On August 11, 1983, **Dorothy Fain**, a **70‑year‑old female** of recorded ethnicity was found brutally murdered in her Hollywood, Los Angeles, apartment. She lived alone, like several victims in the same crime series. Fain was stabbed to death. At the time, law enforcement determined she was targeted in a wave of fatal attacks against elderly women in the area.
Investigators quickly linked Fain’s killing to a notorious crime spree carried out by a convicted rapist on parole.
**Brandon Tholmer**, a **27-year-old male**, became the prime suspect. He had a criminal history involving the assault and rape of elderly women, and his M.O. matched other unsolved murders—beating, stabbing or strangulation, often with signs of sexual assault, sometimes followed by arson. Tholmer allegedly stalked these victims, choosing women in their late 60s to early 80s who lived alone within a few miles of his residence and frequented the same area.
In January 1984, Tholmer was formally charged with Fain’s murder along with those of four other elderly women: **Rose Lederman **, **Wolloomooloo Woodcock **, **Mary Pauquette **, and **Lorraine Wells **. Authorities connected him to at least 34 similar killings across Los Angeles from 1981 to 1983, though he was ultimately prosecuted for only five deaths, including Fain’s. Charges included not just murder but also rape, sodomy, arson, and burglary.
Tholmer was taken into custody in November 1983 after being caught during an attempted break-in at another elderly woman’s home. After his arrest, police searches uncovered stolen items belonging to many elderly victims, including jewelry and personal keepsakes, which was critical evidence linking him to these crimes.
In July 1986, Tholmer was found guilty of Dorothy Fain’s murder along with three other elderly women. The jury concluded he had stabbed Fain and also committed sodomy during her killing. He received consecutive life sentences without parole, ensuring he would remain incarcerated for life. The conviction brought a grim closure to a string of violent, sexual homicides that had terrorized Los Angeles’ elderly population in the early 1980s.
