Please pray for our city

[ThetaLove]

Hi everyone, I'm back again. I did see the news about the girl who is packing up and moving back home. I kind of came in half way so I didn't understand if she was still going to LSU and just moving back home- that would be one long drive everyday. I thought that it was unwise for her to change her plans that much because of this, but like the police said- "Do what makes you feel comfortable and safe." Second of all, she was moving back home to Covington- I think. That is about an hour- more or less from Baton Rouge. I don't know anything about serial killers but this one seems like a coward and if he does strike again- I don't think it will be near LSU. Maybe some of you know experts who would know if he would strike in this area to make everyone more enraged or if he would move on.
I know ya'll are probably getting tons of tips to be safe, but I thought I would add some more. I posted on another message board and a man emailed me back. I'm only passing along what he sent me, and I'm unsure about the effectiveness of some of his tips. Here it is.....


There are many forensic scientists watching the investigation in BR very carefully. Yesterday I sent a copy of my book, Catching Serial Killers, to the Chief of Detectives in BR along with a lengthy letter containing some investigative suggestions. It is my understanding that FBI help has been requested and is probably in BR right now. I have offered my help, and I believe many others who have dealt with these kinds of cases have too.

In the meantime, I would suggest that you all take a firearms safety course and arm yourselves, get a cell phone and keep it by your bed. Keep your bedroom door locked. Buy a baby monitor and place the transmitter outside your bedroom door with the monitor near your bed. Put dead bolt locks on your doors. Install and alarm system, or if you cannot afford that, go to Radio Shack and purchase motion detectors for your windows and alarms for your doors. They aren't very expensive. Also I would have security lights w/motion detectors around your houses in dark areas. If you are a dog lover, and have time to spend with it for years to come, I would get a good watch dog like a German Shepherd. I would also have a man's voice on your answering machine ... perhaps your Father or brother could help you there. Just put your last name on the mail box. If you are really scared, it might be advisable for two of you to sleep in the same room ... call it the buddy system. And keep in mind, the murderer is obviously scouting out potential victims before he attacks. He knows that the victim is living by herself and there is no man there to protect her. He is quite probably window peeking. The times they usually do this is when women are getting ready for bed and early in the morning when they are showering, dressing, and getting ready for work. In addition, watch yourself as you are getting out of your car going into your house or apartment. Do not let him slip up behind you and put a knife to your throat or a gun in your back.

Thus far, the only information I am getting on this is what is on TV and in the Lansing Journal. Could you please send me clippings from the local newspaper re: this case? Or at least give me the telephone number and name of the newspaper in BR so I can call them.

My snail mail address is:

Dr. Earl W. Krueger James J.D.,Ph.D.
Int'l. Forensic Svcs., Inc.
P.O.Box 80242
Lansing, MI 48908-0242

I know that you are frightened, but if you do the things I've mentioned above, I think you'll all get through this okay. I hope I have been of some help.

[juniorgrrl]

This week my mom and I have been taking a women's self-defense type class. Its been more practical knowlege than hands-on stuff, but this is some of it:

*Don't EVER let them get you somewhere else. Chances are if they've got a gun and are trying to get you in a car, etc, they are just trying to use it to scare you. Call their bluff - try and make them use it in a public area, not in that secluded second crime scene. Chances are that even if they do attack, you'll be surrounded by people and can get help.

*If you have to go somewhere alone at night like the store, try to park with your driver's door facing the store. That puts you in view of more people. Also, don't park out of the view of the doors of the business.

*Remember that potential rapists, killers, etc are looking for someone that's an easy target. A woman that's parked in a secluded spot, that looks distracted, etc will be easy.

*Don't dress/undress in front of windows

*Keep all doors and windows locked at all times - NO EXCEPTIONS

*TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS. If it doesn't feel right, if it doesn't look right, more than likely its NOT RIGHT.


