Were these early victims of the Zodiac Killer? (Part 1/4) | Forensic Files

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[Music] the evening of monday april 9 1962 in oceanside california he pressed a fingertip to the phone's
rotary dial and turned its wheel until it hit the stop position he repeated this motion over and over
until he had spun each digit of the oceanside police department's phone number i am going to pull something here in
oceanside he warned the answering officer and you will never be able to figure it
out the following night 29 year old oceanside cab driver ray davis pulled up at a downtown taxi stand on mission
avenue at 11 10 a customer approached his vehicle and climbed into the back seat
ray radioed his dispatcher to inform that he just picked up a fair and was headed for south pacific street
he didn't report back or respond to any further radio communications after a considerable amount of time had
passed with no contact from ray his employer notified police a beach patrol discovered rey's lifeless
body later that morning in an alley off south pacific street in the upscale neighborhood of saint
malo the 1110 curbside pickup was ray's last job for checker cab company his employer
of less than four months at some point during this trip rey's passenger pulled out a gun and fired it
into the driver's seat hitting ray in the back the shooter then aimed at ray's head and
pulled the trigger the third and final bullet punctured the windshield missing ray completely
two 22 caliber long rifle bullets were recovered from rey's body despite their name long rifle bullets
could also be used in handguns rey's cab was found abandoned in an alley one and a half miles up the road
it appeared as though his killer had used the vehicle to facilitate a quicker getaway
police were puzzled by the seemingly motiveless crime ray hadn't been robbed his wallet had
been left behind as had a small amount of change in his shirt pocket nevertheless unrelated armed robberies
were examined for possible links none were found both evidence and persons of interest
were limited ray was relatively new to oceanside having moved there with his brother just
four months earlier he didn't have the community connections necessary to pad out a suspect list
most of the individual's questions were known petty criminals who were quickly ruled out
a fellow cabbie was also looked into but accusations against him proved baseless
then four days after ray davis's murder a second anonymous call was placed to oceanside pd
do you remember me calling you and telling you that i was going to pull a real baffling crime the caller asked i
killed the cab driver and i'm going to get me a bus driver next oceanside police took this very
seriously they had kept word of the initial call they received on april 9 under wraps so
they were certain they weren't dealing with a copycat or hoax the caller had made good on his first
threat by murdering ray davis so there was a very real possibility he would follow through with the second
faced with an unpredictable killer the city manager gave officials blanket authority to take whatever steps
necessary to protect oceanside's 25 bus drivers buses and bus stops were placed under
close observation at night military police from the nearby marine corps base camp stood guard over
the nervous drivers on the lookout for any suspicious passengers four days after the second threat was
made a woman answered her telephone to hear a man warn tonight is the night i'm going to kill
that bus driver [Music] the caller didn't give his name but told the woman to relay the message to the
police they listened to her claim while also being mindful that the case's notoriety
would likely appeal to pranksters and attention seekers the chaos was making headlines across
the city but concerns dissipated when the killer failed to carry out his second threat
as a precaution two drivers were assigned to all buses that traveled lonely routes
but for the most part life in oceanside returned to normal eventually the ray davis case went cold
at the time of his death he was estranged from his wife and had no children he was close to his brother and mother
but when they died many years later rey's senseless murder faded from california's memory
decades later in 2018 local historian christy hawthorne donned a pair of white cotton gloves and began flipping through
archived newspapers at an oceanside museum she had lived in the city since 1983 and
harboured a deep passion for preserving its history christy was researching the saint malo
area when a three-word front-page headline caught her attention written in large bold letters across a
yellowed copy of the daily blade tribune were the words local cabbie slain dated wednesday april 11 1962
the accompanying article detailed the circumstances of ray davis's murder was unfamiliar with the case which had
occurred more than half a century earlier as she read on her heartbeat quickened
a cab driver a 22-caliber firearm long rifle ammunition a city with a water-based name
a water-side crime scene its proximity to a military base lack of a motive or suspects
the randomness of the attack and most intriguing of all a cryptic killer who taunted the police
alarm bells rang in christie's mind this seemed all too familiar [Music] daybreak on sunday june 2 1963
one year after the murder of ray davis near gaviota california the sharp crack of gunshots echoed
across the rolling landscape of santa barbara county three teenagers who were camping
alongside tahiga's creek were alarmed by the unmistakable noise it sounded as though the shots were
fired just south of their location where the creek filtered into the pacific ocean
there were no subsequent reports of damage or harm it seemed as if the shooter had been
firing for no reason at all later that same day eleven teenagers were enjoying a day of surf and sand at
a beach adjacent to gabayota state park just seven miles west of tahiga's creek by mid-afternoon the teens had made
their way back to the secluded spot just off highway 101 where they'd parked their cars
as they huddled around chatting a loud cracking sound startled them the noise was accompanied by a
high-pitched whir as something small flew right by them it was a bullet another quickly followed
no one was hit but the teens were left shaken they never caught sight of the shooter
two days later on tuesday june 4 18 year old robert dominguez was at the wheel of
his family's 1956 pontiac sitting beside him was his childhood sweetheart turned fiance 17 year old
linda edwards it was a special occasion for the pair both were senior students at lompoc high
school and were due to graduate later in the week that tuesday was a ditch day an official
day off from classes for the graduating seniors while their peers partied together
robert and linda decided to spend their free afternoon at a secluded beach near gaviota state park
linda had an additional reason to celebrate her 18th birthday was just three days
away it was around midday when the young couple hit the road for their trip to the coast
they reached a gabiota before continuing another four miles down highway 101 to a
dirt turnout that provided a good spot to pull over after stripping down to their bathing
suits robert and linda crossed the road and began the arduous track down the hill to the beachfront below
once there they unravelled a blanket on a small patch of sand and laid down together
