I have to agree with nox here that prostitution should be legalised and regulated. They have done it in Germany and the girls are now far safer than before, as are the punters.
This spate of killings is truly terrible! No matter what anyone may or may not think about these girls, at the end of the day each of them is somebody's daughter, perhaps sister, somebody's grandchild, somebody's friend and this will break so many people's hearts forever!!! I feel so terribly sorry for their families and friends. Not all of the girls in this profession are in it as a result of bad family background and hardship, some come from good homes but have chosen the sex industry as their career. It doesn't really matter though, as they are all human beings who - just like all of us - make good and bad decisions in life. When I had a large apartment in Frankfurt, Germany many years ago, my neighbour was a high class call girl / prostitute. She was stunning, well spoken, had a degree and was a really polite and friendly girl. She was earning fortune, with which she planned to buy a house and retire some day. She kept herself safe by always having her well trained Great Dane with her wherever she went.
I just hope they catch the mad man (and yes, I do think it is more likely to be a man, simply because of the strength required) who is doing this and lock him up for life! And this time, lets have the life sentence actually meaning his whole life!