The nude and beaten body of a young woman ("Winona" or "Ronnie" Davis) was found on an Isla Vista beach, adjacent to the University of California at Santa Barbara on January 18th 1971 with a cut on her head and a badly mutilated face, which had been covered with a coat. Just under a year previous, on February 21st 1970, John Franklin Hood (24) and Sandra Garcia (20) had been stabbed and badly beaten on Cemetery Beach just 11 miles east of this location. Sandra Garcia was viciously beaten around the head leaving her almost unrecognizable, and a blanket had been placed over her face and body, and that of her partner. 

Four months after the Isla Vista murder, on May 10th 1971, Karen Ann Signore (21), a recent student at the University of California at Santa Barbara, was hitchhiking along Sycamore Canyon Road by Coyote Road when she was shot eight times by either a .22 rifle or gun. Stll alive when spotted by a passing motorist at 10pm, she was rushed to hospital but died on the operating table. Karen was shot just 2 miles north (by crow) from the Santa Barbara beach where Hood and Garcia were murdered.

John Franklin Hood and Sandra Garcia have been loosely connected to the Robert Domingos (18) and Linda Edwards (17) murders on June 4th 1963 at Canada Del Molino beach, 29 miles west of Cemetery Beach.

Like the murder of the Isla Vista female, Linda Edwards was also exposed, because her bathing suit had been cut to reveal her breasts. There were also reports that a towel had been placed over Linda's face, similar in fashion to the covering of the face with a coat, performed by the Isla Vista murderer. The face and bodies of Hood and Garcia had also been covered with a blanket. Three deadly attacks on a Santa Barbara beach within 29 miles of each other, and all the victims may have had their faces covered. Linda had been shot 8 times with a .22 caliber weapon, exactly the same caliber and times suffered by Karen Ann Signore on Sycamore Canyon Road. A further interesting aspect to the shooting murder of.Karen Ann Signore, was that her near lifeless body was found in an area occupied by a "lot of hippie types" with lean-to's and shacks. Linda Edwards was dragged (along with Robert Domingos) to a dilapidated shack used by transients, located near the beach.   

There were at least two reports of gunfire on June 2nd 1963, either side of the area where Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards were eventually murdered on June 4th 1963. Eleven teenagers in total reported two bullets whizzing past them as they were standing by their vehicles in a remote area of Gaviota State Park. They had been surfing at the beach that day. They reported that the shooting took place at around mid-afternoon. In another incident seven miles east, three teenagers camping at Tajiguas Creek reported hearing gunshots coming from the beach, just south of their location. The time was given as daybreak. Both sets of earwitnesses descrbed what they thought was the sound of a .22 gun. Four days before the murder of Karen Ann Signore with a .22 weapon, on May 6th 1971, less than one mile from where she was shot, a sniping incident was investigated by Detective William Baker. He said two officers in their patrol car were shot at as they drove along Sycamore Canyon Road.

Joseph Stephen Holt, born on November 8th 1947, would graduate from the Cupertino High School and study political science at the University of California at Santa Barbara, before studying later at UC Berkeley, receiving a bachelor's degree. Joseph Stephen Holt, who murdered Brynn Tainey (27) in 1977 and Carol Andersen (16) in 1979, and is the prime suspect for the murder of Donna Lass (25) in 1970, would have been 23 years old at the time of the Isla Vista murder on January 18th 1971, next to the University of California at Santa Barbara. ​Karen Ann Signore was also a recent student there.

​Putting ​Joseph Stephen Holt aside for any of the Santa Barbara murders, because he is an unlikely candidate, we have five murders on a Santa Barbara beach from 1963 to 1971, with the possibility that all the victims faces were concealed. Robert Domingos was found face down in the shack, with Linda Edwards placed face up on top of him, with possibly a towel over her face. John Franklin Hood and Sandra Garcia were covered with a blanket (John face down, Sandra face up), and the Isla Vista female had her face covered with a coat..The murderer of Sandra Garcia and the Isla Vista female, separated by 11 months, had their faces seriously disfigured. Karen Ann Signore, was murdered four months after the Isla Vista victim, 2 miles north of the Hood and Garcia killings.   

Drew Beeson, host of the Zodcast YouTube channel, and Ross Geraci, creator of the Planet X Filmworks YouTube channel, had an excellent discussion on the Gaviota Beach murders of Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards on June 4th 1963, briefly touching on the press release by Sheriff John Carpenter in November 1972. They were almost certainly correct when considering the reasoning behind the press release and who it was about. The conversation covered all aspects of the double murder in great depth, including a potential link to the Zodiac Killer crimes in the Bay Area of northern California. The YouTube video has a running time of 2 hours and five minutes. Please subscribe to their channels and click the bell for notifications of future releases.  

​There are two key statements within the press release that reveal why Sheriff John Carpenter believed Arthur Leigh Allen was probably responsible for the murders of Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards at Canada Del Molino in Santa Barbara. When referencing the double murder, the 1972 press release stated "Over a year ago, Sheriff's Detectives began a thorough study of the case, examining and re-evaluating all aspects of the crime". But why did they re-evaluate the Gaviota Beach murders just over a year ago? The press release was issued early November 1972, so just "over a year ago" could be interpreted as being August or September 1971, when on August 4th 1971 Sgt. Jack Mulanax, Inspector David Toschi and Inspector Bill Armstrong traveled to Pinole, California to interview Arthur Leigh Allen at his workplace. This was preceded by a July 19th 1971 report naming Arthur Leigh Allen as a possible Zodiac suspect, and a March 13th 1971 Zodiac letter implying he had committed more murders down south. 

​The second statement read "We have information, to be investigated further, which may place him in the Santa Barbara area in 1963". Without knowing who the Zodiac was in 1972, how could they possibly hope to place him in the Santa Barbara area in 1963? The simple answer is that they had received pertinent information from Bay Area investigators following their interview with Arthur Leigh Allen just "over a year ago". Arthur Leigh Allen was clearly under suspicion for the Zodiac murders, with the murder of a couple in Santa Barbara an obvious avenue of investigation, based upon Allen's proximity to the crime and his Lake Berryessa statements.

Gian Quasar, an avid Zodiac researcher, wrote "Native Lompoc son, Mike McVicar, remembers Leigh Allen well. Allen struck him as being really weird. But McVicar being a car aficionado, and Allen being quite a car buff, they did go to a few car shows together. McVicar, however, remembers that Leigh lived in Lompoc before 1963. McVicar, and so many others, were also used to seeing Leigh at the local public pool, where he was the lifeguard. McVicar recalls what so many others have recalled about Allen.that “For a fat guy, he was a really good diver". Tom Voigt's website details that from "1959-1962: Allen, attempting to gain his teaching credential, was hired by Santa Rosa Elementary in Atascadero, Calif". Santa Rosa Elementary is 58 miles north of Lompoc and 50 miles north of the Vandenberg Air Force Base Exchange where the ammunition may have been purchased that killed Robert and Linda. Gian Quasar has already concluded that Sheriff John Carpenter was referring to Allen in the press release, stating "It seems unquestionable that Carpenter was referring to Leigh Allen. It wouldn’t have been difficult for Carpenter to have established that Leigh Allen once lived in a trailer near Lompoc". Where exactly he was living is unknown, but its proximity to the Vandenberg Air Force Base, which is 30 miles (by crow) northwest of the Domingos & Edwards crime scene, may have peaked his interest. But there is more. 

