Crime | East Coast Rapist East Coast Rapist Admits Guilt, Has Awful Life Story Aaron Thomas: 'They were objects' to me By Neal Colgrass Posted Nov 11, 2012 6:08 PM CST Copied Aaron Thomas, dubbed the East Coast Rapist by law enforcement, leaves New Haven Superior Court after his arraignment in New Haven, Conn., Monday, March 7, 2011. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill) The East Coast Rapist has confessed to his crimes and admitted that he made up an alter-ego in an early attempt to plead insanity, the Washington Post reports. Awaiting trial in Virginia, Aaron Thomas says he committed a dozen rapes across several states and, when finally arrested, blamed the assaults on a split personality. But he always knew right from wrong: "They were objects,” he says. “Whoever came down the street, an object. . . . It’s awful. It’s scary. ... It’s something not right because people are getting hurt." His life story provides a tragic backdrop to his crimes—from being abused by his father to acting out as a child to spending three years in a psychiatric alternative school. As an adult, he suffered a terrible shock being shot in the buttocks before testifying in a robbery case, and bawled his eyes out when his first son died. He did manage to keep a truck-driving job, have two relationships with women, and raise a son. People also considered him charming and intelligent. But he experienced bouts of disappointment and rage for which he found a terrible antidote: going out and raping women. His victims were unreal to him, he says, until he had to hear their stories in court: "I was melting in my seat. I was disgusted." Now he needs to be punished, he admits, and has only one request: "Tell me what the hell is wrong with me." Read These Next New Fox star, 23, misses first day after car troubles. Man accused of killing his daughters might be dead. White House rolls with Trump's 'daddy' nickname. Iran's supreme leader makes first public comments since ceasefire. Report an error