaults swiftly, and fled the scene.
2. Belmont Heights Rapist: Focused on younger victims, lingered post-assault, and engaged with the victims emotionally.

• [07:48] Detective Katherine Kriskovic: "He would actually spend time with the victims, in some instances several hours."

Despite distributing sketches and warnings to the public, leads were scarce, and the rapists continued their heinous activities.

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False Alarms: Jeffrey Grant

A significant breakthrough appeared with the apprehension of Jeffrey Grant, a suspect whose likeness matched the Belmont Shore Rapist's sketches.

• [09:17] Detective Katherine Kriskovic: "We believed that we finally had a break."

Grant was arrested based on eyewitness identification from three victims. However, subsequent DNA analysis excluded him as the perpetrator.

• [10:20] Detective J. Craig Newland: "A match to each other."

The revelation forced investigators back to the drawing board, acknowledging that the true rapist remained at large.

• [10:36] Detective Katherine Kriskovic: "It was back to square one."

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Renewed Hunt

Undeterred, Kriskovic intensified the investigation, revisiting rape kits and leveraging advanced DNA profiling. The persistence paid off when DNA linked both the Belmont Shore and Belmont Heights series to a single individual, revealing the existence of only one serial rapist.

• [11:33] Narrator: "...all of a sudden put together we realized that we had an extremely horrific series going on."

Despite this connection, the identity of the perpetrator remained elusive until technology and investigative techniques advanced.

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Final Capture: Mark Rathbun

The case took a pivotal turn with the attack on Margaret Gentry, a 71-year-old woman who bravely resisted her assailant.

• [16:15] Detective J. Craig Newland: "We didn't know what to really look for."

During the subsequent investigation, detectives deployed the Bloodhound team to trace scent pads from the crime scenes. This led them to an apartment complex where they identified Mark Wayne Rathbun, a man with a concerning criminal history.

• [21:57] Detective J. Craig Newland: "Sleep well tonight. We have the suspect."

DNA testing confirmed Rathbun's involvement, matching his saliva to semen samples from multiple victims. Despite initial setbacks, Rathbun was arrested, charged with 47 counts of sexual assault, and ultimately convicted of raping 14 women, receiving a sentence exceeding 1,000 years in prison.

• [22:16] Detective Katherine Kriskovic: "Justice was served."

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Victims' Perspectives

The episode powerfully highlights the resilience and courage of the victims:

• Margaret Gentry: "I refuse to be intimidated. I won't let him get the best of me."

• Julie Adler: "I just bit him and that was enough for him to stop."

These testimonies underscore the strength of survivors in overcoming their trauma and contributing to the resolution of their cases.

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Detective Perspectives

Detective Kriskovic reflects on the arduous journey to justice:

• [23:40] Detective Katherine Kriskovic: "Justice was served. It was one of the best feelings in the world to be able to say that there was an end, that it's done, it is over."

Her dedication exemplifies the relentless pursuit of truth and safety for the community.

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Conclusion

The "REOPENED: Midnight Attacker" episode serves as a testament to the complexities of cold cases and the unwavering commitment of law enforcement to resolve them. Through meticulous investigation, community cooperation, and advancements in forensic science, hope prevailed in bringing justice to the victims and their families.

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Notable Quotes:

• [05:31] Detective J. Craig Newland: "What I did was I issued a press release and just asked for the public's help."

• [07:48] Detective Katherine Kriskovic: "He would actually spend time with the victims, in some instances several hours."

• [19:12] Tracy Menzer: "And then I just told him, you know, I'll do whatever you want."

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Key Takeaways:

• Persistence in Investigation: The case highlights the importance of not giving up, even when faced with dead ends.

• Advancements in Forensics: Modern DNA analysis played a crucial role in both eliminating false suspects and confirming the true perpetrator.

• Community Impact: The series of attacks instilled fear within the community, leading to increased security measures and heightened awareness.

• Victim Resilience: The courage and resilience of the victims were pivotal in both their personal healing and the case's resolution.

