Ronnie Shelton

This article is about the American serial rapist. For the American film director, see Ron Shelton. For the American basketball player, see Lonnie Shelton.

Ronnie Shelton
Shelton c. 1989
Born(1961-10-01)October 1, 1961[3]
United States
DiedSeptember 25, 2018(2018-09-25) (aged 56)[4]
Grafton Correctional Institution, Grafton, Ohio, U.S.
Criminal charge
  • Rape
  • Aggravated burglary
  • Felonious assault
  • Gross sexual imposition
  • Kidnapping
  • Intimidation
  • Theft
  • Aggravated robberies
  • Cutting telephone lines[1]
Penalty3,195 years[2]

Ronald Shelton (October 1, 1961 – September 25, 2018), better known as The West Side Rapist, was an American convicted serial rapist. He was convicted of raping over 30 women in Cleveland, Ohio, from 1983 to 1988.[5] He may have raped up to 50 women.[6] Shelton was caught on video using an ATM with his victims' bank cards.[7]

He was the subject of the book Unfinished Murder: The Pursuit of a Serial Rapist by James Neff.[8]

Crimes

Shelton's modus operandi was to break into victims' homes wearing something to obscure his face.[1] He would initially tell victims he was going to rob them, but then rape them.[1] He would insist victims not look at him and threaten them if they reported him to police.[1] His language and pattern of sexual assaults helped link his crimes.[6]

Trial

Timothy J. McGinty prosecuted the case in 1989.[9] Shelton was found guilty of 220 charges, including 49 rapes of over 30 women in Cleveland, Ohio.[5][1] Richard McMonagle sentenced him to between 1,554 and 3,195 years in prison.[4] He received the longest sentence in Ohio's history.[7][1][10]

Death

On September 25, 2018, at 4:30pm Shelton, aged 56, jumped from the top of a prison building, suffering a skull fracture upon impact with the concrete below. He was pronounced dead at 8:15 pm at nearby MetroHealth Medical Center. Investigators did not suspect foul play.[11]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f John Douglas; Ann W. Burgess; Allen G. Burgess (March 26, 2013). Crime Classification Manual: A Standard System for Investigating and Classifying Violent Crime. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-118-42153-6.
  2. ^ McIntyre, Michael K. (June 20, 2004). "Judicial Cannon" (PDF). Plain Dealer Sunday Magazine. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
  3. ^ "Offender Details". October 3, 2018. Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  4. ^ a b Shaffer, Cory (September 27, 2018). "'West Park rapist' prison death being investigated as suspected suicide". Cleveland.com. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
  5. ^ a b Shaffer, Cory (September 26, 2018). "West Park rapist, who raped 30 women in Cleveland in the 1980s, dies in prison". Cleveland.com. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
  6. ^ a b Douglas, John E.; Munn, Corinne (February 1992). "Violent Crime Scene Analysis: Modus Operandi, Signature, and Staging" (PDF). NCJRS.org. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
  7. ^ a b Serino, Danielle (September 27, 2018). "Convicted Cleveland rapist Ronnie Shelton dies in prison". WKYC. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
  8. ^ James Neff (April 7, 2015). Unfinished Murder: The Pursuit of a Serial Rapist. Open Road Media. ISBN 978-1-5040-0734-4.
  9. ^ Casella, Stephanie (December 28, 2015). "Who Is Prosecutor Timothy McGinty? Tamir Rice's Family Have Spoken Out Against The County Official". Bustle. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
  10. ^ "3195-YEAR SENTENCE. A man who claimed a…". October 6, 1989.
  11. ^ "Cleveland's 'West Park rapist' jumped to his death off building inside prison". October 2, 2018. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
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