Roy Waller

Roy Charles Waller was arrested on September 20, 2018 and charged in a series of sexual assaults that took place in Northern California over a 15-year period, from 1991 to 2006. The suspect was known as the NorCal Rapist. This series consisted of several extremely violent home invasion rapes in which the victims were bound, brutally raped multiple times, and threatened with deadly weapons.

There is no information on who conducted the FGG investigation. DNA profiles were obtained through evidence left at the crime scenes. In one case, the suspect’s blood was collected because the victim had stabbed him with a pair of scissors. The initial confirmation was made through police surveillance followed by the surreptitious sampling from items Waller had discarded in the trash outside his home. John Doe warrants had been filed in 2006 to stop the statute of limitations from running.

Waller was charged with 46 counts, including 21 counts of rape against 9 different victims, as well as kidnapping, burglary, and other related charges. The trial began on October 19, 2020.

Waller took the stand in his defence and testified that he could not explain how his DNA ended up at the crime scenes. The jury deliberated for only 2 ½ hours before finding Waller guilty. After the trial, his attorney told Murray, “‘It didn’t matter what I did,’ … ‘It was a DNA case. We could not overcome the fact that his DNA was at nearly all the crime scenes.’”

There is no data on the ethnicity of his victims, but he is reported to have targeted young Asian females. Waller has been sentenced to 897 years.

Sources:

Associated Press. “New Charges Add More Victims of Alleged ‘NorCal Rapist’.” ABC 10 News, March 7, 2019. Accessed December 28, 2020. https://www.abc10.com/article/news/crime/new-charges-add-more-victims-of-alleged-norcal-rapist/103-6040a9cd-deea-4ec8-a36f-c42f2b1c842f.

California v. Roy Charles Waller. Amended Felony Complaint. No. 18FE018342. Superior Court of California, County of Sacramento. Accessed December 28, 2020. https://htv-prod-media.s3.amazonaws.com/files/waller-complaint-1578025307.pdf.

Collman, Ashley. “Suspected Serial ‘NorCal Rapist’ Arrested in California Thanks to a DNA Match on a Genealogy Website – Just Like the Golden State Killer.” Business Insider, September 24, 2018. Accessed December 28, 2020. https://www.businessinsider.com/norcal-rapist-arrested-suspect-roy-waller-dna-match-2018-9.

Gonzalez, Vicki. “DNA Evidence Focus of ‘NorCal Rapist’ Trial on Second Day.” KCRA 3 News, October 20, 2020. Accessed December 28, 2020. https://www.kcra.com/article/dna-evidence-focus-of-norcal-rapist-trial-on-second-day/34431505.

Kitagaki, Paul Jr. “‘NorCal Rapist’ Suspect Found Guilty on All 46 Charges from Attacks Dating Back to 1991.” Associated Press Pool, and NBC News, November 18, 2020. Accessed December 28, 2020. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/norcal-rapist-suspect-found-guilty-all-46-charges-attacks-dating-n1248170.

Luery, Mike. “Suspect in NorCal Rapist Case Faces 46 Charges.” KCRA 3 NBC News, Last Modified January 2, 2020. Accessed December 28, 2020. https://www.kcra.com/amp/article/suspect-in-norcal-rapist-case-faces-46-charges/30384854.
Murray, Kelly. “‘NorCal’ Rapist Roy Waller Sentences to 897 Years.” CNN, December 18, 2020. Accessed December 28, 2020. https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/18/us/norcal-rapist-roy-waller-sentenced-trnd/index.html?fbclid=IwAR0cQfcoebvtCnHijIqtyUbwvCNDF9c2IQQFwWsqBKCc-vuJxnCYUvunmBc.

Solomon, Samantha. “‘I Pray to God that He’s Convicted’: Trial Begins for Alleged ‘NorCal Rapist’ Roy Charles Waller.” ABC 10 News, October 19, 2020. Accessed December 28, 2020. https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/sacramento/norcal-rapist-trial-begins/103-929a6667-64e6-4f54-8c0d-c44dd4916d5c.

Individual

First Name Roy
Last Name Waller
Other Names NorCal Rapist
Victims 9 (Details)
IGG Started nd
Case Cleared 2018-09-20
IGG Org nd

Victims

Case ID Name Age Case Opened Location Investigating Org Most Serious Charge Disposition Court
1120 n/a N. Doe 21 1991-06-23 Sonoma CO, CA Sonoma CSO All sexual offenses, including rape, sexual assault, and child molestation Accused was convicted after a trial Sacramento CO SUP CT
1119 n/a T. Doe nd 1992-02-13 Solano CO, CA Solano CSO All sexual offenses, including rape, sexual assault, and child molestation Accused was convicted after a trial Sacramento CO SUP CT
1118 n/a S. Doe nd 1996-10-31 Contra Costa CO, CA Contra Costa CSO All sexual offenses, including rape, sexual assault, and child molestation Accused was convicted after a trial Sacramento CO SUP CT
1116 n/a T. Doe nd 1997-01-24 Davis, CA Davis PD All sexual offenses, including rape, sexual assault, and child molestation Accused was convicted after a trial Sacramento CO SUP CT
1117 n/a K. Doe nd 1997-01-24 Davis, CA Davis PD Kidnapping, including when combined with a sexual offense Accused was convicted after a trial Sacramento CO SUP CT
1115 n/a R. Doe nd 1997-07-18 Butte CO, CA Butte CSO All sexual offenses, including rape, sexual assault, and child molestation Accused was convicted after a trial Sacramento CO SUP CT
1114 n/a C. Doe nd 2000-07-16 Yolo CO, CA Yolo CSO All sexual offenses, including rape, sexual assault, and child molestation Accused was convicted after a trial Sacramento CO SUP CT
1112 n/a K. Doe nd 2006-10-14 Sacramento, CA Sacramento PD All sexual offenses, including rape, sexual assault, and child molestation Accused was convicted after a trial Sacramento CO SUP CT
1113 n/a Y. Doe nd 2006-10-14 Sacramento, CA Sacramento PD All sexual offenses, including rape, sexual assault, and child molestation Accused was convicted after a trial Sacramento CO SUP CT

Last updated: February 9, 2024

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Case data and narrative licensed under CC BY 4.0: Dowdeswell, Tracey (2023), “Forensic Genetic Genealogy Project v. 2022”, Mendeley Data, V1, doi: 10.17632/jcycgvhm96.1. All other content, including photos, have been added.