Thomas Mathers is a gay spree rapist and murderer. He initially targeted women suffering from some kind of disability (i.e., paraplegia, mental illness, etc.), but moved on to other victims and became more violent in his attacks. He was unable to find a girlfriend and developed feelings and a relationship with a man named Alan Richter, which caused him to hate himself and lash out at women, blaming them for his homosexuality.
He was tried and convicted of the rapes and the murder of Laurie Switzer when he was seen stalking one woman, Miranda Cole, and his DNA matched blood in her kitchen where she was raped, after it was revealed that he had a transfusion for leukemia. (SVU: "Weak")
Known Victims[]
- Unknown dates:
- East Lansing, Michigan: Numerous unnamed women (peeped at in a six-year span)
- Cleveland, Ohio: Committed numerous victimless home invasions
- 2004:
- November 13: Miranda Cole (a schizophrenic; stalked beforehand at the library)
- November 15:
- Colleen Heaton (a paraplegic)
- Samantha Traber (was on maternity)
- Gina Kownacki (had a bad leg from knee surgery; assaulted and attempted to rape)
- Laurie Switzer (had no disability; raped and snapped her neck)