A Virginia city’s racial inflection point in 1979: White women were the rapist’s victims. Black men were the police department’s target.

A Virginia city&rsquo;s racial inflection point in 1979: White women were the rapist&rsquo;s victims. Black men were the police department&rsquo;s target.

The intruder in the stocking mask didn’t need to cover his tracks because the police in the picturesque city of Staunton, Virginia did that job for him, refusing to warn the public about a series of attacks and crimes which grew more daring and violent over the course of 1979. By the time the first news story started to put the pieces together and the police admitted to his existence, he’d raped 3 women and assaulted several others, and broken into a dozen homes. He wasn't even close to being finished. And he’d earned himself a nickname: the stocking mask rapist. It would take a special agent and a psychic to help stop the city's nightmare.

The intruder in the stocking mask didn&rsquo;t need to cover his tracks because the police in the picturesque city of Staunton, Virginia did that job for him, refusing to warn the public about a series of attacks and crimes which grew more daring and violent over the course of 1979. By the time the first news story started to put the pieces together and the police admitted to his existence, he&rsquo;d raped 3 women and assaulted several others, and broken into a dozen homes. He wasn't even close to being finished. And he&rsquo;d earned himself a nickname: the stocking mask rapist. It would take a special agent and a psychic to help stop the city's nightmare.

The Stocking Mask

Gannett Florida - Georgia Region Audio.

Gannett Florida - Georgia  Region Audio

The Stocking Mask, part 1: The crime spree and the silence

Missing police reports, broken trial tapes, accusations of coercion. The troubled legacy of the city's most terrifying crime spree.

Missing police reports, broken trial tapes, accusations of coercion. The troubled legacy of the city's most terrifying crime spree.

The Stocking Mask, part 10: Hidden legacy

The only evidence literally fit in the palm of your hand. Was the plea agreement the best choice prosecutors had?

The only evidence literally fit in the palm of your hand. Was the plea agreement the best choice prosecutors had?

The Stocking Mask, part 9: Confession & Trial

A psychic makes a bold promise. A boy plays spy. And a citizen CB enthusiast is in the right place at the right time.

A psychic makes a bold promise. A boy plays spy. And a citizen CB enthusiast is in the right place at the right time.

The Stocking Mask, part 1: The crime spree and the silence

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Gannett Florida - Georgia Region Audio

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