Choosing to be an escort and posting ads for sex turned into a life-and-death struggle for one woman in Charleston, West Virginia. Police say that a woman, only identified as Heather, posted an ad for sex online and allowed Neal Falls into her home. However, Falls then pulled a gun, started choking her and said “live or die.” A struggle ensued and Heather grabbed the only weapon she could find — a lawn rake — and tried to defend herself. That’s when Falls made the fatal mistake of putting his gun down to grab the rake. Heather was able to grab the gun and shot Falls, killing him.
When police arrived at the scene and searched Falls’ car, they made a chilling discovery. Falls had an arsenal of weapons and material in the car that included a machete, axes, knives, a shovel, sledgehammer, bleach, plastic bags, bulletproof vests, and four sets of handcuffs. It turns out that Falls more than likely was a serial killer who had been murdering escorts across the country. According to Charleston Chief Detective Steve Cooper “It’s likely that Mr. Falls is a serial killer. I believe [Heather] saved lives by shooting Mr. Falls, based on what he did to her and based on the items found in his car.”
The bodies of several dismembered women were discovered outside of Las Vega, where Falls once lived, have now been connected to the dead man.
Police also found a list of 10 women on Falls, all living, but possibly his next victims. Police are now saying that Falls may be linked to the disappearance and possible murder of at least nine other women in Ohio, Illinois and Nevada. All the dead women were escorts and most advertised their services online. Police have stated that Falls was from Oregon and had Oregon license plates on his vehicle. Because the shooting was deemed self-defense, Heather will not face any charges.
