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.
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.
Santa Barbara News-Press, November 6th 1963 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?
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?
A hitch is a type of knot used to secure a rope to an object or another rope. Hitches are used in a variety of situations, including climbing, sailing, and securing loads. They are classified based on their ability to be tightened or released, their resistance to slipping, and their strength.
Six in depth articles examining the murders of Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards.
The Ballistics. The Shack. The Beach. The Ammo. Pistol or Rifle? The Final Analysis.
Six in depth articles examining the murders of Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards.
The Ballistics. The Shack. The Beach. The Ammo. Pistol or Rifle? The Final Analysis.
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