CA CA - O.C.Itzcoatl Ocampo arrested for deaths of homeless men

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Police say the attacker 'is extremely dangerous to the public' and urge homeless people to be on guard. A surveillance video provides the image of a possible suspect.

After a wave of killings of homeless men in the area, police said Wednesday that they are looking for a "serious, dangerous serial killer operating in Orange County."

Investigators believe that one person is responsible for stabbing three middle-aged homeless men in 10 days and have formed a task force of police from Anaheim, Placentia and Brea to investigate the incidents

More:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0105-homeless-killings-20120105,0,3910282.story
 
O.C. police search for serial killer; memorial for victim created

Orange County authorities continued to search for an alleged serial killer believed to have killed three homeless men as a memorial grew for one of the victims.
Investigators, including the FBI, said that a white, four-door Toyota could be involved in the crimes, as shown in a surveillance video taken Dec. 20 at a Placentia shopping center, the scene of the first killing.
James Patrick McGillivray, 53, was killed on Dec. 20. at the center, which is also home to Charity's Closet, a thrift shop that donates proceeds to a local shelter.


More at link:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lan...l-killer-a-memorial-rises-for-one-victim.html

Photo Gallery:
http://framework.latimes.com/2012/01/06/serial-killer-targeting-homeless/#/0
 
http://www.ocregister.com/news/police-334113-homeless-anaheim.html
Anaheim chief: Serial killer loose in O.C


http://www.ocregister.com/articles/police-334293-killer-three.html
Homeless killer: young, uneducated man?



http://www.ocregister.com/articles/police-333984-homeless-anaheim.html
3 homeless men killed while sleeping



http://images.onset.freedom.com/ocregister//lxaia7-lxai9lhomelessmurders.gif
Map: where homeless men were killed



http://www.ocregister.com/articles/smit-333768-police-griffin.html
Police ID apparent homicide victim in Yorba Linda

Surveillance video showed a man with a thin build wearing all black lying in wait before stabbing McGillivray, who was known to camp in the area. Authorities described the suspect as an 18- to 25-year-old man, between 5-feet, 6-inches and 5-feet, 9-inches tall.
read full article at link ............ http://www.ocregister.com/articles/smit-333768-police-griffin.html




Although LE said in one article this man's body showed no signs of trauma, I think there's a possibility he could have been stabbed and the blood washed away with water. I tried to find an article on the results of the autopsy, but not able to.

So, this is just a slight possibility it COULD be related somehow. We'll have to wait and see if LE connects them.

JMHO
fran



http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lan...-investigate-death-of-homeless-man-found.html
Homeless man found dead in water off Hermosa Beach


Here's a separate thread on Websleuths for him, began when he was unidentified.

[ame="http://www.websleuths.com/forums/showthread.php?t=158278"]Identified! CA - Hermosa Beach - WhtMale 30-50 Found in Ocean - Michael Lee Gilbert - Dec'11 - Websleuths Crime Sleuthing Community[/ame]
 
Vulnerable homeless men try to foil Orange County killer

Three transients have been stabbed to death since last month. Some are banding together for protection, and police and missions are helping.

Cary Singletary is 6-foot-2, an ex-boxer who once worked nightclub security, alternating coffee and water to stay alert through the small hours. Now, encamped on the streets of downtown Santa Ana, he's the unofficial sentry for what he calls "my people," a group of homeless whose wary existence is now shadowed by a new peril: a serial killer.

"Hopefully, they'll get the sick-minded coward," said Singletary 52, speaking of the string of stabbing deaths of middle-aged homeless men in Orange County that began just before Christmas. Singletary stood in a parking lot Thursday night clutching a safety kit — a whistle and flashlight, both donated by the Orange County Rescue Mission.

read full article at link .................http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-homeless-killings-20120107,0,5541927.story
 
I came here to see if there was a thread for this one. I'm so glad to see that there is. This killer is the truest kind of coward. He is going after people that have nothing left to lose but their lives, and he is taking those too. Pure cowardice.