with no one else in sight robert and linda believed they had the entire area to themselves
they were wrong a man suddenly appeared before them he handed linda a piece of rope and
ordered that she'd tie robert's hands behind his back terrified she did as she was told
she didn't have a choice the man was holding a gun once robert was under control the man
set about restraining linda before he could loop the rope and pull it tight he was tackled by robert who
had managed to wriggle free from his ligature an altercation ensued despite sustaining several
bruise-inducing blows to the face robert managed to overpower his opponent he and linda then ran for their lives
the gunman scrambled to his feet the two teens hadn't gotten far the only way out was up and the rugged
hillside was slowing their escape the attacker raised his gun and took aim he fired over and over until the chamber
was empty and his targets had fallen he reloaded then marched intently to where his victims lay bleeding in the
sand he then shot them both several more times at close range robert was shot 11 times
lindate after the slaughter the shooter dragged robert's body 30 feet across the rough
terrain to a driftwood shack hidden in the bushes he pulled robert inside before
collecting linda and dumping her on top of her boyfriend he then cut linda's bathing suit open
with a knife exposing her breasts it was easy to pull down the shack's dilapidated roof to conceal the bodies
after stacking further debris on top the killer lit several matches and through the matata portland covering the shack's
entrance it was time to leave the fire would take care of the rest [Music] it was nearing 10 o'clock the following
night when california highway patrol officer paul schultz drove along highway 101 22 miles southwest of lompoc
the area was quiet save for the sound of the sea crashing against the coastline officer schultz approached a stretch of
roadway south of gaviota state park where three men were standing by the side of the road
one was george dominguez who was out looking for his son robert no one had heard from robert or his
fiancee linda since they left for the beach the day before george dominguez had gathered a small
search party at the teen's last known location they had since made an important discovery
the men led officer schultz to a turnout off the highway parked in the dirt by some bushes was
the dominguez family's pontiac the doors were locked three empty soda bottles were spotted
within linda's purse lay on the floor in the front and her and robert's clothing was
strewn about in the back this confirmed that the couple had made it to the beach but they hadn't returned
to the vehicle since one of george's companions informed officer schultz that there was a
makeshift shack on the nearby beach where local youths were known to hang out schultz crossed the highway and headed
towards the shore to check if the missing teens were there it took a few minutes to hike down
the steep bush-lined trail to the water's edge the secluded area attracted few visitors
aside from drifters who traveled along the nearby southern pacific railroad one had built the shack out of driftwood
cardboard tin and grass among the trees and vegetation a few yards back from the
water when officer schultz reached the crudely built shack it was in bad shape someone had tried to destroy it by
pulling the roof down from within inside partially concealed by the collapsed roof was a horrific sight
the bloody bodies of robert dominguez and linda edwards were piled one on top of the other
22 caliber long rifle bullets lengths of pre-cut cord and burnt out matches found
throughout the crime scene helped investigators piece together what likely happened
while linda's bathing suit was cut open there was no evidence that she had been sexually assaulted
police were dealing with a particularly cunning offender who had the foresight to stage the crime scene in an attempt
to throw them off it was clear the killer had hoped to cover up his crime by destroying the
shack but unluckily for him the matches snuffed out before the fire took hold as both victims were popular and well
liked it was hard to identify a motive for the killings but not everyone was happy for the young
couple seventeen-year-old jason not his real name was known to be openly jealous of
robert dominguez robert was a star player on the school's football team and was dating a
cheerleader whereas jason was in and out of trouble with police he'd been arrested multiple times
including immediately after the murders for causing trouble while intoxicated on the day of the double homicide jason
was at a beach four miles from the one robert and linda were visiting during questioning police noticed that
jason's hand was bruised as though he'd been in a fight he also admitted to having access to his
father's guns still there was nothing directly linking jason to the murders and he was released
without charge after speaking with locals railroad men and youths that frequented the beach
area investigators became aware of a 50 year old army veteran turned drifter named george gill
a loner with a penchant for military style clothing gill visited the gaviota beach often surviving on the pelicans
mussels and wild mustard he found there gill had actually built the shack where robert and linda's bodies were found and
was reportedly living in it in the days prior to the murders he kept a 22-caliber rifle in a bundle
strapped to his back which he was seen firing in the area could gill have been responsible for the
gunshots heard and even felt by the two groups of teenagers near tahigas creek and gabiota state park in the days
before robert and linda were killed the teens had described the gunfire as having come from a 22 caliber
semi-automatic firearm possibly a long rifle there was no way to know for sure by the time gill was brought to police
attention he was long gone the bullets recovered from robert and linda's bodies were too versatile to
isolate exactly what type of firearm they came from but the discovery of several boxes of
winchester western superx long rifle ammunition inside the beach shack helped direct detectives to the bullet's origin
the boxes one empty and three partially filled featured a lot number tl-21 while this batch was stocked in local
sports stores it was also sold at a base exchange at the vandenberg air force base
just over nine miles from lompoc yet the boxes lacked any identifiers that could help narrow down where or
when they were purchased as these bullets were also the most popular and common type of ammunition
purchased it was difficult to isolate a suspect using this evidence alone the graduation ceremony for lompoc
high's senior class of 1963 was held on thursday june 6 the day after robert dominguez and linda edwards
were found murdered the mood amongst the students was somber and they laid wreaths on two empty seats
in honor of their slain classmates that same day two teens were transferred to santa
barbara county sheriff's department having just confessed to witnessing a murder
daytime on friday may 31 1963 four days before the murders of robert dominguez and linda edwards
in santa cruz california sixteen-year-old james coleman and his friend seventeen-year-old jc reed jr
eyed the stranger before them he was maybe a year or two older than them of average height and build with
thick natural blonde hair combed to one side a pair of black rimmed prescription
