 1956 Pontiac
Bill Baker, a now retired Santa Barbara detective, believed that the early murders of Robert Domingos (18) and Linda Edwards (17) on June 4th 1963 carried many of the hallmarks of the now notorious Zodiac Killer, who terrorized part of Northern California in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Fifty-six years ago, a couple were brutally executed while fleeing for their lives from a remote Santa Barbara beach, situated 3.32 miles east of Gaviota State Park and alongside Highway 101, approximately a five-hour drive from Vallejo, California. The couple were Robert Domingos (18) and Linda Edwards (17), who on Senior Ditch Day, June 4th 1963, decided to go sunbathing on a remote beach accessed via a decline trail off the main highway, where they had parked their 1956 copper and black Pontiac. The young couple were mercilessly gunned down by a fusillade of shots in the back as they attempted to escape their attacker. Robert Domingos was shot eleven times, while Linda Edwards was targeted eight times. It was a sunny afternoon when the killer approached the couple, armed with what was thought to be a .22 caliber long rifle (a weapon ideal for target shooting with minimum recoil). 
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 Robert Domingos
It is speculated that Robert Domingos may have had a brief altercation with the assailant due to some bruising on his face at autopsy, however, at some point in proceedings the young couple were forced to run for their lives, which unfortunately was a brief bid for freedom as they were cut down by a succession of bullets. It is believed the killer then approached the position they fell and finished his cold-blooded execution of the defenseless couple. For reasons known only to the killer, he then proceeded to drag the bodies at least 30 feet to a nearby shack where he placed Linda's body on top of Robert's, cutting open her bathing suit with a knife to reveal her breasts. It is then thought the killer attempted to set fire to a tarpaulin covering on the door of the shack, testified to by the presence of scorch marks - although it cannot be definitively established when these scorch marks were created and hence may be unrelated to the crime. The perpetrator or perpetrators of this crime seemingly left an array of evidence at the crime scene that included spent and unspent ammunition found inside the shack.
Points of interest were the unspent .22 Caliber Western Super X long rifle ammunition recovered by investigators. The murders of Betty Lou Jensen and David Arthur Faraday on December 20th 1968 were committed with a .22 caliber weapon, detailed by the Zodiac Killer in the trinity of letters on July 31st 1969 which declared the use of Western Super X in his first confirmed contact with authorities. The unused ammunition boxes in the Domingos/Edwards murders had a lot number, sold locally, although not exclusively, at the nearby Vandenberg Air Force Base approximately 10 miles north of Lompoc, California. This ammunition was crucially absent of any price tags, suggesting that they were possibly part of a larger consignment. The military connection is one that has been pursued because of the footprints discovered to and from the crime scene at Lake Berryessa on September 27th 1969 (Wing Walkers), along with the Zodiac Killer's perceived fascination with astrology/astronomy, as the Vandenberg Air Force Base had manned spaceflight ambitions.  Linda Faye Edwards
Early on in the investigation a 17-year-old boy from Lompoc was arrested due to intoxication and revealed to investigators that he knew the murdered couple, having been jealous of Robert Domingos. He explained to officers he had been at Refugio Beach on the Tuesday of their murder, which is located just 5.65 miles east of the Domingos/Edwards crime scene. It was noticed by investigators that the boy had a badly bruised hand and knuckles "pushed in", consistent with a fight. It was believed that Robert Domingos may have struggled with the assailant before being shot. Under questioning, the teenager was combative and belligerent, and somebody who was already well known to the Lompoc Police Department due to his previous arrest record.
On June 5th 1963, investigators traveled to Santa Cruz to apprehend two teenagers, James L. Coleman and J, C, Reed for the fatal stabbing of Vernon C. Smith (63) in Lompoc during a robbery. Neither were considered suspects in the Domingos and Edwards slayings but implicated a third person called "Sandy" in the murder of Vernon Smith. The two youths admitted their part in the robbery but claimed it was "Sandy" who perpetrated the murder in the camper truck owned by Vernon Smith and parked on San Miguelito Canyon. Coleman and Reed were eventually convicted in a Santa Barbara County court and sentenced to 5 years to life. "Sandy" was then sought for questioning in relation to the Domingos and Edwards murders, Santa Barbara detectives later stated that they discovered a vehicle stolen by the three youths and inside retrieved some clothing thought to have been owned by "Sandy". The clothing contained the names "Robert Coffman" and "William Carr", one of which they believe could be the true identity of "Sandy". 
The murders of Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards have not been widely confirmed as Zodiac Killer victims, probably due to the time period and location, although some similarities do exist between this case and the Zodiac Killer attack at Lake Berryessa. In both instances, they were a lone couple callously attacked near a shoreline used by fishermen. The killer at both crime scenes had used a knife and on both occasions brought pre-cut restraints, described as marling hitch knots at the Santa Barbara crime scene, intended to secure the victims, with the ammunition and Wing Walker boots providing the military connection. Marling Hitch: A series of round turns in which the end is passed over the standing part and under the bight and pulled taut on each turn. Unless there is an eye in the end of the rope a marling hitch is usually started with a timber hitch and is used for lashing up sails, awnings, hammocks, etc.