Also, if we look at all these cases, Pam Kinamore had a husband, Charlotte Murray Pace had a roomate, and I'm not sure about Gina Green. But 2 of the 3 women did NOT live alone. And since its possible that Kassie Federer's murder is connected, she did not live alone either. None of the homes had forced entry. Girls, DO NOT let ANYONE into your apartment. If anyone comes to my door, claming to be a repairman, I'd get his name, badge number, etc. and then call the company he claims to be from. I still dont' know if I'd let them in w/o a police officer.

I'm planning on keeping the phone numbers of the BR Police/EBR Sherriff's office handy, Cox Cable, Entergy, Bellsouth - anyone who could possibly send personnel out.

I hope this person does not strike again and that the police can catch him.

Stay safe, everyone

[justamom]

Juniorgrrl-I like the idea about the phone numbers handy. I also told my daughtere even if it's an OFFICER to get the badge number and call it in.

Theta Love-I really like te baby monitor, the guys voice on the answering machine and only a last name on te mail box. So many little details.

There is some talk going around that they are saying "No sign of forced entry" because the doors had been jimmied PRIOR to the actual attack. Has ANYONE heard this as well??? The implication being that the killer had access to the door maybe as a painter-exterminator-cable guy etc... SURELY they wold have tracked that sort of ting down! I know they did mention impersonating a police officer, this is REALLY a scare!

We never saw the need for guns, but now I'm wondering if it has come to this-needing guns in our homes-what a horrid thought.
I did get her some pepper spray, but it seems so inadequate, like spitting into a hurricane. I thought about the taeser (sp???) but think it woul be easy to turn against the user.

[DWAlphaGam]

There have been some really good tips on this thread. I agree with justamom; ThetaLove's post really covered some little details that you might not think of.
One thing that was touched upon: if you have a roommate, you still might not be safe. The rapes that happened in Philadelphia last week happened to roommates. The guy managed to squeeze through some bars that were over their window (there were only 7 inches between the bars, but he still did it) and he tied both of them up so they couldn't help each other. Sick bastard. I hope they catch him soon and fry him.
The thing about getting a dog isn't a bad idea, either. The "center city rapist," who was just convicted of being a serial rapist in Philadelphia and Colorado, said that he wouldn't attack any woman that had a dog.
Please be smart about what you do and stay safe.

[Dionysus]

Last name on your mailbox? I think it is best to have NO name on your mailbox. I think in some ways having your last name on your mailbox can make you even more of a target.

Speaking of names. Here's a great safety tip my dad brought up that I didn't even think of:
If you own a car make sure you don't have any documents (i.e. schedules, bills, etc) with your name, addres, phone no, etc. sitting on your seat or anywhere else visble. If you work anywhere that requires a name tag, ONLY WEAR IT AT WORK, don't where it to or from work.

[justamom]

Good ones Dionysus!
Here's an update frome the Advocate-Another kidnapping attempt-same type of truck but with a NONcustom black paint job!!!


Woman escapes kidnap try

By STEVEN WARD
sward@theadvocate.com
River parishes bureau
GEISMAR -- While investigators pressed a search for a serial killer in and around Baton Rouge, an 18-year-old Prairieville woman escaped what appeared to be an attempted kidnapping Tuesday in a grocery store parking lot.

Ascension Parish Sheriff Jeff Wiley said a witness sitting in his Federal Express van saw a man walk up to the woman about 5:45 p.m. in the parking lot of LeBlanc's Payless Food Store on La. 42 and grab her.

"It looked like an attempted kidnapping. He grabbed her by the leg and chest, like he wanted to pick her up and hoist her away," Wiley said.

Related Story:
BR officials meet victims' families
Wiley said the witness -- a Federal Express employee who was picking up a package at the Galvez Pharmacy next to the grocery store -- got out of his van and walked toward the suspect and the woman.

The suspect let go of the woman and hopped into a black pickup truck, the sheriff said. Wiley would not release the name of the victim or the witness.