If Mike McVicar knew Allen well enough to go to a few car shows together, it must be highlighted that Michael Lee McVicar (who died in 2020 aged 76) was a long time resident of Lompoc, who bought Jeffers Muffler Shop at 126 N F St in 1979, which he ran for 33 years. He had previously worked for Johns Manville in Lompoc from 1964 to 1978. His passion for racing cars overlapped with that of Allen's, and he liked roaming the hills of Miguelito Canyon, catching fish and frogs in the creeks, as well as surfing nearby beaches. Just 10 miles north of the Vandenberg Air Force Base was the Santa Maria drag racing strip, situated at West Foster and Mitchell roads.

It is doubtful investigators overlooked the possibility that if Allen was loosely acquainted with Michael McVicar, there was a good chance that Arthur Leigh Allen may have visited Lompoc many times prior to, and during 1963, relevant to the time period of the murders. The newspaper cutting on the left from the Lompoc Record on May 15th 1963 mentioned the Lompoc Sports Car Club, who not only sponsored a hare and hound rally in the city that same day, but ran other tours and motor events monthly, including a club meeting on the last Sunday of each month. That meeting in 1963 would have taken place on June 30th. Something such as this could have placed Allen in the Lompoc area in the days or weeks prior to the Gaviota Beach murders, had his common interest in car racing with McVicar extended to these functions.

​It is extremely likely that the interest shown in Allen by investigators in the Bay Area, coupled with his Santa Rosa Elementary and Lompoc connections, were the driving force behind the press release of Sheriff John Carpenter in 1972. Allen's admission in a 1971 interview to having bloody knives in his possession the day of the Lake Berryessa attack, when Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard were bound and brutally stabbed on September 27th 1969, must also have peaked their interest with respect to the Domingos & Edwards murders.

​If there was a possibility that Allen, strongly suspected in 1971 to be the Zodiac Killer, could be placed in the Lompoc area, 30 miles northwest of a double murder in 1963, that bore similarities to the Lake Berryessa attack in the mind of investigators, it may explain the confidence expressed within the press release when they wrote "we have found that there appears to be a high degree of probability that this subject is responsible for the double murder in our county". That "subject" being Arthur Leigh Allen. This confidence may have been premature, and might explain why no follow up to this press release has ever seen the light of day.   

In 1972 Sheriff John Carpenter of the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Deprtment issued a press release strongly implying that the Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards murders were the work of the Zodiac Killer with "considerable evidence". Quite frankly, the press release is a word salad of very little substance, providing not one piece of evidence linking these two crimes together. Sheriff Carpenter stressed that there were "significant similarities" between the Zodiac and Gaviota murders that investigators "were not at liberty to disclose at this time".

Fifty-two years later, this evidence has failed to materialize. Most people understand the concept of investigators keeping certain information close to their chest so as not to compromise what they are working on, but their failure to produce these compelling links between the Lake Berryessa crime on September 27th 1969 and the Gaviota Beach murders on June 4th 1963 over the past few decades, questions the integrity of these claims. The statement in the press release of "we are not using the notoriety of the Zodiac to dispose of a difficult case" despite the qualifier attached to it, has effectively consequenced the thinking we see in Zodiac forums today, where some cite the Gaviota Beach crime at Canada Del Molino as early Zodiac activity. 

​With no evidence presented of any rope being directly involved in the murders of Domingos & Edwards, coupled with the rank speculation of "Linda being forced to tie up Robert with some type of binding", we are left with a couple murdered by .22 caliber Winchester Western Super X long rifle ammunition, the kind used at Lake Herman Road on December 20th 1968, in two apparently motiveless crimes spanning 5 1/2 years. In November 1972, Sheriff's Detective William Baker (in the company of Sheriff John Carpenter) was quoted as saying at a press conference that it has now been established that Zodiac "could have been in this area" at the time of the Domingos & Edwards slayings. This, if true, is the perfect example of saying absolutely nothing. If the Zodiac Killer "could have been in this area", it is equally possible he "could not have been in this area". So if you establish that Zodiac "could" or "couldn't" have been in the area, you have established precisely zero.

​Here is a modern day example of having no concrete proof of something ever existing or happening but then using that yet established fact to claim a link between two cases. Tom Voigt wrote "As Edwards was forced to bind Domingos at gunpoint with lengths of narrow rope (probably pre-cut), both victims attempted to flee and were shot numerous times. The bodies were dragged approximately 30 feet to an empty shack occasionally occupied by transients. Edwards was placed face up on top of Domingos and the top of her bathing suit was cut open with a sharp instrument (probably a knife), exposing her breasts".

​There is no definitive proof that any rope was used by the murderer of Robert and Linda, no proof Edwards was forced to bind Domingos, no proof that several "lengths" of rope were used, no proof that the killer carried a knife and no proof that either victim ran that day. Even the rope is described as "probably pre-cut", which could be interpreted as "possibly not pre-cut". A few sentences later Tom Voigt wrote "The Domingos-Edwards tragedy has Zodiac's fingerprints all over it: The knife, gun, pre-cut rope and the motiveless assault on vulnerable teenagers at a remote location. It is very unlikely this attack and Zodiac's Lake Berryessa attack were the work of separate individuals". It has yet to be fully established that the Gaviota murderer used a knife, let alone any pre-cut lengths of rope, so why are the fingerprints of Zodiac all over this crime?

​This is the perfect example of confirmation bias, concluding a strong link between two crimes using a bunch of probables that haven't yet been established. The driving force, like Sheriff Carpenter before him, to forge a link between Lake Berryessa and the Gaviota Beach murders with very little "evidence" and nothing more than a desire to create a fascinating story where one doesn't need to be fashioned. The argued Zodiac connection to the Gaviota Beach murders has undoubtedly kept the 1963 slayings of Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards in the spotlight more than it would have otherwise been, but these claims are an unnecessary distraction that does little to find the killer of Robert and Linda in 1963. The Zodiac Killer could have been responsible for the Gaviota murders, but we have to separate the difference between "a desire to find the truth" from "a desire for something to be true". It is really quite baffling why a 1972 press release would make such bold claims based on so little, unless the objective was an individual's need for self-promotion, or the necessity to reinvigorate a case that had gone significantly cold by using the Zodiac connection as a springboard.