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For more compelling true crime stories, subscribe to Cold Case Files on PodcastOne, Apple Podcasts, or your preferred podcast platform.

Transcript

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[Brooke Giddings]

If you go to the episode description you can check out our sponsor deals. Our sponsors make it possible for you to download Cold Case Files each week for free, so check out the promo code deals. You might just find something you like, something you need, or a great gift for your friends and family onto the show. This episode contains descriptions of violence and sexual assault. Use your best judgment. I talk a lot about people living in small towns being especially surprised when a terrible crime is committed because living in a small town gives people a sense of security. This case didn't happen in a small town. It was in Long Beach, a city in Southern California with a population of around 450,000. But even with nearly half a million people living in Long beach, it still felt like a small town in a lot of ways. Many of the residents of Long beach lived in large houses in upscale neighborhoods. The streets were quiet and clean. People knew their neighbors, and knowing that gave the people who lived there a feeling similar to that small town sense of security. No one expected someone to break into their home. No one expected to get raped. But it happened. And in this case, it happened in Long beach more than 20 times. From a and E, this is Cold Case Files, I'm Brooke and here's the matchless Bill Curtis with a classic case, the Midnight Attacker.

[Jane]

It got to be about 9, 30 or 10 o'clock and I went out to return a video, and I noticed that the deadbolt had been tampered with.

[Narrator]

A Long beach woman we will call Jane leaves home and walks to the local video store. At the back of her mind, a hint of concern about the lock on her front door.

[Jane]

Thought maybe I should do something. You know, maybe someone had tried to get in. And all the possibilities ran through my mind of calling a friend or calling the police, wondering what they would do.

[Narrator]

And in the end, Jane does nothing, returns home and gets ready for bed.

[Jane]

I think I was pulling my nightgown on over my head so my arms were up. He leapt out of the closet and grabbed me and threatened me. Told me to be quiet and cooperate or he would get ugly.

[Narrator]

The intruder wears a mask, gloves, and a pair of underwear, forced me down.

[Jane]

On the bed and eventually raped me. At one point, he asked me if I would forgive him for doing this. I said that I. I would pray for him.

[Narrator]

Two hours later, the rapist slips out the back door and into the night, and Jane calls police.

[Detective J. Craig Newland]

I went to the hospital as a part of a sexual assault response team call out and met the victim there, who had been transported by patrol.

[Narrator]

J. Craig Newland is a sex crimes detective with the Long Beach PD we.

[Detective J. Craig Newland]

Had her examined, did a forensic medical exam, and that evidence was packaged and preserved. She seemed to be coping fairly well, although she was tearful and obviously afraid.

[Narrator]

Initial testing yields a sample of her attacker's saliva. With no suspect identified, however, DNA testing is put on hold. The evidence is packaged and preserved. Meanwhile, Nuland begins his investigation.

[Detective J. Craig Newland]

What I did was I issued a press release and just asked for the public's help of anybody who might have been seen that was acting suspicious in the neighborhood or anybody who fit that general description that people thought might have been involved.

[Narrator]

The press release generates a few leads, none of which pan out. Six months after the attack, Jane's rape remains unsolved and her case is shipped to the cold files.

[Jane]

I didn't really feel that he had singled me out or was attacking me personally. It felt like, you know, this is a crime that's been committed against women since the beginning of time. And I was unfortunately, an easy enough target for someone with this criminal mind to take advantage of.

[Narrator]

A rape victim sits in her home very much alone and very much afraid. Unfortunately, she is about to have a lot of company.

[Detective Katherine Kriskovic]

Obviously, this was an area here that was very close in proximity.

[Narrator]

Detective Katherine Kriskovic works in the Long Beach Sexual Assault Unit and is at the center of a Growing investigation. In the 18 months since Jane was attacked, 10 more women have been assaulted. All of the attacks centered in the upscaled towns of Belmont Shore and Belmont Heights in Long Beach, California.

[Detective Katherine Kriskovic]

We needed to solve this case. We did not want any more victims.

