Los Angeles County prosecutors charged 34-year-old Rockim Prowell on Monday with two counts of murder, one count of attempted murder and a raft of related offenses, saying he met victims on dating apps before allegedly robbing and killing them and that he had a lengthy prior burglary history during which he wore a white-faced mask to hide his identity.
Authorities said Prowell, of Inglewood, is accused in the deaths of 51-year-old Miguel Angel King in 2021 and 53-year-old Robert Gutierrez in 2023, and in an attempted murder earlier this year. He is being held on $2 million bail. Prosecutors also added charges including carjacking, burglary and assault with a deadly weapon.
Prosecutors said King was found dumped in the Angeles National Forest with a fatal gunshot wound. Authorities have not located Gutierrez’s body, but they allege his vehicle was later discovered in Prowell’s garage. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said a third man, identified in charging papers as Jordan Andrews, 40, was tied up, beaten with a baseball bat and robbed in February. Andrews escaped but was struck by Prowell’s car as he fled and suffered a broken leg, prosecutors said.
Prowell was already on probation for two burglary convictions between 2019 and 2021, according to prosecutors, and law enforcement officials said he is likely linked to as many as 30 break-ins across Los Angeles. During that earlier burglary spree, security footage reported by local station FOX 11 showed a person wearing a ghoulish white rubber mask that made him appear to be a young white man. Authorities said the mask was recovered after they pulled Prowell over in a vehicle linked to the crimes.
"Imagine the terror and horror these victims felt after being duped into believing they were meeting for one reason, only to face inexplicable violence," Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a written statement released with the charges.
Prosecutors say Prowell used dating apps to meet the men he later attacked, then allegedly fled scenes in victims’ vehicles. Investigators described a pattern of alleged contact, robbery and theft that escalated to lethal violence in at least two cases. The complaint filed by the district attorney’s office lays out counts that include murder, attempted murder, carjacking, auto theft and multiple counts tied to prior burglaries and assaults.
Law enforcement officials cautioned that investigations remain active and that allegations in the charging documents have not been proven in court. Prowell appeared in court after being taken into custody; his public defender has not yet provided a response to the charges in court filings available publicly.
Officials said the inquiry drew on surveillance video, vehicle and property evidence and witness statements. Police have said a car tied to one of the victims was recovered from Prowell’s garage and that forensic and physical leads connected him to other incidents under investigation.
The alleged pattern of wearing a mask to alter appearance prompted investigators to examine multiple property crimes in Los Angeles for potential links. Prosecutors and police in Los Angeles have in recent years pursued cases involving suspects who used false identities and online contacts to target victims, and they said the current case underscores continuing concerns about safety when meeting persons through digital platforms.
Authorities urged anyone with information about the incidents to contact the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office or local law enforcement. The charges will proceed through the county’s criminal calendar, where prosecutors must prove the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
Prowell’s arraignment and the preliminary hearing schedule were not immediately available. The district attorney’s office said it will provide further updates as the case advances through the courts.
(Reporting includes statements and materials released by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and local law enforcement.)