​One person whose opinion differs markedly on the Gaviota Beach murders of Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards is Zodiac researcher Ross Geraci of Planet X Filmworks, who has recently released an excellent YouTube video on this subject to accompany his previous offerings on the Cheri Jo Bates mystery in Riverside on October 30th 1966, the Ray Davis taxicab murder in Oceanside on April 10th 1962 and the sniper slayings of Johnny & Joyce Swindle at Ocean Beach on February 5th 1964, Each production includes on scene footage from each case, subtly immersing the viewer into the reality of these four unsolved mysteries from southern California, often linked to the crimes of the Zodiac Killer.

​On June 24th 2024 Ross will be making a guest appearance on the Zodcast Channel of Drew Beeson, author of "Sighting in on the Zodiac Killer", to discuss the June 4th 1963 sweetheart murders of the Lompoc High School couple, and whether any connection to the Zodiac Killer exists. Here is a link to the discussion. 

It makes perfect sense that Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards would have been sunbathing on the beach by the water's edge when their murderer approached, rather than in the rugged creek. Therefore, it is no surprise that this is where 15 casings were discovered, 20 feet from the ocean edge, likely fired from a rifle with a tube magazine that had the capacity to hold 15 rounds. What is less clear is the exact chain of events that resulted in Robert and Linda succumbing to their injuries 75 feet from the 15 spent casings of the killer. If the couple had simultaneously ran for their lives from the beach to the creek, how likely is it that they could both survive this distance being shot with .22 caliber ammunition from an "expert marksman"?

If we believe the claim that the murderer fired 20 shots that afternoon, with Robert struck 11 times and Linda 9, it would mean that all 15 shots aimed at the couple hit their target as they ran northwards. If the killer achieved an even spread of shots, hitting one victim 8 times and the other 7, what are the chances that both managed this 75 feet journey? If the spread of shots was more unequal, such as 9 and 6, or 10 and 5, then there must be serious doubts that one of the victims could achieve this distance. Whatever the case, the shooter has a clear line of sight from this position.

​If newspaper reports of 26 casings being found that day were true (and the killer was unlikely to miss as he approached the stricken couple where they fell and fired at point blank range), it would make the shooter less of an "expert marksman", striking the couple 9 times from the 15 shots as they ran for their lives. An even spread of 5 and 4 hits (depending on the part of the body struck) would give Robert and Linda a greater chance of achieving 75 feet in distance than all 15 shots hitting their mark as previously discussed. 

One thing that would make the killer less accurate when he began shooting, is [1] he was disoriented after a fight, or [2] if Robert and Linda were at a greater distance from him when he began firing. If Robert had been involved in a confrontation with the man and landed some blows on the individual before shouting at Linda to run, then it's conceivable that the couple put some distance between themselves and the shooter as he got back to his feet and steadied himself. However, this would be an extremely risky option if the man wasn't fully incapacitated. Although people don't always behave rationally in times of stress, striking a man in possession of a rifle who is grounded but fully conscious, then deciding to run with your girlfriend into 75 feet of open space, doesn't appear to be the wisest option. Especially if he had previously threatened Linda with the weapon, ordering her to bind Robert with rope.

​In absence of certainty that any fists were exchanged that afternoon (despite the autopsy making this an option), one possibility is that Robert got into a verbal confrontation with the killer which put a severe dampener on the couple's day out. Deciding that it was probably best to head home after this unsavoury encounter, they may have opted to walk away from the beach, but the third party, devoid of any anger control, chose to escalate the matter into unwarranted territory and started firing at the couple. Even if some blows were traded between Robert and the unknown individual on the beach, maybe Robert didn't believe the man would resort to the level of firing his weapon at them. Any number of scenarios could have occurred on June 4th 1963, but the notion of a man firing 15 shots at Robert and Linda the moment they started running away from him, which all hit their mark, appears like the least likeliest option based on the 75 feet distance they both managed to achieve. 
​
Autopsy surgeon, Dr. John Blanchard, said there were some powder burns on the bodies and estimated that the couple had been dead for at least 24 hours at the time of their discovery, implying that the killer fired the initial 15 shots from a fixed position and then moved to the location where the couple fell, stood over them, and ruthlessly shot them from near touching distance. He then chose to drag both bodies approximately 30 feet northwards into a nearby shack, effectively removing the victims from sight. There could have been any number of reasons behind this unusual decision.

Six in depth articles examining the murders of Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards. 
​The Ballistics. The Shack. The Rope. The Beach. The Ammo. Pistol or Rifle?

​It was reported that "detectives found 15 empty .22 brass casings toward the mouth of the creek approximately 20 feet from the ocean", ​fired from an "assassin about 25 yards away (75 feet), who then moved in", suggesting that these 15 casings were grouped at this location. Sheriff Webster stated "We know that the maximum number of bullets contained in a 22-caliber rifle tube-type magazine is 15 and a clip magazine is nine". Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that there was a shooter standing by the mouth of the creek in a fixed position (75 feet from where the couple eventually fell), who fired 15 quick-fire shots from a rifle with a tube magazine. These were likely the shots fired at the couple from distance, before the murderer moved in close to complete his attack. If 20 shots were fired that afternoon, it would mean 5 shots were delivered while the killer was standing over Robert and Linda. If ​26 shots were fired, it would mean 11 at close range. Below I have placed this information into the topography.

From everything we have read, it has been concluded that the murderer of Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards dragged each body approximately 30 feet to a nearby shack (a total of 60 feet), which gives the impression that both Robert and Linda fell to the ground in roughly the same position before being moved. Therefore, if we go with the widespread claim that the couple simultaneously ran for their lives along this 75 feet path away from the shooter, how likely is it that both would succumb to their injuries in almost the same spot? Did one likely stop to help the other? Or is it more reasonable to conclude they were walking away from an individual and both were shot close to the position they fell (95 feet from the ocean). For example, they may have been walking 50 to 60 feet away from the killer when he opened fire, which disabled them to some extent, before they both managed (under continued gunfire) to muster another 15 to 25 feet before collapsing. Would this scenario place the couple closer together, at a location 30 feet from the shack?

The grouping of 15 casings 20 feet from the ocean appears to suggest that the killer fired 15 continuous shots from a rifle with a tube magazine, before walking toward the couple and reloading as he went. Had he been in possession of a .22 caliber handgun like Lake Herman Road, one might expect the shooter to have ejected 10 casings 20 feet from the ocean at this fixed position, reloading his weapon as he moved northwards and resuming firing as he approached the couple (or when he arrived at the stricken pair). It is unlikely he would have fired 10 shots from a handgun, stood still and reloaded, fired another 5 shots from the same position, and then moved forward. If the location of the casings is accurate, everything points to a killer who used a rifle on June 4th 1963. 

