Louis Craine

Serial Killer

Louis Craine: The South Los Angeles Serial Killer

Overview

Louis Craine was an American serial killer convicted of murdering four women in South Los Angeles during the mid-1980s. His crimes occurred during a period when a disturbing number of women, many of them involved in sex work and living in vulnerable circumstances, were being murdered in neighborhoods throughout South-Central Los Angeles. Investigators initially grouped many of these deaths together under the name "Southside Slayer," but eventually discovered that several different killers were operating in the same general area at roughly the same time. Craine was convicted of four first-degree murders: Gail M. Ficklin, Loretta Perry, Vivian Louise Collins, and Carolyn Barney. He was also tried for the murder of Sheila Rae Burris, also identified in contemporary reports as Sheila Rae Burton, but a jury acquitted him of that killing. The four murders for which Craine was convicted shared significant characteristics, particularly strangulation, sexual violence, and the use of vacant properties, alleys, or lots in South Los Angeles.

The Southside Slayer Investigation

During the 1980s, Los Angeles authorities were confronted with a series of killings involving predominantly Black women in South-Central Los Angeles. Many of the victims had histories of prostitution or drug use, and their bodies were frequently found in alleys, abandoned buildings, or other isolated locations. Fear grew that a single serial killer was responsible, and investigators created a joint task force to examine what became known as the Southside Slayer murders. As arrests were made, detectives increasingly concluded that the apparent pattern concealed the activities of multiple offenders rather than one murderer. Louis Craine eventually became one of several men connected to killings that had been placed on the task force's list. Two of the murders for which Craine was ultimately convicted had been formally associated with the Southside Slayer investigation. ...

Confirmed Victims: (4)

Gail Ficklin , Date of Death: 1985-08-15

Suspected Victims:

Sheila Burris Age: (30), Date of Death: 1984-11-18

Louis Craine - Wikipedia