Purses

•After creating an expansive database of all of the known facts in the EAR attacks, it’s impossible to find a single MO point that one can say “always” happened—but DeAngelo’s initial demand for money comes the closest. It wasn’t really about the money, but simply a ruse to keep the victim(s) calm. He said, “I just need money” or “I need money and food and I’ll leave.” 

•When he started attacking couples, he often used an expanded version of the money routine. He would ask where the woman’s purse was, come back to the bedroom and say he couldn’t find it, and then take the woman into another room to “find the purse.” Even if the victims feared something worse, it made sense to comply with a quick robbery. Not surprisingly, DeAngelo didn't steal the money, checkbooks, or credit cards from the purses—it was never about the money.