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Michigan Serial Killer Suspected In Virginia AttacksMichigan police said Monday that the white man who attacked 3 dark-skinned men in Leesburg, Virginia this month is believed to be the "Flint, Michigan serial killer,” who is the suspect in the killing of 5 men and the attack on another 10, almost all of them black, in Michigan.
The unprovoked Virginia assaults began August 3, when a 15-year-old boy went out for a nighttime jog and suddenly felt a sharp pain and saw blood. He turned and saw that a man had plunged a knife in his back. The assailant never spoke, but the teen witnessed him flee in a car described as a green minivan or sport-utility vehicle with a white stripe.
Two days later in Leesburg, the same suspected assailant wearing a baseball cap stabbed a 67-year-old man in the back who was sitting outside his apartment. Then on Friday night, the attacker approached a 19-year-old Hispanic man and asked for help fixing a dark-green SUV. When the two got into the car, the assailant aimed a hammer at the teenager's head. The teenager frantically turned as he was hit, and then ran for safety.
The 15-year-old and the 67-year-old remain hospitalized but are expected to recover. The 19-year-old is recovering also, police said.
Leesburg police said there are striking similarities in the attack methods, but the most convincing evidence is the consistent description of the suspect's green SUV. The car is described as a dark-green Chevrolet Blazer with tan paneling around the bottom and two grapefruit-size dents in the hood.
Another similarity is the description of the attacker: a white man with a muscular build who often wears a baseball cap. The suspect’s victims are mostly dark-skinned, vulnerable, older or of small stature, and are alone. In both Michigan and Virginia, the attacker has used the same trap, asking for help with his car.
"He's attacking based simply on the color of their skin," Leesburg Police Chief Joseph R. Price said. "I would consider this man to be very desperate and very dangerous." Police have contacted the local NAACP because the target of his rage and attacks appeared to be African Americans.
In Michigan, police think a single assailant has stabbed 15 men since May, killing five. Thirteen of the victims are black, and two are white. All of the those killed were black.
Michigan police are not ready to conclusively link the attacks in their state with the attacks in Virginia because it is not based on forensic evidence, such as DNA, although they have noted the similarities in the attacks. Leesburg detectives noticed the similarities first and alerted investigators in Flint.
Leesburg police have increased patrols and said they will not stop until they catch him. The FBI is assisting with the investigation. Authorities also are examining a possible link to an attack Saturday in Toledo, which is between Leesburg and Flint.
"I'd say it's someone who has a deep resentment against black people," if it is the same assailant said Oregon psychiatrist Ronald Turco, who has studied serial killers and worked with the FBI.
Police believe the killer is prowling for more victims and warned residents to be stay alert and not be out alone. Police in Michigan have been reluctant to confirm the attacker is motivated by race, but Leesburg police say it is.
