Man accused of murdering 2 men he met through dating app, trying to kill third
A California man is accused of murdering two men he met through a dating app and attempting to kill a third in what prosecutors described as "inexplicable" and "predatory" acts of violence.
Rockim Prowell, 34, of Inglewood, has been charged with two counts of murder for the deaths of men prosecutors say he met through an unnamed dating app in 2021 and 2023.
The third alleged victim also met the suspect through the same dating app in February, prosecutors said. After being bound and beaten with a baseball bat, the man managed to escape, police said.
"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 statement Monday announcing the charges. "These were predatory acts that showed a total disregard of life. This suspect has now been stopped in his tracks because of the diligent and tenacious work done by investigators at both the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department."
Vehicles stolen from the two murder victims were linked to Prowell, according to prosecutors, who said the suspect is a serial burglar.
One of the victims, 51-year-old Miguel Angel King, met with Prowell on July 20, 2021, after connecting with the suspect on the dating app, according to prosecutors. Prosecutors allege Prowell murdered King, then stole the victim's vehicle, which was found more than a week later, several miles from Prowell's home.
"Forensic evidence recovered from the vehicle linked Prowell to the slaying," the district attorney's office said.
King's remains were ultimately found in the Angeles National Forest in August 2021, prosecutors said.
Two years later, on Aug. 21, 2023, prosecutors said Prowell agreed to meet with the second murder victim -- 53-year-old Robert Gutierrez -- about a mile from the suspect's home after interacting through the dating app. Gutierrez's family reported him missing two days later, and his body was never found, prosecutors said.
On Feb. 22, prosecutors say Prowell met with a 40-year-old man he had connected with through the dating app about four miles from the suspect's home.
"Prowell allegedly bound the victim, stole his wallet and beat him with a baseball bat," the district attorney's office said. "The victim managed to escape but Prowell chased the man in a vehicle, striking him and breaking his leg."
When Prowell was arrested last week, they found Gutierrez's car in his garage, prosecutors said.
Prowell has been charged with two counts of murder with the special circumstance allegation of multiple murders, as well as one count of attempted murder, two counts each of carjacking and second-degree burglary and one count of assault with a deadly weapon.
He is being held on $2 million bail, online jail records show. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday. It is unclear if he has an attorney at this time.
If convicted as charged, he faces death or life in state prison without the possibility of parole. A decision on whether to seek the death penalty will be made at a later date, the district attorney's office said.
Prosecutors said the suspect is currently on probation for burglaries he committed in the Beverly Hills and Los Angeles areas between 2019 and 2021.
Prowell was arrested in May 2021 in connection with a series of burglaries in Beverly Hills. Police said at the time that he wore a prosthetic mask with a wig during the crimes.
