Ronnie Shelton

Ronald 'Ronnie' Shelton (1 October 1961 – 25 September 2018), better known as West Side rapist, was an American convicted serial rapist. He was convicted of raping over 30 women in Cleveland, Ohio, over a 6 year period.[5] He may have raped up to 50 women.[6] Shelton was caught on video using an ATM with his victims' bank cards.[7]

This article is about the American serial rapist. For the American basketball player, see Lonnie Shelton.
Ronnie Shelton
Shelton c. 1989
Born(1961-10-01)1 October 1961[1]
Died25 September 2018(2018-09-25) (aged 56)[2]
Grafton Correctional Institution
Cause of deathSuicide
Criminal charge
  • Rape
  • Aggravated burglary
  • Felonious assault
  • Gross sexual imposition
  • Kidnapping
  • Intimidation
  • Theft
  • Aggravated robberies
  • Cutting telephone lines[3]
Penalty3,195 years[4]

He was the subject of the book Unfinished Murder: The Pursuit of a Serial Rapist by James Neff.[8]

Crimes

Shelton's modus operandi was to break into victims' homes wearing something to obscure his face.[3] He would initially tell victims he was going to rob them, but then rape them.[3] He would insist victims not look at him and threaten them if they reported him to police.[3] His language and pattern of sexual assaults helped link his crimes.[6]

Trial

Timothy J. McGinty prosecuted the case in 1989.[9] He was found guilty of 220 charges, including 49 rapes of over 30 women in Cleveland, Ohio.[5][3] Richard McMonagle sentenced him to between 1,554 and 3,195 years in prison.[2] He received the longest sentence in Ohio's history.[7][3]

Death

At 4:30 pm on 25 September 2018, six days before his 57th birthday, Shelton jumped from the top of a prison building, suffering a skull fracture upon impact with the concrete below. He was pronounced dead at 8:15 pm at nearby MetroHealth Medical Center. Investigators did not immediately suspect foul play.[10]

References
  1. "Offender Details". 2018-10-03. Archived from the original on 2018-10-03. Retrieved 2018-10-03.
  2. Shaffer, Cory (27 September 2018). "'West Park rapist' prison death being investigated as suspected suicide". Cleveland.com. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  3. John Douglas; Ann W. Burgess; Allen G. Burgess (26 March 2013). Crime Classification Manual: A Standard System for Investigating and Classifying Violent Crime. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-118-42153-6.
  4. McIntyre, Michael K. (20 June 2004). "Judicial Cannon" (PDF). Plain Dealer Sunday Magazine. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  5. Shaffer, Cory (26 September 2018). "West Park rapist, who raped 30 women in Cleveland in the 1980s, dies in prison". Cleveland.com. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  6. Douglas, John E.; Munn, Corinne (February 1992). "Violent Crime Scene Analysis: Modus Operandi, Signature, and Staging" (PDF). NCJRS.org. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  7. Serino, Danielle (27 September 2018). "Convicted Cleveland rapist Ronnie Shelton dies in prison". WKYC. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  8. James Neff (7 April 2015). Unfinished Murder: The Pursuit of a Serial Rapist. Open Road Media. ISBN 978-1-5040-0734-4.
  9. Casella, Stephanie (28 December 2015). "Who Is Prosecutor Timothy McGinty? Tamir Rice's Family Have Spoken Out Against The County Official". Bustle. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  10. "Cleveland's 'West Park rapist' jumped to his death off building inside prison". 2 October 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
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