Roy Charles Waller (born January 8, 1960) is an American serial rapist. He was arrested in September 2018 as a suspect in a series of more than ten rapes and kidnappings committed between 1991 and 2006 in six Northern California counties (the NorCal Rapist). DNA evidence from crime scenes were matched on the online DNA-matching service, GEDmatch, to a relative of Waller, and he was identified through genetics-based genealogy.[6]
Roy Charles Waller | |
|---|---|
 Waller in 2019 | |
| Born | Roy Charles Waller January 8, 1960 |
| Other names | NorCal Rapist |
| Occupation | UC Berkeley employee |
| Employer | UC Berkeley |
| Spouse | unnamed wife[4] |
| Children | 1[5] |
| Conviction(s) | 46 counts of rape, kidnapping and sodomy |
| Criminal penalty | 897 years to life in prison |
| Details | |
| Victims | 9+[1] |
Span of crimes | 1991–2006 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | California |
Date apprehended | September 20, 2018 |
| Imprisoned at | High Desert State Prison[2] |
Police constructed a family tree and, using the known elements of the rapist, narrowed the suspects down to Waller. After the GEDmatch confirmation, they took about a week to identify and arrest the suspect.[7] He was charged with a total of dozens of counts of rape, which took place in five different counties, including Sonoma, Solano, Contra Costa, Yolo and Butte.[8] At the time of his arrest he was living in Benicia, was married, and was employed as a safety specialist at the University of California Berkeley. He had worked there for 26 years.[9][10] He was convicted of 46 counts in November 2020.[11]
The same genetic genealogy technique had been used in the identification and arrest of the suspect known as the Golden State Killer.[6]
NorCal Rapist crime details edit
According to a detective who first worked on the case, in the attacks for which Waller is charged, the rapist had a pattern of behavior. He would enter victims' houses, usually late at night. Sometimes the victim would be asleep. Sometimes they would be going about evening activities. He would overcome and bind the women, then repeatedly sexually assault them and ransack the home. Sometimes he would abduct the victim, taking her to an ATM, and forcing the victim to give him the password, and he would steal money from the account. At "other times, he would steal personal items from their homes," Detective Avis Beery said.[9] He frequently targeted women of Asian descent in their 20s.[1]
Legal proceedings edit
Waller was originally charged with 12 counts of forcible sexual assault.[12] In January 2019, he was charged with an additional 28 counts.[13] He was later charged with a total of 46 felony counts.[14][15] His trial date was set for May 27, 2020 but was delayed multiple times.[16][17] His trial began on October 19, and on November 18, Waller was convicted of 46 counts of rape, sodomy and kidnapping involving nine victims.[18][11] On December 18, Waller was sentenced to 897 years to life in prison.[19][20]
References edit
- ^ a b Luery, Mike (January 3, 2020). "Suspect in NorCal rapist case faces 46 charges". KCRA. Sacramento. Archived from the original on February 19, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
- ^ Inmate Locator, inmate BN7087
- ^ "Roy C Waller". California Birth Index. State of California Vital Records and Statistics. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
- ^ "Benicia residents shocked that neighbor is accused of being NorCal Rapist". ABC7 San Francisco. September 22, 2018. Archived from the original on January 27, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
- ^ "NorCal Rapist Roy Waller sentenced to 897 years for crimes | the Sacramento Bee". Archived from the original on December 20, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
- ^ a b Stanton, Sam; Egel, Benjy; Smith, Darrell; Hubert, Cynthia (September 21, 2018). "NorCal Rapist suspect arrested. He's a 58-year-old safety specialist at UC Berkeley". The Sacramento Bee. ISSN 0890-5738. Archived from the original on December 31, 2018. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
- ^ Collman, Ashley. "Suspected serial 'NorCal rapist' arrested in California thanks to a DNA match on a genealogy website – just like the Golden State Killer". Business Insider. Archived from the original on January 3, 2019. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
- ^ Stanton, Sam; Smith, Darrell (January 7, 2019). "NorCal Rapist suspect faces 28 new charges in Sacramento court". The Sacramento Bee. ISSN 0890-5738. Archived from the original on February 2, 2019. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
- ^ a b KCRA Staff (September 22, 2018). "Arrest made in infamous 27-year-old 'NorCal Rapist' case". KCRA. Archived from the original on January 27, 2021. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- ^ Gonzalez, Vicki (April 25, 2019). "How DNA ingenuity led to wave of cold case arrests". KCRA. Archived from the original on April 26, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- ^ a b Wallace, Danielle (November 19, 2020). "Former UC Berkeley employee nicknamed 'NorCal Rapist' convicted in string of attacks". Fox News. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
- ^ Johnson, Alex (September 24, 2018). "NorCal Rapist suspect Roy Charles Waller appears in court for first time". NBC News. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
- ^ Stanton, Sam; Smith, Darrell (January 7, 2019). "NorCal Rapist suspect charged in horrific 1996 East Bay Halloween rape". The Mercury News. The Sacramento Bee. Archived from the original on October 22, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
- ^ "NorCal Rapist Ordered To Stand Trial". KSRO. January 30, 2020. Archived from the original on February 4, 2020. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
- ^ Bradford, Amanda (February 4, 2020). "'NorCal Rapist' suspect Roy Charles Waller to be tried on 46 felony charges". The Daily Californian. Archived from the original on February 4, 2020. Retrieved February 4, 2020.
- ^ Stanton, Sam (October 19, 2020). "NorCal Rapist trial revelations: Sacramento police questioned Waller 13 years ago". Sacramento Bee. Archived from the original on January 27, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
- ^ Tron, Gina (October 21, 2020). "Trial Starts For Man Accused Of Being 'NorCal Rapist,' A Predator Similar To Golden State Killer". Oxygen. Archived from the original on October 29, 2020. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
- ^ Solomon, Samantha; Howland, Lena (October 19, 2020). "'I pray to God that he's convicted' | Trial begins for alleged 'NorCal Rapist' Roy Charles Waller". ABC10. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
- ^ "'NorCal Rapist' sentenced to 897 years for string of attacks". Associated Press. December 18, 2020. Archived from the original on December 19, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
- ^ "People v. Waller, No. C093431 | Casetext Search + Citator". casetext.com. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
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