eyeglasses framed his pale blue eyes in between taking drags from a pow mouse cigarette he held at the base of his
fingers the stranger introduced himself as sandy and said he'd run away from his home in
san francisco cindy's story was inconsistent each time he told it the details varied
slightly whatever the truth sandy was a transient who'd taken to sleeping under the santa cruz boardwalk
his peculiarities soon made him a recognizable figure to locals who thought his army fatigues were an odd
choice of attire for someone living on the beach sandy often asked other young men where
he could find girls even though girls clearly weren't interested in him on one occasion sandy received a warning
from police after a young woman complained that he'd been bothering her while cindy's requests for food or
drinks from passers-by weren't particularly unusual he raised eyebrows when he produced a knife and asked where
he could get it sharpened [Music] there was no doubt that sandy was a strange character but james coleman and
jc reed jr was somewhat charmed by him on the day they met the trio teamed up and embarked on a crime spree that led
them 200 miles south to lompoc coleman and reed weren't new to petty crime but sandy's influence seemingly
emboldened them to commit increasingly violent acts first they stole some drinks from a ymca
then they robbed a woman of twenty dollars next they stole a sunbeam convertible
during their misadventures common and reed gifted sandy a pair of black pants and a black slip-over shirt with a
button-down collar they also supplied him with a yellow-handled fishing knife though sandy desired a deadlier weapon
he kept talking about wanting to procure her 22-caliber rifle in lompoc later that night they
approached 63 year old quarry worker vernon smith with the intention of robbing him
cindy asked for vernon's help explaining that they'd run out of gas as vernon used a gas can to fill the
tank of the stolen sunbeam sandy walked up behind him and pulled out his fishing knife
this wasn't part of the plan coleman yelled at sandy don't do it boy sandy ignored him and plunged the knife
into vernon's back killing him stunned by the sudden and brutal attack coleman asked cindy why he did it
cindy shrugged and with cool indifference said he didn't know he then laughed as if the whole thing
was a joke the murder marked the end of sandy's time with coleman and reed unnerved the boys ditched sandy at a
motel in arroyo grande 45 miles north of lompoc the very next day robert dominguez and linda edwards was
shot dead on gaviota beach police caught up with the james coleman and jc reed jr and arrested them in
relation to one of the robberies they committed during their crime spree when grilled about vernon smith's murder
the pair quickly implicated sandy but neither could provide his full name they weren't even certain if he was
really named sandy while police were wary of coleman and reed's story that appeared to be the
truth other people confirmed sandy's existence and he had been sided with coleman and
reed in lompoc one witness recalled him carrying a yellow handled fishing knife exactly
like the one coleman and reed said he used to kill vernon smith there had been no sightings of sandy
since coleman and reed abandoned him at the motel in arroyo grande but police were able to piece together his possible
movements after killing vernon smith sandy had pocketed 20 dollars it was believed that he used some of
this money to fund an overnight stay at the motel he booked a room using the pseudonym
william carr and a fake address before checking out at 11 the following morning a seasoned hitchhiker
cindy would have been capable of securing a ride further south he could have obtained a gun and
ammunition at any point throughout his journey known for approaching locals and begging
for help someone might have told him he could stay at the beach shack near gabiota state park
no stranger to sleeping rough sandy would have been comfortable holed up there for a
night he might have spotted robert dominguez and linda edwards arriving the next day
sandy was carrying at least one knife which he could have used to cut the rope ligatures as well as linda's bathing
suit given he was a smoker it was likely he would have been carrying a pack of matches
this timeline coupled with sandy's willingness to kill and desire to obtain a 22-calibre firearm put him high on the
list of suspects in the double homicide the hunt for sandy was on a composite sketch was created based on
descriptions from those who had interacted with him police dubbed him the laughing boy and
the laughing killer due to his amused demeanor following the stabbing of vernon smith
alleged sightings of cindy were reported across the state sacramento teen robert lee bell was one
such look alike the 17 year old raised eyebrows when he abruptly quit his job at a lompoc car
wash and skipped town days before the dominguez edwards murders before he left he stole a 22 caliber
rifle and ammunition when police tracked bell down he still had the gun in his possession
weak old scratchers marked his wrists and forearms but bell insisted they'd been caused by a puppy
ballistics confirmed that bell's rifle wasn't the murder weapon and when several witnesses placed him at a
sacramento baseball game on the day of the shooting he was dropped as a suspect bell was just one of several young men
suspected of being sandy while some owned or had access to 22 caliber firearms investigators couldn't
connect any of these weapons to the crime clues were scarce and those police did
have were confusing sandy had left behind a green military jacket which had the name robert kaufman
scrawled along the inside of the collar coleman and reed recalled sandy saying he had stolen the jacket and the rest of
his army clothes it was also possible that kaufman was just another of cindy's aliases
either way the name was a dead end for their involvement in the killing of vernon smith james coleman and j.c reed
jr pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery and second-degree murder they were sent to prison while the
person they alleged had committed the slaying remained on the run [Music] case file will be back shortly thank you
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the evening of wednesday february 5 1964 eight months after the murders of robert
dominguez and to linda edwards in ocean beach california although johnny and joyce swindle had
only been staying in ocean beach for a week they'd already formed a nightly routine
the newlyweds aged 20 and 19 respectively did everything together from washing the dishes to making their
bed every evening they left their rented bungalow to take a stroll down to the beach
the night of february 5 was no different except for a brief visit to a pharmacy where johnny purchased a red
heart-shaped box of candy for his wife valentine's day was more than a week away but it didn't matter
the childhood sweethearts had been on cloud nine since their wedding three weeks earlier
the couple continued their usual walk which ended nine blocks from their home at the beachfront
[Music] joyce in particular loved the ocean it fascinated her and johnny couldn't keep
her away during the day ocean beach foreshore was a hive of activity tourists and fishermen lined its pier as
swimmers took to the surf below just left of the pier at the foot of narragansett avenue was a wide concrete
