Reward Offered on Man Sought in Mail Bombing
A $10,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of William (Bill) Ross, 56, a onetime Hawthorne real estate broker who is wanted in connection with a mail bomb that killed a woman in Manhattan Beach in 1980, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service announced.
Ross, last known to be living in Los Angeles, is one of three people facing murder charges in the death of Patricia Wilkerson, the postal agency said. Wilkerson, 32, was killed by an explosive device in a package believed to be intended for her boss, the owner of Prowest Computer Corp.
Ross was indicted by a federal grand jury Aug. 6, after government lawyers alleged that he was involved in a real estate dispute with the company’s owner, postal officials said.
A trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 14 for co-defendant Robert Steven Manning, 41, a reported demolitions expert who was extradited from Israel in July, officials said. Last month, Israel’s Supreme Court ruled that Manning’s wife, Rochelle, 53, also should be extradited to stand trial on murder charges.
Federal officials announced a 24-hour telephone number for those wishing to provide information: (818) 405-1208.
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