Ronnie Shelton

This article is about the American serial rapist. 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, over a 6-year period.[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

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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

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Timothy J. McGinty prosecuted the case in 1989.[9] He 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

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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 immediately[clarification needed] suspect foul play.[11]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f John Douglas; Ann W. Burgess; Allen G. Burgess (26 March 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. (20 June 2004). "Judicial Cannon" (PDF). Plain Dealer Sunday Magazine. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  3. ^ "Offender Details". 2018-10-03. Archived from the original on 2018-10-03. Retrieved 2018-10-03.
  4. ^ a b Shaffer, Cory (27 September 2018). "'West Park rapist' prison death being investigated as suspected suicide". Cleveland.com. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  5. ^ a b Shaffer, Cory (26 September 2018). "West Park rapist, who raped 30 women in Cleveland in the 1980s, dies in prison". Cleveland.com. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  6. ^ a b Douglas, John E.; Munn, Corinne (February 1992). "Violent Crime Scene Analysis: Modus Operandi, Signature, and Staging" (PDF). NCJRS.org. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  7. ^ a b Serino, Danielle (27 September 2018). "Convicted Cleveland rapist Ronnie Shelton dies in prison". WKYC. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  8. ^ James Neff (7 April 2015). Unfinished Murder: The Pursuit of a Serial Rapist. Open Road Media. ISBN 978-1-5040-0734-4.
  9. ^ Casella, Stephanie (28 December 2015). "Who Is Prosecutor Timothy McGinty? Tamir Rice's Family Have Spoken Out Against The County Official". Bustle. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  10. ^ "3195-YEAR SENTENCE. A man who claimed a…". 6 October 1989.
  11. ^ "Cleveland's 'West Park rapist' jumped to his death off building inside prison". 2 October 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
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