Deputy
► From A-1
shooting deaths of three women
whose bodies were found on
South Central streets during the
last three months of 1988.
In a recent employee evaluation, Ross' supervisor described
him as the airport's "ambassador
of goodwill" because he consistently took time out of his detective duties to help others,
according to sherifTs Capt. Robert. Wilbur.
"He would help passengers
when he could, he would give
people directions," said Wilbur.
Ross' supervisor on and off for the
last 15 years. "I've never heard
anything negative about him. I've
met with his supervisors across
the board and people are unable
to believe he would do something
like this."
Los Angeles police Sgt. Walt
Burke, a task force member who
has known Ross about six years,
described his colleague as a gentle, tenacious detective whose
greatest passions were his work
and his motorcycle club.
"He's a great guy, a great
police officer and we're just
shocked." Burke said. "This is so
out of character, so inconsistent
with the Rickey I've known. It's so
bizarre. I can't fathom it."
At the time of his arrest. Ross
lived with his wife. Sylvia, and 5-
year-old daughter, Lisa, in a
$300,000 two-story Spanish-style
home with a red tile roof overlooking   the   El   Rancho   Verde
, Akiii-Casunarii Rtmsrss/Herstd £*amin»r:
San Bernardino County home of.serial murder suspect Deputy Rickey Ross overlooks country club.
Country Club in Rialto.
"He's a nice guy." said James
Crawford. 47, a Compton firefighter who lived directly across
the street from the Ross family on
the 5700 block of Sycamore Avenue. "He's a church-going, family
man. I would speak with him
across his driveway, on weekends
mostly. He was a friendly guy.
"He wanted me to take him out
and show him how to hack (on the
golf course)."
Crawford said he spoke often
about Christianity with Ross.
"We would talk about the word
together." Crawford said. "We
would share."
Paul Aitoo. 43, a real estate
agent who arranged the Ross
family's purchase of their Rialto
home, said Sylvia Ross worked as
a flight attendant for United
Airlines. She was unavailable for
comment.
Another neighbor. Tim Schep-
pers. 43, described Ross as "a
soft-spoken guy" who was "very
polite." -> '■
"Sylvia, his wife, was very
courteous," Scheppers said. "She
would wave and say hi. I talked
about karate with him once. He
said that he studied it at one time
as a young man." ■
Ross was born in Los Angeles
and grew up in a duplex near
Baldwin Hills. The home was
located within the boundaries of
Dorsey High School, but school
officials did not confirm he attended there.
Before moving to Rialto. the 6-
foot, 230-pound  murder suspect
lived in a tiny, one-window apartment overlooking five acres of
wrecked cars on a desolate dust
lot in Gardena. He watched over
the property in his off hours.
"Oh my God. I can't believe it"
said Wanda Otten, a bookkeeper
at Underwriters Salvage Co.. the
junk yard below Ross' old apartment, when told of his arrest
Otten said that Ross was
"kinda mean-looking. You don't
want to mess with him."
While news of Ross's arrest
sent rank-and-file officers reeling
with disbelief, some officers worried that it would erode people'5
faith in law enforcement.
"If you can't trust the police,
who in the hell can you trust?"
Burke said. r*
Arrest
► From A-1
presence."
s Ross was arrested and booked
op suspicion of murder shortly
after 7 p.m. Thursday.
? Gates said Ross had not been a
suspect in any police investigations until after the confiscated
handgun was tested. The prostitute did not know Ross was a
deputy until after he identified
himselr to police.
•, Ross, a narcotics investigator
and 18-year veteran of the sheriffs department, was being held
without bail.
' "This is a very sad day for the
Los Angeles County SherifTs Department," said Sheriff Sherman
Block, who accompanied Gates at
the press conference.    %
> "In law enforcement, the most
devastating thing that can happen
to any organization is the death of
one of its members," said Block,
"and close behind that is an
incident where one of the
agency's members is involved in
serious criminal activity."
It was disclosed last week that
police are investigating the
deaths of nine lo 12 prostitutes in
South Central Los Angeles from
August 1985 through 1988. The
women were known as "strawberries." prostitutes who provide sex
for rock cocaine.
Police are trying to determine
whether Ross may be linked to
other-slayings.
Ross, who is married and has a
"A sad day": L.A. County Sheriff
Daryl Gates announce arrest of
5-year-old daughter and adult
stepson, faces charges in the
deaths of three prostitutes in late
1988.
Judith Simpson, 27, was found
dead Oct. 14 at 88th and San
Pedro streets. Cynthia Walker.
35. was discovered slain Nov. 18
at Flower and 46th streets. The
body of LaTonya Johnson, 24, was
found Dec. 11 at 200 W. 94th
Street.
Although Gates said Ross
waived his rights and talked
freely to investigators, a motive
has yet to be disclosed.
While Gates refused to describe the confiscated firearm.
Block said il was not a sherifTs
department service revolver. A
police source, however, said the
firearm was a 9mm semiautomatic handgun.
Ross, a narcotics officer for 13
Michael Haering/Hen.o t.»amm«r
Sherman Block and LAPD Chief
deputy in prostitute killer case.
years, had been assigned to different units. Since July 1987. he
was an investigator on a multi-
agency task force targeting drug
trafficking at Los Angeles International Airport
"It's disbelief and surprise,"
sherifTs Capt Robert Wilber said
of reaction to Ross' arrest. "He
was a good policeman and hardworking. He was excellent His
evaluations and commendations
are laudatory."
Once the string of killings was
disclosed. Los Angeles Councilman Robert Farrell and community activists criticized the poiice
for keeping the investigation secret, arguing that the public had a
right to know if a serial killer was
plaguing the predominantly black
and Hispanic South Central area.
"I'm shocked that this person
is   a   law  enforcement  officer."
Farrell said. "How do we know if
we don't have more serial killers
in that community?"";";^ ^p, .-*
- .Margaret Prescod."one of Jhe
activists, perceives the silence as
a coverup, arguing that if suet a
string of slayings were involving
non-prostitute victims and* in
more affluent areas, the poEre
would act differently.   ,c'->-"n%>
- -JThere is too much of the *us
against them' mentality m 'ihe
LAPD," added Mark Ridley-
Thomas, executive director of the
local chapter of the Southern
Christian Leadership Conference.
"It just points to the fact that they
have blinders on and they simply
don't trust the community on how
these things should be dealt
with." ■•  .   * VaW
Gates, however, again cited the
concern that any publicity could
jeopardize the investigation. He
refused to comment further on
any other investigations.
Community activists are still
concerned that many of the so-
called South Side Slayer killings
remain unsolved. At least 17
prostitutes found strangled and
stabbed from September 1983
through July 1986 were linked to
that investigation. Twelve of the
deaths are still unsolved.
Meanwhile, the Rev. Carl
Washington of New Commandment Baptist Church was continuing to caution prostitutes.
Ross "is only linked to three of
the murders." he said. "We don't
want the girls to be relaxed.
There could be a copycat. There's
still the possibility someone else
is still out there."