I'm going to devote my time off today to seeing what I can find out about this case. This killer is going after people that he thinks won't be noticed or missed, and aren't loved. I want to prove this creep wrong. I want him to know that people care, and that we are looking for him.

And thank you to the posters here that do care, even though this killer is going after what some people call the "dregs of society".
 
Amateur profile at work: Not a professional!

Reaching way back to my profiling and behavioral psych classes, I remember that as the age of the victim goes up, the age of the offender goes down. So, that would mean that the offender is likely under thirty, I would say probably 21-28. This does not take into account things that might stunt a person's developmental age, like time in jail, or extreme sheltering by a parent. So, he could be physically as old as 40, but developmentally in the mid-20's.

These are high risk victims, and there doesn't seem to be any real attempt to obscure their identities, this does not seem to me to be an organized killer. Just because he hasn't been caught doesn't mean he's good at it, just that he is lucky and knows that the police are overburdened. he has been caught on surveillance, so personally, this guy isn't that great or experienced a killer.

He is killing at a very fast pace, especially if these three murders are his first three. I don't know what that means, but it could indicate that he has been incarcerated or otherwise indisposed for a while, and this need has been building with him. It is likely that the people close to him, if there are any, at least suspect that he is capable of this. It's likely he's been talking about this, or something like this, for at least a little while. He might have stopped talking about it now that he is able to actually do it.

He likely lives or works within the triangle formed by the murder/dump sites.

I find it interesting that the "retail store" is actually a charity store that donates it's proceeds to charity. That might be coincidence, but it could also be a message. this guy is killing homeless men, one right outside a store that aims to help the homeless and others.

The dates of the murders might give clues as well. Two on Wednesday/Tuesday night, a week apart, and then one on the following Saturday/Friday night. The last would have been New Year's Eve, meaning that it is not likely this guy has friends or family, at least not any that were any interested in spending the holiday with him. I think that the lack of close personal relationships is backed up by the nature of the crimes. He's stabbing people, that's up close, personal, dirty work. That's not something that you can really explain away when you come home soaked in blood. He likely lives alone or with someone whose work schedule or physical condition makes it easier for him to come and go undetected.

That's about all I got, but I wish I could figure out a little more.
 
Inside the task force hunting a serial killer

As evil stalks the homeless, the factions of law enforcement work as a single army.

Three men are dead by the same hand and I'm with the inter-agency task force determined to catch the killer. On this night, it's a collection of men and women that has swelled to more than 70.

Less than a football field away from where the serial killer's first known victim was stabbed, federal agents wear dark blue jackets with "FBI" in yellow; deputies wear forest green jackets with "Sheriff" in gold; officers from three police agencies stave off the chill in black and white.

Within minutes, those with shields, some silver, others brass, will take to the streets to question hundreds of drivers and passengers. They hope that someone, perhaps unknowingly, saw something that could lead to the killer.

The staging area is next to a park and the cops and feds emerge from the shadows for a final briefing. Under the glare of spotlights, jacket colors become muted. The different uniforms blend into one.
Will this army get a break tonight?

full article at link ......................http://www.ocregister.com/articles/wyatt-335359-force-task.html
 
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/01/1...illed-in-southern-california/?intcmp=trending

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Police detained a man in connection with the latest stabbing death of a homeless man in Orange County as a task forced investigated if there were any links to the slayings of three other homeless men, believed to be the work of a serial killer.

The dead man was found between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. Friday near a fast-food restaurant at the intersection of La Palma Avenue and Imperial Highway in Anaheim, police said.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/01/1...ern-california/?intcmp=trending#ixzz1jSSfwz00
 
Yorba Linda man arrested after 4th slaying
Published: Jan. 14, 2012 Updated: 12:20 p.m.

http://www.ocregister.com/news/homeless-335673-police-friday.html

>>>snip

...Anaheim police on Friday night arrested a Yorba Linda man identified as Itzcoatl Ocampo, 23, as he ran after John was stabbed to death behind afast-food restaurant.