Wiley said the last information he received from his deputies was that the suspect raced away on La. 42 in the pickup and was heading for Livingston Parish.

Wiley said he had all his manpower looking for the black pickup.

"The witness already said that the truck fits the description of the white truck authorities are looking for in the serial killer case except that the truck is black," Wiley said.

Wiley said the suspect driving the black pickup was described by the witness as a white man between 5 feet 10 inches and 6 feet in height, with a slim build. He was wearing a blue denim welder's cap and sunglasses hanging around his neck.

His hair, dark and curly brown, was collar length and he possibly has a mustache. He was wearing light-colored blue jeans and a blue plaid, flannel long-sleeved shirt. He was also wearing brown work boots.

Wiley said the black truck was a mid-1990s black Chevrolet single-cab truck. The license plate looked damaged. Wiley said the paint job was fair and the rear window was tinted. The bumper looked chrome, according to the witness.

"Obviously we would be foolish not to realize the potential here," Wiley said when he was asked whether he thought the suspect could be the serial killer


http://www.theadvocate.com/stories/0...idnap001.shtml

[ThetaLove]

I don't know if anyone who lives here watched the news yesterday or read the paper this morning, but I just wanted to keep everyone updated on what's been happening. Check out this article at http://www.theadvocate.com/stories/0...idnap001.shtml

[ThetaLove]

justamom, are you reading my mind? lol
We must have posted about the same time.

[justamom]

ThetaLove-first, I know recruitment is around the corner and my daughter thinks a lot of your members, so I wanted to wish you good luck!!!

I think you have to be in the middle of it like all of us are to feel what we are feeling. Heck, we had a guy chopping off womens' heads when I lived in Houston. Thank heaven I didn't live alone or I would have been a real mental case.......

I guess we all just need to be updated and let anyone who is lurking know the real deal here. The sad thing is, it's happening in other places as well. The safety tips have a universal appeal and application!

[ThetaLove]

Justamom, thanks so much! I wish your daughter and her sisters luck as well. I know they're gonna do great!

I just wanted to thank everyone for their prayers for the victims families and for all of us who are in some way affected by everything that's been happening. I know it must be prayers because I was so scared before and now I am alert but I have more of a sense of peace. (I know that sounds odd in light of everything.)

Preparing for rush really makes me think of all the young women coming to LSU in just a few weeks. I know that they are fearful. It makes me so angry that they have to worry about a serial killer. Murders are happening everywhere and will continue to happen. It is hard to use the word good to describe any of these tragedies, but I guess in some way, it did heighten women's awareness.

[juniorgrrl]

Like ThetaLove, I am very angry that LSU women and Baton Rouge women have to deal with this. For the past few weeks I've been on edge, just scared out of my mind. But in the past few days, I've calmed down a lot and felt a lot more peaceful. I'm sure its due to everyone's prayers (Thank you!) as well as just keeping myself informed, and by taking a "Lady Beware" class with my mom.

I know that I am going to be extra-super-alert. My roomates and I will all be law students, so I want to make sure that we can try to go home together so no one has to go into an empty apartment.

I move back one week from tomorrow - I'm still scared outa my mind, but I am doing my best to have faith.

[ThetaLove]

Those are great ideas, juniorgrrl.
Justamom, I didn't hear about the women's doors being jimmied prior to the attack. I have been getting a lot of emails about different things. On the news last night, they said that a lot of rumors are going around about the cases. Anything could be possible though.

[ThetaLove]

Yet another attempted kidnapping. I'm a bit skeptical of this one, but it was on the news, so I'll pass it along. It happened in Livingston Parish, the first was in Ascension parish, and the unsolved murders occured in East Baton Rouge Parish. (I think everyone knows this, but LA has Parishes instead of counties) It was about 9:00 last night and a lady was stopped outside of a store. A man, matching the description of previous tried to get into her passenger side door. Luckily, the door was locked. The news didn't say anything about witnesses, so I'm assuming there aren't any, which makes me wonder. But I guess it was kind of late and probably not busy around that town.
Oh yeah, for anyone who lives here- tonight from 8-10 on channel 9 they are airing a self defense tape that was made by the BR police. I'll post any new tips.