[Narrator]

Detectives pull each case file and compare notes. What they see is not one, but two serial rapists on the loose, each with a distinct M.O. the first, dubbed the Belmont Shore Rapist, targets older women in Belmont Shore.

[Detective Katherine Kriskovic]

Women 40s up into 79. And he would commit the sexual assault and flee.

[Narrator]

The second rapist, known as the Belmont Heights Rapist, works farther inland, targets younger victims and likes to linger after the attacks.

[Detective Katherine Kriskovic]

He would actually spend time with the victims, in some instances several hours. And it was a date to him, and that is how he described it to the victim. He would cuddle with them, he would converse with them.

[Narrator]

Sketches are circulated, but generate few leads. Meanwhile, detectives warn the public to be especially careful to lock their doors and windows. Some people listen. Unfortunately, others do not.

[Detective Katherine Kriskovic]

It's disheartening that there's another victim, but in the same sense that adrenaline kicks in to go out there and do whatever it is that we can.

[Narrator]

It's just after 10pm And Detective Kriskovic rolls out to the most recent attack. A 54 year old woman raped by a masked man. It is an MO that fits the Belmont Shore rapist. Kriskovic cordons off the block and calls out the dogs.

[Detective Katherine Kriskovic]

At this point, we were using as many tools as we could possibly come up with. And one of the tools was the Bloodhound team. And they collected several scent pads from the area of the entry as well as the suspect's exit. And from that point they used that scent pad and the the dogs trailed them to an apartment complex.

[Narrator]

Detectives begin knocking on doors and talking to tenants. One in particular catches their eye. A man who looks a lot like sketches made of the Belmont Shore attacker, a man named Jeffrey Grant.

[Detective Katherine Kriskovic]

We believed that we finally had a break. Ultimately, we had three victims positively identified. Jeffrey Grant.

[Narrator]

Grant is arrested, charged with rape and put behind bars. A sample of his saliva is sent to the LA Sheriff's crime lab for comparison with DNA from three of the Belmont Shore rapes. Everyone involved agrees Grant is their man and science will cinch the case. Basically, our job is to screen for biological fluids. We primarily analyze blood, saliva and semen for purposes of DNA testing. On October 1, criminalist John Bockroth sends semen from two of the rape kits, along with Grant's saliva sample to an outside lab for testing. Three months later, the results are in. He was excluded as a suspect on the two cases that came back as.

[Detective J. Craig Newland]

A match to each other.

[Narrator]

DNA confirms the Belmont Shore attacks are the work of one man, but not the work of Jeffrey Grant. After three months in stir, Grant walks out of jail a free man.

[Detective Katherine Kriskovic]

It was back to square one and back to digging and trying anything and everything that we can do because we knew that we did not have that serial killer rapist.

[Narrator]

The digging begins back at the property room where detectives pull rape kits from the second string of attacks. The Belmont Heights series in January of 2000. DNA analysis on that group is complete. As expected, the cases yield the same profile and are connected. But then the case takes yet another twist. The profile also matches the Belmont Shore series of rapes.

[Detective Katherine Kriskovic]

It was surreal to have two series going on in your city split and then all of a sudden put together we realized that we had an extremely horrific series going on.

[Narrator]

One man responsible for attacking 18 women over the past four years. And he wasn't done yet.

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[Brooke Giddings]

Of Cold Case Files, comes your next true crime podcast, Obsession PD Stories. Every week, law enforcement professionals Join host Tom Morris Jr. From America's Most Wanted and Live PD to share their experiences, insights and perspective on policing. You're not going to want to miss this show. Be sure to subscribe on Podcast one, Apple Podcasts and many other podcast apps so you can get new episodes every week. With at least 18 confirmed victims, a serial rapist was on the loose in Southern California. Investigators thought that they had found the perpetrator. He was even identified by three of the victims. But in a surprising twist, the DNA evidence didn't match his profile. With their only lead and only suspect ruled out, the investigators were forced to accept that the perpetrator was still on the loose and likely still hunting his next victim.

