Rapist Guilty on 18 More Counts

A South-Central Los Angeles man--already convicted of 25 counts of rape, kidnaping, robbery and other offenses--was found guilty of 18 additional counts Thursday by a Los Angeles Superior Court jury.

The charges stemmed from attacks on a dozen women, ages 15 to 32, in the South-Central and Inglewood areas between June and November, 1982, Deputy Dist. Atty. Jeff Kelly said.

Eldwin Mauldin, 24, an auto mechanic, will be sentenced by Judge Kathleen Parker on Feb. 14. He could spend the rest of his life in prison. Mauldin was out on bail on kidnaping and robbery charges when he assaulted the women, Kelly said. He is currently serving a 10-year sentence in state prison as a result of convictions on the original charges, according to the prosecutor.

Most of Maudlin’s victims were abducted at gunpoint as they were getting into their cars after leavings banks, fast-food restaurants or nightclubs, Kelly said. He took four of the women to motels and attacked the others in alleys or empty garages, the prosecutor said.

According to Kelly, Mauldin shot and wounded two of his victims, broke the nose of a third and knocked two others unconscious. One, a 15-year-old girl, was raped while unconscious. On four occasions, Mauldin attacked two women on the same day, the prosecutor said.

Mauldin’s trial began in mid-December. The jury began returning verdicts on individual counts earlier this week.

The jury acquitted Mauldin of one count of attempted rape and one count of robbery. Two other robbery charges were dismissed before the case went to the panel.