Suspected serial rapist in Los Angeles indicted by grand jury in case involving 11 women
A suspected serial rapist in Los Angeles police have said targeted women he met through social media and filmed the assaults has been indicted by a grand jury, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Terrance Hawkins, 42, could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted of all 26 felony charges filed against him which allege he physically and sexually abused 11 women, according to the LA County District Attorney's Office. The indictment details charges such as forcible rape and stalking involving victims from throughout the county over a span of nearly 10 years.
"Hawkins has a long history of briefly dating women, abusing them and filming them during sexual intercourse," the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement last year. Police have said he would prowl social media for victims, baiting them into going out with him before sexually assaulting them.
He was arrested in March 2023 and remained behind bars for 15 days before being freed after posting bond, county inmate records show. A little over a month later, on April 26, 2023, he was arrested again and later booked into the Twin Towers Correctional Facility in downtown LA.
Hawkins has remained in custody since as he's being held without bail, records show.
In May 2023, LAPD released a statement asking other potential victims to come forward. At the time, police said in the statement that Hawkins has a "long history" of assaulting women. Over two months, LAPD detectives identified at least 16 potential victims.
His next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 7.
The grand jury indictment the DA's office announced Wednesday lists more than two dozen charges involving 11 women, crimes that prosecutors say he committed between 2014 and 2023.
The indictment lists the following charges:
- 10 counts of forcible rape
- one count of forcible sexual penetration
- one count of rape of an unconscious person
- four counts of inflicting injury on a significant other causing traumatic condition with a prior conviction for a similar offense
- five counts of inflicting injury on a significant other causing traumatic condition
- three counts of stalking
- one count of cruelty to an animal
- one count of felon in possession of a firearm
Law enforcement officials believe there could be other victims out there and has asked anyone with information to come forward. The DA's office is urging anyone who believes they were victimized by Hawkins to call LAPD's Operation Central Bureau - Family Justice Center at 213-709-9017. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call LA Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
