REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (AP) — A career criminal thought to be the “Gypsy Hills Killer” has been sentenced to life in prison for raping and murdering two teenage girls in Northern California more than 40 years ago.
FILE – This undated file photo provided by the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office shows Rodney Halbower. Halbower, a career criminal who authorities believe is a serial killer dubbed the Gypsy Hill Killer, faces trial Friday, Sept. 7, 2018, in Northern California for the murders of two young women four decades ago. Law enforcement officials believe Halbower raped and killed six young women during a five-month period in 1976. Opening statements start Friday in Redwood City, California about 30 miles (50 kilometers) south of San Francisco. (AP Photo/San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, File)
The San Jose Mercury News says 70-year-old Rodney Halbower demanded a mistrial and was shouted at by the victims’ family and friends after he was sentenced Wednesday in Redwood City.
Halbower was convicted last month of the 1976 killings of 17-year-old Paula Baxter and 18-year-old Veronica Cascio.
Authorities believe he raped and killed six women and girls — including a 14-year-old and a nursing student in Nevada — in 1976 but he was only charged with two murders.
The killer’s nickname was based on the area of Pacifica, south of San Francisco, where one body was found.
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