[ThetaLove]

Whoa, three posts in a row for me.
They have a printable version of the suspect for the attempted kidnapping and the Slidell murders on wafb.com.

Here is some more tips, most we've already covered but it doesn't hurt. It's really long...

MEMORIZE POLICE PHONE NUMBERS - 389-2000 (B.R. City Police) and *LSP (La. State Police).

HOME AND OFFICE – The most obvious and easiest thing you can do is KEEP YOUR DOORS LOCKED. Today, when you go home, check every window in your house – you might be surprised to find one that won't latch, or one that was left open inadvertently. Install pins in all windows, keeping the keys out of arm’s reach from the window, but nearby in case of fire. All doors should be dead bolted. After having any type of maintenance or repair work done in your home, check all windows and doors to make sure they have not been tampered with by the work personnel for later access to your home.

DO NOT LEAVE KEYS TO YOUR HOUSE OUTSIDE. Stones, fake canisters and other “hiding” places are as obvious to criminals as they are to you. Leave a key with a relative, trusted neighbor or friend instead.

If you plan to return home after dark, make sure to LEAVE EXTERIOR LIGHTS ON before you leave. Motion detector lighting is very effective.

DO NOT OPEN YOUR DOOR UNLESS YOU KNOW WHO’S ON THE OTHER SIDE. A chain or similar device still allows someone to force his way in. Install a peephole in your door. Even if you do not see anyone after hearing a knock, do not open the door – he could be standing just out of sight, ready to force his way in. Call through your locked door instead. Beware of any situation where someone comes to your door asking for money, whether they are selling something, asking for help, for donations to a cause, or looking for work doing odd jobs or yard work. They may be running a scam or casing your house.

IF APPROACHED WHILE OUTSIDE YOUR HOME, while working in your yard, for example, keep your distance. Make sure your house is always locked, whether you are inside or out. Keep a cell phone nearby, if possible, so you can easily call the police.

WHILE AWAY FROM HOME - BEFORE GETTING IN YOUR CAR , give it a quick visual check, outside and inside as you approach. Have your key in your hand, ready to use and check the back seat area as you enter your car. Have your vehicle serviced regularly and always try to maintain at least a fourth of a tank of gas in the car. Once inside your car, just like at home and work, LOCK YOUR DOORS AND KEEP THEM LOCKED.

IF YOU THINK YOU ARE BEING FOLLOWED , drive to the nearest police or fire station, trying to stay in well-traveled areas. If you have a cell phone, use it to call for help. Keep a recharging device in your glove compartment, in case your cell phone battery dies.

Stay alert at red lights and stop signs. Leave a space between you and the car ahead. BE WARY OF VEHICLES BUMPING INTO YOU TO SIMULATE AN ACCIDENT. If you do not have a car phone, and it is only a bump and not an accident, consider continuing to your destination and call the police when you arrive there. If in an isolated area and you suspect foul play, consider traveling to a more populated area to await law enforcement. Stay in your car while waiting for them to arrive.

If experiencing car trouble, BE CAUTIOUS OF ANY FRIENDLY OFFER OF HELP. The person offering assistance may intend to harm you instead. If you don't have a cell phone, ask him to call the police or a towing company by slipping him a business card with some change taped to the back through a crack in your window. Keep your doors locked, stay inside your vehicle, and wait for help to arrive. “Call Police” banners are useful; cell phones are better. Use common sense, and assess the situation carefully, considering the time of day, amount of traffic passing by, weather conditions, location of nearest exit, cross road, or populated area. Many interstate systems have call boxes, although they are not always in proper working order. Try to note the nearest mileage marker, so that you can report your location to law enforcement or roadside assistance services.