This excerpt from Zodiac Killer Facts is typical of the consensus theory behind the Gaviota murders: "No one knows the precise timing and sequence of the events that followed, but, at some point, a man apparently confronted Robert and Linda. He was armed with a .22 caliber weapon, possibly a rifle. Investigators believed that the man produced pre-cut lengths of rope and ordered Linda to tie-up Robert’s hands. After that, the man may have tried to bind Linda’s hands, but, Robert somehow freed himself and fought back long enough for the couple to run away. The man apparently shot both Robert and Linda in the back and they fell to the ground together"..This sequence of events is highly unlikely because it requires us to believe that an assailant pointing a gun at Linda and ordering her to tie up Robert, got close enough to the couple for Robert to tackle the perpetrator. After the struggle with the man, rather than stay in the fight and make sure the man was disarmed before they left, it is theorised that Robert and Linda ran away into 75 feet of open space with a man positioned behind them armed with a rifle (who had already threatened them with it). This man then fired 15 shots at the fleeing couple who both managed to run 75 feet each before they fell, despite the fact it is claimed he fired 20 shots in total and struck the couple 19 or 20 times. This would mean that the killer, a very good marksman, managed to hit Robert and Linda at least 14 times as they ran a combined total of 150 feet away from his position (with Linda struck once in the right leg). Is it a realistic proposition that both would travel this distance before succumbing to their injuries? Betty Lou Jensen managed to run just 28 feet from the rear of the Rambler after being hit 5 times on December 20th 1968 with the same ammunition. There is something about the Gaviota Beach story that just doesn't ring true.

Six in depth articles examining the murders of Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards. 
​The Ballistics. The Shack. The Rope. The Beach. The Ammo. The Final Analysis. 

There was a consistency of newspaper reporting in June 1963 that told of "one empty and three partly filled ammunition boxes near the bodies" and "four similarly marked ammunition boxes found next to the bodies". They carried the lot number TL21. Somebody contacted detectives claiming they had bought ammunition with this lot number from a Pelch and Son store at 1201 State Street in Santa Barbara two months earlier, but after investigators followed up this lead it was discovered that the claims were unfounded. 

Detectives received a telegram from the Midwest manufacturer of the Winchester brand bullets stating "Super X Lot TL21: Quantity packed: 40,960 boxes of 50s (bullets per box). No idea where shipped". However, Sheriff Webster did find this manufacturer's lot number was sold at the base exchange of the Vandenberg Air Force Base, 30 miles (by crow) northwest of the crime scene. If each ammunition box contained 50 bullets, the four boxes at the crime scene once contained 200 bullets. If three were partly filled (let's say 50% filled), there could have been approximately 75 bullets in boxes 1, 2 and 3 (and some in box 4 before being used).

​If these bullets were the ones used by the killer of Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards, then this practically negates the idea of a murderer that was known to the victims, who trailed them to the crime scene with prior knowledge of their movements that day. The idea that such a person (or persons) would lump around four boxes of ammunition to Canada Del Molino, place them inside the shack, murder the young couple using but a fraction of this ammo, then depart the crime scene in absence of three partly filled boxes of bullets they never had to bring to the crime scene in the first place, is quite ludicrous. Everything points to a killer who was either in the shack just before the arrival of Domingos & Edwards, or a person who kept his ammo in the shack and was traversing the coastline at the point they arrived at the beach. He could have encountered the couple while returning to the shack.       

Bringing four boxes of ammunition (possibly up to 200 bullets) to the shack, suggests somebody who was preparing to spend some time at this location. It is reasonable to hypothesise that the casings from these bullets may also have been found along the coastline beyond the site of the murders. It could be argued that this was a killer who was familiar with the shack and the area around Canada Del Molino. Somebody who had visited this stretch of coastline many times before.

​If the murder of Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards was a spontaneous act of rage following a conflict between Robert and the killer as explored in a previous article, and not a long premeditated act by somebody who bought the ammunition for the purpose of murder, then the Vandenberg Air Force Base as the point of purchase for this ammunition, could be more important to this case. If the murderer wasn't a wandering transient but somebody who lived at a fixed address, it is likely he would use the "least effort principle". He may want to buy ammunition in bulk to save money, however, he wouldn't likely travel a great distance from his home to achieve this. Most people (pre-internet) would shop locally within reason. If our killer bought this ammunition with the express intention of murdering somebody with it, then he wasn't likely to purchase it from an establishment close to his home and risk the possibility of it being traced.

​On the other hand, ammunition purchased without malice aforethought isn't likely to require any caution. So if our killer bought the ammunition at the Vandenberg Air Force Base, it is possible he either worked there or lived nearby, such as Lompoc or Mission Hills..One investigative avenue employed by detectives was to search for transients known to use the shack, as well as locating and interviewing individuals who frequented Canada Del Molino in the days, weeks or months prior to June 4th 1963, who may have crossed paths with somebody in possession of weaponry and a regular visitor to this stretch of coastline (who stopped visiting the area after the murders). If they knew such an individual, who also worked or lived in the region highlighted below, then that would be as good a place as any to start.

Six in depth articles examining the murders of Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards. 
​The Ballistics. The Shack. The Rope. The Beach. Pistol or Rifle? The Final Analysis.

One big problem we encounter as Zodiac researchers, is that most of us get introduced to the murders of Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards on June 4th 1963 through a Zodiac Killer lens. Even if we don't believe a connection exists between the Gaviota murders and the Zodiac killings, we can often be influenced by the overarching rhetoric that attempts to explain how things unfolded in 1963 through the mirror of Lake Berryessa. It is easy to make the presumption that the murderer came across Robert and Linda at Canada Del Molino that day and decided to murder them for no other reason than he wanted to. In other words, just like the Zodiac Killer, nothing precipitated the murders but his desire to claim victims. We can inadvertently project the psyche of the Zodiac Killer into the mind of the individual who crossed paths with the young couple at Gaviota Beach several years earlier. But what if we reverse the Gaviota murders on June 4th 1963 back in time, to find out what may have happened on the beach. .

Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards were discovered in a dilapidated shack 30 feet from the beach in their bathing costumes, with Linda stacked on top of Robert with her one-piece bathing suit cut open and her breasts exposed. If the mindset of the killer at this point was driven by a sexual urge to expose Linda's breasts, what was he thinking about several minutes earlier when he encountered the young girl on the beach in a bathing suit in the company of Robert? Is it really beyond comprehension that he said something inappropriate about Linda, thereby invoking a response from Robert who would understandably be protective of his girlfriend, irrespective of the obvious danger this could entail. Something such as this could easily have led to a confrontation of escalating intensity between Robert and his eventual murderer. Robert may have got the better of this person physically after blows were exchanged, but decided it probably best that he and Linda, having had their day ruined, depart the beach and head back to their vehicle parked alongside Highway 101. Bruising on the face and hands of Robert at autopsy has been noted.

​Approximately 75 feet into their return journey, beyond the mouth of the creek, the enraged individual who had just received a beat down from Robert, maybe wasn't prepared to leave it there. He could have got back to his feet - humiliated and vengeful - raised the weapon and fired numerous bullets into the backs of both Robert and Linda as they walked away, before approaching their stricken bodies and ruthlessly dispatching several more rounds. Although presumed by many Zodiac researchers that the couple may have been fleeing for their lives away from the beach, they may not have been running anywhere. They could have been blindsided by a callous killer, totally unaware of any danger when they headed northwards toward the brush. Any confrontation between Robert and the unknown individual would have seemed less risky to Robert had the murderer possessed a concealed handgun and clips (or only an argument had occurred between Robert and the eventual killer). Had the individual been carrying a rifle, any conflict would obviously have had increased jeopardy for the couple. Investigators are not sure what type of weapon was used that day but suspect it was a rifle. 

