Post by Nerdfather on Jul 30, 2017 8:42:12 GMT
When it comes to professions, there are typically four various jobs that get brought up: Construction, Medical, Military, Realtor. While those jobs have significance in terms of evidence discovered, I'd like to throw out a theory of my own. Before I begin, I want to mention that I don't necessarily subscribe to this theory, and I also understand wholeheartedly that times were different in the 70s-80s than they are now.
With that being said, could it be possible he was a newspaper carrier? I've seen many people suggest a "paperboy," and shoot that theory down because of the age. However, I think I can share some perspective from personal experience. I'm in my twenties and my job is a newspaper carrier (delivering papers). A typical night goes as followed: At 11:00 p.m. I tend to get a phone call telling me the newspaper will be arriving to the main building within the hour. Sometimes the time varies due to local town events. For example, when school is in session -- along with sports season -- we don't get the papers to deliver until about 2:00 in the morning on a Friday because the writers have to finish their piece(s) on the local football/basketball game. The same goes for other events (perhaps a new mayor gets elected on a Tuesday), etc.
Once you get to the main building to pick up your papers for delivery, you then have to bag and rubber band some of them, while others you don't (it just depends on the homeowner and their preference). Each employee gets assigned a specific route as well, so everyone has different experiences. I tend to get 200 papers and others get 500, thus the job takes longer for them. Delivering 200 papers takes approximately two hours. More often than not, an employee will bring someone along for help (family member, friend, etc). This help people bring is primarily for bagging because it takes a considerable amount of time to bag papers. Also, it saves time because the mailboxes are on different sides of the road(s) and it's a hassle to constantly make U-Turns.
Now, when it comes to this job, there is no "clocking out." Once you're done with your route you simply go home. You don't have to call your employer or anything of the sort. There is no company vehicle. There is no specific clothing to wear. Moreover, you have to buy your own rubber bands, bags, and gas unfortunately. Due to this type of job, depending on your sleep cycle, you have the entire following day off basically. With all the free time in the world, this could explain why EAR seemingly had a full-time job stalking people during the day time; if not a student, he had nothing else to do (unless he was working a day time job as well).
Furthermore, each employee gets a list of people who they deliver to. This paper list includes the street address, name, and a "turn by turn." To elaborate, you typically go in order from your list says. For example, "Go left on Maple street. House number 641 is a throw (throw in driveway). Make a left on Pine street. Go to ... ". However, you don't have to follow that list in order if you don't want. Many people develop a routine and system for themselves, so whichever way works quickest for you is the way you should go.
Additionally, since there's nothing to do during the daytime, if a person is scheduled a new route, what many will do is drive their car during the daytime around the town/roads they deliver in order to get accustomed to which house and street is which. Thus, you are driving very slowly down the street (like a creeper). This could imply that you're "stalking" someone as many EAR victims/neighbors claimed seeing strange vehicles driving up and down the road(s) in the daytime. Even more so, at night time it's incredibly difficult sometimes. Some homes don't have the bright red dot on their mailbox, let alone their address number. On some locations you can't even make out the house number that's on their front porch or above their garage. Many people bring flashlights with them, so when they drive down the street and have trouble finding the house/number, they shine a light (again, like a creeper) on their front porch or elsewhere to make sure they have the right designation.
Because of the difficulty, you can find yourself accidentally passing a house, so you have to back your vehicle up. Also, those who subscribe to the local paper, many have their preference on how they want their paper delivered. Some want it placed in their mailbox with no bag, while others want it bagged and placed in their box. Others want them bagged and thrown in their driveway, while others want the paper placed on their front porch or even in between the main door and its door handle. Then, there's also embarrassing moments where a particular person wants their paper thrown in their driveway or front porch and you miss it completely and have to get out of your vehicle just to place it in the right location.