BEWARE THE HELPLESS STRANGER as well. Infamous serial killer Ted Bundy used a fake cast to create sympathy from victims, who helped him carry textbooks to his car.

WHEN EXITING ANY BUILDING, WHETHER HOME, OFFICE, STORE OR OTHER PUBLIC PLACE , look in all directions as you exit. When walking back to your car, try to walk in the middle of the driving area rather than close to parked cars. If you are parked at a far distance from the store exit and feel uncomfortable walking back to your car alone, or if you notice anyone suspicious, ask a mall security office or a store employee to accompany you. Have your keys in your hand, ready to use.

When ON AN ELEVATOR, be aware of fellow passengers. If you are alone or feel vulnerable, exit if anyone suspicious enters. Note important buttons such as “door open” or “telephone.” Do not push the “Stop” button because this will immediately stop the elevator and you may be trapped with someone harmful.

WHILE TRAVELING , put your business address on luggage tags. Carry a map of the area to which you are visiting. IN HOTELS OR MOTELS, keep the door dead bolted and drapes drawn at night. When answering a knock on the door, verify that it is someone you are expecting. If an unexpected person identifies himself as an employee, verify with the front desk that he has been sent to your room and ascertain the reason before letting him in.

Beware of giving out too much personal information to strangers you meet, such as where you are staying, your schedule, what places you plan to visit, and where you live. Keep an eye on your valuables; pickpockets often work in teams.

While exiting a hotel elevator, try to be sure that you are not followed to your room.

Many states now have the * _SP system for their state police, and most areas also have 911 services. Always carry your cell phone with you while traveling.

While away from home overnight, install timers on lamps in several rooms of your home. Ask a trusted neighbor, relative or friend to turn outside lights on in the evening and pick up your mail and newspaper. Be aware that while away from home, YOU ARE AT MOST RISK IN PARKING GARAGES, ON INTERSTATE RAMPS, AT GAS STATIONS, AND AUTOMATIC TELLER MACHINES.

SOCIAL AND LEISURE ACTIVITIES - Young women in dating situations should never leave drinks unattended. A “date rape” drug can be easily slipped into a glass. When returning from the dance floor or restroom, get a new drink directly from the bartender. When making plans to go out for the first time, consider meeting your date in a public place, letting someone know whom you are meeting and where you are going.

Vanity license plates with obviously feminine labels should be avoided. Consider omitting your address from the telephone directory. Caller ID is helpful in screening unwanted calls. Immediately report any harassing or obscene calls to the police and phone company.

WHILE EXERCISING OUTDOORS - The most important thing you can do is STAY ONLY IN WELL-TRAVELED RESIDENTIAL AREAS. Avoid isolated areas. Instead, stay in neighborhoods where houses are close to the street on both sides, and where area residents are engaged in outside activities.

DON'T ASSUME THAT YOU ARE ALWAYS SAFE DURING DAYLIGHT HOURS. Baton Rouge women have been abducted during daylight hours and murdered later. Do not assume that you are safe at any time, day or night. The safest times of any weekday are while people are getting ready for work and when people have just arrived home from work in the evenings.

BE VERY AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS AT ALL TIMES - NEVER WEAR HEADPHONES. Take notice of anything out of the ordinary - a suspicious car or person unfamiliar to you. Wearing headphones not only increases the likelihood that you will not hear someone approach from behind, but doing so sends a clear message to the outside world that you are not attuned to your surroundings. You might as well wear a sign on your back that says “Sneak up on me - I'm not paying any attention to you.” (Don't assume that you can hear if you keep the volume low - I've startled people who weren't wearing headphones who didn't hear me coming).

