Killer Stories with Harvey Guillén - “The Doodler” - San Francisco’s Unknown Serial Slayer

Episode Date: July 15, 2019

At first, many gay men in 1970s San Francisco were dazzled by a handsome young artist who drew their caricatures on cocktail napkins. But as time went on, and the bodies started piling up, word spread. Avoid the Doodler at all costs. Sponsors! Ring Neighbors - Make sure you and your neighborhood are safe. Go to Ring.com/SERIAL to download the free Neighbors app from iOS or Android app stores. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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And now, you can try it for free at ZipRecruiter.com slash killers. That's ZipRecruiter. Meet your match on ZipRecruiter. This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Bonnie and Clyde, the Lonely Hearts Killers, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. These are infamous criminal duels. But you don't need to break any laws to find your perfect business partner because you have Shopify. It's the commerce platform that can help you with literally everything, website design, marketing, shipping, and more. So start your business today with the best partner, Shopify, and get that. Sign up for your $1 per month trial today at Shopify.com slash killers. That's Shopify.com slash killers. Starting a business can seem like a daunting task, unless you have a partner like Shopify.

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Loud music, friendly conversation, and dancing drag queens welcome him in. This city is one of the few areas in the country with a network of gay bars and is known as a safe haven for the LGBT community. It doesn't take long for the man to loosen up. It's rare for him to feel so accepted. Soon he joins the chorus of happy voices and smiling faces at the bar. A stranger sits down next to him and starts making conversation. The stranger is handsome and charming. As he talks, he absent-mindedly doodles on a cocktail napkin.

The two discuss art, music, and romance. After half an hour of flirting, the stranger reveals what he would doodling. It's a flattering portrait of the man who blushes and asks to keep it. The doodler hands it to him gladly, but asks that they continue their conversations somewhere quieter. They walk along a secluded beach in silent anticipation. The man reaches for the doodler's hand, but he pulls away. His demeanor changes. Without warning, he pulls a butcher knife from his coat. The last thing the man hears is this killer saying, you guys are all the same.

Hi, I'm Greg Polson. This is serial killers, a Pardcast original. Every Monday, we dive into the minds and madness of serial killers. Today, we're going to take a deep dive into the life of the doodler, who targeted the LGBT community in the 1970s. I'm here with my co-host, Vanessa Richardson. Hi, everyone. At Parkast, we're grateful for you, our listeners.

You allow us to do what we love. let us know how we're doing. Reach out on Facebook and Instagram at Parcast and Twitter at Parcast Network. And if you enjoy today's episode, the best way to help us is to leave a five-star review wherever you're listening. It really does help.

We also now have merchandise. Head to Parcast.com slash merch for more information. Today's episode is unique in that police are almost certain they know who the killer is, but are unable to do much of anything. anything about it. Almost nothing about the doodler has been made public knowledge.

We know that he was a tall, slender black man living in San Francisco in the 1970s. It suspected that he lived with a girlfriend at the time of the slayings and was possibly pursuing an art degree. We also know that he hated the growing gay community in the Bay Area, likely due to the fact that the doodler was a gay man living with intense internalized homophobia. this is still an open case, few details have been made public, but we'll do our best to report what we do know about the brutal slayings that took place between 1974 and 1975 and rocked San Fran's LGBT community.

The doodler is suspected to have killed at least five people, all of whom he picked up while frequenting gay bars in the Castro District. He would charm his targets by doodling portraits of them on cocktail napkins. Once he had their interest, he'd invite them to a secluded location to get to know them better. Unfortunately, the doodler's pillow talk wasn't nearly as charming as his art. As soon as his targets let their guard down, they were viciously stabbed and killed. This week, in a special one-part episode, we'll discuss the doodler's chilling murders and how homophobia slowed the investigation of his crimes.

We'll also learn why, despite being positively identified, by three witnesses, the doodler is still at large today. According to detectives, the doodler is still alive and well, living in the Bay Area. The doodler's first victim was Gerald Earl Kavanaugh. Kavanaugh was a 49-year-old laborer who worked in a mattress factory. He moved to San Francisco from Canada a few years before his death. Not much is known about Kavanaugh, but he was believed to have been involved in the local gay community. Witnesses later reported seeing him frequent bars in the Castro District.