With all of that being said, I think it's a very good theory to work on, and that's because I'm speaking from experience. Everything about it makes a lot of sense. For one, there's the legitimate excuse for being out in the late night hours. Secondly, not only are you out in the late hours, it's the perfect incentive to be on or close to a particular road an attack occurred on. I understand that people will say, "Wouldn't it be obvious if the newspaper carrier kept attacking victims on the streets they deliver to?" Yes and no. The East Area Rapist didn't attack every single night. He waited a week or two on occasions, even months as well. Therefore, there wouldn't be any reason why to suspect the carrier, especially if it doesn't happen in very short intervals. Third, you never have another employee alongside you so you are able to take your time without being nagged by someone. Fourth, since you don't have to "clock out," there isn't much an incentive to "rush" the job along. This allows leeway, especially if you have your delivery route memorized so you can finish quicker. Fifth, due to having a list of street names/address and the homeowner's last name, it provides an easy way to stalk someone (even obtaining their phone number). Sixth, since each employee is scheduled their own route, you will hardly ever pass an employee on a street driving their car. Seventh, it's an understandable approach to driving slowly down various neighborhoods which could be interpreted as stalking, only for it to be the delivery driver trying to get an idea where the house/box is he has to deliver later that night.
To reiterate, I don't necessarily subscribe to this theory. Also, the times were very different then, so the method of delivery in the 70s-80s could be entirely opposite of what it is now. Nevertheless, I figured I'd share this insight since it's my job. I hope it provides some valuable perspective into how things are done with a specific profession. Another thing to keep in mind is locations. If he was a delivery driver, why did EAR attack in other towns 30-60 miles away? I understand that criticism entirely.
P.S. I know there is the issue of age when EAR started his crimes. Many assume he was a high school or college student. That had me looking back at a few compelling things. In March of 1977, shortly before an attack on victim 16 occurred, two people in a certain neighborhood encountered a strange man who matched EAR's description possibly posing as a fake employer for the city -- meter reader and a police officer. Of course, those people witnessed may not have been The East Area Rapist, but I thought it should be mentioned primarily for the schooling aspect. If EAR was the individual who posed as the fake city worker, why was it during the daytime in March? Was it spring break for students? Did various schools have a reason to cancel class for various days during that month? It's something to consider when analyzing the jobs and schooling angle.
With that being said, could it be possible he was a newspaper carrier? I've seen many people suggest a "paperboy," and shoot that theory down because of the age. However, I think I can share some perspective from personal experience. I'm in my twenties and my job is a newspaper carrier (delivering papers). A typical night goes as followed: At 11:00 p.m. I tend to get a phone call telling me the newspaper will be arriving to the main building within the hour. Sometimes the time varies due to local town events. For example, when school is in session -- along with sports season -- we don't get the papers to deliver until about 2:00 in the morning on a Friday because the writers have to finish their piece(s) on the local football/basketball game. The same goes for other events (perhaps a new mayor gets elected on a Tuesday), etc.
Once you get to the main building to pick up your papers for delivery, you then have to bag and rubber band some of them, while others you don't (it just depends on the homeowner and their preference). Each employee gets assigned a specific route as well, so everyone has different experiences. I tend to get 200 papers and others get 500, thus the job takes longer for them. Delivering 200 papers takes approximately two hours. More often than not, an employee will bring someone along for help (family member, friend, etc). This help people bring is primarily for bagging because it takes a considerable amount of time to bag papers. Also, it saves time because the mailboxes are on different sides of the road(s) and it's a hassle to constantly make U-Turns.
Now, when it comes to this job, there is no "clocking out." Once you're done with your route you simply go home. You don't have to call your employer or anything of the sort. There is no company vehicle. There is no specific clothing to wear. Moreover, you have to buy your own rubber bands, bags, and gas unfortunately. Due to this type of job, depending on your sleep cycle, you have the entire following day off basically. With all the free time in the world, this could explain why EAR seemingly had a full-time job stalking people during the day time; if not a student, he had nothing else to do (unless he was working a day time job as well).
