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:
  1. Summary
  2. Serial Killer Profile
  3. Serial Killer Type
  4. General Information
  5. Characteristics
  6. Childhood
  7. Cognitive Ability
  8. Incarceration
  9. Death
  10. 12 Timeline Events
  11. Serial Killers Active During Spree
  12. Boolean Statistical Questions
  13. 3 Books About John Floyd Thomas
  14. 7 External References
  15. 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 completeness

John Floyd Thomas has been listed on Killer.Cloud since November of 2016 and was last updated 5 years ago.

John Floyd Thomas a known:

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 1936John 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
ANSWERED
Serial 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

Book: Serial Killer Stranglers (mentions serial killer John Floyd Thomas)
Kevin Smith
Serial Killer Stranglers
Book: Serial Killer Rapists (mentions serial killer John Floyd Thomas)
Kevin Smith
Serial Killer Rapists
Book: The Altars Where We Worship (mentions serial killer John Floyd Thomas)
Juan M. Floyd-Thomas
The Altars Where We Worship

3 Books that mention Serial Killer
John Floyd Thomas

ISBN10 Book Title Killers
1733630600 Serial Killer Stranglers 164
1733630619 Serial Killer Rapists 266
1611647800 The Altars Where We Worsh... 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.

Wikipedia
External References
  1. John Floyd Thomas Jr. on en.wikipedia.org, Retrieved on Sep 18, 2018.
  2. Juan Ignacio Blanco, John Floyd THOMAS Jr. on murderpedia.org, Retrieved on Sep 18, 2018.
  3. Q4160405 on www.wikidata.org, Retrieved on Oct 11, 2018.
  4. CDCR# AH3405, State of California Inmate Locator on inmatelocator.cdcr.ca.gov, Retrieved on Jan 14, 2019.
  5. Victoria Kim, Andrew Blankstein, Westside Rapist: John Floyd Thomas sentenced to life on articles.latimes.com, Retrieved on Jan 14, 2019.
  6. Alison Stateman, A Cold Case Gets Hot: Is This L.A.'s Westside Rapist? on content.time.com, Retrieved on Jan 14, 2019.
  7. 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. #1 of 651[ Page 1 ] of serial killers sorted by Years Active
  2. #24 of 41[ Page 2 ] of Serial Killers with birthdays in July
  3. #25 of 46[ Page 2 ] of Leo Serial Killers sorted by Confirmed Victims
  4. #47 of 60[ Page 4 ] of Serial Killer Necrophiliacs sorted by Confirmed Victims
  5. #169 of 250[ Page 12 ] of Serial Killer Stranglers sorted by Confirmed Victims
  6. #206 of 327[ Page 14 ] of Serial Killers active in the United States
  7. #209 of 307[ Page 14 ] of Serial Killer Rapist sorted by Confirmed Victims
  8. #332 of 651[ Page 23 ] of serial killers sorted by Profile Completeness
  9. #416 of 651[ Page 28 ] of serial killers sorted by Confirmed Victims
  10. #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: