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, recollects the crime from the day it happened and has subsequently 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 to bring some form of closure to all that knew the young couple.
It's a tragic case of two young sweethearts who had traveled to a remote beach on June 4th 1963 for a spot of sunbathing, but it was to have devastating consequences. The following day their bodies were discovered in shack close to the beach, one placed on top of the other. In 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.
It's a tragic case of two young sweethearts who had traveled to a remote beach on June 4th 1963 for a spot of sunbathing, but it was to have devastating consequences. The following day their bodies were discovered in shack close to the beach, one placed on top of the other. In 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 struck several times in the back. In total the killer fired off 20 rounds, 19 of which found the target. It is thought the killer reloaded at least once. The likely scenario is once the couple had been brought down the killer reloaded, approached to where they fell and fired off the remaining rounds at point blank range, possibly standing over them. Robert was hit 11 times and Linda 8 times. The killer was particularly merciless. Their bodies were then dragged at least 30 feet to the position they were found. Drag injuries to the bodies suggested Robert was dragged face down and placed in the shack like so, then Linda was dragged face up and positioned on top of Robert. The killer then cut the bathing suit of Linda Edwards exposing her breasts, although it is documented that no physical molestation took place.
The modus operandi of this crime has inevitably drew parallels to the Zodiac Killer and the attack on Bryan Hartnell and murder of Cecelia Shepard just over six years later at Lake Berryessa on September 27th 1969, but is the comparison justified and could the killer be one and the same.
The most unusual aspect of this crime is the killer's need to have hauled each victim a distance of 30 feet. That is 60 feet in total through rough terrain, not an easy task by any means, suggesting the killer was in physically good shape or there was more than one assailant. Why not just leave the scene of the crime immediately. What was the purpose of dragging the couple to the shack, to imply concealment, then supposedly set fire to the shack to alert the whole area to the location. The positioning of the bodies in the shack with Linda Edwards breasts exposed seems to indicate a signature, to illicit an effect of shock value when they are eventually discovered, however after all that, the killer then decides to burn everything which seems to nullify that premise. If he or they were attempting to destroy evidence, 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, a couple of clips would have sufficed or was he already there when Robert and Linda arrived. There are many unusual aspects of this crime that take some explaining.
The modus operandi of this crime has inevitably drew parallels to the Zodiac Killer and the attack on Bryan Hartnell and murder of Cecelia Shepard just over six years later at Lake Berryessa on September 27th 1969, but is the comparison justified and could the killer be one and the same.
The most unusual aspect of this crime is the killer's need to have hauled each victim a distance of 30 feet. That is 60 feet in total through rough terrain, not an easy task by any means, suggesting the killer was in physically good shape or there was more than one assailant. Why not just leave the scene of the crime immediately. What was the purpose of dragging the couple to the shack, to imply concealment, then supposedly set fire to the shack to alert the whole area to the location. The positioning of the bodies in the shack with Linda Edwards breasts exposed seems to indicate a signature, to illicit an effect of shock value when they are eventually discovered, however after all that, the killer then decides to burn everything which seems to nullify that premise. If he or they were attempting to destroy evidence, 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, a couple of clips would have sufficed or was he already there when Robert and Linda arrived. There are many unusual aspects of this crime that take some explaining.
But what is clear is 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 the decline to the beach, all in all, a 6-10 minute journey. The point being that access to this remote beach area would have not been widely known, let alone the shack, suggesting our killer or killers had familiarity with this location. This, along with the overkill of the young couple and the deliberate positioning of Linda Edwards body on top of Robert Domingos with her breasts exposed, could be interpreted as personal, a possible spurned love rival seeking recourse by the deliberate staging in a sexual manner. Of course this is just supposition, nevertheless there are other questions to be raised. Would Linda and Robert, seeking privacy have entered the beach location with an unfamiliar car already parked in the median. Was their 1957 Pontiac the only car there when they arrived and 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 and besides what the evidence portrays, there is nothing to suggest the attempt to burn down the shack was done by the killer immediately after the murders. This may have been done at a previous time by children, transients or in fact anybody 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."
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."
Although the suggestion was of more murders down there, he does mention Riverside, but fails to imply anything close to Santa Barbara, which is 190 miles due west of Riverside, CA. The movement of the bodies implied concealment, something the Zodiac Killer never did and the ammunition boxes left at the scene pours further doubt on an already complicated crime scene. The Zodiac Killer could be responsible for the Domingos and Edwards murders, it is something we have to consider. The hallmarks are there, a lone couple, a gun, possibly a knife and some pieces of rope, but it is simply not enough to rule in the Zodiac Killer or for that matter rule out just about anyone else.
One possibility exists that this was a personal crime, most victims are known by their killer. The couple could surely have been followed to this location or the killer/killers had knowledge of their whereabouts. Whoever it may have been could have parked alongside the Pontiac and proceeded to the location with murder on their mind. Knowing the area well, it was convenient to place the bodies in an exact location frequented by George Gill and other hobos and even more convenient to leave behind unspent ammunition boxes and pieces of rope by the shack to throw suspicion in a particularly staged direction. The bodies could have been concealed without all the effort of dragging them 60 feet and placing them in the tiny shack, unless you were centering the focus to this particular spot for a reason. Whatever the case, hopefully John Averitt, along with everyone else with close ties to Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards, eventually get the justice they deserve, in a case that has remained unsolved for far too long.
To view five videos detailing the entire case visit https://www.youtube.com/user/DOMINGOSEDWARDS
If you have any information regarding this case contact http://www.santabarbaraca.gov/gov/depts/police/
One possibility exists that this was a personal crime, most victims are known by their killer. The couple could surely have been followed to this location or the killer/killers had knowledge of their whereabouts. Whoever it may have been could have parked alongside the Pontiac and proceeded to the location with murder on their mind. Knowing the area well, it was convenient to place the bodies in an exact location frequented by George Gill and other hobos and even more convenient to leave behind unspent ammunition boxes and pieces of rope by the shack to throw suspicion in a particularly staged direction. The bodies could have been concealed without all the effort of dragging them 60 feet and placing them in the tiny shack, unless you were centering the focus to this particular spot for a reason. Whatever the case, hopefully John Averitt, along with everyone else with close ties to Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards, eventually get the justice they deserve, in a case that has remained unsolved for far too long.
To view five videos detailing the entire case visit https://www.youtube.com/user/DOMINGOSEDWARDS
If you have any information regarding this case contact http://www.santabarbaraca.gov/gov/depts/police/