Furthermore, each employee gets a list of people who they deliver to. This paper list includes the street address, name, and a "turn by turn." To elaborate, you typically go in order from your list says. For example, "Go left on Maple street. House number 641 is a throw (throw in driveway). Make a left on Pine street. Go to ... ". However, you don't have to follow that list in order if you don't want. Many people develop a routine and system for themselves, so whichever way works quickest for you is the way you should go.
Additionally, since there's nothing to do during the daytime, if a person is scheduled a new route, what many will do is drive their car during the daytime around the town/roads they deliver in order to get accustomed to which house and street is which. Thus, you are driving very slowly down the street (like a creeper). This could imply that you're "stalking" someone as many EAR victims/neighbors claimed seeing strange vehicles driving up and down the road(s) in the daytime. Even more so, at night time it's incredibly difficult sometimes. Some homes don't have the bright red dot on their mailbox, let alone their address number. On some locations you can't even make out the house number that's on their front porch or above their garage. Many people bring flashlights with them, so when they drive down the street and have trouble finding the house/number, they shine a light (again, like a creeper) on their front porch or elsewhere to make sure they have the right designation.
Because of the difficulty, you can find yourself accidentally passing a house, so you have to back your vehicle up. Also, those who subscribe to the local paper, many have their preference on how they want their paper delivered. Some want it placed in their mailbox with no bag, while others want it bagged and placed in their box. Others want them bagged and thrown in their driveway, while others want the paper placed on their front porch or even in between the main door and its door handle. Then, there's also embarrassing moments where a particular person wants their paper thrown in their driveway or front porch and you miss it completely and have to get out of your vehicle just to place it in the right location.
With all of that being said, I think it's a very good theory to work on, and that's because I'm speaking from experience. Everything about it makes a lot of sense. For one, there's the legitimate excuse for being out in the late night hours. Secondly, not only are you out in the late hours, it's the perfect incentive to be on or close to a particular road an attack occurred on. I understand that people will say, "Wouldn't it be obvious if the newspaper carrier kept attacking victims on the streets they deliver to?" Yes and no. The East Area Rapist didn't attack every single night. He waited a week or two on occasions, even months as well. Therefore, there wouldn't be any reason why to suspect the carrier, especially if it doesn't happen in very short intervals. Third, you never have another employee alongside you so you are able to take your time without being nagged by someone. Fourth, since you don't have to "clock out," there isn't much an incentive to "rush" the job along. This allows leeway, especially if you have your delivery route memorized so you can finish quicker. Fifth, due to having a list of street names/address and the homeowner's last name, it provides an easy way to stalk someone (even obtaining their phone number). Sixth, since each employee is scheduled their own route, you will hardly ever pass an employee on a street driving their car. Seventh, it's an understandable approach to driving slowly down various neighborhoods which could be interpreted as stalking, only for it to be the delivery driver trying to get an idea where the house/box is he has to deliver later that night.
To reiterate, I don't necessarily subscribe to this theory. Also, the times were very different then, so the method of delivery in the 70s-80s could be entirely opposite of what it is now. Nevertheless, I figured I'd share this insight since it's my job. I hope it provides some valuable perspective into how things are done with a specific profession. Another thing to keep in mind is locations. If he was a delivery driver, why did EAR attack in other towns 30-60 miles away? I understand that criticism entirely.
P.S. I know there is the issue of age when EAR started his crimes. Many assume he was a high school or college student. That had me looking back at a few compelling things. In March of 1977, shortly before an attack on victim 16 occurred, two people in a certain neighborhood encountered a strange man who matched EAR's description possibly posing as a fake employer for the city -- meter reader and a police officer. Of course, those people witnessed may not have been The East Area Rapist, but I thought it should be mentioned primarily for the schooling aspect. If EAR was the individual who posed as the fake city worker, why was it during the daytime in March? Was it spring break for students? Did various schools have a reason to cancel class for various days during that month? It's something to consider when analyzing the jobs and schooling angle.