Roxanne Bates, a 31-year-old African American woman from Montclair, California, was tragically murdered in November 1993. Her body was discovered in Chino, California, and she had been strangled with a cord or cloth. At the time of her death, Roxanne Bates was known to be involved in sex work in the Los Angeles area. She had prior convictions related to prostitution in 1991 and again in 1993.
Her murder was part of a series of killings attributed to Ivan Jerome Hill, infamously known as the "60 Freeway Killer." Hill targeted women, many of whom were sex workers, and left their bodies along the California State Route 60. The victims were all African American women, and the killings spanned from 1986 to 1994. Hill was apprehended in 2003 after DNA evidence linked him to the crimes. He was convicted of multiple counts of first-degree murder and was sentenced to death in 2007.
The case of Roxanne Bates highlights the dangers faced by marginalized women and the importance of diligent investigative work in bringing perpetrators to justice.
