Prosecutors to seek to $1.4 million bail for 26-year-old suspect due to the vicious nature of the crimes.
Santa Monica resident Alexander William Schecter, 26, faces a potential life sentence after being charged in a series of violent attacks involving a UCLA student and a woman in Culver City.
Prosecutors with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Sex Crimes Division filed multiple felony counts against Schecter, including kidnapping to commit another crime, first-degree residential robbery, 2 counts of felony forcible oral copulation, and 1 count of felony forcible rape. The charges stem from two separate incidents occurring over a five-month span, which investigators linked following Schecter’s arrest in mid-March.
Legal filings describe a high degree of “cruelty, viciousness, and callousness” regarding an October 12, 2025, assault in Culver City. In that case, Schecter allegedly sexually assaulted and raped a woman, causing great bodily harm.
The investigation expanded after a March 8, 2026, incident in Westwood. Authorities allege that Schecter was dropping off a female UCLA student in the 500 block of Landfair Avenue when he prevented her from leaving his vehicle and threatened her with violence. The student managed to escape the car approximately half a mile away on Gayley Avenue.
UCLA Police took Schecter into custody on March 12. While his bail currently stands at $700,000, Deputy District Attorney Matthew Bunnett intends to argue for an increase to $1.4 million during a scheduled May 4 hearing at the Airport Courthouse.
If convicted as charged, Schecter faces 37 years to life in state prison. Detectives believe there may be additional victims and are asking anyone with information to contact the UCLA Police Department Investigations Division at 310-825-9371 or provide anonymous tips through Crime Stoppers.