patio that provided uninterrupted views of the ocean it was the perfect spot to observe the
sunset by late evening most beachgoers had retreated like the tide leaving the area peaceful and private
placing the candy box on the retaining wall framing the water johnny and joyce snuggled together oblivious to anyone
but each other all of a sudden johnny was struck in the back by something small but powerful
he barely had time to register the accompanying pain before joyce collapsed into his arms
she too had been hid in the upper back quickly realizing that they were being shot at johnny turned his body into the
line of fire trying to shield his wife from the barrage his pained cries of no no
carried up the cliffside to the apartment buildings above johnny's left thigh was hit and another
bullet struck the right side of his head a bullet pierced to joyce's left arm exposed and unable to see their
assailant in the dark the couple crumpled helplessly to the ground with his victims immobilized the shooter
eased down the rocky cliff face to the patio below joyce was face down when he marched up
and shot her at point-blank range in the back of the head then he turned towards johnny who had
collapsed against the retaining wall and fired a bullet into his left ear after rummaging through johnny's pockets
and taking whatever he could find the killer then fled the scene a short while later ocean beach local
edward nelson descended the steps that led to the patio overlooking the sea spotting something on the ground ahead
edward raised his flashlight illuminating two bodies piled on top of one another
edward suspected he had stumbled across a pair of drunk lovers who had passed out together
edging closer his flashlight reflected off something glistening and red underneath the couple was a large pool
of blood two empty 22 caliber long rifle cartridges lay nearby matching shells were also found on a
dark well-hidden cliff top 50 feet above by the time edward found the swindles it
was too late for joyce however johnny was clinging to life gurgling and gasping for air he managed
to weakly lift himself up and drape one arm over his wife's body witnesses heard him splutter
my god how much blood does a person have he lost consciousness and was taken to hospital where he died less than three
hours later while no one saw the shooting take place an unidentified man was spotted standing
on the rocks near the patio shortly before the swindles arrived fifteen minutes later another witness
saw a man running at full speed along del monte avenue away from the beachfront it couldn't be ascertained exactly what
type of firearm was used in the crime a sniper rifle correlated with the crime scene's layout and the position of the
shooter however the erratic gunfire and execution style headshots were more in line with someone wielding a handgun
although johnny's wallet had been stolen robbery didn't appear to have been the killer's true motive
johnny was so short on cash that he'd started painting for his landlord in lieu of paying rent making it unlikely
that he had much money on him robbery might have been the killer's secondary motive or merely an
afterthought intended to confuse investigators there was little in the victims lives
that indicated the crime was personal johnny and joyce had barely settled into their apartment where they kept to
themselves they were making the most of their honeymoon period before johnny reported
for naval duty aboard a radar picket ship nothing in their backgrounds pointed to
someone they knew wanting to kill them police concluded that the crime was a senseless thrill killing committed by a
psychopathic killer whose only motive was excitement with the murders of johnny and joyce
swindle a pattern was beginning to emerge the similarities between the swindles killing and that of robert dominguez and
linda edwards less than a year prior was not lost on investigators a young couple
a 22 caliber firearm long rifle ammunition a waterside crime scene lack of motive or suspects
the randomness of the attack although ballistics confirmed that a different gun was used in each crime a
lingering suspicion remained that one person was responsible for both three days after the murders of johnny
and joyce swindle a priest sat in the confessional of saint joseph's catholic church in san diego
it wasn't long before he heard a footfall echoing off the terracotta tiles as someone made their way down the
center aisle the footsteps stopped at the confessional a man took a seat inside cleared his
throat and said bless me father for i have sinned i have an urge to hurt someone
anyone the priest paused uncertain of what to say before he could respond the man leapt
from his seat and ran from the church [Music] the confessor was identified as eighteen-year-old renee leon trudeau
a transient who worked part-time as a janitor renee was arrested and booked at the city jail on suspicion of murdering
the swindles he told the arresting officer i would hurt you if i had the chance any
way i could that's why i saw the priest i guess i need help with no evidence to tie him to the
double homicide renee was released without charge across the pacific ocean in hawaii
television repairman michael patrick muller purchased the gun on a whim the 23 year old made his way up the
steep mountainside five miles outside of honolulu to the pali lookout the mountain provided stunning panoramic
views across the island of oahu but mola wasn't there to enjoy the scenery instead he crouched amongst the dense
vegetation and raised his firearm he watched as a tourist bus descended on the area
with his sights set on the vehicle he pulled the trigger his shooting spree continued for five
hours by the end four people were injured and a highway patrolman had lost his life
muller blamed the attack on his mental health it wasn't the first time something like
this had happened he'd previously committed another sniping in germany while serving in the
u.s air force investigators fronting the swindle case arrived in hawaii and entered the state
hospital ward they made their way to the psychiatric ward where michael patrick moller was
being held with his military tyres and known love of guns police considered whether molar
could also be responsible for the swindle's murder or that of robert dominguez and linda edwards
muller told police that at the time the newlyweds were killed he was undergoing psychiatric care in texas in response to
the german shooting his alibi checked out molar was cleared [Music] it was approaching midnight on december
1 1964 when santa ana city patrolman james pico pulled up at a ramshackle campsite near the santa fe railroad
tracks a woman had called police to report some property damage and she suspected a
person at the camp was responsible pico had arrived to do a routine check of the site which consisted of makeshift
shelters used by itinerants and the homeless one person in particular caught the
officer's attention tall and thin reclusive man in his fifties with blue eyes receding brown
hair and a solo weather-beaten face pico obtained the man's name and ran a background check it turned out he was
wanted for questioning in relation to the murders of robert dominguez and linda redwoods
pico had inadvertently found george gill the drifter who had built the beach shack where the teenager's bodies were
discovered gill had been on quite a journey in the year and a half he'd been avoiding
