Who is the "Los Angeles Rapist" killed in Ohio about two hours ago? My phone rang in the newsroom minutes ago, and it was "Mitch" at TV station WSYX, the ABC/Fox affiliate in Columbus, letting us know that a black serial rapist suspect had been killed by police in a huge drama that shut down the interstate and drew swarms of cops and FBI.

Update: We just learned from WSYX that the Los Angeles Violent Crimes Task Force has alighted from a plane in Columbus, and that police sources in Ohio are saying the suspect was wanted for eight rapes and faced 19 counts including kidnapping. From this breaking news it does not sound like our nasty Grim Sleeper.

Mitch had wanted to know if the dead suspect could possibly be the Grim Sleeper, the elusive psycho whose story was told by L.A. Weekly investigative reporter Christine Pelisek last fall and in several followup pieces since then.


I felt like a jerk telling Mitch that while I hoped it was the Grim Sleeper, who sexually assaulted and killed at least 11 women in South Los Angeles,  "We have a lot of serial rapists and serial killers" still strolling around free in L.A, and the cops just recently nabbed the Westside Rapist.

We are following events in Ohio from afar and will keep you posted the moment we know something. It would be huge, huge news if this is the Grim Sleeper.