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A California man, accused of wearing a mask that made him appear White in dozens of robberies, was charged on Monday with allegedly using an online dating app to lure men into meetings that ended in murder, disappearance and a near-fatal assault, according to Los Angeles prosecutors.
Rockim Prowell, 34, of Inglewood, California, was charged with two counts of murder with a special circumstance allegation of multiple murders, according to a news release from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
He also faces one count of attempted murder, two counts of carjacking, two counts of second-degree burglary and one count of assault with a deadly weapon, according to the DA’s office.
Prosecutors said the first victim, Miguel Angel King, 51, met with Prowell July 20, 2021, after the two men talked on an unnamed online dating app.
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Prowell is accused of fatally shooting King before stealing his car, which was discovered more than a week later just miles from Prowell’s home, according to the DA’s office. Forensic evidence inside the vehicle linked Prowell to the killing.
Nearly a month after the murder, King’s remains were discovered in the Angeles National Forest Aug. 14, 2021.
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Nearly two years later, a second victim, Robert Gutierrez, 53, agreed to meet Aug. 21, 2023, about a mile from Prowell’s home, after connecting on the same dating site, according to officials.
Two days later, Gutierrez’s family reported him missing. His body has never been found.
When investigators arrested Prowell last week, they found Gutierrez’s car in Prowell’s garage, along with additional evidence tying him to the killing, according to the DA’s office.
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Authorities said Prowell’s most recent attack came on Feb. 22, when he lured a 40-year-old man he met through the same dating app to a location four miles from his home.
Prowell allegedly bound the victim, stole his wallet and beat him with a baseball bat, according to the DA’s office. The man managed to escape, but Prowell chased him in a vehicle, allegedly striking him and leaving him with a broken leg.
“Imagine the terror and horror these victims felt after being duped into believing they were meeting for one reason, only to face inexplicable violence,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman wrote in a statement. “These were predatory acts that showed a total disregard of life.”
Prowell is on probation in two separate cases for a series of burglaries he committed in the Beverly Hills and Los Angeles areas between 2019 and 2021, according to the DA’s office.
A local report from affiliate FOX 11 indicates he may be connected to more than 30 masked burglaries across Southern California.
The mask, which authorities found in a vehicle Prowell was driving, appeared to resemble a young, White man’s face.
It is unclear if any masks were connected to the dating app incidents.
If convicted as charged, Prowell faces death or life in state prison without the possibility of parole. A decision on whether to seek the death penalty will be made at a later date.
The Beverly Hills Police Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office declined Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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