At 11.06 a.m. on 17th February 2014 Essex police received a 999 call … ‘Lewis Daynes stabbed Breck Bednar after grooming him on the internet.’ Murder Games: The Life and Death of Breck Bednar, news, BBC 2018
On 17th February 2014 Surrey schoolboy Breck Bednar was lured to his death. ibid.
Beck had only been part of Lewis’s gaming group for a few months but some of the older boys were becoming suspicious. ibid.
Lewis maintained his story of self-defence but evidence was pointing to the contrary. ibid.
Lewis Daynes had been abandoned by his parents as a child and had grown up in and out of foster care. Living alone from the age of 16 he had developed unhealthy online interests. ibid.
In February 2014, 14-year-old Breck Bednar went in secret to meet fellow online gamer Lewis Daynes. Britain’s Most Evil Killers s7e1: Lewis Daynes, Sky Crime 2023
In 2011 aged 16, Daynes was accused of rape and computer hacking by a student at his school. ibid.
Breck got into a taxi telling his dad that he was visiting a friend from school. His family had no idea that he’d never return from that visit. ibid.
‘This is what he’d planned to do all along.’ ibid. expert
I need police and a forensic team to my address please. My friend and I got into an altercation and I am the only one who came out alive. A Killer Makes a Call s1e4: Lewis Daynes, Channel 5 2024
Grays, Essex, 14th February 2014: The body of schoolboy Breck Bednar lies in an Essex flat. ibid.
‘I said to him, I think you are being groomed.’ ibid. Breck’s mother
Breck is spying on their meeting. ibid.
‘You would expect the caller to be much more emotional. It just seems very methodical and thought-through.’ ibid. expert
‘The fight ended with me cutting his throat.’ ibid. Daynes
Grays, Essex: The persona that Lewis Daynes was able to project, how he was seen by other people online, really bore very little resemblance to the reality of him as a person. Killer Britain with Dermot Murnaghan s1e3, rozzer Colin Sutton, CI 2020
In 2011 there are very serious allegations made against Lewis Daynes that he has assaulted, sexually assaulted, boys that he met online. ibid. Sutton
Lewis Daynes gave the 999 operator a grizzly account of what he claimed was a tragic mistake. ibid.
DEANGELO, JOSEPH JAMES: The Golden State Killer: It’s Not Over TV - Golden State Killer: Unmasked TV - People Magazine Investigates TV - I’ll Be Gone in the Dark TV - Conspiracies Decoded TV - Serial Killer: Original Night Stalker TV - True Crime Recaps 2022 - Very Scary People TV -
A predator known as the East Area rapist brings terror to northern California. From 1976-1978 the masked attacker rapes 50 women in their quiet suburban homes. The Golden State Killer: It’s Not Over I, ID 2018
‘One of the most prolific serial killers in the history of this state if not in this nation.’ ibid. press conference
Over time his idiosyncrasies became clear. ibid.
Even private citizens have become obsessed with solving it. ibid.
Was the East Area Rapist a police officer? ibid.
The Rapist is keenly aware of how he presents to the public. He tries to paint a misleading portrait but sometimes his actions are purely ego-driven. ibid.
A monster hiding behind a ski mask. He is a diabolical predator. But for the most part he remains unknown. The Golden State Killer: It’s Not Over II
He seems too familiar with these neighbourhoods for there not to be a connection. ibid.
The caller’s voice isn’t the only one on the tape … perhaps with a family who knew nothing of his evil deeds. ibid.
From 1976 to 1986 he raped 50 women and killed 10 people, maybe more. The Golden State Killer: It’s Not Over III
‘In June 1976 a community was taken hostage.’ Golden State Killer: Unmasked I: Launching the Manhunt for the Golden State Killer, press conference, Sky Living 2018
1976 Sacramento: ‘Flash-light shining down the hall. And then his eyes lit up, he looked, and there was this man, with ski-knife, with a large butcher knife standing over me.’ ibid. Jane, victim
‘There were several prior cases with the same MO.’ ibid. rozzer
Within a 20 month period, from June 1976 to February 1978, the East Area Rapist attacks 30 times. ibid. caption
Three months after the East Area Rapist disappears from northern California a series of murders begins 320 miles south. ibid.
From 1976 to 1986 the Golden State Killer stalked the California coast. He was responsible for at least 51 attacks and 12 murders. ibid.
‘He did follow a plan when he would attack. All about self-preservation.’ Golden State Killer: Unmasked II: The Pattern of the Golden State Killer, rozzer
‘The use of dishes as alarm systems.’ ibid.
By 1977 the East Area Rapist had evolved from attacking women who were alone in their homes to attacking couples. ibid. caption
‘The suspect always wore a mask. Then all the victims were temporarily blinded with a flashlight.’ ibid. sheriff
The East Area Rapist exploited not only the lack of technology available to law enforcement but also the lack of technology available to home owners. Golden State Killer: Unmasked III: How the Golden State Killer Got Away, caption
In response to the East Area Rapist’s attacks, local women’s groups fought for the following changes: 911 Emergency service, A Rape Awareness Week, Funding for Rape Crisis Centre, Transparency in how police handle rape cases. ibid.
Bold, Crafty, Conceited, Flaky. Golden State Killer: Unmasked IV: Inside the Golden State Killer’s Mind, newspaper article
‘He wants to degrade, he wants to see fear in their faces.’ ibid.