Until such time comes that we have definitive proof of pre-cut lengths of rope being retrieved from the crime scene in 1963, all we have is a Santa Barbara newspaper report from November 6th 1963 that states "A rope found at the murder scene had two marlin hitches, an uncommon knot", and a typed report detailing a "3/8 inch rope found with several marlin hitch knots, commonly used by weavers". This could be a random piece of rope left on the beach by anybody in the recent past and unconnected to the crime, or it could have been carried to the location by the Gaviota Beach murderer who became separated from it during the confrontation with Robert Domingos, inadvertently leaving it behind when he departed the crime scene. So it is perfectly feasible that it played no significant part as a restraining tool precedent to the double murder, even though we may wish to apply greater relevance to it. The chain of events described here may be totally wide of the mark, but they were achieved by focusing primarily on this crime, free from the confirmation bias in Zodiac circles, that attempts to forge a union with Lake Berryessa by rewinding back the hands of time from 1969 to 1963 and transplanting elements of one into another. The only clock we need to turn back is from shack to beach, to understand if one action was followed by another over a period of just a few minutes.  

Six in depth articles examining the murders of Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards. 
The Ballistics. The Shack. The Rope. The Ammo. Pistol or Rifle? The Final Analysis.

Here are snippets of text from three Zodiac websites regarding the murders of Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards on June 4th 1963: "Apparently the killer approached while they were sunbathing. As Edwards was forced to bind Domingos at gunpoint with lengths of narrow rope (probably pre-cut), both victims attempted to flee and were shot numerous times" [1]. "No one knows the precise timing and sequence of the events that followed, but, at some point, a man apparently confronted Robert and Linda. He was armed with a .22 caliber weapon, possibly a rifle. Investigators believed that the man produced pre-cut lengths of rope and ordered Linda to tie-up Robert’s hands. After that, the man may have tried to bind Linda’s hands, but, Robert somehow freed himself and fought back long enough for the couple to run away" [2]. “Zodiologists” have tried to accentuate that cut rope or other bindings were used on Domingos and Edwards. I have never confirmed this. This is their innocent attempt to draw closer parallels between the Zodiac’s MO at Lake Berryessa in 1969 and the Domingos/Edwards murders" [3].

Not one of these websites can confirm that pre-cut lengths of rope were ever produced by the killer on June 4th 1963, or that the perpetrator forced Linda to tie up Robert. Regardless of these facts, it hasn't dissuaded people from making comparisons to the Lake Berryessa attack on September 27th 1969 and fashioning this speculation into fact in order to augment a link between the two. It is akin to conjuring up a story about a crime and using this fiction to forge connections to other crimes. Fifty-two years ago in 1972, Sheriff John Carpenter in a press release stated he is "not at liberty to disclose at this time" other information that suggests a link between Lake Berryessa and the Gaviota Beach murders. We are still waiting.

​Many people have speculated that the murderer handed pre-cut lengths of rope to Linda Edwards under gunpoint, requesting that she tie up Robert, before moving in to secure Linda. However, before he can do so, Robert breaks free from his bindings and an altercation ensues between him and the killer. After which they run for their lives. This story is widely parroted in Zodiac circles despite little to no evidence supporting these claims.

​There is a Santa Barbara newspaper from November 6th 1963 that states "A rope found at the murder scene had two marlin hitches, an uncommon knot", and a typed report detailing a "3/8 inch rope found with several marlin hitch knots, commonly used by weavers". If this single rope was instrumental in the commission of the crime, are we to conclude that when the killer threatened Linda under the promise of death to tie up Robert, she took the pre-cut rope and proceeded to bind Robert using two or more marlin hitch knots - or use a regular knot? She was a 17-year-old girl from Lompoc High School. Did investigators examine her background to discover whether she had knowledge of such a knot? Regardless, it isn't the obvious choice of knot used to restrain an individual, let alone one employed by a 17-year-old high school student, who would have used it more than once that day. And if Robert had freed himself from the binding, would these knots still be present in the rope? It is possible that this single piece of rope could have been left on the beach by anybody who had recently frequented this location. After 61 years, if investigators have proof that pre-cut lengths of rope were used in the murders of Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards, the time to prove this is surely now. Without the pre-cut lengths of rope and the claim of Linda being ordered to tie up Robert, what remains that links Lake Berryessa to the Gaviota Beach murders?

Even considering the possibility of blood typing as an evidentiary tool (which isn't person specific), any bleeding injury to the murderer in an altercation with Robert before the murders, would not be an incentive to interact with both bodies subsequent to shooting them, not only transferring blood from the killer to the victims, but possibly transferring blood from the victims to yourself. There is also insufficient evidence to conclude with certainty that the murderer of Robert and Linda ever attempted to burn down the shack, other than scorch marks on the shack and spent matches on the ground devoid of any time stamp. If the person who committed these murders was so hell-bent on destroying evidence that he dragged both victims a total of 60 feet to the shack and attempted to set fire to it, why was he prepared to leave behind numerous bindings at the crime scene (not yet substantiated), shoeprint or bootprint impressions, and scatter 20+ shell casings on the creek bed, that arguably had more (if not equal) evidentiary value than anything he could have left on (or in) the bodies of Domingos & Edwards. The bullets inside the victims are only of use with a weapon to compare to. If the killer takes the rudimentary steps to negate this possibly, then the killer has little to worry about (assuming the firearm has no history). If he was inexplicably attempting to destroy these bullets in a shack fire, he was still leaving the casings.  

​Despite the seemingly obvious choice of immediately leaving the scene after the murders, the killer was still incentivised enough to stay at the crime scene beyond what was necessary. If it wasn't for the purpose of destroying incriminating evidence that realistically wasn't an issue, why did they choose to drag the bodies 30 feet to the nearby shack and conceal them? 

The murderer could have put as much distance between himself and the bodies the immediacy that they fell, but clearly had something else in mind. He may have considered that the purpose he had in mind was worth spending several minutes removing the bodies from view and placing them inside the shack. When nobody came to investigate the gunshots he may have felt safe to proceed with his intentions in the privacy of the shack. In the event that somebody had come to the shack, there may have been more than two victims that day. Newspapers reported that Linda Edwards was placed face-up on top of Robert with her bathing suit cut, exposing her breasts, but was not sexually attacked. The definition of sexual attack/assault has changed markedly from 1963 to 2024, so the observation she was not sexually attacked in the shack is not only contentious, it is unfounded. If the bathing suit of Linda Edwards was deliberately cut, not only do we know this was an attack on her sexually, we have no idea what else occurred in the shack beyond this act and for how long. The murderer could have spent hours in that shack satisfying his sexual desires. I don't want to belabor this unpleasant possibility, but just because there are no obvious signs of further interference, doesn't mean it didn't happen. The killer was incentivised enough to drag two bodies 60 feet, for what? To destroy evidence that almost certainly posed little risk, or to satisfy a desire that was partly evident to all who entered the shack in the aftermath of the crime. The murders were seemingly not enough to satisfy this killer. 

