Alayna

But then within a few more years, it feels like it kind of just happened in like a slow burn at the other end of the spectrum. It became known to many in California and the United States as the murder capital of the world. Yep. Or Santa Carla. Now, for the most part, residents of Santa Cruz thought of crime as something that happened, you know, elsewhere in places like San Francisco.

But then within a few more years, it feels like it kind of just happened in like a slow burn at the other end of the spectrum. It became known to many in California and the United States as the murder capital of the world. Yep. Or Santa Carla. Now, for the most part, residents of Santa Cruz thought of crime as something that happened, you know, elsewhere in places like San Francisco.

This is before it became known what it was known as. You know, they were thinking San Francisco is where that happened, you know, where the Zodiac was killing young couples and terrorizing residents with, you know, threatening letters to the press and cryptics and all that.

This is before it became known what it was known as. You know, they were thinking San Francisco is where that happened, you know, where the Zodiac was killing young couples and terrorizing residents with, you know, threatening letters to the press and cryptics and all that.

But on the night of October 19, 1970, murder came right to Santa Cruz when Dr. Victor Oda, his wife, and their two young sons, and the doctor's secretary, were found murdered in the family's swimming pool and their house was set ablaze.

But on the night of October 19, 1970, murder came right to Santa Cruz when Dr. Victor Oda, his wife, and their two young sons, and the doctor's secretary, were found murdered in the family's swimming pool and their house was set ablaze.

On the windshield of Oda's car was a typewritten letter threatening violence against, quote, persons who misuse the natural environment. And it was signed with several hand-drawn tarot symbols.

On the windshield of Oda's car was a typewritten letter threatening violence against, quote, persons who misuse the natural environment. And it was signed with several hand-drawn tarot symbols.

Yep. Okay. That is not at all where I thought we were going. No. And about a week after that, Santa Cruz police arrested 24-year-old John Lindley Frazier, a local man known for his very erratic behavior and a passion for environmental causes and his obsession with the Bible. And it would turn out that the murder of the Ota family was just the beginning.

Yep. Okay. That is not at all where I thought we were going. No. And about a week after that, Santa Cruz police arrested 24-year-old John Lindley Frazier, a local man known for his very erratic behavior and a passion for environmental causes and his obsession with the Bible. And it would turn out that the murder of the Ota family was just the beginning.

In the three years that followed, a number of young women from the Santa Cruz area went missing, and their bodies were discovered months or years later showing signs of extreme violence. The murder of these young women would eventually be a tribute to Edmund Kemper. We know Edmund Kemper if you listen to the episode, but he was a local man who was, you know,

In the three years that followed, a number of young women from the Santa Cruz area went missing, and their bodies were discovered months or years later showing signs of extreme violence. The murder of these young women would eventually be a tribute to Edmund Kemper. We know Edmund Kemper if you listen to the episode, but he was a local man who was, you know,

One of the things that was very interesting about him is that he was very friendly with the local police. Yeah. Hung out with them at the bars, wanted to be a police officer. But he was literally too big to be a police officer.

One of the things that was very interesting about him is that he was very friendly with the local police. Yeah. Hung out with them at the bars, wanted to be a police officer. But he was literally too big to be a police officer.

But he also had a history of violent antisocial behavior that eventually culminated in a horrific series of murders. Now, in the cases of, you know, Fraser and Kemper, each had a particular victim type that, upon consideration, made sense given their pathology, when you could attribute it to that.

But he also had a history of violent antisocial behavior that eventually culminated in a horrific series of murders. Now, in the cases of, you know, Fraser and Kemper, each had a particular victim type that, upon consideration, made sense given their pathology, when you could attribute it to that.

This hardly made residents of Santa Cruz feel safer, but it did kind of suggest that some people were safer than others. Yeah, that makes sense. Which often happens with these things. And it gave the illusion that as long as residents avoided certain behaviors or activities, they could maybe avoid danger.

This hardly made residents of Santa Cruz feel safer, but it did kind of suggest that some people were safer than others. Yeah, that makes sense. Which often happens with these things. And it gave the illusion that as long as residents avoided certain behaviors or activities, they could maybe avoid danger.

Yes. Like if you see any kind of pattern happening, you try to get away from it. Yeah. Now, unfortunately, while Fraser was killing those he believed to be polluters and harming the environment and Kemper was killing young women, there was another killer or, you know, perhaps killers at work in the Santa Cruz area.

Yes. Like if you see any kind of pattern happening, you try to get away from it. Yeah. Now, unfortunately, while Fraser was killing those he believed to be polluters and harming the environment and Kemper was killing young women, there was another killer or, you know, perhaps killers at work in the Santa Cruz area.