police funding part of his near 200 mile trip south by selling pistols he had stolen
from a retreat in san diego he also sold a knife for bus fare witnesses claimed that gill was living
out of the shack when the murders took place but gill insisted he'd left before then
he agreed to take a polygraph test but an inconclusive result only propelled gill into further suspicion
yet his alibi placing him in san jose for work checked out and george gill like many others was
scrubbed from the suspect list on wednesday september 28 1966 two and a half years after the swindles
were gunned down three residents of a san diego apartment complex noticed something strange
there was a young man loitering outside the building they didn't recognize him and as it was
almost 11 o'clock at night his presence seemed suspicious the concerned residents decided to
approach the stranger they greeted the young man and asked what he was doing in the neighborhood
when suddenly he pulled out a pistol if you value your lives you'd better run for it he won't
the trio wasted no time as they bolted away from the young man they heard a shot ring out behind them
luckily none of them were struck by the bullet another resident later reported that the
young man had also fired at him sniper style flagging down a nearby police officer
the trio explained what had happened and he jumped in the patrol car to track down the shooter
it didn't take long they soon spotted the young man crossing mission boulevard and the officer turned
his car around to give chase realising he was being pursued the shooter ran towards a nearby hotel and
vanished into the night the policemen radioed for backup prompting other officers to descend on
the scene together they began scouring the grounds of the hotel their flashlights cutting through the
darkness suddenly a shot rang out from the direction of the hotel's wedding chapel
the shooter had fired at his own right temple with a 38 caliber pistol which lay nearby
a driver's license identified the man as 24 year old wayne david chandler he was transferred to hospital but died
hours later chandler's death was unwelcome news to the detectives fronting the swindle
investigation after learning what chandler had done he'd become a suspect in their case
now they were unable to question him to determine whether he had any involvement
at all meanwhile in ocean beach business had dried up after the double homicide with
locals and tourists alike fearing the shooter would return merchants offered a 700 reward for
information leading to the arrest of the swindle's killer hoping to speed up a conviction and to draw back crowds
but years passed and the bounty went unclaimed case file will be back shortly thank you
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you support case file to continue to deliver quality content the evening of sunday october 30 1966
two years after the murders of johnny and joyce swindle in riverside california eighteen-year-old sherry jo bates
grabbed a pen and paper and scribbled a quick message dad went to rcc library she placed the note where her father
would see it when he returned home from his trip to the beach sherry jo then left home in her most
prized possession her lime green 1960 volkswagen beetle the first year riverside city college
student had taken great pride in the fact that she'd managed to buy the little car all by herself with money
saved from a part-time job shortly after 6 pm sherry joe arrived at the rcc library alone leaving her
beloved volkswagen parked 30 yards down the road on terracina drive young and beautiful were the words that
came to mind as he watched the petite coed with dark blonde hair and striking green eyes walked towards the library
building once she was out of sight he turned his attention to her car a lime green volkswagen beetle
[Music] working swiftly under the cover of darkness he opened the volkswagen's rear
compartment where its engine was located he removed the distributor coil and condenser then took hold of the
distributor's middle wire and tore it out before lowering the trunk shut and slinking away
he then made his way to the library where he spotted the volkswagen's owner studying alone
he watched and waited until she stood from the desk collected her books and headed outside
he let two minutes pass before taking off after her sherry jo bates climbed into the
driver's seat of her volkswagen tossing her pocketbook and the three library books she'd borrowed onto the
passenger seat she then inserted her keys into the ignition and turned them nothing happened
she tried again still nothing for some unknown reason her car wouldn't start suddenly
a man appeared at sherry joe's window acknowledging her car troubles he offered to help
he said that his car was down the street and he'd be happy to give her a lift sherry joe accepted the kind offer and
followed the man as he headed away from the library they soon reached a gravel alleyway
between two houses that led to a car park as the man guided sherry joe down the dark and quiet alley he abruptly
remarked it's about time confused sherry joe asked about time for what the man turned to her
about time for you to die he launched at cherry jo and pressed one hand over her mouth while holding a
small knife to her neck with the other sherry joe fought back and the pair fell to the ground mid-struggle
she scratched at his face and tore at his hair sherry joe managed to let out a desperate scream before he kicked her in
the head to silence her he then plunged his knife into her chest over and over causing it to break before
finally cutting her throat i am not sick he told himself i am insane cleophas martin was used to rising early
for work he was employed by riverside city college as a groundskeeper and it wasn't
unusual for him to begin his shift at the crack of dawn when cleophas arrived at the college in
the early hours of monday october 31 the area was deserted by around 6 30 he was driving his street
sweeper along terracena drive on the north side of the campus library cleophas approached the alley that led
to the student parking area it ran between two large vacant houses owned by the college
he glanced down the alley and caught sight of something bundled up on the ground towards the rear of their houses
it was a young woman lying face down in the dirt beneath her torso was a pool of blood
police arrived at the scene and examined the woman she was fully dressed in red capri pants
a yellow blouse and white sandals dry leaves were tangled in her disheveled dark blonde hair
her body had been stabbed with a small knife upwards of 42 times with lacerations found on her face hands arms
chest and back the most violent wound was to her neck which had been so viciously cut that she
was almost decapitated there was no sign of sexual assault pressed beneath her was a straw tote bag
papers inside featured the name sherry joe bates scuff marks in the gravel indicated that
sherry joe had tried to flee while foreign skin scrapings underneath her fingernails proved she had put up a
fight there were also four blood-soaked cindy brown hairs stuck to her right thumb
forensic testing limitations meant that only one key feature about the hairs could be ascertained
they had come from a white male one student reported seeing a man standing in the shadows of the alley
where sherry joe's body was later found he was smoking a cigarette and staring fixedly at a lime green volkswagen
