Prosecutors have filed a case against a Southern California man who they say killed two men and attempted to kill a third after targeting the victims through an online dating app.
Rockim Lee Prowell, 34, of Inglewood, was charged Monday with two counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, two counts of carjacking, two counts of burglary, and one count of assault with a deadly weapon, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. He’s also accused of the special circumstance of multiple murders, making him potentially eligible for the death penalty if convicted as charged.
His alleged series of brutal attacks began in July of 2021 and culminated in his arrest on Thursday, Sept. 4, by detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery-Homicide Division, according to prosecutors and Los Angeles County booking records.
Prowell is accused of meeting three victims through an online dating app before attacking, carjacking, and killing two of them, as well as attempting to kill a third victim who managed to escape, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced.
Officials did not release the name of the dating app.
“Imagine the terror and horror these victims felt after being duped into believing they were meeting for one reason, only to face inexplicable violence,” he said. “These were predatory acts that showed a total disregard of life. This suspect has now been stopped in his tracks because of the diligent and tenacious work done by investigators at both the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.”
The killing of Miguel Angel King
The first killing linked to Prowell took place on July 20, 2021, according to a district attorney’s office statement.
The suspect met 51-year-old Miguel Angel King through an online dating app and arranged to meet, prosecutors said.
“Prowell is accused of fatally shooting the victim and stealing his car,” the statement said.
King’s car was found several miles from Prowell’s home more than a week later, officials said. King’s remains were discovered in the Angeles National Forest on Aug. 14, 2021.
The killing of Robert Gutierrez
Prowell met his second alleged victim, 53-year-old Robert Gutierrez, using the same online dating app, which prosecutors did not name.
The two men agreed to meet about a mile from Powell’s Inglewood home on Aug. 21, 2023, according to the district attorney’s office.
“Two days later, Gutierrez’s family reported him missing. His body has still not been located,” the statement said.
At the time of Prowell’s arrest last week, detectives found Guerierrez’s car inside Prowell’s garage, prosecutors said. Other items of evidence linking Prowell to the crime were also seized.
Third victim escapes
The final attack attributed to Prowell took place on Feb. 22.
Once again, Prowell used the dating app to arrange a meeting with a 40-year-old man at a location several miles from his home.
“Prowell allegedly bound the victim, stole his wallet, and beat him with a baseball bat,” according to the district attorney’s office statement. “The victim managed to escape, but Prowell chased the man in a vehicle, striking him and breaking his leg.”
The defendant is already on probation due to prior convictions for a series of burglaries that took place in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills between 2019 and 2021, officials said.
A decision on whether prosecutors will seek life imprisonment or capital punishment was pending.
An arraignment hearing initially scheduled for Monday, Sept. 8, was postponed until Oct. 16, records show.
Prowell was being held without bail pending legal proceedings.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: SoCal man accused of killing two men, attacking third, after targeting them via dating app
Reporting by Brian Day, USA TODAY NETWORK / Palm Springs Desert Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
