Thread: Two men held in Phoenix serial killings

'Serial shooter' probe one of two investigations

PHOENIX, Arizona (AP) -- Authorities arrested two men Friday in an investigation into a series of fatal shootings that have terrorized Phoenix area residents, according to a law enforcement official.

The men were arrested at a Mesa apartment complex, the official with knowledge of the investigation said.

They were being questioned in connection with the "Serial Shooter" case -- one of two serial predators whom authorities say have been operating in the Phoenix area for more than a year.

Authorities have said that the "Serial Shooter" is believed to be responsible for killing six people and wounding 17 others, most pedestrians and bicyclists, since May 2005.

The most recent was Sunday in Mesa when a 22-year-old woman was fatally shot as she was walking from her parents' home to her boyfriend's house, authorities said.

Phoenix police have had about 200 officers working to solve who is behind more than a dozen slayings in the area.

A $100,000 reward is being offered for any information leading to the capture of either killer.

Loraine Salyers, a resident of the apartment complex, said she lives near where police came in early Friday.

"I came out and there were like a hundred cops," Salyers said. "I was so scared. My heart's pounding."

Authorities say the so-called "Serial Shooter" is responsible for three dozen shootings of people, as well as dogs and horses. The shootings have generally happened late at night, with no witnesses. Six people have been killed and 17 -- mostly pedestrians and bicyclists -- have been wounded since May 2005.

On Thursday police linked the death of a woman who was gunned down while walking to the so-called "Serial Shooter" because of similarities and forensic evidence.

Robin Blasnek, 22, was walking to her boyfriend's home in Mesa, a suburb east of Phoenix, at about 11:15 p.m. Sunday when she was gunned down. Neighbors heard a shot and ran to help the young woman, but she soon lost consciousness and died at a hospital.

Her father told the East Valley Tribune that Blasnek grew up as a special needs child and lived part-time with her parents in Mesa and at a group home in Tempe.

"She was just a great kid. Very, very naive, and pure as far as not understanding the dangers of the world," Steve Blasnek said. "I guess my only regret is that I didn't give her a big hug."

Trapani said Mesa police were beefing up patrols and had assigned a detective to the Phoenix police serial criminal task force.

That unit already has about 200 officers working to try to solve the serial shooter case, plus another case involving a serial criminal dubbed the Baseline Killer.

The Baseline Killer is believed responsible for killing seven women and one man and sexually assaulting 11 women and girls during the past year. Police think his most recent killing was the shooting death of a 37-year-old woman at a Phoenix car wash June 29.

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