parked nearby the student had managed to take in some of his features estimating his age to be
19 or 20 and his height about 5 foot 11. she'd exchanged a brief greeting with him before continuing on her way
sherry joe's unlocked volkswagen was found on nearby teresina drive with the keys still in the ignition
her pocketbook and textbooks remained on the passenger seat examination of the car's engine revealed
it had been tampered with which prevented it from starting several foreign finger and palm prints
were lifted from the driver's side front door but the fingerprints weren't substantial enough to be analyzed
the three partial palm prints were in better condition but weren't a match to anyone on file
investigators believed that sherry joe remained in a library until it closed at around 9 00 pm
and was then lured from her car to the alleyway 100 yards away as she was afraid of the dark and
prioritized safety some suspected sherry joe must have known her killer to have willingly gone
with him but the fact she'd left her precious car unlocked with the window down and the
keys in the ignition implied she might have been forced to leave under duress resting on the ground ten feet from
sherry joe's body was a man's timex brand wristwatch with a white stainless steel face
one of the fasteners had been torn off leading detectives to speculate that sherry joe might have ripped the watch
from her assailant during the attack small flecks of white paint dotted its wristband
as the college was undergoing renovations at the time some theorized that the watch could have belonged to
someone connected to the campus timex watches were commonplace and there was no serial number on this one to
trace its origin the same model was sold at retail stores on u.s military bases both throughout
the country and overseas some connected the paint and military link to johnny swindle who had been
gunned down with his wife joyce two years prior johnny a naval man who had taken up
painting to make ends meet was robbed as he lay dying if the watch was indeed johnny's this
implied that sherry joe was a victim of the same killer the swindle's unknown quote psychopathic
thrill killer was also thought to be responsible for the shooting murders of robert dominguez and linda redwoods
while there were notable differences across each case the similarities were striking enough to make some speculate
that a serial killer was targeting southern california's youth sherry joe's murder stood out for
seeming so wildly distinct but a deeper examination of the case uncovered hints of the familiar pattern
a young victim a knife a city with a water-based name lack of a motive or suspects and the
randomness of the attack [Music] the watch wasn't the only military link uncovered at the bates crime scene
pressed into the soil near sherry joe's body was the hill print of a man's shoe size eight to ten
it had a distinctive waffle design unique to a type of shoe sold only to federal prisons and the military
the march air reserve base was only 15 miles southeast of riverside and 154 servicemen stationed there attended
classes at rcc all of these men were questioned in relation to the murder none were charged
while detectives fronting the investigation considered the possibility that sherry joe's killer was a current
or former serviceman they couldn't rule out that the watch and shoes were red herrings
the killer might have intentionally staged this evidence to throw them off or perhaps the shoe print and watch were
already in the alley long before the murder making them entirely unrelated the same could be said about a cigarette
butt found near sherry joe's body as night fell on november 13 1966 the rcc library and its surroundings
were a buzz it had been two weeks since cherry jo bates was murdered and the investigation
had stalled in an effort to generate leads police had organized a full reenactment of the
events leading up to the attack 65 people who were known to have been at the library that evening agreed to
participate the males among them also provided hair and fingerprint samples to be tested
against those recovered from the crime scene none were a match participants parked their cars in the
same spots they had used two weeks earlier notably some vehicles were missing these
included a bronze-coloured 1965-1966 oldsmobile that was seen following sherry joe's volkswagen when
she drove towards the library a 1947-1952 studebaker that had parked south of teresina avenue an hour after cherie joe
arrived and a 1948 tucker torpedo that parked directly behind sherry joe's volkswagen
[Music] an older model vehicle was also heard starting up and driving away from the
crime scene at the time of the attack as some of these vehicles had similar design
characteristics police considered the possibility that they were all one car mistaken as several
at six pm the library doors opened staff and students gathered inside as they had two weeks prior
each person was dressed in the same clothing they'd been wearing on the night and everyone sat in the same seats
this time the mood inside the cramped annex was somber and suspicious there were few recollections of sherry
joe who appeared to have come and gone mostly unnoticed but soon those present realized that one
particular individual was missing there had been a heavyset man with a beard in the library on october 30.
he hadn't shown up for the reenactment [Music] on november 29 one month after sherry
joe's murder an employee of the riverside city police department arrived at the local post office
tasked with picking up the station's mail they opened the police collection box and found an envelope inside
it was addressed to the homicide squad using thick handwritten block letters there was no stamp
upon opening the envelope the employee found a white sheet of paper approximately eight inches wide with the
top and bottom portions torn off typed using a typewriter the letter was written in capital letters and riddled
with spelling and grammar errors an identical letter was also sent to the office of the riverside daily enterprise
addressed to the newspaper's crime reporters it was titled a confession followed by the word by and a long blank
space the letter began she was young and beautiful but now she is battered and dead
she is not the first and she will not be the last i lay awake nights thinking about my
next victim maybe she will be the beautiful blonde that babysits near the little store and
walks down the dark alley each evening about seven or maybe she will be the shapely
blue-eyed brunette that said no when i asked her for a date in high school but maybe it will not be either
but i shall cut off her female parts and deposit them for the whole city to see so don't make it easy for me
keep your sisters daughters and wives off the streets and alleys [Music] the author then claimed responsibility
for the murder of sherry joe bates going into detail about how he had lured the 18 year old to her death after disabling
her car and offering her a lift miss bates was stupid he had written she went to the slaughter like a lamb
[Music] he described the murder his thought process and the dialogue between him and
sherry joe step by step including how he had told her that it was time for her to die
claiming that he'd had a ball he also offered a possible motive quote only one thing was on my mind
making her pay for the brush-offs she had given me during the years prior he concluded the letter with the
