John Floyd Thomas Jr.

Convicted American Serial Killer

John Floyd Thomas Jr. (born July 26, 1936) is a name that sends chills down the spine of many in Los Angeles, where he has been convicted for the brutal murders of seven women during the 1970s and 1980s. Serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole, he is believed to have committed additional murders—potentially between 10 to 15 more—making him a prime suspect in one of the most horrifying series of killings in the city's history.

Quick Facts

• Born: July 26, 1936 (age 88)
• Location: Los Angeles, California, U.S.
• Other Names: The Westside Rapist, The Southland Strangler, Willie Eugene Wilson
• Criminal Penalty: Seven consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole
• Victims: 7–15+
• Span of Crimes: November 1972 – June 1986
• Date Apprehended: March 31, 2009
• Imprisoned at: California Health Care Facility

On April 1, 2011, Thomas pleaded guilty to the seven counts of murder in a calculated move to avoid the death penalty. Investigators claim he is likely one of the most prolific serial killers in Los Angeles history.

Early Life

Born in Los Angeles, Thomas faced tragedy early on when his mother passed away when he was just 12 years old. Following her death, he was raised by his aunt and later a godmother. His childhood was spent attending public schools, including Manual Arts High School.

In 1956, Thomas enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, but his military career was short-lived. While stationed at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, he developed a reputation for being tardy and unkempt, which ultimately led to a dishonorable discharge. After leaving the military, he found himself in trouble with the law, being arrested for burglary and attempted rape in Los Angeles. In 1957, he was sentenced to six years in California's prison system. Due to multiple parole violations, Thomas remained incarcerated until 1966.

Case History

The horror began in the mid-1970s when police were on the lookout for a serial killer preying on older women in western Los Angeles. The killer earned the moniker "Westside Rapist" due to his methodical approach. He would break into the homes of elderly women living alone, commit sexual assault, and then either choke or suffocate them, leaving pillows or blankets over their faces—a signature move that struck fear into the community.

By 1978, the killings seemed to have stopped, leaving behind a grim tally of at least 17 elderly women dead. However, the nightmare resumed in the mid-1980s in the Pomona Valley area, where another serial killer emerged, dubbed the "Southland Strangler." This killer mirrored the Westside Rapist's modus operandi by using blankets or pillows to cover his victims' faces, resulting in at least five more murders in Claremont.

Interestingly, the two series of murders were not initially thought to be connected, yet they collectively claimed over 20 lives.

CODIS Launch and Re-examination

The turning point came in 2001, when the LAPD established the "Open-Unsolved Homicide Unit." This initiative aimed to re-examine cold cases using biological evidence, particularly after the launch of CODIS (Combined DNA Index System), which allows law enforcement to compare DNA evidence from crime scenes with federal databases. One of the cases revisited was the 1972 murder of 68-year-old Ethel Sokoloff, who had been sexually assaulted and choked to death in her own home.

The re-investigation revealed previously unexamined biological evidence, leading to the creation of a male DNA profile of the suspect. In 2005, this profile matched evidence from the 1976 murder of 67-year-old Elizabeth McKeown, who was also sexually assaulted and strangled.

2009 Arrest

Fast forward to March 27, 2009, when the California Department of Justice notified the LAPD that a CODIS DNA match had been made, linking John Floyd Thomas to the murders of both Ethel Sokoloff and Elizabeth McKeown, as well as other victims in investigations by the Inglewood Police Department and Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

A review of Thomas's criminal history revealed a troubling pattern—he had been arrested multiple times from 1955 to 1978 for various crimes, including numerous burglaries and sexual assaults. After serving time for a 1978 rape conviction, Thomas was released in 1983 and moved to Chino, coinciding with the surge in Southland Strangler murders. These killings ceased around the time he took a job with the state workers' compensation insurance agency in Glendale.

On March 31, 2009, authorities arrested Thomas, and just a couple of days later, he was charged with the murders of Ethel Sokoloff and Elizabeth McKeown. By September 23 of that year, he faced additional charges for the murders of Cora Perry, Maybelle Hudson, Miriam McKinley, Evalyn Bunner, and Adrienne Askew.

