John Floyd Thomas
Westside Rapist, The Southland Strangler
Active for 53 years
(1957-2009) in United States
5
CONFIRMED
VICTIMS
25
POSSIBLE
VICTIMS
Jump to:
- Summary
- Serial Killer Profile
- Serial Killer Type
- General Information
- Characteristics
- Childhood
- Cognitive Ability
- Incarceration
- Death
- 12 Timeline Events
- Serial Killers Active During Spree
- Boolean Statistical Questions
- 3 Books Written About John Floyd Thomas
- 7 External References
- Internal References
John Floyd Thomas an American serial killer and rapist known as the Westside rapist and The Southland Strangler. Thomas has one of the longest criminal careers in the US. The first wave of killings claimed the lives of seventeen women ranging in age from the 50s to the 90s. The murders stopped in 1978 - the same year a witness copied down Mr Thomas's car licence number after he raped a woman in Pasadena and was sent to jail. The second wave began after his release in 1983. Five more elderly white women were raped and strangled in the Claremont area. In 2011, John Floyd Thomas was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
John Floyd Thomas Serial Killer Profile
Serial Killer John Floyd Thomas (aka) Westside Rapist, The Southland Strangler, was active for 53 years between 1957-2009, known to have ( 5 confirmed / 25 possible ) victims. This Serial Killer was active in the following countries: United States
John Floyd Thomas was born on July 26th 1936 in Los Angeles, California, US. He was raised by his mother until (Age 12), his aunt and a godmother until adulthood. His father, unnamed. His mother, unnamed deceased, John (Age 12).
John Floyd Thomas a heterosexual male citizen of the United States of America. He married multiple times. He had at least two children.
Prior to his spree he had commited crimes, served time in jail, and served time in prison.
In 1957 (Age 20/21) John Floyd Thomas started his killing spree, during his crimes as a serial killer he was known to rob, commit acts of necrophilia, strangle, rape, and murder his victims. He was known to kill at the home of the victim. John Floyd Thomas used a blindfold or simiar method of covering the victim's eyes. At the time of his crimes he was living with his wife and children in Los Angeles, California where he worked as a claims adjuster at State Compensation Insurance Fund, where he was known to work as a serial killer.
He was arrested on March 31st 2009 (Age 72), convicted on April 1st 2011 (Age 74), sentenced to seven consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, California, US.
Profile Completeness: 68%
serial killers by profile completenessJohn Floyd Thomas has been listed on Killer.Cloud since November of 2016 and was last updated 5 years ago.
John Floyd Thomas a known:
( 651 killers ) SERIAL KILLER
The unlawful killing of two or more victims by the same offender(s), in separate events. Serial Killer as defined by the FBI at the 2005 symposium.
( 308 killers ) RAPIST
Rape is usually defined as having sexual intercourse with a person who does not want to, or cannot consent.
( 60 killers ) NECROPHILIAC
Necrophilia, also called thanatophilia, is a sexual attraction or sexual act involving corpses. Serial Killer Necrophiliacs have been known to have sex with the body of their victim(s).
( 251 killers ) STRANGLER
Strangulation is death by compressing the neck until the supply of oxygen is cut off. Stranglers kill by Strangulation.
John Floyd Thomas
Serial Killer Profile:
Updated: 2019-01-27 Collected by Killer.Cloud
| General Information | |
|---|---|
| Name: | John Floyd Thomas, Jr. |
| Nickname: | Westside Rapist, The Southland Strangler |
| Victims: | 5 - 25 |
| Years Active: | 1957 - 2009 |
| Ages Active: | 20/21 - 72/73 |
| Active Countries: | United States |
| Life Span: | 1936 - |
| Characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Gender: | Male |
| Citizenship: | United States of America |
| Sexual Preference: | heterosexual |
| Astrological Sign: | ♌ Leo Jul 23 - Aug 23 |
| Birth Month: | July |
| Marital Status: | married multiple times |
| Children: | at least two children |
| Living With: | his wife and children in Los Angeles, California where he worked as a claims adjuster at State Compensation Insurance Fund |
| Occupation: | serial killer |
| Childhood Information | |
|---|---|
| D.O.B.: | Jul 26, 1936 |
| Given Name: | John |
| Birth Location: | Los Angeles, California, US |
| Birth Order: | N/A |
| Siblings: | N/A |
| Raised By: | his mother until (Age 12), his aunt and a godmother until adulthood |
| Birth Category: | N/A |
| Mother: | unnamed deceased, John (Age 12) |
| Father: | unnamed |
| Cognitive Ability | |
|---|---|
| IQ: | N/A |
| Highest School: | N/A |
| Highest Degree: | |
| Incarceration | |
|---|---|
| Arrested: | Mar 31, 2009 (Age 72) |
| Convicted: | Apr 1, 2011 (Age 74) |
| Sentence: | seven consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole |
| Prison Location: | Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, California, US |
| Executed: | N/A |
| Previous Crimes: | TRUE |
| Previous Jail: | TRUE |
| Previous Prison: | TRUE |
| Death Information | |
|---|---|
| Death Date: | N/A |
| Cause of Death: | N/A |
| Death Location: | N/A |
| Killed In Prison: | N/A |
| Suicide: | N/A |
12 Timeline Events of Serial Killer
John Floyd Thomas
The 12 dates listed below represent a timeline of the life and crimes of serial killer John Floyd Thomas. A complete collection of serial killer events can be found on our Serial Killer Timeline.
