Three Women Killed by the Same Man?
In early 1978, Janice Forbes (26) had recently got a divorce and moved with her two kids, age 6 and 9, to an apartment in a newly built building in Victoria, Canada. On May 14, Mother’s Day, Janice was found lying face down in her bedroom’s floor, between the wall and the bed. Some of her hair had been cut, and her hands were tied behind her back. A dark belt had been wrapped from around her neck to her ankle, leaving her in a bow position. The cause of death was strangulation, and she wasn’t sexually assaulted.
At the time of the murder, which happened some time after noon, her two kids and younger sister, who was 12, had been playing outside. When they’d wanted to go back inside, about 2 pm, Janice wasn’t answering the door. It was only when the landlord arrived at 4:30 pm that he opened the door to the apartment and they were met with the ghastly sight.
The kids told authorities that they’d seen a young black man wearing a long coat trying to get inside the building. In fact, it was Janice’s daughter who unknowingly held the door for him when she was going outside. About two hours later, they saw him go out and jump over the railing.
With the descriptions provided by the children, police drew a sketch of the suspect and eventually found Tommy Ross Jr., an 19 year old American who was in Victoria visiting a relative. The resemblance, as you can see in the pictures above, is striking, and once Ross was arrested, the witnesses confirmed it was him they’d seen. His fingerprint was found in Janice’s apartment. Although Ross claimed to be innocent and the victim of racial bias, he was found guilty and received a life sentence.
That’s not the end of the story. Far from it, actually. In 2016, Ross was granted parole and was set free. The board said that they had some concerns about the Forbes investigation, and mentioned Ross’ life had been marked by violence and he’d suffered abuse in prison. He was deported to the United States, where it turns out police was waiting for him.
Ross had long been a suspect in another murder that happened in 1978, one so similar to Janice’s that it was almost impossible not to make a connection.
On April 24, 1978, Janet Bowcutt (20, pictured last) was found strangled to death in her Port Angeles, Washington, apartment. Her 6 month old son was crying, but unharmed on her bed. She had been gagged and tied in the same way as Janice, except with a scarf instead of a belt, and there were no signs of sexual assault. Ross, who was originally from Pacoima, California, had been that very week in Port Angeles, staying with his brother, who happened to work at the same hotel Janet did.
Later, one of Ross’ fingerprints was found at the scene. And in March of 2018, the prosecution said they’d matched Ross’ DNA to a hair found on the blouse Janet was wearing when she was murdered.
At the time of Janet’s murder, police uncovered that he had a history of violence and had been arrested on a rape charge back in California. His own brother told police he thought Tommy was involved in the crime, and that he had a “hatred towards white people”.
Tommy Ross Jr., who will be facing trial for Janet’s murder on October of 2018, is a a suspect in a third murder. On November 8, 1977, Bethel Woolridge was found dead in her Pacoima apartment, bound in the same way as Janice and Janet, and strangled with an electric cord. Like the other women, she was also a single mother.