Six in depth articles examining the murders of Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards. 
The Ballistics. The Rope. The Beach. The Ammo. Pistol or Rifle? The Final Analysis.​

After watching the excellent Planet X Filmworks YouTube video produced by Ross Geraci about the murders of Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards on June 4th 1963, I have attempted to delve further into their case and analyse the ballistics evidence. The limited information we have is from newspaper coverage, so I have cross-checked different statements to achieve a reasonable hypothesis for the events that day.

​After their arrival at the coastline, presumed to be sometime in the afternoon hours, the young couple were mercilessly gunned down by a fusillade of shots to the back as they attempted to escape from the beach and their attacker, ending up a distance of about 75 feet north from where the shooter initially began firing, before the callous killer approached the couple where they lay and fired the remaining shots from close range (apparently leaving gunshot residue on the victims).
​
Based upon the shell casing distribution, detectives stated that the "assassin fired from about 25 yards away (75 feet), then moved in". How far the couple were from the shooter when he started firing is unknown, but according to investigators it appeared that Robert and Linda had ran 25 yards from the initial point of contact before collapsing to the ground. According to newspaper reports on June 11th 1963, detectives found 15 empty .22 brass casings toward the mouth of the creek approximately 20 feet from the ocean, ejected from what they believed was a fast-firing automatic weapon. It has been reported that in total 26 casings of Super X long rifle were recovered from the crime scene, which appears to contradict earlier claims by some newspapers of 20 casings found. A bobby pin (a type of hairpin) probably belonging to Linda Edwards was found in the deep creek waters. Coroner's autopsy surgeon, Dr. John P. Blanchard, stated that Robert Domingos was shot eleven times, while Linda Edwards was targeted eight times (with one bullet shattering her right leg). If we take the lesser total of 20 shell casings recovered from the crime scene according to several newspapers, it indicates that the shooter reloaded the weapon as they walked towards or stood over the stricken pair. Ejected casings were found strewn along the creek bed and gully close to a dilapidated shack.​

Some newspapers stated Robert was hit 11 times, while Linda was struck 9 times, not 8, This would mean that 20 shots were fired that afternoon in a dynamic chain of events  involving two running individuals, in which the shooter hit his intended targets 20 times out of 20. This appears to be remarkable accuracy. Reports of 26 casings retrieved from the scene could be viewed as more realistic. The Independent newspaper on February 8th 1964 stated that "police found 27 brass shell casings in the area", which aligns closer to the previously reported 26 casings. The San Francisco Examiner (on February 8th 1964) when comparing the Domingos & Edwards murders to the later sniper murders of Johnny & Joyce Swindle at Ocean Beach on February 5th 1964, argued a similarity of bad marksmanship in both attacks, writing "Numerous shell casings were found on the cliffs here and in San Diego indicating that the sniper had fired many more bullets than those that hit the victims".​

Using the only information at our disposal we can piece together an approximate retelling of events that afternoon using the statements of ​"assassin fired from about 25 yards away (75 feet), then moved in", "detectives found 15 empty .22 brass casings toward the mouth of the creek approximately 20 feet from the ocean" and "the bodies were dragged 30 feet to the shack". In the image below I have placed these measurements onto the topography of Canada Del Molino. If the lower estimate of 20 shots were fired that day and 15 empty casings were found toward the mouth of the creek, then this leaves 5 shots remaining to be fired at the victims from close range as they lay on the ground (which one could assume all hit their target). Based on the reports of Robert receiving 11 gunshot wounds and Linda 8 or 9, it would mean the shooter achieved 100% accuracy (or missed just once) as the couple ran from the shooter to the position they fell.  If 26 shots were fired that day (15 from distance as they ran), this would leave 11 shots remaining to be fired at the victims from close range. This would mean the shooter achieved 73% to 77% accuracy throughout. Assuming he managed to hit the victims 11 times out of 11 from close range, it would indicate that from his first 15 shots he only managed to hit Robert and Linda 8 or 9 times (missing 6 or 7 times). This would make his accuracy over distance between 53% and 60%. We have newspaper reports claiming either 20 or 26/27 casings retrieved from the mouth of the creek and gully, so which information seems more credible when we consider the unfolding events at Canada Del Molino on June 4th 1963?  

Six in depth articles examining the murders of Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards. 
​The Shack. The Rope. The Beach. The Ammo. Pistol or Rifle? The Final Analysis.​

It is now 56 years since the brutal slaying of Robert George Domingos (18) and Linda Faye Edwards (17) at Canada Del Molino on June 4th 1963. The area was 25 miles west of Santa Barbara. The young couple had driven to the beach in their copper and black 1956 Pontiac, parking alongside Highway 101, before taking the 6 to 10 minute descent to the water's edge. It was believed they arrived at the beach at about 3:00 pm. Sometime after they arrived they were approached by one or more people who were thought to have forced them under gunpoint in an attempt to restrain the couple using pre-cut lengths of rope. However, there may have been resistance from Robert Domingos and possibly a brief exchange of blows, before the couple fled for their lives in a northerly direction. Their bid for freedom was short-lived, having been gunned down by 19 bullets from a .22 caliber weapon. Robert Domingos was shot eleven times and Linda Edwards was struck eight times, in which the killer reloaded his weapon at least once. Robert was dragged face down 30 feet to a nearby shack, whereas Linda was dragged face up and her body placed atop of Robert. Her bathing suit was found cut open exposing her breasts but there appeared to be no further sexual interaction apparent. Several boxes of .22 ammunition were found inside the shack, along with some spent matches.

There have been the obvious parallels drawn to the Lake Berryessa attack on September 27th 1969, but despite the reports of pre-cut lengths of rope, there appears little else to connect this crime to the knife attack on Cecelia Shepard and Bryan Hartnell, other than a waterfront scene (although detectives may have information unavailable to the public). However, there is much more reason to connect the murder of Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards to the recent sniper reports only two days prior to this attack, on June 2nd 1963.

There were at least two reports of gunfire either side of the area where Robert and Linda were eventually murdered. Eleven teenagers in total reported two bullets whizzing past them as they were standing by their vehicles in a remote area of Gaviota State Park. They had been surfing at the beach that day. They reported that the shooting took place at around mid-afternoon. In another incident seven miles east, three teenagers camping at Tajiguas Creek reported hearing gunshots coming from the beach, just south of their location. The time was given as daybreak. Both sets of earwitnesses descrbed what they thought was the sound of a .22 gun.

