By Jason Islas
Staff Writer

August 17, 2012 -- Police arrested a 46 year-old homeless man Wednesday morning at Pan Pacific Park on Fairfax and Third Street for the murder of two homeless women in Santa Monica more than a decade ago.

Edric Dashell Gross, a transient living in the Los Angeles area, was picked up by SMPD Cold Case Detective Larry Nicols and other officers at the park at 10 a.m. in connection with the 2001 murder of Jacqueline Lee Ovsak and the 2002 murder of Dana Caper, both homeless women in their early 40s at the time.

“This is a big relief for me,” said Nicols, who has been working on these cases since 2007. “I’m gratified we finally got it taken care of.”

In these two cases, Nicols said, DNA evidence was crucial in identifying the suspect.

“DNA was the first lead we go on him,” said Nicols.

When Nicols reopened the Caper case in September 2007, the first thing he looked at was the sex kit, which detectives used to test for foreign DNA on the victim’s body.

Later, in February 2008, when Nicols reviewed the sex kit for Ovsak, he saw that the same foreign DNA was found on her body.

When the DNA was checked against the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a man with two previous felonies on his record popped up: Gross.

Gross, who himself had been a transient moving around the L.A. area, in and out of Santa Monica for years, is a schizophrenic, said Nicols.

“He was registered at an L.A. County mental health facility,” he said. “He goes there to get his medication.”

When police began looking for Gross, Nicols found that the suspect had once had his Social Security check delivered to the Ocean Park Community Center homeless services agency on Olympic Boulevard.

But he had switched his address over to an L.A. County mental health facility.

Both women were homeless as a result of mental illness, said Nicols, but throughout the investigations, he had been in touch with their families.

“They have been totally cooperative and on board,” he said, adding that they were relieved that they may soon have some closure to these cases.

Even though Gross has been arrested as a suspect and will be arraigned at the LAX Courthouse Friday, Nicols said, “I’d love to hear from people out there who knew these victims.”

Those with information on the crimes can reach Nicols at (310) 458-8939 or they can call (310) 458-8939. The 24-hour SMPD number is (310) 458-8495.

Anonymous tips can be made at 1-800-78-CRIME (1-800-78-27463), or online at www.wetip.com.