Juan Chavez

Serial Killer

Juan Chavez: The Los Angeles Serial Killer Who Targeted Gay Men

Juan Chavez was a Mexican-born serial killer responsible for a series of robberies and strangulation murders in Los Angeles County, California, during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Five murders were ultimately prosecuted against him, while a sixth killing was connected to Chavez through DNA evidence more than a decade after his death. His known victims were middle-aged gay men whom he encountered in and around Los Angeles, West Hollywood and Alhambra. Chavez was reportedly born in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, in the mid-1960s and later came to the United States. He settled in the Los Angeles area, where he worked a succession of low-paying jobs and accumulated a record for lesser crimes. By the time detectives understood the full extent of his violence, Chavez was already serving a lengthy prison sentence for an unrelated kidnapping offense.

Method of Approaching His Victims

The murders followed a recognizable pattern. Chavez encountered men around areas of Los Angeles known at the time as meeting or pickup locations for gay men, including the vicinity of Echo Park, Elysian Park, LaFayette Park and MacArthur Park. According to court records and statements Chavez later gave investigators, some of the men offered him money for sex and invited him to their residences. Once inside a victim's home, Chavez commonly produced a knife or otherwise threatened the victim, restrained his hands and feet, and demanded valuables. In several cases he forced victims to reveal the personal identification numbers for their bank cards. He then strangled the men with objects readily available at the residence, including rope, clothing, neckties, electrical cords or exercise equipment. The killings therefore contained elements of both targeted violence and robbery. Chavez later made hostile statements blaming gay men for the spread of HIV and AIDS, but prosecutors believed financial gain was also a major motive. Money, jewelry, electronics, bank cards and automobiles disappeared from some of the victims' homes, and the use of stolen property ultimately contributed to identifying him.

The Murder of Alfred Rowswell

Chavez's first known victim was Alfred Rowswell, 46. Rowswell was killed in July 1986 after encountering Chavez in Los Angeles. Chavez accompanied him to his apartment in the LaFayette Park area. Once there, Chavez threatened Rowswell, restrained him and strangled him. July 17, 1986, has been reported as the date of the killing. After Rowswell's death, property was taken from the apartment and his automobile disappeared. The stolen vehicle later surfaced in Utah. Investigators recovered fingerprints from the car, but at the time they were unable to identify the person who had left them. That apparently minor piece of evidence would become enormously important years later. Rowswell's murder initially appeared to be an isolated case. There was no immediate evidence that police could use to identify Chavez, and several years passed before another group of killings revealed a similar pattern. ...

Confirmed Victims: (6)

Alfred Rowswell Age: (45), Date of Death: 1986-07-17

Juan Chavez - Wikipedia