Catonsville Kidnapping and Rape Suspects Linked to Five Other Violent Crimes

Two men facing charges for the rape of two women abducted from Catonsville bus stops have been linked to six other violent crimes—and may be responsible for additional crimes, according to Baltimore County Police Chief James Johnson.

William Justin Campbell, 25, and Kenyon Travis Waller, 22, "are responsible for a crime spree that dates back to at least August 11th of this year" and ended when they were apprehended on Oct. 1 and charged with robbery, kidnapping, rape and sexual assault, Johnson said at a press briefing at Baltimore City Police headquarters.

Campbell and Waller are "two extremely dangerous people" who committed violent crimes against eleven victims—mostly young women and students at local colleges, according to Johnson.

"Sometimes, some of these particular cases just bring outrage to you—outrage in your heart." Baltimore City Police Commissioner Anthony Batts said at the briefing.

"You have young women here, on their way to school, on their way in a public place, and they're assaulted by...we can't call the suspects names," Batts said. "The things that they did, the way that they treated these young ladies, is an outrage."

, a 17-year-old girl on her way home from Community College of Baltimore County Catonsville exited a bus at the intersection of Edmondson and Ingleside avenues, according to police. She was walking to another bus stop when a gold Ford Explorer pulled up beside her, police said.

Johnson said that Campbell, who was driving the vehicle, got out and forced the victim into the car. Waller was in the back seat armed with a handgun, he said.

The victim was driven to an alley in Baltimore City, where "Campbell went through her personal belongings, taking her wallet, cell phone, money and other personal effects, while Waller committed a sexual assault," Johnson said.

Later on Oct. 1, Baltimore City police received a report of a robbery and kidnapping of a young man and woman on the 2500 block of Liberty Heights, not far from Baltimore City Community College, according to officials.

According to police, the vehicle used during the crime was a gold Ford Explorer. They also had a partial license plate, according to Capt Dan Lioi, commander of district detectives in the city police department.

The investigation led to Campbell and Waller, and by 11:20 p.m. they were located and taken into custody, police said.

Police also charged Campbell for the Sept. 25 kidnapping and sexual assault of a 18-year-old woman near the Edmondson-Ingleside bus stop.

According to police, at around 9:20 a.m., the victim had left the bus and was walking to work when Campbell displayed a semi-automatic handgun and told her to get into his vehicle—a Ford SUV.

Campbell drove the victim to a dead-end street in a nearby apartment complex and ordered her to perform a sexual act, according to police. He took her property and threatened to harm her if she contacted police, officials said.

"The method of operation was very similar," Johnson said.

Based on the similarity of the crimes, detectives investigated reports of other violent crimes involving a handgun and a beige or gold Ford Explorer, particularly on the western or northwestern side of the city and county around colleges and Mondawmin Mall, Lioi said.

Lioi said that detectives identified a half-dozen additional cases with similar method of operation—three of the cases involving a beige or gold Ford SUV, and five of the cases involving a black semiautomatic handgun.

"We went and located several victims, and we were able to get those victims to identify the suspects through photo arrays," Lioi said.

The investigation linked Campbell and Waller to five additional criminal incidents for which they have been charged, according to police:

• Aug. 11: Street robbery of a 22-year-old female on the 2500 block of Gwynns Falls Parkway in Baltimore City.
• Sept. 12: Robbery and kidnapping of a 19-year-old female while walking home from school on the 2600 block of Liberty Heights.
• Sept. 17: Street robbery of a 19-year-old male leaving Baltimore City Community College on the 2800 block of Dukeland St.
• Sept. 19: Street robbery of two 17-year-old female Coppin State students on the 2300 block of Windsor Ave.
• Sep. 29: Street robbery of two woman sitting at a bus stop on the 2500 block of W. North Ave.

According to police, Campbell and Waller took the victim's indentification cards and threatened to find them if they reported the crimes. Officials said that there may be additional victims who are afraid to come forward.

"There may be other victims who did not report these crimes to either Baltimore City or Baltimore County," he said.

According to police, Campbell and Waller have been charged with numerous felonies, including first-degree rape, first-degree sexual assault, kidnapping and armed robbery.

The suspects are being held without bail at Baltimore County Detention Center, and face the possibility of life in prison if convicted, according to police.