Bird Road Rapist

[Hambone2421]

One of the biggest issues I have with this case is how the police automatically assume that all of these rapes were committed by the same person simply because of the road it occurred on and the method the rapist used to get the women in his car. I realize those are big factors, but it seems like they'd have more concrete proof before assuming they were all related. They based the entire investigation off of the assumption that they were all related.

[TheCars1986]

Originally Posted by Hambone2421

One of the biggest issues I have with this case is how the police automatically assume that all of these rapes were committed by the same person simply because of the road it occurred on and the method the rapist used to get the women in his car. I realize those are big factors, but it seems like they'd have more concrete proof before assuming they were all related. They based the entire investigation off of the assumption that they were all related.

I haven't seen this segment in a long time, but didn't the women each give different descriptions of the rapist, and different forms of dialect that he used?

[RobinW]

Originally Posted by TheCars1986

I haven't seen this segment in a long time, but didn't the women each give different descriptions of the rapist, and different forms of dialect that he used?

Yes, some of the victims gave vastly different descriptions of their assailant, which is why I'm convinced that the rapes were committed by multiple perpetrators (none of whom were Luis Diaz) during that three-year period. Some of the victims in the segment even admitted they weren't sure Diaz was the same man who raped them, but still identified him because they naively thought that if the police had arrested him, he must be the right guy.

I also seem to remember there being a theory that a gang was operating in the Bird Road area at that time and may have had new members sexually assault women as form of initiation, which might explain why so many rapes could have taken place in that specific area with different Hispanic perpetrators. This case kinda reminds of the controversial Atlanta Child Murders case from the same time period where all of the 28 murders were pinned on Wayne Williams so they could conveniently close the case, even though it's far more likely not all of them are connected and that the murders were committed by multiple perpetrators.

[rarjake]

Just watched this case, again. and it really pisses me off, these woman lied. i can understand the trama they went through, but to just be like in the court room. oh i dont know if he is, but i am just going to say he is because the police think he did it. the police think you did it because you I'D him.

i know they never will do it, but should they be tried for perjury? this man was in prison for 25 years.

just shows our justice system isn't perfect, esp. for minorities. what took till 2005 to test the DNA? I guess thats just anther case all together.

[DALLASTEXAN!!]

Originally Posted by rarjake

Just watched this case, again. and it really pisses me off, these woman lied. i can understand the trama they went through, but to just be like in the court room. oh i dont know if he is, but i am just going to say he is because the police think he did it. the police think you did it because you I'D him.

i know they never will do it, but should they be tried for perjury? this man was in prison for 25 years.

just shows our justice system isn't perfect, esp. for minorities. what took till 2005 to test the DNA? I guess thats just anther case all together.

Beyond all this its poor police work. They were under pressure to solve this crime and instead of looking for the truth they framed an innocent man who was every bit the easy target for them as the women involved were for the rapist. This case like many others featured proves that eye witness testimony is unreliable especially when you factor multiple witnesses together.

[JannTosh]

watched this on the Farina version. Infuriating case



The police were disgusting, but blame must be put on the women who identified him. Despite what they went through, what they did was horrible.

[Awsi Dooger]

Originally Posted by Hambone2421

One of the biggest issues I have with this case is how the police automatically assume that all of these rapes were committed by the same person simply because of the road it occurred on

Yep, and this is a major road that extends mile after mile in southwest Miami with tons of varied businesses on either side. Three eastbound lanes and three westbound lanes. It's been that way for decades, dating long before those rapes.

To provide an idea of how high profile Bird Road is, that was the street where the Miami Heat championship celebrations took place immediately after they clinched the title. Fans grouped there by the thousands, including myself, banging pots and pans well into the wee hours. I'm sure there are videos on YouTube. Traffic was at a standstill but nobody cared. There was pedestrian traffic equally mixed with people happily honking their car horns and remaining virtually stationary for hours.

I've noticed that many of these true crime programs don't do a competent job of depicting the street or area where the incident took place. For example, one recent program featured a murder that happened maybe 30 years ago on Highway 27 in central Florida. It involved a carnival worker. I seem to remember his daughter and her friend were the killers. Anyway, the show wanted you to believe that 27 is a tiny obscure road in the middle of nowhere. Hardly. It can have desolate spots but that road is double laned in both directions. It was the major north/south route through central Florida before the turnpike and I-95 were built. US 1 served the same purpose on the coast.

[thinwhiteduke74]

As someone who lives a quarter mile from Bird Road, I agree with that characterization. The episode makes it look like a moderately busy country road.

[UMFaninMD]

I think the shows portray these locations as secluded on purpose to make it more suspenseful. I remember a thread where someone posted pictures of the Wacker house and the store where Debra Poe worked. UM made it look like desolate locations when in reality they weren't.

[JannTosh]

this is a perfect case to show to the people who say the word of the victims alone in a rape case should be enough to convinct

[Souldriver5440]

Why would anyone rape a bird road?