| Date | Event Description |
|---|---|
| Jul 26 1936 | John Floyd Thomas was born in Los Angeles, California, US. #19360726 |
| Jul 26 1956 (Age 20) | 20th Birthday |
| 1957 (Age 20/21) | John Floyd Thomas started his serial killing spree. #1957 |
| Jul 26 1966 (Age 30) | 30th Birthday |
| Jul 26 1976 (Age 40) | 40th Birthday |
| Jul 26 1986 (Age 50) | 50th Birthday |
| Jul 26 1996 (Age 60) | 60th Birthday |
| Jul 26 2006 (Age 70) | 70th Birthday |
| 2009 (Age 72/73) | John Floyd Thomas ended his serial killing spree. #2009 |
| Mar 31 2009 (Age 72) | John Floyd Thomas arrested. #20090331 |
| Apr 01 2011 (Age 74) | John Floyd Thomas was convictedand sentenced to seven consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, California, US. #20110401 |
| Jul 26 2016 (Age 80) | 80th Birthday |
Back to top Serial Killers Active During
The following serial killers were active during the same time span as John Floyd Thomas (1957-2009).
Serial Killers By Active Year
| 18 / 40 ANSWEREDSerial Killer Boolean Questions: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Killer Question | Killer Answer | Total Answered | ||
| previous crimes | TRUE | 367 | ||
| previous jail | TRUE | 352 | ||
| previous prision | TRUE | 336 | ||
| kill at victims home | TRUE | 323 | ||
| rape | TRUE | 453 | ||
| blindfold | TRUE | 363 | ||
| strangle | TRUE | 443 | ||
| sex with body | TRUE | 430 | ||
| robbed | TRUE | 418 | ||
| kill at killers home | FALSE | 320 | ||
| used weapon | FALSE | 453 | ||
| used gun | FALSE | 451 | ||
| torture | FALSE | 426 | ||
| stalk | FALSE | 418 | ||
| bound | FALSE | 406 | ||
| mutilated | FALSE | 447 | ||
| ate part of body | FALSE | 451 | ||
| drank blood | FALSE | 442 | ||
Books that Mention John Floyd Thomas
Kevin Smith
Serial Killer Stranglers
Kevin Smith
Serial Killer Rapists
Juan M. Floyd-Thomas
The Altars Where We Worship
3 Books that mention Serial Killer
John Floyd Thomas
| ISBN10 | Book Title | Author | Killers Mentioned | Killers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1733630600 | Serial Killer Stranglers | Kevin Smith | 164 Total Including Juana Barraza | 164 |
| 1733630619 | Serial Killer Rapists | Kevin Smith | 266 Total Including Ramadan Abdel Rehim Mansour | 266 |
| 1611647800 | The Altars Where We Worsh... | 3 Total Including Juan M. Floyd-Thomas | John Floyd Thomas | 1 |
John Floyd Thomas Jr. (born July 26, 1936) is an American serial killer, serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole convicted of the murders of seven women in the Los Angeles area during the 1970s and 1980s, and suspected by police of 10 to 15 more.
External References
- John Floyd Thomas Jr. on en.wikipedia.org, Retrieved on Sep 18, 2018.
- Juan Ignacio Blanco, John Floyd THOMAS Jr. on murderpedia.org, Retrieved on Sep 18, 2018.
- Q4160405 on www.wikidata.org, Retrieved on Oct 11, 2018.
- CDCR# AH3405, State of California Inmate Locator on inmatelocator.cdcr.ca.gov, Retrieved on Jan 14, 2019.
- Victoria Kim, Andrew Blankstein, Westside Rapist: John Floyd Thomas sentenced to life on articles.latimes.com, Retrieved on Jan 14, 2019.
- Alison Stateman, A Cold Case Gets Hot: Is This L.A.'s Westside Rapist? on content.time.com, Retrieved on Jan 14, 2019.
- Alan Duke, DNA leads to suspect in 1970s Los Angeles serial killings on www.cnn.com, Retrieved on Jan 14, 2019.
Internal References
John Floyd Thomas is included in the following pages on Killer.Cloud the Serial Killer Database
- #1 of 651[ Page 1 ] of serial killers sorted by Years Active
- #24 of 41[ Page 2 ] of Serial Killers with birthdays in July
- #25 of 46[ Page 2 ] of Leo Serial Killers sorted by Confirmed Victims
- #47 of 60[ Page 4 ] of Serial Killer Necrophiliacs sorted by Confirmed Victims
- #169 of 250[ Page 12 ] of Serial Killer Stranglers sorted by Confirmed Victims
- #206 of 327[ Page 14 ] of Serial Killers active in the United States
- #209 of 307[ Page 14 ] of Serial Killer Rapist sorted by Confirmed Victims
- #332 of 651[ Page 23 ] of serial killers sorted by Profile Completeness
- #416 of 651[ Page 28 ] of serial killers sorted by Confirmed Victims
- #589 of 651[ Page 40 ] of the A-Z List of Serial Killers
- Statistics:
- Serial Killers Statistics, charts John Floyd Thomas is included in: Active Serial Killers by Country, Serial Killers By Gender, Age of Serial Killer by Date, Killers By Astrological Sign, Killers By Birth Month, Sexual Preference, Active Serial Killers by Year and Statistical Boolean Questions.
- Years Active: