A man nicknamed the NorCal Rapist was sentenced Friday to 897 years in prison for attacks on women in their homes between 1991 and 2006.
Roy Charles Waller, 60, was found guilty last month by a Sacramento jury on all 46 counts after investigators used DNA technology to identify him in the rapes of nine women.
"He deserves every single second of it, and I hope he lives a very, very, very long life from here on out," said survivor Nicole Earnest-Payte. "I never have to think about him for one more second of my life, and that is the greatest relief I could ever, ever, feel."
Waller raped women in six Northern California counties, from Sacramento to Chico. Sometimes he would kidnap the women and force them to withdraw money from ATMs and steal their personal items.
Waller was arrested in September 2018 at the University of California, Berkeley, where he worked for 25 years as a safety specialist in the office of environment, health and safety.
Prosecutors portrayed Waller as an organized and cunning criminal who stalked potential victims and collected information about their appearance, movements and vehicles and kept it in computer databases that he still had when he was arrested. Investigators also found zippered bags filled with duct tape, zip ties, handcuffs and other items used in the attacks in Waller’s two storage lockers.
"And it provided closure to all of the individuals that were wrongfully being looked at," said Chris Ore, Sacramento County Deputy District Attorney. "There were so many people that were being looked at as potential suspects."
Prosecutors said he sought out women of Asian descent, grading them on their appearance and build and studying their daily routines until he could slip into their homes and attack them.
"I’m just thankful and amazed that it all turned out," said survivor Theresa Lane.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