There are obvious similarities in these events to the Domingos and Edwards story, in that the ammunition used in their murders was .22 caliber. They too were teenagers hanging out close to the coastline - and two of the attacks were believed to have occurred in mid-afternoon (about 3:00 pm in the case of Domingos and Edwards). The sniper attack at Gaviota State Park occurred 3.38 miles west of Canada Del Molino, and the teenagers at Tajiguas Creek heard gunshots coming from the beach approximately 3.84 miles east of Canada Del Molino. Then, two days later Robert and Linda were killed in an area bisecting these two points. What is extremely interesting (if correct) is Sheriff Webster stated that the lot number of the ammunition used in the murder of Robert and Linda was the same as the lot number of ammunition sold at a Santa Barbara store in April. The lot numbers also matched ammunition sold at Vandenberg Air Force Base, but the boxes at the crime scene were devoid of the price tags usually sold at the Air Base. The ammunition was Western Super X .22 caliber long rifle with a lot number TL-21. A lot number is an identification number assigned to a particular quantity or lot of material from a single manufacturer. Lot numbers can typically be found on the outside of packaging. Western Super X .22 caliber was used by the Zodiac Killer at Lake Herman Road.

Even though there were reports that the murderer of Robert and Linda attempted to burn down the shack where he placed the bodies, determining when these matches were struck, along with the tarpaulin scorch marks noted, is impossible to correlate with the murders. But why would the murderer or murderers waste valuable time dragging two bodies over difficult terrain at least 60 feet in total? Why not just exit the area as soon as possible and immediately separate yourself from the crime scene? The stacking of the bodies one on top of the other must have been done for purpose. Likely a male killer, it is probably no surprise that Linda was discovered on top of Robert with her breasts exposed. Unless her bathing costume had been torn during the dragging of the bodies, then it's extremely likely there was a sexual component to this crime, with the killer possibly wanting to spend time with the bodies in the seclusion of the shack. The hunter bringing home the prey to satisfy his necrophilic tendencies (a fascination with dead bodies) cannot be ruled out. There seems little other purpose to relocate the bodies in such a fashion. If the killer had worn gloves and shot the couple at distance, there appears no barrier preventing the perpetrator or perpetrators just leaving the scene.

It is highly unlikely that a killer would carry boxes of ammunition to a crime scene to perpetrate one or two murders. A clip or two is more than enough. If this person was a hunter who enjoyed taking pot-shots at wildlife (including birds), a day by the ocean in relative seclusion would be the ideal day out - and somebody arriving at the shack with several boxes of ammunition could certainly keep themselves entertained for a long period of time. If this hunter of animals had an over zealous intersest in killing (or was maybe the sniper taking pot-shots at teenagers), then when Robert and Linda inadvertently walked into his lair, their fate was effectively sealed. This time he could get close up and personal. His eventual slaying of the couple was certainly overkill by any standards - suggesting he enjoyed the act of killing - and his enjoyment continued with his interaction with the bodies far longer than the crime scene necessitated. The notion of a killer attempting to burn down the shack to destroy evidence makes little sense. It would have actually drawn attention to the area and any vehicle he may have parked nearby. However, separating yourself from the boxes of ammunition makes far more sense. It is also extremely likely the killer was familiar with this area - off the beaten track, away from prying eyes and ideal for a spot of shooting practice, inanimate or otherwise.

These beach side locations were the perfect spot for somebody wanting a degree of privacy and cover while shooting at unsuspecting beachgoers, as was the case with the surfers at Gaviota State Park. An area such as the one shown here provides ample cover as well as an exposed target. The same can be seen at the beach area by Tajiguas Creek. It is difficult to say with any certainty that a sniper was operating at Gaviota State Park and Tajiguas Creek, however, these two reports so close to the murders of Robert and Linda are extremely pertinent with respect to their untimely deaths. As with many serial killers, the employment of a buffer zone from residence to crime scene can be resourced as a valuable tool in narrowing down the offender's home location, so somebody traveling from Goleta or Santa Barbara would be leaving a buffer zone of 18 and 25 miles respectively to Canada Del Molino.

205 miles southeast of Canada Del Molino and eight months later,  John and Joyce Swindle, a newlywed couple were brutally gunned down on Wednesday February 5th 1964 as they were enjoying an evening out on Ocean Beach, San Diego, near Narragansett Avenue. It appeared the killer had shot them from distance first, perched near a retaining wall overlooking the sea, before moving in to deliver the final shots at close range. Five shots from a .22 caliber weapon had been discharged from his sniper position by the rocks, with the last two as he approached the felled couple. "On the ledge of the retaining wall police found a box of Valentine candy. Police assume the Swindles bought the candy while on their stroll but they said it could have been left behind as a deranged killer's calling card".

Early on in the investigation of the Domingos and Edwards murders, 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 - and it was noted 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. He explained to officers he had been at Refugio Beach on the Tuesday of their murder and Refugio Beach is 5.65 miles east of the crime scene. Under questioning the teenager was combative and belligerent, indicative of somebody who was already known to Lompoc police, having a 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 Charles Smith (63) in Lompoc during a robbery. They claimed their vehicle had ran out of gas and asked Vernon Smith for his assistance. 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 of Vernon Smith at San Miguelito Canyon, approximately 3 miles south of Lompoc. He was discovered lying on his back in a gravel ditch, towards the front side of his green 1951 Willy's Jeep pick-up. Close by was the gasoline can and fuel that he had acquired at a nearby gas station to help the teenagers. His cause of death was a knife wound to the back which penetrated his heart. Coleman and Reed were eventually convicted in a Santa Barbara County court and sentenced to 5 years to life for second-degree murder. "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".

"Mabel Keener, manager of the Royal Motel, Arroye Grande, testified a boy resembling "Sandy" came to her hotel at 4 a.m, June 3 and registered as William Carr, of Bakersfield. He stayed until the next morning and left, she said. She declared the sheriff's composite drawing of "Sandy" as made by Hal C. Clark, resembled "Sandy" in some ways but not exactly about the mouth and hair. Raymond W. Kissian and Gilberto Serros, Lompoc gas station attendants, also testified. Serros said he waited on Smith (Vernon) that night when Smith drove up in his jeep, which also contained a youth resembling "Sandy". Smith, who was playing the part of "Good Samaritan" filling up a gas can to take to the youths stalled car in Miguelito Canyon, drove off with a full can of gas, said Serros".

We have just passed the 52nd anniversary of the brutal slaying of Robert George Domingos and Linda Faye Edwards on a remote Santa Barbara beach 22 miles southeast of Lompoc, CA. One man, John Averitt, has fought diligently to keep the case in the public eye, hoping that one day justice will be served on the killer, or will at the very least be identified and bring some form of closure to all that knew the young couple. It is a tragic case of two young sweethearts who had set off around noon to a remote beach on June 4th 1963 for a spot of sunbathing - yet it was to have devastating consequences. The following day the bodies of Domingos and Edwards were discovered by Highway Patrolman Paul Schultz in a shack close to the beach stacked on top of one another. Within the shack police found several lengths of pre-cut cord, several boxes of Winchester Western Super X long rifle ammunition and strewn matches, along with scorch marks to the shack, indicating there may have been an attempt to set fire to the shack once the bodies had been placed there.

