Within a month, four men in Orange County are brutally stabbed by a mysterious man. No one makes a connection to a gruesome double murder of a mother and son two months earlier except the man sitting in prison for killing his own family. -Friend of the Devil, Murder By Numbers (S2, E4)

Classification: Serial killer
Characteristics: Ex-Marine
Number of victims: 6
Date of murders: October 25, 2011 – January 13, 2012
Date of arrest: January 13, 2012
Date of birth: 1988
Victims profile: Raquel Estrada (53) and Juan Herrera (34) / James McGillivray (53) / Lloyd “Jim” Middaugh (42) / Paulus Smit (57) / John Barry (64)
Method of murder: Stabbing with knife
Location: Orange County, California, USA
Status: In prison awaiting trial [Suicide]
via Itzcoatl Ocampo | Murderpedia

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In the News:

A serial killer is terrorizing the homeless community in Orange County, California. -CNN (January 10, 2012)

OC transients warned about serial killer -TheRealHomelessOCRM (January 18, 2012)

Itzcoatl Ocampo, the 23 year old Iraq War Veteran accused of fatally stabbing four homeless men in a serial killing spree in Orange County is behind bars, and the District Attorney is now characterizing him as a brazen, vicious killer who enjoyed getting media attention. -Garden Grove TV3 (January 19, 2012)

Friends of John Berry, the alleged victim of accused serial kill Itzcoatl Ocampo, braved a steady rain to remember the homeless man. Dozens of marchers took the one-mile route along the Santa Ana River Trail where Berry often stayed. Marisol Gonzalez reports on the impact John Berry had on his community. -Garden Grove TV3 (January 21, 2012)

Investigators with a multi-agency task force announced on Thursday that accused serial killer Itzcoatl Ocampo is being investigated in the murder of Juan Herrera and his mother Raquel in their Yorba Linda home last October. The two were stabbed to death according to Lt. Julian Harvey with the Homeless Homicide Task Force. Harvey also confirmed Ocampo is “associated” with a man already in custody for the two murders. He is Eder Giovanni Herrera – brother and son to the victims. Ocampo is accused of planning, stalking and then killing four homeless men during December 2011 and Janurary 2012. -Garden Grove TV3 (February 3, 2012)

The Anaheim Police Department, the OC Rescue Mission and the Vineyard Christian Fellowship joined together for a community event in the wake of serial killings that terrorized North Orange County. With a suspect now in custody, volunteers want to mobilize the community to help the Homeless. Marisol Gonzalez has the story plus an update on new charges leveled against accused serial killer Itzcoatl Ocampo. -Garden Grove TV3 (February 4, 2012)

Itzcoatl “Izzy” Ocampo, 23, held in the deaths of four homeless men, will be arraigned March 16 in the case involving the stabbing deaths of a classmate’s brother and mother. -Orange County Register (February 6, 2012)

Itzcoatl Ocampo is heard from beyond the grave. He explains to an investigator what made him kill. -CBS Los Angeles (May 1, 2014)

Itzcoatl Ocampo, the suspect in a brutal string of slayings of four homeless men had his arraignment delayed until Feb. 17. After the court appearance, Ocampo’s attorney spoke with reporters. -Orange County Register (September 1, 2015)

Related Links:
California police say they’ve caught killer
Suspect in Calif. homeless deaths a former Marine
Father of Itzcoatl Ocampo, suspected serial killer of Calif. homeless, was homeless
Father of Iraq war veteran who ‘killed four homeless men’ is HIMSELF homeless and lives out of a truck in a parking lot
California Homeless Killer Caught Thanks To ‘Donny,’ Heroic Father (VIDEO)
Accused Homeless Killer Was Covered in Blood and Not Mentally Ill, D.A. Says
Iraq veteran Itzcoatl Ocampo charged with homeless deaths
Iraq War veteran Itzcoatl Ocampo charged in serial killings of California homeless
Veteran Charged in Slayings of Four Homeless Men
Iraq war vet charged with first-degree murder in 4 homeless men’s deaths
Itzcoatl Ocampo, Iraq Vet, Charged With The First Degree Murder of Four Homeless Men
Suspect in CA killings returned from Iraq changed
Veteran charged with homeless murders: Hint of larger problem for US military?
2 more murder charges to be filed against suspected OC serial killer
2 new charges for suspect in Calif. homeless killings
Homeless Killer Suspect Accused of 2 More Murders
California homeless serial killer suspect to be tried in September
Transcript: Serial killer suspect stalked victims
‘I knew that I had the killer gene,’ accused Ocampo reveals in OC homeless killings case
Serial Killer’s Twisted Logic: Allegedly Murdered Homeless Victims as Community Service
‘It Had to Be Done,’ Says Admitted O.C. Serial Killer in Newly Released Video
DA to seek death penalty for homeless serial killer
Ex-Marine Accused of OC Homeless Killings Dies in Jail
Former US marine dies in prison awaiting trial for homeless murders
Ex-Marine charged in California homeless killings dies in hospital
California man charged in series of homeless slayings dies in cell before trial
Autopsy on Orange County inmate Itzcoatl Ocampo, suspect in homeless deaths, done but more tests needed
Itzcoatl Ocampo, accused in OC homeless killings, died in custody after swallowing Ajax
Lawyer: Ajax killed suspect in homeless slayings
Ex-Marine Accused Of Killing Homeless In California Dies In Hospital
Ex-Marine Charged In California Homeless Killings Dies In Hospital
Inmate’s Death Raises Questions About Treating PTSD in Jails
Funeral held for man suspected in homeless slayings
Itzcoatl “Izzy” Ocampo Says from the Grave That His Serial Killings of Homeless “Had to be Done:” Video
Natural born killer? Accused serial killer blames ‘kill gene’ for fatally stabbing six in California
How did an accused serial killer poison himself in jail?
Itzcoatl Ocampo | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers

Video Links:
Serial killer targets homeless men
OC transients warned about serial killer
Suspected Serial Killer Charged
Anaheim Community Healing in Wake of Serial Killings
Victim of Serial Killer Remembered
Anaheim Police Release Confession Tapes Of OC Serial Killer
Homeless slaying suspect reads Dr Seuss to little sister – 2012-01-16
Admitted Serial Killer explains why he killed homeless men
Attorney: Serial killings suspect was wrapped in ‘suicide blanket’
Admitted serial killer talks about why he kills
Suspect in serial homeless killings faces more charges
Is A Suspected Serial Killer Guilty of Earlier Crimes?
Izzy Ocampo Autopsy
Friend of the Devil | Murder By Numbers | Investigation Discovery (S2, E4)