The Castro District was home to many of the city's gay bars and provided a safe haven for gay residents. It was a place where people could be themselves, away from the rampant homophobia that characterized much of the United States at the time. On the night of January 26, 1974, Kavanaugh went to a popular bar in the Castro District for a night out. He was addressed to the nine's in its nicest jacket, dress shoes, even wore some makeup. After a couple hours of dancing, a young man sat next to Kavanaugh at the bar and ordered the two of them drinks. The stranger was described as a handsome and charming black man who often carried an artist's pencil. The stranger began a friendly conversation while drawing on a bar

napkin. After complimenting and charming his target, the artist revealed his work. It was a flattering sketch of Kavanaugh, surprisingly good despite being drawn on a wrinkled napkin. Kavanaugh loved it. He bought the doodler a drink, payment for the masterpiece. Soon they were flirting and chatting intimately. It was a special experience for Kavanaugh to be around people like him, who he felt he could trust. Once he was sufficiently drunk, the doodler asked Kavanaugh to go for a walk.

Kavanaugh eagerly agreed. The pair made their way to a nearby beach. Kavanaugh was excited and nervous to be walking under the stars with a mysterious stranger. He walked along the shore for a long time before he realized the doodler had fallen a step behind him. He turned just in time to see his companion brandishing a gigantic butcher knife. Kavanaugh tried to run but tripped in the sand. The doodler stabbed him in the chest back and threw the left. left hand when he raised it to defend himself.

Police found his body in the sand only a few hours later at 2 a.m. on January 27th. Officers initially thought the body was female, but upon closer examination, they realized it was a man wearing makeup. Kavanaugh's wallet and some jewelry had been stolen by his attacker. Detectives did not take the case seriously at first. At the time, there was a wave of homophobic hate crimes in San Francisco. San Francisco, and many remained uninvestigated. Both the director of public relations and the director of personnel for the San Francisco

Police Department had insinuated that gay men were morally reprehensible and therefore got what was coming to them. In addition, Kavanaugh had no family in the United States to press police to apprehend the killer with no accountability for their neglect and a predisposition toward ignoring crimes committed against gay men. His murder stood little chance of being solved. Unfortunately, hate crimes are often diminished by the public, and blame is unfairly placed on the victims. Vanessa is going to take over on the psychology here and throughout the episode.

Please note, Vanessa is not a licensed psychologist or a psychiatrist, but she has done a lot of research for this show. Thanks, Greg. According to psychologist Dr. Key Sun, this tendency is caused by a cognitive error. He writes, The prejudiced offenders may believe that their offenses or hate are caused by the victims, but their perceptions cannot be used to suggest that the victim's groups cause hate crime. Offenders' reasoning about their offenses tends to misrepresent the reality by blaming their victims. In other words, those who commit hate crimes might suggest that their victims goaded them into it or had it coming.

And when the offender acts on an impulse shared by the majority of society, for instance, on the idea that gay men are morally corrupt and have this kind of assault coming, it can be easy to blame the victims for the wrath they incur. Dr. Sun points out that this is wholeheartedly unfair, but unfortunately, January of 1974 was not the last time the LGBT community of San Francisco would endure such cruel behavior. The Doodler's next known victim was killed five months later on June 24, 19th, Joseph Stevens, also known as Jay, was a 27-year-old drag queen and comic at Finocchio's,

a popular nightclub in the North Beach area. We found conflicting reports as to whether Jay Stevens merely performed as a woman or if Jay identified as a woman. So hereafter, we'll use they-them pronouns. Jay moved to San Francisco from Texas a few years before in search of an LGBT-friendly environment. They performed at Finocchio's on the night of June 24th, and afterward went to the Cabaret Club, a nearby gay bar. There, Jay had a similar experience to Gerald Kavanaugh. An attractive man approached them with a quirky cartoon sketch drawn on a napkin.

Jay liked the drawing, but was used to getting attention from performing. They weren't as easy to win over as Kavanaugh had been. From the onset, it would seem as though the doodler didn't have a type. Jay and Kavanaugh had little in. common besides their sexual orientation. Although time would show that perhaps Jay and Kavanaugh were more alike than appearances would suggest. The doodler was as persistent as he was charming. After a couple of hours, he convinced Jay to follow him somewhere quieter. He wanted to talk to Jay more, he said. Maybe see where the night led. Jay decided it would be okay as long as they were

allowed to drive. The doodler agreed, and the pair took Jay's car to Golden State Pond. a full 20 minutes away from North Beach. During the ride, the doodler never stopped making polite chatter. His victims were always completely comfortable with him until the last possible moment. It was late at night, and the park was deserted. Jay and the stranger had plenty of opportunity to enjoy their time alone.