In general, always SCAN YOUR SURROUNDINGS, always ASSUME HOSTILE INTENT from strangers, KEEP YOUR DISTANCE (at least 10 to 12 feet away), and remember that MANY ATTACKS ARE PRECEDED BY ONE OF THREE QUESTIONS: “May I use your phone?” “Do you have the time?” and “Do you know how to get to ...?” Never stop to answer such questions. It’s okay to be rude. As soon as someone makes you stop or do something on which you had not planned, he has taken control of the situation. Keep moving and note avenues of escape.

TAKE A SELF-DEFENSE COURSE and if you wish, CARRY PEPPER SPRAY in your hand, but don't let either give you a false sense of security - pepper spray or any other type weapon can be knocked out of your hand. It’s still better to avoid areas where an attack can take place. Don't depend on a dog to protect you unless it has been trained by a professional to do so (your dog may not be protective away from its territory). Additionally, if someone points a gun at you and demands that you get in a car, DON'T! Few criminals can accurately hit a moving target, so you're less likely to be injured by running away. It’s far better to chance being shot on the spot than risk the virtual certainty that you'll be raped and murdered later if you get in the car.

All of the above mentioned suggestions are steps you can take to reduce your chances of becoming a victim. It is important to remember, however, that THERE ARE NO GUARANTEES. Being attuned to your surroundings is the single most important aspect of self-protection. MOST IMPORTANTLY, TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS. IF IT DOESN'T APPEAR RIGHT, IT PROBABLY ISN'T RIGHT. Take steps to avoid becoming a victim.

Another update, my mom said that the Livingston Parish happened two days ago, but she was unsure.

[italianaxo]

this was on the front page of the ny times today.
(sorry for the long post but you can't link to the times web site cause they make everybody register)
Serial Killings Bring Terror to Women of Baton Rouge
By RICK BRAGG


ATON ROUGE, La., Aug. 6 —Some women, even the ones who hate guns, stand three-deep in lines at firing ranges waiting for their chance to shred a paper target that, in their minds, they have painted with the image of a cold-blooded predator.

Others go home and immediately check behind the shower curtain, wonder who might be under the bed and open all the closets. They tap their car door lock over and over, as if it were a piano key, long after they have heard the click that tells them it has engaged. Then they check the back seat.

They make sure the batteries of their cellphones, their electronic lifeline, are charged, and they have kept well stocked with pepper spray and Mace.

Mostly, though, they just live with a dull fear. This is not a panic but instead a nagging certainty that in the last 10 months, a serial killer has somehow persuaded three attractive, professional, middle-class women to open their doors here and let him inside their lives, just long enough to end them.

State and federal investigators are searching for an unidentified man linked by DNA matches to the killing of all three women: Gina Wilson Green, a 41-year-old nurse; Charlotte Murray Pace, a 22-year-old graduate student at Louisiana State University; and Pamela Kinamore, a 44-year-old antiques dealer and artist.

Two of the women were found dead in their homes, and the third is believed to have been abducted from hers. But in none of the cases was there any sign of forced entry. The women probably just let the killer in.

"I think he's a man who blends," said Ed Piglia, Ms. Kinamore's brother.

Investigators, wary of tipping off the killer to the nature of any progress, have released almost no information about him, or even how much they know. So the women of this city of 231,000 people have no face, not even one as vague as a police artist's sketch, to attach to their fears.

"I go home and lock the door behind me, then check all the doors, then go in all the rooms and check the closets," said Karen Richardson, 44. "I don't go to the mall. I make sure no one follows me too closely. I get my car moving as fast as I can, just in case. I do this. It sounds ridiculous."

"The worst time," Ms. Richardson said, "is at 3 o'clock in the morning, when I wake up and hear the house settling." She gets out of bed and pads over to the row of windows that look out on her backyard, and while she hates to look, she forces herself to, frightened that she will see a face looking in at her.

And what scares her more than anything else is that the face, she believes, will be not that of a monster, but of a man she would not look at twice if she saw him on the street. "A normal guy," she said.