[Tracy Menzer]

It's kind of one of the few areas of the city that still has a town, neighborhood feel. A lot of people that grow up there stay there. And a lot of people, you know, didn't have locks on their gates. A lot of people slept without locking their doors. You know, when you just don't see that too often anymore.

[Narrator]

Tracy Menzer is a reporter for the Long Beach Press Telegram. Crime is Menzers Beat the Belmont Shore Rapist. Her headline story.

[Tracy Menzer]

You saw people putting in security systems. The little signs advertising in security systems were cropping up all over. We joked, like weeds. They knew they had somebody in their midst who was watching them and preying on people, and they did not know who it was.

[Narrator]

The attacks began in 1996. By 2000, at least 18 women have been assaulted.

[Tracy Menzer]

We were like the funnel. Everything had to come through our task.

[Narrator]

Force office in the spring of 2000, Estella Martinez and Katherine Kriskovic act as point on the investigation. Despite four years worth of legwork, the ladies quickly realize in terms of leads, they have a whole lot of nothing.

[Detective J. Craig Newland]

Everything that we normally depend on to try to solve cases, everything was out.

[Tracy Menzer]

The door in this case.

[Detective Katherine Kriskovic]

This case was going to be solved by DNA, and we were going to have to be awfully, awfully lucky to come across that one particular swab that was going to match.

[Narrator]

Kriskovic calls in reinforcements from Seacat, a covert surveillance unit, and asks them to hit the streets looking for suspects and collecting DNA samples.

[Detective J. Craig Newland]

Our unit was eight detectives and one sergeant, so we had nine undercover vehicles.

[Narrator]

Mike Dugan acts as the investigation's eyes and ears on the street. He works the neighborhoods where attacks occurred, looking for anyone and anything unusual.

[Detective J. Craig Newland]

People dressed in dark clothing walking down streets, looking at residences, somebody walking up a driveway and then returning to the sidewalk. Because there was so many descriptions of the suspect. He was white, he was Hispanic, he was Italian, he was light skinned black. We didn't know what to really look for.

[Narrator]

If a suspect is idd, a marked car is dispatched to stop the individual and question him.

[Detective J. Craig Newland]

We will request a swab from him and it usually was a consensual swab, which most of the people submitted to.

[Narrator]

Over the next two and a half years, cold case detectives swab and eliminate 81 suspects. Meanwhile, the Belmont Shore rapist remains at large, doing what he does best, stalking and attacking women. It's past midnight and 71 year old Margaret Gentry goes to sleep with her front door unlocked. Around 1am she awakens to a pair of hands at her throat.

[Margaret Gentry]

He kept pulling my head back and telling me not to scream. I want to live. If it means not screaming, so be it. You'll do anything when it's your life. He took me around the bedroom into the bathroom and stretched me out on the counter. Raped me there. Then he come back and put me back in the bed and raped me again. So I was raped three times. He rubbed my back. Calm down, calm down, calm down. You can't calm down when you're frightened half to death. It's pretty hard to calm down.

[Narrator]

After an hour and a half, the attacker is finished and leaves the house. Margaret Gentry gathers herself, finds a phone and calls police.

[Margaret Gentry]

I refuse to be intimidated. I won't let him get the best of me.

[Detective Katherine Kriskovic]

When that phone rang, the heart sank. It was please don't let it be another hit.

[Narrator]

Squad. Cars converge on Margaret Gentry's neighborhood, but the Belmont Shore rapist has once again disappeared. He will reappear for the last time six months later.

[Tracy Menzer]

I wasn't able to breathe. So for a while I really thought, you know, this may be it.

[Narrator]

On November 7th, Julie Adler awakens to a man on top of her. A shirt is tied around his head and he is ripping at her clothes.

[Tracy Menzer]

And then I just told him, you know, I'll do whatever you want. I'll do whatever you want.

[Narrator]

The man eases up and Adler thinks fast.

[Tracy Menzer]

Once I realized there was no knife or no gun, then I just kind of started stalling.

