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Authorities say killer is leaving more evidence
Investigators say killer 'not thinking'
[WVCT Observation: ....nor was the INS when they let this bastard loose]By Lisa Sandberg
Express-News Staff WriterAuthorities believe the person responsible for what they describe as a string of related killings in Texas, Illinois and Kentucky is showing signs of sloppiness and stress.
That's the good news, according to investigators and national experts on serial killers.
The bad news is the killings are occuring more regularly - and without the "cooling-off period" serial killers often exhibit.
"He's decomposing," Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman Mike Cox said last week. "He's certainly not thinking and there's nothing to show he's concealing evidence that can get people arrested. That's the only shred of good news we have."
The bad news keeps mounting.
Friday, authorities acknowledged that Rafael Resendez-Ramirez, an ex-convict from Puebla, Mexico, was in the custody of immigration officials early this month but was let go - just days before two people in Texas and two in Illinois were slain.
The FBI placed the elusive train-hopping drifter on its Ten Most Wanted List on Monday after they said physical evidence linked him to five slayings in Texas, one in Kentucky and the two in Illinois.
A $125,000 reward is being offered for his capture.
He's also wanted for questioning in the October slaying of an 87-year-old East Texas woman and the June 16 slaying of an Illinois woman.
Six of the killings have taken place since April 30; all of them have taken place near railroad tracks.
As 1,000 FBI agents joined local law enforcement agencies around the nation this week in a massive search for Resendez-Ramirez, who reportedly was seen in Lexington, Ky., about nine days ago, authorities acknowledged he doesn't fit the profile of a traditional serial killer.
"We're not looking at someone who stalks his victims," John Douglas, a former FBI agent and a leading expert on criminal-personality profiling, said from his Seattle office.
"He doesn't look for a particular victim. . . . The scary thing about it is that his victims fit a lot of people; (they could be) a 70-year-old woman or a 7-year-old boy," said Douglas, the author of "Mind Hunters" and "The Anatomy of Motive."
While some of the female victims have been sexually assaulted and others burglarized, neither sex nor burglarly seem to be the suspect's main motive, Douglas said.
"If a potential victim has a car he wants or a telephone he needs to use," that's usually enough, Douglas said. "His victim could be us," he said, noting killers such as Ted Bundy and David "Son of Sam" Berkowitz preyed on particular groups of people.
Michael Gilbert, associate professor of criminal justice at the University of Texas at San Antonio, said the crimes seem to fit one of four categories of serial killers: those who kill to establish control and power.
"These individuals seem to be ineffectual in other aspects of their lives," he said. "They kill to counterbalance the lack of control and power in their lives."
He noted Resendez-Ramirez is a vagrant who seemingly hasn't been able to establish any form of occupation - he's been known to work as a temporary migrant laborer - or relationships with people.
Gilbert said other categories of serial killers include hedonistic killers, who take great pleasure in killing; mission-oriented killers, who murder because they believe the world would be better off without their victims; and visionary killers, who are mentally-ill and often hear voices urging them to kill.
Cox, the DPS spokesman, described the killer as "a recreational killer."
"He's clearly killing for the fun of it," Cox said.
As far as catching the drifter known to ride the rails, Douglas said he would advise his former FBI colleagues to find the places Resendez-Ramirez has visited before.
"People tend to pretty much stay in their comfort zones," Douglas said. "Investigators need to find out where" the suspect's comfort zones are.
He said the problem is compounded by the fact that Resendez-Ramirez hasn't had a known permanent address in more than two decades.
Douglas said Resendez-Ramirez, whose most distinguished feature is a snake tatoo on his left arm, might seek haven with relatives, who are reportedly scattered throughout Mexico and the U.S. - including a mother who reportedly lives in Ciudad Juárez.
Robert Keppel, an investigator or consultant in more than 50 serial killings and the author of "Signature Killers," said Resendez-Ramirez's nomadic habits can both aid and hinder investigators.
Keppel said the people likely to cross the suspect's path - migrant workers and those who hop freight trains - may be relatively unaware of the intense manhunt for Resendez-Ramirez, who has used approximately 30 aliases in his 23-year history of run-ins with U.S. law enforcement and immigration authorities.
On the other hand, he speculated Resendez-Ramirez, who may have difficulty gaining access to radios and television sets, may not know he has become the nation's most talked-about fugitive.
Authorities with the Immigration and Naturalization Service acknowledged Friday that Resendez-Ramirez was detained by Border Patrol agents near El Paso June 1 or 2, but was deported the same day.
Four of the slayings occurred after he apparently returned to the United States.
The agency said it was unaware Resendez-Ramirez was then wanted for questioning in several murders.
A photo of Resendez-Ramirez, which shows him with a mustache but no glasses - was taken by the INS June 2.
Resendez-Ramirez has served almost a decade behind bars in the U.S. for crimes ranging from aggravated assault to falsely claiming U.S. citizenship.
As the search intensifies, law enforcement officials say they're dealing with a vicious killer who will continue to strike until captured.
"We've got some very violent crime scenes," said Don Clark, special agent of the Houston FBI who is leading the investigation. "The type of instruments he uses are very heavy, sometimes with sharp blades. There is no end to his violence."
He added that agents continue to comb through the 1,800 leads they've received.
Resendez-Ramirez "has an extensive network of cities and states he has traveled through," Clark said. "He could be north, south, east or west. He could be moving by any means. . . . We want to make sure his days are as numbered as possible. There are a lot of scared people out there."