Authorities believe that Ocampo is connected to the recent slayings of three other homeless men in north Orange County...

(article continues)

<<<snip
 
There's going to be a news conference this afternoon at 4 p.m.

fyi
fran
 
Amateur profile at work: Not a professional!

Reaching way back to my profiling and behavioral psych classes, I remember that as the age of the victim goes up, the age of the offender goes down. So, that would mean that the offender is likely under thirty, I would say probably 21-28. This does not take into account things that might stunt a person's developmental age, like time in jail, or extreme sheltering by a parent. So, he could be physically as old as 40, but developmentally in the mid-20's.

These are high risk victims, and there doesn't seem to be any real attempt to obscure their identities, this does not seem to me to be an organized killer. Just because he hasn't been caught doesn't mean he's good at it, just that he is lucky and knows that the police are overburdened. he has been caught on surveillance, so personally, this guy isn't that great or experienced a killer.

He is killing at a very fast pace, especially if these three murders are his first three. I don't know what that means, but it could indicate that he has been incarcerated or otherwise indisposed for a while, and this need has been building with him. It is likely that the people close to him, if there are any, at least suspect that he is capable of this. It's likely he's been talking about this, or something like this, for at least a little while. He might have stopped talking about it now that he is able to actually do it.

He likely lives or works within the triangle formed by the murder/dump sites.

I find it interesting that the "retail store" is actually a charity store that donates it's proceeds to charity. That might be coincidence, but it could also be a message. this guy is killing homeless men, one right outside a store that aims to help the homeless and others.

The dates of the murders might give clues as well. Two on Wednesday/Tuesday night, a week apart, and then one on the following Saturday/Friday night. The last would have been New Year's Eve, meaning that it is not likely this guy has friends or family, at least not any that were any interested in spending the holiday with him. I think that the lack of close personal relationships is backed up by the nature of the crimes. He's stabbing people, that's up close, personal, dirty work. That's not something that you can really explain away when you come home soaked in blood. He likely lives alone or with someone whose work schedule or physical condition makes it easier for him to come and go undetected.

That's about all I got, but I wish I could figure out a little more.

BINGO on the age prediction. I think you got the rest right too. We will see as more info comes out.
 
After Ocampo was taken into custody, investigators from the task force probing the serial killings began looking into his background, but authorities said the 23-year-old man had no criminal history and not much information is known about him.

Court records show that a man named Itzcoatl Ocampo had three minor traffic citations in recent years.

Ocampo is not homeless, officials said.

His picture is included in a 2006 yearbook of Esperanza High School.

lxt6b9-lxt60docampo.jpg


http://www.ocregister.com/news/police-335672-garcia-death.html
 
A man known as "John" -- the fourth victim of a suspect serial killer -- is remembered as a God-fearing man, who served in Vietnam, never asked for a handout and spent every night on a bench with a view of the Santa Ana River.

Holland described John as someone who like drinking his coffee at Carl's Jr., reading his bible and doing crossword puzzles in the newspaper.

"This is such a huge tragedy," she said. "He was friends with everyone. Even the coyotes in the riverbed, he even gave them names."

http://www.ocregister.com/news/john-335676-smit-lozano.html
 
Maybe the killer is in Custody, just breaking.

BreakingNews Breaking News
Anaheim, Calif., police say suspect nabbed Friday in homeless man's killing is responsible for 3 others as well - @AP
4 minutes ago
 
O.C. serial killer in custody, police say (L.A. Times)
Orange County authorities announced Saturday that they believe the man arrested Friday night on suspicion of killing a homeless man is a serial killer who stabbed three other transients in North Orange County over the last few weeks.

"We are extremely confident that we have the man who is responsible for the murders of all four homeless men in Orange County," Anaheim Police Chief John Welter said.

Police identified the man as Itzcoatl Ocampo, 23, of Yorba Linda.

Ocampo was being held at the Anaheim jail without bail after a homeless man, whom people who live in the area identified only as John, was stabbed to death behind a busy fast-food restaurant late Friday.
---
more at the link above
 

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