The killer has a ‘harmless’ appearance

In the late 1990s, violent crime increased in New Orleans, Louisiana, and its suburbs.

In October 1998, in Jefferson Parish, the body of an African-American man was found under an overpass. The victim, Oliver LeBanks, who lived near the French Quarter in New Orleans, died of strangulation. The hair of a Caucasian was found on Oliver’s body and collected as evidence.

Oliver is a father of five and is unemployed. He occasionally wandered the street corners, supposedly to meet and have sex with men passing by.

For the next 10 months, the police found no useful leads. In August 1999, another murder was discovered at the same location as Oliver’s body.

The victim, Mitchell Johnson, 34, had the same marks as Oliver, and the cause of death was similar. There were no self-defense wounds, but there were signs of sexual assault. Mitchell has a similar living situation to Oliver.

One witness said Mitchell was with a white man before he was murdered. From the witness’ description, the police published a composite sketch of the suspect in a local newspaper and gay establishments in the French Quarter. However, the results of the investigation have not yet made progress.

Later, the body of another black man was found in Kenner City, Louisiana. The police compared the characteristics of the cases and found many things in common. They find themselves dealing with a serial killer.

By the end of 1999, the number of victims had grown to nine. According to forensic neuropsychologist John Fabian, rage as well as sexual deviance can lead to identical murders.

But in 2000, the murders suddenly stopped. Investigators questioned whether the killer was dead or in custody.

In October 2002 in the city of Houma, about 24 km from Jefferson Parish, a similar series of murders began again. By February 2005, six more victims had been found, both African-American and white. Seven months later, the number reached 21.

The Louisiana Attorney General’s office organizes a task force, pooling resources to focus on solving cases. But the clues all go to a dead end.

In mid-2006, the case took a turn when Ricky Wallace, of Terrebonne Parish, told authorities about the hitchhiking of a stout white man.

According to Ricky, the driver left a photo of an attractive woman on the dashboard. Ricky agrees to go with him to a mobile home to smoke opium and have sex with the girl in the picture. When he entered the house, Ricky saw no women. The driver tries to convince Ricky that his girlfriend likes to play tie-ups, offering to tie Ricky up. Ricky refused, asking to get back on the road and jump out of the car as soon as he could.

Days after investigators questioned Ricky, the body of another victim with similar markings was found.

Police searched the mobile home as described by Ricky and identified the driver as Ronald Joseph Dominique, 41. Ronald works for a supply company. Several years ago, he was arrested for sexually abusing a man.

After two months of investigating Ronald, the police detained him for questioning. He denies any wrongdoing with Ricky and says the arrest several years ago was untrue, the victim attempted to rape him.

Ronald agreed to provide a DNA sample, but the waiting process for the results took a long time.

By October 2006, the number of bodies was 23. In the same month, DNA was found on Manuel Reed’s body that matched Ronald’s. Oliver’s body hair also matches.

Ronald was arrested and charged with two murders. After 20 minutes of interrogation, he began to confess.

Ronald was born in a small town in Houma, Louisiana. He lived with his sister in a mobile home before moving to a homeless shelter.

Ronald is short, overweight and has heart disease, is considered to have a gentle, quiet personality. However, he has been charged at least seven times and jailed twice over the years, mostly for minor offenses such as traffic violations, brawls and disturbances.

On August 25, 1996, Ronald was arrested on charges of rape, but the case was not brought to trial because the victim could not be found. He told investigators that his short time in detention made him determined not to return to prison.

Ronald targets males between the ages of 16 and 45, most of whom are homeless. He met them on the street, started a conversation, offered to drive them somewhere or talked about sex, lured them along. According to investigators, Ronald’s eloquence and ability to seduce others were instrumental in helping him attract victims.

Ronald testified that he used seat belts and electric wires to commit the crime. He considers his behavior justified because his victims raped him.

Neuropsychologist John Fabian suggests that sex offenders often deny the offense and have cognitive distortions, “switching roles” and believing themselves to be the one being taken advantage of.

Ronald eventually confessed to 23 murders and pointed out where to dispose of the body.

On September 23, 2008, Ronald was found guilty of eight counts of first-degree murder and received eight life sentences for being exempt from the death penalty under a plea agreement.

Tue Anh (According to Oxygen, Seattletimes)