The reasons given to link the Lake Berryessa attack and these murders are not the most compelling arguments to claim that the Zodiac Killer was responsible for both, which are separated by six years in time and 360 miles in distance. The murders of John Franklin Hood (24) and Sandra Garcia (20) on Saturday 21st February 1970, approximately 30 miles miles east near Santa Barbara Cemetery, also showed similar hallmarks to the above cases. It is possible the Domingos/Edwards murders, along with the Cheri Jo Bates murder were early Zodiac crimes, despite the fact no hard evidence ties either crime to each other, or to the confirmed Zodiac murders that began on December 20th 1968. That being said, the Zodiac Killer may have twice previously indicated that the Lake Herman Road double murder may not have been his first heinous crime, subsequently stating in the Los Angeles Times letter on March 13th 1971 "I do have to give them credit for stumbling across my riverside activity, but they are only finding the easy ones, there are a hell of a lot more down there". If he had any connection to the 1966 Riverside murder, then his typed Confession letter mailed on November 29th 1966 also boasted that "she is not the first and will not be the last." Extra reading on the murders of Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards. To view five interesting videos, extensively covering the Domingos/Edwards case click here. 
Update: On May 17, 2018, Shaun Gallon was officially charged with the murders. Gallon's motives or connection to the couple remain unknown. If convicted, Gallon faces the death penalty or life in prison without parole. Gallon, now 39 years old, reportedly has a history of criminal misconduct, including attempted murder with a package bomb in June 2004, a conviction for wounding a man with an arrow and allegedly killing his younger brother in March 2017.
Lindsay Cutshall (22) and her fiancee Jason Allen (26) were intending to rent a room at a local motel called River's End in Jenner, California [see area on Google maps], but after failing to do so, headed for the nearby Fish Head Beach - a decision that would ultimately prove deadly. Their bodies were eventually discovered on August 18th 2004. When the crime surfaced, it was believed that they were executed as they slept in their sleeping bags, with a shot to the head, either late at night on August 16th or early morning on the 17th. Both victims were slain with a .45 caliber Marlin rifle, however, no shell casings were retrieved from the scene suggesting the killer cleaned up after the double murder, in what appeared a motiveless crime, as neither of the victims had been sexually assaulted or robbed. Sanoma County detectives ruled out the robbery aspect as a motive, as their belongings, as well as their red 1993 Ford Tempo remained untouched. Other murders became linked to the Jenner murders, notably Brandon Rumbaugh (20) and Lisa Gurrieri (19), who were both shot to death in their sleeping bags, while camping in Yavapai County, Arizona on October 19th 2003, and Stevan Haugen (54) and his girlfriend Jeanette Bauman (56) who were discovered at a remote campground close to Oakridge, Oregon on July 1st 2005 - both had been shot, along with Haugen's dog. Similarities existed between all the cases, in that no sexual interference was apparent, robbery was not the motive, the couples were killed while in sleeping bags in remote areas and the weapon of choice was a high caliber rifle. The Zodiac Killer has even been suggested for the 2004 Jenner murders, despite the fact nothing concrete ties him to any crime subsequent to the Paul Stine murder in Presidio Heights on October 11th 1969, nearly 35 years previously. But in an intriguing development to the Jenner case, was the release of information by Sanoma County detectives in 2006, that poems had been discovered near the crime scene, along with drawings of devil-like faces inked into nearby driftwood. Messages of interest, written within the pages of an informal visitors journal also peaked their interest. There was also an empty bottle of Camo 40 beer and a black and white hat found on Highway 1, directly above the beach location. The entries of interest in the above journal are: ENTRY 1- Salutation from – "Friendly neighborhood Spiderman friend & sidekick!" ENTRY 2- Another salutation from, "your friendly neighbor hood friend, Spiderman, 7/25/04" With a response, "Ha Ha Ha Spiderman, A, 8/12 A+, the Drifting Inn" ENTRY 3- Contains a unique signature in the top right corner followed by writing: "Chrissie" from "Auburn 7/10/04" ENTRY 4- A rhyme mentioning Santa Claus, leprechauns, and the tooth fairy. ENTRY 5- Dated 8/4/04 and signed by the letter "R" . It begins with the following: "At the Driftwood Inn, alone again, outside of myself and placid as hell…" View segment Extra reading on the Lindsay Cutshall and Jason Allen murders |