following threat i am not sick i am insane but that will not stop the game this letter should be published for all
to read it it just might save that girl in the alley but that's up to you it will be on your conscience
not mine yes i did make that call to you also it was just a warning beware i am stalking your girls now
while investigators couldn't rule out the possibility that the letter was a hoax the author's accurate description
of undisclosed details led them to believe it was genuine his claim that sherry joe rejected him
indicated the pair had known each other yet all of those closest to sherry joe had been ruled out including her
boyfriend who was 400 miles away in san francisco when she was killed the author calling himself insane was
considered another clue there was a mental health facility located on the same road as riverside
city college and one patient had claimed to have committed the killing during the
initial investigation however he was prone to delusions and his confession wasn't credible
investigators wondered whether the phrase it's about time referred to the timex watch recovered from the crime
scene the mention of a phone call was more ambiguous as no one recalled any suspicious calls recently received by
the police department or newspaper it was possible a call had come through and been dismissed as a crank then
quickly forgotten in any case the reference suggested the author was prone to phoning the
authorities and the media to discuss his crimes this behavior coupled with the author's
request that his letter be published for all to read revealed that he wasn't confessing out
of a desire to clear his conscience he sought notoriety [Music] on the night of wednesday december 7
just over a month after sherry joe bates's murder 19 year old linda gillinger sat frozen
in fear she had just gotten behind the wheel of her car when she was startled by a
stranger's voice a young man had broken into her vehicle and hidden in the back seat awaiting her
arrival linda didn't recognize him he looked to be college-aged with short brown hair and a medium build
he ordered her to drive him to san diego just under a two-hour drive from riverside
linda couldn't refuse the man was pointing a gun at her once they'd reached the destination
linda's captain tried to kiss her she forced him away with a swift slap to the face
he slapped her back then barked at her to get out of the car locking the vehicle before throwing away
the keys he turned to linda and remarked now you have as good a chance as i do linda ran away as fast and as far as she
could it was around 2 am when she finally reached the san diego police department
to report her ordeal word of the hijacking reached detectives investigating sherry joe bates's murder
they found themselves pondering whether linda gillinger had crossed paths with the coed's killer and inadvertently
facilitated his escape that same month a janitor entered the riverside city college library storage
room and began stacking some plywood desks as they went to lift one they noticed
someone had scrawled what appeared to be a palm on its underside measuring just under five and a half
inches in length it had been scratched into the desk in neat vertical rows then gone over with a blue ballpoint pen
at the top was written sick of living unwilling to die the rest read cut clean if red
clean blood spurting dripping spilling all over her new dress oh well it was red anyway
life draining into an uncertain death she won't die this time someone will find her
just wait till next time troubled by the message the janitor notified the police and the desk was
taken into evidence while it couldn't be determined when the poem was written or what it was in
reference to speculation arose that it was written by sherry jo bates's killer written in lower case at the end of the
poem were the letters r h these were given many different interpretations some believed the letters indicated the
initials of the rcc president r.h bradshaw while others thought they could stand
for riverside halloween the date sherry joe's body was discovered [Music] although police confiscated the surface
of the desk they weren't convinced it was relevant to the bates case the woman in the palm was described as
wearing a red dress whereas sherry jo was wearing pants and a blouse when she was killed
they were inclined to think the disturbing message was nothing more than a sick hoax
[Music] four months later an envelope arrived at the bates household it was addressed to sherry joe's father
joseph and postmarked april 30. [Music] joseph opened the envelope and pulled out a lined piece of notebook paper
scrawled across it in haphazard writing were the words she had to die there will be more
[Music] that same day near identical notes arrived at the riverside police department and the riverside press
enterprise in these versions the pronoun she was replaced with the name bates whoever wrote the letters hadn't left
anything to identify themselves they simply signed off each note with a squiggle that somewhat resembled the
letter z [Music] to be continued next week [Music] the australian federal police is
australia's national policing agency their work includes counter-terrorism serious organized crime cyber crime
fraud child exploitation and human trafficking within human trafficking it's a tight rope to walk between
prosecuting someone for a human trafficking offence and looking after the victim her nose was bleeding
profusely they couldn't call ambulance our police because they knew what's going to happen the money that she had
made during that week was 82 and a half thousand dollars and that was her worst week in 10 years the case file team has
been given exclusive access to the afp case vault to bring you stories of some of their most challenging operations
narrated by me you'll hear in-depth interviews with afp federal agents and learn how they investigated and
interrupted the most serious of crimes her level of criminality and just the level of smartness that people didn't
actually attribute to her what our job is in cybercrime is to make it we do know about it gain an
insight into how the afp disrupted a major human trafficking syndicate and arrested a sex offender who targeted
children online by the number of victims that he targeted it wasn't just one child or two children it was hundreds of
children the threat was always there always present like a dark cloud hanging over their heads he kind of mocks
one of the boys where he says you think i'll be caught from investigating counter-terrorism and disrupting major
drug importation chains to international kidnappings we take an inside look at some of the
biggest investigations and learn how the afp stayed a step ahead i was led into the house and i was met
with another two guys one with a handmade pistol another one with a machete des sounds as though he's really
in trouble he doesn't stand himself if you give the money they could kill you or if you don't give them money they can
still kill you when you're talking about a 21 year old offender who still lives at home it's a fair shock to your dad
when the police aren't only knocking at your door they're breaking it down crime interrupted is the latest release
from case file presents the first episode is out now with new episodes dropping weekly
listen for free wherever you get your podcasts and be sure to hit the follow button so you don't miss an episode

