Gerald Mason

Gerald Fit Mason (born c. January 26, 1934) is an American double murderer and rapist.

Born in Columbia, South Carolina, he was arrested and did time for burglary in that state in 1956. After his release in 1957 he hitchhiked his way to California, stopping in Shreveport, Louisiana where he bought a gun using an alias.

In El Segundo, California, Mason bound, blindfolded, and stripped four teenagers before raping one of the girls, and robbing all of them, at gunpoint. After leaving the scene in their car, he stopped at a red light but then went through it anyway, and was stopped by police officers Richard Phillips and Milton Curtis. He fled after shooting and killing both officers.

For the next forty-five years, Mason was a law-abiding citizen, never getting so much as a parking ticket. He bought a chain of service stations and became wealthy, married and raised a family, and was described by friends and neighbors as friendly and helpful.

Mason was not arrested until 2003, and was a grandfather by then. The case against him relied on matching a fingerprint and handwriting. Mason was also identified by a bullet wound scar on his back, from a bullet fired by dying officer Phillips in 1957. This had been one of the oldest unsolved murder cases in United States history. He used an alias while going on vacation in the south.

Mason pled guilty and was sentenced to life in prison. At his sentencing hearing, he tearfully apologized to the victim's families and said he had committed his crimes while under the influence of alcohol. He will be eligible for parole in 2017. As of 2006, Mason was incarcerated in South Carolina, having gotten approval to serve his prison sentence near his family.

Mason was Margaret Rudin's first husband.

ources

* [http://election.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/10/01/48hours/main646786.shtml "The Ghosts Of El Segundo: Cold-Blooded Crime Haunts Investigators For Half A Century"] , "CBS News", October 2, 2004. (URL last accessed November 17, 2006).