Ms. Green was strangled in her home last Sept. 24. Then Ms. Pace was found stabbed to death in her town house on May 31. Ms. Kinamore, who is believed to have been abducted from her home, was found with her throat slit under the Whiskey Bay Bridge in a neighboring parish on July 16.

Investigators connected the killings of Ms. Pace and Ms. Green in July. It was only with the discovery of Ms. Kinamore's body then, and DNA evidence taken from it that linked her killer with the killer of the first two, that investigators announced they had a serial killer around Baton Rouge.

There have been more than 30 unsolved killings of women here stretching back several years, and the police are investigating the possibility that one or more could be linked to those of the last 10 months. But as with everything else, any evidence from that investigation is being kept secret.

Leads in the recent murders seem to go nowhere. Ms. Green and Ms. Pace once lived just three doors apart, on Stanford Avenue. But though Ms. Green was killed in her home there, Ms. Pace was killed just days after she moved to another neighborhood. The two women apparently did not know each other well, though both jogged on a path near L.S.U., family members said. They also both owned BMW's.

Ms. Kinamore, whose family is offering a $75,000 reward for information leading to a conviction in the killings, seemingly had no links to either of the other women, except that she and Ms. Green both had an interest in antiques.

"We did our best to make connections" among the victims, said Ms. Pace's mother, Ann, "but there seem more dissimilarities than similarities."

The only consistent tip seems to be a rash of sightings in the Baton Rouge area of a nude woman slumped in the seat of a white pickup about the time Ms. Kinamore was killed. In what could be a related development, officers in nearby St. Tammany Parish are investigating the rape of a woman who says her attacker drove a white Chevrolet pickup.

But the police will not say whether the Baton Rouge women were sexually assaulted, and in any event there are seemingly countless white pickups here. Loren Henagin, a 21-year-old L.S.U. student, said she and a friend were at a supermarket when a white truck rolled by, making them jump. "But it was just some little teenager," she said.

Experts have long stressed that it is the polite, well-dressed, well-spoken man, usually in his 20's or 30's, who is more likely to be a serial killer than anyone ranting in filth on a sidewalk. That would explain, the victims' families say, how the killer was able to get close. Investigators have also considered the possibility that he was in uniform, perhaps that of a police officer or a deliveryman.

Although there were no indications of forced entry, at least two of the homes showed signs of a struggle inside. Ann Pace says her daughter fought the attacker. The two other victims were small women, but her daughter was tall, fit, a marathon runner. "She was strong," said Mrs. Pace, who then broke into tears.

Ann Pace says she has tried to put herself in the killer's place, to think as he did, "but we may not be able to access that with any rational thinking."

For the women of Baton Rouge, this is the worst possible situation. They have no description of this killer who has preyed on both a young college student and women in their 40's, a predator who casts a wide net. So they are protecting themselves any way they can.

Becky LeJeune, a 44-year-old mother who lives in the Baton Rouge area, never wanted any guns, "never wanted anything to do with them." Her husband always asked her to learn to shoot, but only now has she relented. "It's different now," she said.

She signed up for shooting classes for both herself and her daughter, a college student.

"I'm scared," she said.

William Saint, manager of Precision Firearms and Indoor Range in Baton Rouge, said sales of firearms, pepper spray and Mace had increased sharply.

Several women have told him that they never thought of owning a gun before but that "considering what's going on now, we need to get one." Women of all ages have come into the store, to buy a gun or learn to shoot.

Purchasers of a handgun in Louisiana must be at least 21, but, if parents approve, those as young as 18 can own and carry a concealed weapon. In a recent radio broadcast, Gov. Mike Foster reminded Louisianians that they had the right, after proper training, to carry a concealed gun.

Some residents say they are worried that the killings have created a gun-happy culture with no one to shoot at — at least no one specific.

Many just make sure that they lock the doors, and that they are not alone. Ms. Richardson's husband is home most nights, and when he is not, she said, "I lock my cat in with me."