Case 200: The Zodiac (Part 1)

[Part 1 of 4] During the 1960s, California saw a wave of senseless, unsolved slayings. Cab driver Ray Davis was murdered in cold blood after an anonymous killer warned of his intentions. Two young couples – Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards, and Johnny and Joyce Swindle – were gunned down in separate yet similar attacks.

CREDITS

Narration – Anonymous Host Research – Jess Forsayeth and Milly Raso Writing – Elsha McGill, Erin Munro, Milly Raso and Jess Forsayeth Creative direction – Milly Raso Production and music – Mike Migas Music – Andrew D.B. Joslyn

SOCIAL LINKS

Website https://www.casefilepodcast.com Facebook https://www.facebook.com/casefile Twitter https://twitter.com/case_file Instagram https://www.instagram.com/casefilepodcast Patreon https://www.patreon.com/casefile Casefile Presents https://casefilepresents.com

RESOURCES

For all credits and sources please visit https://casefilepodcast.com/case-200-the-zodiac-part-1

Brief Summary

The episode discusses the AFP's fight against organized crime and human trafficking in Australia.

Key points

Crime Interrupted: A New Series. Explore the depths of organized crime and its impact on society through exclusive interviews.
The Murder of Ray Davis. A cab driver is murdered in Oceanside, California, under mysterious circumstances.
The Tragic Fate of Robert and Linda. A couple's day at the beach turns into a horrifying crime scene.
The Brutal Murder of Vernon Smith. Sandy's sudden attack on Vernon Smith leads to a shocking murder.
The Swindle Murders. Johnny and Joyce Swindle are tragically shot while enjoying their honeymoon.
Confession Letter. A letter claiming responsibility for Sherry Jo's murder reveals the killer's twisted mindset.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

Tonight is the night I'm going to kill that bus driver.

A second threat made to the police after the cab driver murder.

7:14WatchFeb 5, 2022

Tension

50/ 100Some tension

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