The Bouncing Ball Killer

The Bouncing Ball Killer, infamously dubbed the Bouncing Ball Slayer, Bouncing Ball Strangler, and Rubber Ball Strangler, is an unidentified American serial killer whose shadow loomed large over Los Angeles in the late 1950s. Between May 1959 and June 1960, this elusive predator is believed to have raped and murdered at least six women, primarily targeting the elderly. Strangulation marked the grim end for nearly all victims, leaving a trail of terror that remains unsolved to this day.

Quick Facts

• Other Names: Bouncing Ball Slayer, Bouncing Ball Strangler, Rubber Ball Strangler
• Criminal Status: Unidentified
• Wanted Since: May 28, 1959
• Victims: 6–7+
• Span of Crimes: May 28, 1959 – June 20, 1960
• Country: United States
• State: California

The Murders

The dark saga began on May 28, 1959, when 57-year-old Ruth Gwinn was attacked while making her way home from work. The assailant unleashed a brutal beating before dragging her into a parking lot where he raped her. Witnesses attempted to intervene, but the attacker managed to escape. Tragically, Gwinn succumbed to her injuries just hours later, leaving police with only her harrowing account. Interestingly, Gwinn had survived an attack seven years prior in 1952, just a stone's throw from where her life would end in 1959, though little evidence connected the two events.

Following Gwinn's tragic demise, a chilling pattern emerged. On January 29, 1960, 73-year-old Amanda E. Rockefellow was found murdered in an alley just two blocks from her home. The violence escalated on February 10, 1960, when 60-year-old Ann Cotter was killed while on her way to church. Three months later, on May 1, the killer struck again, claiming 74-year-old Elmyra Miller in her own home, a crime that hinted at sexual motivation based on evidence found at the scene.

The horror continued just twelve days later, as 60-year-old Bessie Elva Green was raped and murdered in her apartment, which had also been ransacked. On June 20, 83-year-old Grace A. Moore became another victim, and just six days later, the killer claimed 72-year-old Mercedes Langeron, who was found raped and strangled with a bedsheet. Her roommate, 62-year-old Adela Williams, would later recount seeing a man leaving their apartment while bouncing a rubber ball—a detail that would haunt the investigation.

Other Suspected Crimes

The Bouncing Ball Killer's reign of terror extended beyond his known victims. On August 18, 1960, 51-year-old Mrs. Modie Hall and her 10-year-old granddaughter, Mary Foster, faced a brutal attack in their home, where a man wielding a blunt object assaulted them. Hall's son-in-law, 30-year-old Floyd Harris, heard the commotion and the unmistakable sound of a rubber ball bouncing on the floor. Though he chased the attacker for several blocks, he ultimately lost sight of him, and only Hall and Foster were left injured but alive.

On September 1, 1960, the menace resurfaced when 84-year-old Lena Bensusen was brutally beaten during a home invasion. Though she managed to survive long enough to describe her attacker, she ultimately succumbed to her injuries just days later, further deepening the mystery surrounding the Bouncing Ball Killer.

Investigation

As the body count rose, investigators quickly connected the murders, leading to the creation of a composite sketch based on Adela Williams’ description. Released to the public in June 1960, the sketch, produced by police artist Ector Garcia, ignited media frenzy. Newspapers soon coined the killer the "Rubber Ball Strangler," with the moniker "Bouncing Ball Killer" gaining widespread traction.

By the end of June, police had collected over a hundred tips from concerned citizens, yet none led to a breakthrough.

Initial Arrests

On July 3, 1960, 38-year-old Noble Harper was arrested after being spotted bouncing a rubber ball outside a shopping market. Despite bearing physical similarities to the sketch, police found insufficient evidence to connect him to the murders, and he was released the next day.

Days later, on July 10, a bricklayer named Ray Williams was apprehended due to his resemblance to the composite sketch. His shoe size matched that of the suspected killer, yet he too was cleared of any connection.

The case took a twist on July 23, when 23-year-old Joseph Walter Malveaux was arrested for loitering near a local coliseum. While police noted similarities to the Bouncing Ball Killer, they lacked substantive evidence to hold him, leading to his release.

Substantial Suspects

The investigation intensified on July 12, 1960, when police responded to a report of a woman screaming near the city college campus. They encountered 35-year-old Raymond Ward Clemmons attempting to flee. A body identified as 19-year-old Nina T. Thoeren was discovered nearby. Clemmons confessed to strangling Thoeren, claiming she had jokingly asked if he was the Bouncing Ball Killer. He then allegedly taunted police, saying there was a ball in his glove compartment. However, a polygraph test later revealed that he was not truthful about being the killer. Clemmons was sentenced to life imprisonment for Thoeren's murder but never linked to the others.

On September 6, 1960, 28-year-old Henry Adolph Busch was arrested for attempted murder and, during questioning, confessed to multiple murders, including that of Elmyra Miller. He claimed an "irresistible urge" compelled him to kill, attributing some of his impulses to the film Psycho, which caught the attention of the media and director Alfred Hitchcock.

Busch was convicted and sentenced to death for three murders, ultimately executed via gas chamber on June 6, 1962.

In August 1961, 20-year-old Charles James Golston was arrested in Long Beach for the murder of 81-year-old Dora Ann Cutting. Although questioned about the Bouncing Ball murders, he was never definitively linked to the case. His own legal battles would lead him down a convoluted path, with the death penalty eventually being ruled unconstitutional, resulting in life imprisonment.

Conclusion

The Bouncing Ball Killer remains a chilling enigma, a phantom lurking in the shadows of Los Angeles history. Despite numerous arrests and confessions, the true identity of this predator has never been uncovered. The terror he unleashed serves as a haunting reminder of the fragility of safety and the mysteries that still elude justice.

Sources

1. LA Strangler Of Women Strikes Again, Leaves No. 6
2. Woman Dies After Attack
3. Police Seek Clues to Strangler of 7 Women
4. Killed 6 Elderly Women
5. Rubber Ball Strangler Hunted in New Attacks
6. Woman Beaten by Burglar Dies
7. 7 Deaths Laid to Killer
8. Strangler May Be Bouncing Ball Killer
9. Late Screen Writer's Daughter Found Slain
10. LA Police Release Strangler Suspect
11. Rubber Ball Killer Tips Are Checked
12. Police Arrest Ball Bouncing Killer Suspect
13. Laborer Free in Sex Deaths
14. San Diego Holds LA Murder Suspect
15. Bouncing Ball Suspect Freed – No Evidence
16. STRANGLER SENTENCED
17. Meek Suspect Tells of Urge To Kill
18. noirish Los Angeles – Page 406 – SkyscraperPage Forum
19. L.A. Triple Murderer Executed
20. Strangler Cleared in Karen Case
21. Strangler to Be Grilled About Karen
22. Stay Halts Execution Of Long Beach Slayer
23. May 3 Death Date For 4 in San Quentin
24. One of Doomed 4 Gets Stay; Others Plan New Appeal