From the crime scene evidence it was believed the killer may have attempted to bind the couple, probably forcing Linda Edwards to restrain Robert Domingos. However, as the killer moved in to tie Linda, it was thought Robert freed himself and after a brief struggle with the killer the young couple made a break for freedom before being fired upon and struck several times in the back. In total the killer fired off 20 rounds, 19 of which found their target. It is thought the killer reloaded at least once.

It has been ascertained that once the couple had been felled by the original onslaught, the killer reloaded his weapon and stood over the victims before he fired off the remaining rounds at point blank range. Robert was struck 11 times and Linda 8 times. The killer was particularly merciless. Their bodies were then dragged at least 30 feet (10 yards) to the position they were found inside the shack. Drag injuries to the bodies suggested Robert Domingos was dragged face down and placed in the shack first, before Linda was dragged face up and positioned on top of Robert. The killer then cut the bathing suit of Linda Edwards exposing her breasts, despite the fact it is documented that no sexual interference took place. The modus operandi of this crime has inevitably drew parallels to the Zodiac Killer's Lake Berryessa attack on Bryan Hartnell and murder of Cecelia Shepard just over six years later on September 27th 1969. 

The most unusual aspect of this crime is the killer's need to have hauled each victim up an incline a distance of 30 feet. In other words, the perpetrator dragged both bodies a minimum of 60 feet (20 yards) in total through rough terrain. This is certainly not an easy task by any means, suggesting the killer was physically in good shape, or there was more than one assailant. Why not just leave the scene of the crime immediately? If the purpose of dragging the couple to the shack was to imply concealment, then why set fire to the shack and effectively draw attention to the location. The positioning of the bodies in the shack with Linda Edwards breasts exposed seemed designed to illicit a reaction when they were eventually discovered, however, the attempted destruction of the shack by fire effectively nullifies this premise. If the perpetrator/s were attempting to destroy evidence by burning down the shack, then it ultimately failed - so why did they just leave the boxes of ammunition and rope behind? Why would a killer carry boxes of ammunition to commit a crime, when a couple of clips would have sufficed (as testified to by the rounds fired), or was the responsible already at this location when Robert and Linda arrived? There are many unusual aspects of this crime that take some explaining.  

But what is clear, is that the shack was frequented by railroad hobos and a nomadic drifter called George Edward Gill (49 at the time of the murders), who constructed the lean-to shack. The shack was also not particularly visible from the area where the couple had been shot.

The couple had accessed the beach area by parking in the median of the northbound and southbound routes of Highway 101, which would have accommodated a few cars back in 1963. They would then have traversed the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks, before negotiating the decline to the beach, a journey time of approximately 6 to 10 minutes (approximately 600 feet). It is notable that access to this remote beach area would not have been widely known to a stranger unfamiliar to the area, let alone the shack, suggesting our killer or killers may have had previous knowledge of this location. 

Would Linda and Robert, seeking privacy have entered the beach location with an unfamiliar car already parked in the median or other persons in the area? Was their 1956 black and copper Pontiac the only car in the median when they arrived? Did the killer arrive later, or were they trailed from Lompoc? The burning of the shack makes little sense from the perspective of the killer wanting a covert exit from the crime scene, unless performed primarily for evidence destruction. Additionally, there is nothing to suggest the attempt to burn down the shack was done by the killer immediately after the murders. The scorch marks evident on the shack may have been done at a previous time by children, transients or any visitor to the area and subsequently assimilated into the crime scene of July 4th 1963. 

In the Los Angeles Letter mailed by the Zodiac Killer on March 13th 1971, he stated "This is the Zodiac speaking. Like I have allways said, I am crack proof. If the Blue Meannies are evere going to catch me, they had best get off their fat asses + do something. Because the longer they fiddle + fart around, the more slaves I will collect for my after life. 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. The reason I'm writing to the Times is this, They don't bury me on the back pages like some of the others".

This article is intended to highlight the unsolved brutal slaying of two young teenagers in the hope that one day, albeit a fading one, this case may eventually find the resolution it deserves. Any information relative to this case can be shared by contacting the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office. ​Fifty six years ago, a couple were brutally gunned down while fleeing for their lives from a remote 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, had decided to go sunbathing on a remote beach accessed via a decline trail off the main highway, where they left their 1956 Pontiac.

​It was a sunny afternoon when the killer approached the couple from above, armed with what was thought to be a .22 caliber long rifle (a weapon ideal for target shooting with minimum recoil). The assailant had ready prepared cut lengths of binding rope, characteristics all too familiar in the Lake Berryessa attack on Bryan Hartnell and Cecelia Shepard six years later at Lake Berryessa on September 27th 1969, but unfortunately the apparel the killer wore on this occasion will likely never be known.

The assailant/assailants apparently coerced Linda Edwards to tie the hands of Robert Domingos, but after freeing himself and a possible brief altercation with the assailant, the young couple ran for their lives. Unfortunately it was a brief bid for freedom as they were both cut down by a succession of bullets. The killer then approached the position they fell and finished their cold-blooded execution of the defenseless couple. For reasons known only to the killer/s, they then proceeded to drag the bodies to a nearby shack, where Linda's body was positioned on top of Robert's, cutting open her bathing suit with a knife, before attempting to set fire to a tarpaulin covering on the door of the shack, testified by scorch marks and strewn matches on the floor. Evidence in this crime was carelessly left at the scene, that included spent and unspent ammunition and the cut lengths of rope, by all accounts, an excess required for the binding of two victims. This may have been the case during the Lake Berryessa Attack, if we believe that the unidentified mystery man that stood viewing the three girls sunbathing prior to the attack on Cecilia Shepard and Bryan Hartnell was indeed the Zodiac Killer and had no predetermined number of victims in mind. Interesting though was the unspent ammunition - 22 Caliber Western Super X long rifle.​

​The murders of Betty Lou Jensen and David Faraday with a .22 caliber weapon, exalted by the Zodiac Killer in the San Francisco Chronicle letter on July 31st 1969, 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, but crucially they were devoid of price tags, suggesting that they were possibly from a larger consignment. This would again raise the idea that the murderer at Lake Berryessa (Wing Walkers) and in this case, may have had a military connection.

The murders of Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards have not widely been accepted as Zodiac Killer victims, probably due to the time period and location, however, many parallels exist between this case and the Zodiac Killer attack at Lake Berryessa. They were a lone couple on a remote beach, approached from above with a gun, the killer had prepared lengths of bindings, they were in possession of a knife, robbery and a sexual motive was not the overriding factor, and a military connection was a real possibility. 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.

The Zodiac Killer may have twice previously indicated that the Lake Herman Road double murder may not have been his first brutal crime, stating in the Los Angeles Times Letter mailed 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." and on the typed Confession Letter mailed on November 29th 1966 he boasted "She is not the first and will not be the last." To view five interesting videos, extensively covering the Domingos/Edwards case click here.