A California man used a lifelike white-faced mask to disguise his identity during a string of crimes, raising questions about deception and motive in a chilling case. Rockim Prowell, a 34-year-old from Inglewood, faces charges for two murders, an attempted murder, and a series of burglaries across Los Angeles. Authorities say Prowell, who is Black, wore the prosthetic mask to appear as a young white man during a burglary spree between 2019 and 2021, a tactic that helped him evade detection in affluent neighborhoods. Prosecutors charged Prowell on September 8, 2025, with the 2021 murder of Miguel Angel King, 51, and the 2023 murder of Robert Gutierrez, 53.
Both victims were allegedly lured through a dating app before being robbed and killed. King’s body was found in the Angeles National Forest with a fatal bullet wound, while Gutierrez’s body remains missing, though his car was discovered in Prowell’s garage. In February 2025, Prowell allegedly attacked 40-year-old Jordan Andrews, tying him up, beating him with a baseball bat, and stealing his wallet.
Andrews escaped, but Prowell reportedly struck him with a car, breaking his leg.
Prowell’s earlier crimes include up to 30 residential burglaries in areas like Beverly Hills and Newport Beach. During these break-ins, security footage captured him wearing the eerie mask, complete with fake hair and glasses. Police recovered the mask in 2021 after pulling Prowell over in a car with stolen license plates.
At the time, he was charged with burglary and grand theft and was on probation when the 2025 crimes occurred. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has charged Prowell with two counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, two counts of carjacking, two counts of second-degree burglary, and one count of assault with a deadly weapon. If convicted, he faces life in prison without parole or the death penalty. He is currently held on $2 million bail.