[Narrator]

Adler asks if she can use the bathroom. Once inside, she locks the door.

[Tracy Menzer]

He started banging on the door and the only option I had was to just to scream out the bathroom window and hope that somebody heard me. And the next thing I knew is he's coming at me from outside. He's reaching in the window.

[Narrator]

Adler bolts out of the bathroom and heads for her front door. She is tackled in the hallway and fights to stay alive.

[Tracy Menzer]

At some point in the struggle, his hand slipped in my mouth and I bit him. Just total instinct. I just bit him and that was enough for him to stop.

[Narrator]

The attacker flees. Adler runs to a neighbor and calls 911. Kriskovic arrives on scene.

[Detective Katherine Kriskovic]

In this particular area, the homes are so close, everything is fairly compact, that it would be literally less than a block, would be the first perimeter, then the second perimeter, then an outer perimeter.

[Narrator]

Less than 10 minutes after the attack, a shirtless man on a bicycle spins out of an alley. An officer stops the man and notices he has a bloody finger. The biker identifies himself as Mark Wayne Rethbun and agrees to provide a saliva sample.

[Detective Katherine Kriskovic]

We learned after all these years not to get too terribly excited because of the letdown, and we were used to.

[Narrator]

Letdowns when Kriskovic runs. Rathbun's criminal history, however, pulses quicken. His record includes arrests for peeping in women's windows and residential burglary. He works odd jobs, a lifestyle that would allow him to roam freely without raising eyebrows.

[Detective Katherine Kriskovic]

We were at that point sitting on pins and needles, waiting for his analysis on that oral swab to come back.

[Narrator]

Two days later, the DNA is in and the police hold a press conference.

[Detective J. Craig Newland]

To the citizens of Long Beach. Sleep well tonight. Sleep well. We have the suspect.

[Narrator]

Rathbun's DNA provides a full genetic match to semen collected in the Belmont Shore rapes. He is charged with 47 counts of sexual assault and brought to an interview room for questioning. After six long years, Kriskovic comes face to face with her suspect.

[Detective Katherine Kriskovic]

I want you to speak from the heart.

[Margaret Gentry]

I said I can't undo what I have done.

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[Narrator]

In August of 2004, Rathbun is convicted of raping 14 women and sentenced to more than 1,000 years in prison.

[Detective J. Craig Newland]

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[Narrator]

For Katherine Kriskovic. It is the end of a journey and the end of a nightmare.

[Detective Katherine Kriskovic]

Justice was served. It was one of the best feelings in the world to be able to say that there was an end, that it's done, it is over.

[Margaret Gentry]

I'm just glad that he's behind bars and that he's going to stay there. Whatever happens to him in jail is fine. I have no qualms about if they kill him, great. He's just an animal. He's not human.

[Narrator]

Margaret Gentry is a rape victim, one of thousands each year. For Gentry, telling her story is the first step out of a world of shadow and back to living her life.

[Margaret Gentry]

And I think that anybody that has been raped, I think they need to talk about it. I think that as long as he's got you intimidated till you can't talk about it, you're never gonna get over it.

[Brooke Giddings]

On the day that Mark Rathbun was arraigned, his mother, who was 75 at the time, apologized to his victims. She then looked at her son and asked him why he did it. She didn't get an answer. Mark Rathbun is currently incarcerated in California. He's 49 years old. He'll be eligible for a parole hearing in 2030 after his 60th birthday. Cold case Files the podcast is hosted by Brooke giddings, produced by McKamey Lynn and Steve Delamater. Our associate producer is Julie McGruder. Our executive producer is Ted Butler. Our music was created by Blake Maples. This podcast is distributed by Podcast one. The Cold Case Files TV series was produced by Curtis Productions and is hosted by Bill Curtis. You can find me rookginnings on Twitter and rookthepodcaster on Instagram. I'm also active in the Facebook group Podcast for Justice. Check out more Cold case [e-mail] or learn more about cases like this one by visiting the A&E RealCrime [e-mail] RealCrime.

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