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A 21-year-old Los Angeles man described by police as a “serial rapist” has been arrested for allegedly preying on women and teenage girls using their personal social media accounts for two years. officials said Wednesday.
Michael Neal Watson Jr. was arrested. on Nov. 8, and faces 16 felony counts of robbery, assault, robbery, and attempted extortion. He is being held in lieu of $1.7 million bail. In total, the task force found 12 incidents between June 19, 2020, and July 20, 2022, in which Watson allegedly committed crimes against 13 women and four girls under the age of 18. year.
“The incidents involved a common pattern in which the suspect began communicating with the victims on Instagram and then lured them to multiple locations where the victims were attacked,” Los Angeles police said. Angeles in the story.
The investigation into Watson began in February, when the sheriff’s department responded to a report of a burglary and theft in Walnut, an urban community east of Los Angeles. The suspect, later identified as Watson, was invited to the home of an unnamed woman after meeting her on Instagram. When he arrived, he reportedly robbed one of the two women in the house and stole their cellphones.
According to police, Watson allegedly “contacted one of the victims via social media and sent her threatening messages. The suspect also accessed her cell phone and followed the victim on social media, extorting money from the victim by threatening to post nude photos taken from her phone.
During the subsequent investigation, the statement said, “DNA evidence was obtained linking the suspect to similar incidents in Los Angeles, Hollywood, East Los Angeles, and Inglewood.”
According to the criminal complaint obtained by BuzzFeed News, Watson has five counts of second-degree robbery, four counts of attempted extortion, and two counts of aggravated robbery. Watson has also been charged with aggravated battery on a child victim over the age of 14; assault and battery; the severity of child abuse; grand theft; and adultery with a minor child more than three years younger (than the alleged murderer).
His arrest was the result of a multi-agency investigation between the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the LAPD, and Inglewood Police.
“Due to the nature of the crimes, detectives believe there may be other unidentified victims,” LA police said.
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