Ligatures
Introduction
One of the primary control methods that the EAR used was ligatures -- usually shoelaces. It also seemed to provide sexual gratification, at least when it came to forcing himself into the bound hands of victims.
It's believed that the EAR bought his shoelaces new from the store or from some other source. They were almost always in good shape/new condition, and lab analysis revealed almost nothing about them except the occasional hair. If they were used shoelaces, you'd expect to find a vast array of particles and wear-and-tear.
EAR brought his own ligatures to almost every attack -- he didn't rely exclusively on what was found at the scene. When he did use something at the scene (electrical cord, towel, husband's shoelaces, necktie) it was only to supplement the ligatures that he had brought himself.
Gallery
Ligature Information
| Attack # | Ligatures Used | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Attack #1 | Rope or twine, cloth belt, electrical cord from hairdryer | Brought the rope/twine with him, but used items around the house |
| Attack #2 | 4 equal lengths of rope | Brought them with him |
| Attack #3 | Black shoelaces | Brought them with him |
| Attack #4 | White shoelaces | Brought them with him |
| Attack #5 | Black and white shoelaces | Brought them with him |
| Attack #6 | White shoelaces | Brought them with him |
| Attack #7 | Cord cut from blinds | Cord was from the house |
| Attack #8 | Clothesline | Clothesline was from the victim's house |
| Attack #9 | Black shoelaces | Brought them with him |
| Attack #10 | White, black, and brown shoelaces | He brought some of them with him, and some were from the victim's house |
| Attack #11 | Black electrial cord | From the scene |
| Attack #12 | Rope | Brought with him. He removed the ligatures from the scene |
| Attack #13 | Shoelaces | Brought them with him |
| Attack #14 | Black and brown shoelaces | Brought them with him |
| Attack #15 | Brown shoelaces and electrical cord | He brought the shoelaces with him, and the cord was from an iron in the house |
| Attack #16 | White shoelaces | Brought them with him. He called them "rope." |
| Attack #17 | Black shoelaces, electrical cord | Brought shoelaces with him, cord was from the house |
| Attack #18 | Shoelaces | Brought them with him |
| Attack #19 | Black, blue, and white shoelaces | Brought them with him |
| Attack #20 | Brown shoelaces | Brought them with him |
| Attack #21 | White shoelaces | Brought them with him |
| Attack #22 | Brown shoelaces | He brought some of them, and some of them came from the husband's shoes |
| Attack #23 | Shoelaces | Taken from the husband's shoes |
| Attack #24 | Shoelaces | Brought them with him |
| Attack #25 | Shoelaces | Brought them with him |
| Attack #26 | Shoelaces | Brought them with him |
| Attack #27 | Shoelaces | Brought them with him |
| Attack #28 | Black shoelaces | Brought them with him |
| Attack #29 | Shoelaces | Brought them with him |
| Maggiore | Blue Shoelaces | Brought them with him |
| Attack #30 | Brown shoelaces | Brought with him |
| Attack #31 | Shoelaces | Brought with him |
| Attack #32 | Shoelaces | Unconfirmed |
| Attack #33 | Shoelaces, bathrobe | He brought the shoelaces with him, and the other ligatures were from the scene |
| Attack #34 | Shoelaces | He brought some with him, and some were from the husband's shoes |
| Attack #35 | Shoelaces | He brought some with him, and he used some from the scene |
| Attack #36 | Shoelaces | Brought them with him |
| Attack #37 | Shoelaces | He brought some with him, and some were from the husband's shoes |
| Attack #38 | White and brown shoelaces | He'd brought the white ones with him, and the brown ones were from the house |
| Attack #39 | White shoelaces | He brought them with him |
| Attack #40 | Unknown | Unknown |
| Attack #41 | Shoelaces | He brought them with him |
| Attack #42 | White shoelaces | He brought them with him |
| Thunderbird | Rope | He'd brought it with him |
| Attack #43 | Nylon cord | Cut from a tent that was stored in the garage |
| Attack #44 | Shoelaces, electric cord, neckties, and pieces of panty hose | EAR had brought all of the shoelaces except one, which was taken from the male victim's shoes. Everything else was taken from the house |
| Attack #45 | Plastic wire ties, cloth belt, knotted shirt | He brought the plastic wire ties with him, and everything else was from the house |
| Attack #46 | White shoelaces | He brought them with him |
| Attack #47 | White twine | He brought it with him |
| Attack #48 | White shoelaces | Taken from the husband's shoes |
| ONS #1 | Twine | He brought it with him |
| ONS #2 | Twine | He brought it with him. Most of the twine matched ONS #1 |
| ONS #3 | White nylon drapery cord | It's believed that he brought it with him |
| ONS #4 | Brown macramé-type cord | It's believed that he brought it with him |
| ONS #5 | Unknown | Unknown |
| ONS #6 | Shipping twine | It's believed that he brought it with him |
| ONS #7 | Unknown, possibly towels | Unknown |
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