Jon Barry Simonis: The Ski Mask Rapist

Between 1978 and 1981, a quiet terror crept through the southern United States. Women and couples were attacked in their own homes—bound, blindfolded, and violated by a man wearing a ski mask who seemed to appear and vanish like a ghost. His name was Jon Barry Simonis, and by the time he was caught, he’d confessed to more than 80 rapes across 12 states. Investigators now believe the real number was closer to 130. But this isn’t just another case of brutality, it's a case about the science that emerged from it. When the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit—still in its infancy—noticed the pattern, they turned to a woman who would change criminal profiling forever: Dr. Ann Wolbert Burgess, a nurse and researcher whose revolutionary work in victimology helped agents read the psychological signatures buried inside each crime. Burgess’s insights led the FBI to label Simonis a vindictive rapist—a man driven not by lust, but by power, humiliation, and control. Her method of studying what victims experienced became the blueprint for modern profiling, trauma-informed interviewing, and the way we understand serial offenders today. In this episode, Bailey and Chelsea unravel how a soft-spoken Army veteran with an IQ of 128 weaponized patience, intelligence, and dominance to terrorize communities—and how Burgess’s collaboration with the FBI finally exposed the mind behind the mask. Because sometimes the most dangerous predators aren’t the ones who act without thought. They’re the ones who plan every breath of fear you take.   Don't miss our mind-boggling interview with Dr. Ann Burgess dropping Friday 10/31/25.   Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe, rate and review on your favorite podcast listening app! Want to recommend a wild case or just give s a shout?Contact us at Wildcidepodcast@gmail.com For Wildcider Merch, visit www.wildcidepodcast.com   Find us on Facebook@ Wildcide Podcast. Follow us on Instagram @wildcidepodcast PS: Don’t forget Wildcide Wednesdays- new episodes drop every Wednesday at 6am EST. Interviews will drop every other Friday at 6am EST. Background music by Brad Parsons at Train Sound Studio. Art for the podcast was created by Kelly Steen.    References: American Press. (1982, January 18). Mother of ‘Ski Mask Rapist’ says son confessed to spare family. Lake Charles, LA. Burgess, A. W. (2021). A killer by design: Murderers, mindhunters, and my quest to decipher the criminal mind. Hachette Books. Burgess, A. W., & Holmstrom, L. L. (1974). Rape: Victims of crisis. Bowie, MD: Charles C. Thomas. Burgess, A. W., Douglas, J. E., Ressler, R. K., & Hartman, C. R. (1986). Criminal profiling from crime scene analysis. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 4(4), 401–421. https://www.pbs.org The Cinemaholic. (2021, October 10). Where is Jon Simonis now? The Ski Mask Rapist update. The Cinemaholic. https://thecinemaholic.com The Lantern. (1982, January 15). Ohio man exonerated after Jon Simonis confession. Ohio State University Archives. United Press International. (1981, December 15). Rapist says own confessions convicted him. UPI Archives. United Press International. (1982, January 10). Simonis pleads guilty to 81 attacks in 12 states; sentenced to 21 life terms plus 2,690 years. UPI Archives. Washington Post. (1982, August 22). $2 million rape award. The Washington Post.