A BRAVE woman who shot her attacker with his own gun later found out he was a modern-day Jack the Ripper.
Neal Falls turned up at the woman's home on July 18 after answering an escort ad she put online, and simply told her: "Live or die."
He then pulled a gun out and started strangling her, but she managed to save herself by shooting him dead.
Now investigators are looking into whether the 45-year-old was behind a string of other sex worker killings across the country.
Police said Falls had arrived at the woman's house in Charleston, West Virginia, with a "kill list" and an unusual number of handcuffs.
He also had a car full of weapons and tools – including a shovel, knives, a bulletproof vest, a machete, bleach, trash bags, sledgehammers and axes.
And in his pocket police found a bone-chilling list of potential future victims – all sex workers who advertised on the same website, Backpage.com.
"The stuff that we found is so alarming that we want law enforcement across the country to be aware of it," Lt Steve Cooper of Charleston Police Department said.
As soon as Falls turned up at the home of his latest victim, who was also sex worker, he turned violent.
The woman, who asked not to be identified, said: "I knew he was there to kill me.
"I could tell that he had already done something because he said that he was going to prison for a long time. And that's when I knew he was gonna kill me."
She only had a split-second to take control of the terrifying situation.
"When he strangled me he just wouldn't let me get any air," she said. "I grabbed my rake and when he laid the gun down to get the rake out of my hands, I shot him.
"I just grabbed the gun and shot behind me."
Police said Falls did not have a criminal history. He worked as a security guard in the northwestern state of Oregon and only had minor traffic offences on his driving license.
The horrifying case is similar to the unsolved mystery of Jack the Ripper – the notorious serial killer who murdered prostitutes in Whitechapel, east London, in the late 1880s.
And in the small town of Chillicothe, Ohio – just two hours from Charleston – at least six female sex workers have disappeared in the last year.
Four of their bodies have been discovered dumped in nearby streams and creeks. Police and the FBI are now investigating whether Falls could be responsible for their murders.
But regardless of whether he is connected or not, Lt Cooper said he clearly had violent and disturbing intentions at his latest victim's house.
He said: "He made a deal with the victim to exchange money for her services as an escort.
"He brought no money with him. What he brought with him was a firearm, four sets of handcuffs, and all of the items you have photos of from the trunk of his car.
"So… clearly his intentions were dark."
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