A significant breakthrough occurred in October 2008, when Thomas, then working as an insurance claims adjuster, provided a DNA sample to authorities as part of a database initiative aimed at convicted sex offenders. He was held without bail at the LA County Jail.

Although Thomas was charged with seven murders, investigators strongly suspect he may have been responsible for 15 or more homicides during the periods of the Westside Rapist and Southland Strangler, and many more rapes. On April 1, 2011, Thomas pleaded guilty to seven counts of murder, striking a deal to avoid the death penalty for the murder of Adrienne Askew. He was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

Murders

Here’s a closer look at the victims Thomas was charged with murdering:

• Ethel Sokoloff (#1), 68, found murdered in her Mid-Wilshire home on November 25, 1972.
• Cora Perry (#10), 79, discovered dead on September 20, 1975; her kitchen window was found open, with the screen missing.
• Elizabeth McKeown (#13), 67, reported missing on February 16, 1976; found raped and strangled two days later in the trunk of her car.
• Maybelle Hudson (#14), 80, found beaten, sexually assaulted, and strangled in her garage in April 1976.
• Miriam McKinley (#15), 65, found beaten and strangled in her garage in June 1976.
• Evalyn Bunner (#16), 56, discovered slumped in the front seat of her car on October 29, 1976; the back of her dress was unzipped, revealing bruises on her upper legs.
• Adrienne Askew (#18), 56, found sexually assaulted and strangled in June 1986, tragically just three years after her mother suffered a similar fate in the same apartment.

Additionally, Thomas is suspected in the following murders:

• Ethyl Grimes (#2), 81, found robbed and strangled in her apartment on May 13, 1974.
• Maye Scialesi (#3), 72, discovered murdered on November 7, 1974; the killer entered her apartment through her bathroom window.
• Lucy Grant (#4), 92, found raped and murdered in her home on November 8, 1974, with signs of forced entry indicating a burglary.
• Ramona Gartner (#5), 74, found murdered in her apartment on December 4, 1974.
• Sylvia Vogel (#6), 71, discovered under a blanket in the backseat of her car, beaten, raped, and murdered on March 22, 1975.
• Una Cartwright (#7), 78, found raped and murdered in her apartment on April 8, 1975; her door was open, and a TV was stolen.
• Olga Harper (#8), 75, last seen entering her apartment on April 20, 1975; found beaten, raped, and murdered on April 23, 1975.
• Effie Martin (#9), 86, found beaten, raped, and strangled in her apartment on May 22, 1975; initially suspected as the work of the "Westside Rapist."
• Leah Leshefsky (#11), 63, discovered raped and strangled in her home on October 29, 1975; her window was forced open, and her apartment ransacked.
• Lilian Kramer (#12), 67, found murdered in her apartment on November 14, 1975; police suspected a connection to the Westside Rapist.
• Isabel Askew (#17), 85, found partially decomposed 11 days after being reported missing from her apartment on October 22, 1983.

See Also

• List of serial killers in the United States
• List of serial killers by number of victims

Sources

• California Registered Sex Offender Profile - John Floyd Thomas - Megan's Law - California Sex Offender Registry
• Bone, James (2009-04-30). "DNA reveals John Floyd Thomas as LA's most prolific serial killer." The Times.
• Blankstein, Andrew (2009-09-24). "Alleged 'Westside Rapist' suspected in other slayings." Los Angeles Times.
• Kim, Victoria; Andrew Blankstein; Jack Leonard (2 April 2011). "Serial killer John Floyd Thomas Jr., dubbed the Westside Rapist, is sentenced to life." Los Angeles Times.
• Blankstein, Andrew; Mozingo, Joe (2009-04-30). "LAPD ties 72-year-old man to two waves of serial killings." Los Angeles Times.
• "Crime Scene." Unsidedocal.com. 16 September 2017.
• "Police call man LA's 'most prolific serial killer'." Associated Press. 2009-04-30.
• "DNA leads to suspect in 1970s Los Angeles serial killings." CNN. 2009-05-01.