CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) Police are investigating whether there are other victims of an Oregon man killed after he attacked a woman in West Virginia.
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Falls, a 45-year old man from Springfield, was killed over the weekend by a woman who said he tried to rape her. Falls had a gun and the woman managed to pick it up and shoot him while he was trying to strangle her. The woman told police that she grabbed Falls’ gun after he put the weapon down and shot him once, killing him.
On Wednesday, Charleston police released several photos of the items found inside Falls’ Subaru including numerous sets of handcuffs, bottles of bleach, several axes, a shovel, knives, firearms, a bullet proof vest and a pair of boots.
“They know he was there as early as late June, but where he was before that is still being tracked”, Hollis said.
Police also found a list containing the names of an unspecified number of women inside the man’s vehicle.
According to multiple media reports that quote Charleston police detectives, Falls entered the woman’s apartment and a struggle ensued nearly immediately.
Cooper said it’s likely Falls has been involved in similar crimes in the past and they are now working with other agencies across the country to determine whether Falls may be connected to any unsolved cases.
How much of a link to the Ross County cases is still unknown, but investigators here are approaching with caution.
Cooper confirmed that the two agreed beforehand that Falls would pay the victim for escort services, but authorities found no money, so “clearly his intentions were dark” from the beginning.
The escort, who has not been identified, was hospitalized with multiple injuries, including broken vertebrae.
“It’s just unlikely that this type of crime being committed by a 45-year-old man is his first rodeo”, Cooper said. Her body was found in a river a week later, and police ruled it a suicide. Cooper said they have not located the man’s next of kin.
He said she was out of the hospital on Monday.
Chillicothe police were sending a detective to Charleston to gather information and see if the possible connection is legitimate.
The same is true for Eugene police, spokeswoman Melinda McLaughlin said.
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[Photos via WCHS TV 8 screenshot].