1963 June 4th- Domingos/Edwards Murders
1966 October 30th-The Cheri Jo Bates Murder 1966 November 29th -The Confession Letter 1966 December- Riverside Desktop Poem 1967 April 30th- Bates Had to Die Letter 1968 December 20th- Lake Herman Murders 1969 July 4th-The Blue Rock Springs Attack 1969 July 31st- Vallejo Times-Herald Letter and 408 Cipher Page1 (solved) 1969 July 31st- Examiner Letter and 408 Cipher Page 2 (solved) 1969 July 31st - Chronicle Letter and 408 Cipher Page 3 (87% solved) 1969 July 31st-The Complete 408 Cipher 1969 August 4th- Debut of Zodiac Letter 1969 August 10th- Concerned Citizen Card 1969 September 27th- Lake Berryessa Attack 1969 October 7th- The Good Citizen Letter 1969 October 11th- Presidio Heights Murder 1969 October 13th-The Paul Stine Letters 1969 October 22nd-Call to Chat Show 1969 November 8th-The Dripping Pen Card and 340 Cipher (solved in 2020) 1969 November 9th-The Bus Bomb Letter 1969 November 19th- The Riddler Notes 1969 November 21st-The San Jose Code Letter 1969 November 28th- Betsy Aardsma Murder 1969 December 7th-The Fairfield Letter 1969 December 10th- Forecast for Cancer 1969 December 11th- Forecast for Leo 1969 December 16th-The Fairfield Letter 1969 December 20th-The Melvin Belli Letter 1970 Feb 21st- The Hood and Garcia Murders 1970 March 22nd-The Modesto Attack 1970 April 15th-The Robert Salem Murder 1970 April 20th-"My Name is" Letter, Cipher 3 and Bus Bomb Diagram 1970 April 28th-The Dragon Card 1970 June 26th-The Button Letter Cipher 4 (solved in 2019) and Map 1970 July 4th-The Sleeping Bag Murders 1970 July 24th-The Kathleen Johns Letter 1970 July 26th-The Little List Letter 1970 Sept 6th-The Donna Lass Disappearance 1970 October 5th-13 Hole Postcard 1970 October 17th- "You Are Next" Postcard 1970 October 27th-The Halloween Card 1971 March 13th-The Los Angeles Letter 1971 March 22nd-The Pines Card 1971 Unknown- The 148 Character Cipher 1971 July 13th-The Monticello Card 1973 August 1st- The Albany Letter 1974 January 29th-The Exorcist Letter 1974 February 3rd-The SLA Letter 1974 May 8th-The Citizen Card 1974 July 8th-The Red Phantom Letter 1974 December 27th- Christmas Card 1975 November 3rd- The Belmont Letter 1978 April 24th-The 1978 Letter 1978 May 2nd- The Channel Nine Letter 1978 July 19th- The Scotch Tape Letter 1981 March 8th- The Atlanta Letter 1986 May 6th- The Freeway Letter 1987 October 28th- The 1987 Letter 1988 February 1st- The McDonald's Letter 1988 February 8th- The McDonald's Letter [2] 1990 September 25th- The Celebrity Cypher 1990 December-American Greetings Card 2001 January 10th- Happy New Year Card Unknown DMV Letter (possibly November 1971) 
All
13 Hole Postcard 148 Character Cipher 1978 Letter 1986 Letter 1987 Letter 2001 Happy New Year Card Albany Letter Allan/Peyton Murders Arthur Leigh Allen Atlanta Letter Betsy Aardsma Blue Rock Springs Attack Bus Bomb Letter Button Letter Call To Chat Show Carol Beth Hilburn Channel 9 Letter Cheri Jo Bates Cipher Theories Citizen Card Concerned Citizen Card Confession Letter Daniel Williams Poisoning Debut Of Zodiac Letter Deep Real Estate Ad DMV Letter Domingos/Edwards Murders Donald Lee Bujok Donna Lass Dragon Card Earl Van Best Jr Eureka Card Exorcist Letter Fairfield Letter Fingerprint Evidence Forecast For Cancer Forecast For Leo Gareth Penn General News Articles Gilbert And Sullivan Halloween Card Hood/Garcia Murders Internet Articles Joan Webster Judith Hakari Kevin Robert Brooks Lake Berryessa Attack Lake Herman Road Murders Lake Tahoe Disappearance Larry Kane Los Angeles Letter Melvin Belli Letter Mike Morford (Morf13) Modesto Attack Molina/Rodriguez Murders Monticello Card My Name Is Letter New Canaan Letters Pines Card Possible Zodiac Attacks Possible Zodiac Letters Presidio Heights Murder Radians Red Phantom Letter Richard Gaikowski Riverside Desktop Poem Robert Salem Murder Ross Sullivan Saechao/Saelee Murders San Jose Code Letter Santa Claus Card Scotch Tape Letter Sla Letter Tamalpais Valley Attack Ted Kaczynski Telegraph Avenue Incident The 340 Cipher The 408 Cipher The Celebrity Cypher The Little List The Mikado Thomas Horan You Are Next Letter Zodiac Letters Poll Zodiac Postage Zodiac Theories |
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