Once they started walking in the park, the doodler's eyes narrowed, and he zeroed in on a new one. and he zeroed in on Jay like a predator. He pulled a long knife from inside his coat and struck Jay before they had time to react. He stabbed Jay three times in the chest and then left them in a clump of bushes

without doing much to conceal the corpse. The next morning, the body was found by a woman jogging in the park. A musician named Warner Jepson was walking his dogs and two young children when he heard her scream. He rushed over to see what was the man. matter and saw a stomach-churning sight. Jay's face was caked with blood and blurred makeup. Jepson remembered the body laid at an unnatural angle, like the neck had been twisted too far. The woman who found the body was too distraught to call the police, so Jepson averted his

children's eyes and ran to the nearest phone booth. Police noted that the body had hardly been moved after death. It seemed likely the doodler had killed Jay there and simply left them at the scene of the crime. Once again, the victim's wallet and jewelry had been taken. Law enforcement could find no motive for their death other than possible homophobia. They classified the death as another in a string of hate crimes. It would be months before they connected this crime to Kavanaugh's murder. Meanwhile, after killing two people, the doodler was only warming up. On July 7, 1974, a woman found the woman found the woman. body of Klaus A. Christman while she was out walking her dog near a beach in the San Francisco

area. Christman's throat had been slashed in three places, and he had been stabbed more than 15 times. As before, the body had no identification or valuables left on it when police arrived. Chrisman was found dressed in side-zip, heeled ankle boots, a white Italian shirt, trousers and orange bikini briefs. His face, chest, and back had been sliced through, and he was soaked in blood. Both of the doodler's previous victims had also been stabbed, but Christman's murder was much nastier. Even the most seasoned officers were disturbed. It was described by one detective on the case as one of the most vicious stabbings he had ever seen. A 2014 article in the Psychological Journal, Aggression and Violent Behavior,

analyzes the history of serial killing. The patterns and motives of the doodler's crimes fit with what the article describes as acts stemming from self-loathing. Perhaps the doodler wasn't motivated by hatred of his victims, so much as disgust with himself. According to the article, self-hatred is often tied to a sense of powerlessness. Violent acts like murder provide the killer with a feeling of control and temporarily relieve the killer of their,

hatred. Over time, the loathing returns and builds up again, motivating them to commit another murder. Each time the hatred returns, the tension escalates, resulting in more gruesome murder scenes. The scene of Klaus Kraspin's stabbing was definitely gruesome. It was so vicious, some officers wondered if the dougar knew Christman personally and had a dispute with him. This theory was never pursued. Not much is known about how close the dougain was to his victim. He was seen in the Castro district often, but never seemed to talk to anyone outside of the men he picked up. If anyone knew him by name, police have kept that a secret. But while he was seemingly short on friends, he may have stalked his victims prior to the attacks.

Whatever the killer's motives, detectives were shocked at the scene before them. They looked into Christman's background and found that like the other victims, he had no relatives in the area. Unlike the first two victims, Chris, Christman was married and had children. But he was originally from Germany and had been staying in the city with friends for the previous three months. He hadn't told his family when he planned to return. It's not known for sure, but police suspected he was gay due to his attire and the fact that he was found with a tube of makeup in his pocket.

It was the only item in his pockets the doodler didn't take. The brutality of the stabbing concerned authorities. Since the previous two victims bore similar wounds, Authorities believe the murders may have been committed with the same weapon, which meant that with this third victim, a serial killer was officially on the loose. Coming up, the police connect the three stabbings and officially begin their search. Now back to the story.

By mid-1974, three men had been lured out of San Francisco gay bars and viciously stabbed to death. Police linked the killings of the doodler together, and released their first public statement on the matter in July of that year. The San Francisco Sentinel reported that there were similarities between the stabbing of Gerald Kavanaugh, Jay Stevens, and Klaus Christman. Police told reporters that all three of the victims met someone at a bar who seemingly seduced his victims to a remote area,

like a park or beach before they were killed. Law enforcement ran into several obstacles while attempting to further investigate the stabbing. First, it was the sheer number of homophobic hate crimes in the area. Violence against the LGBT community has consistently been reported to be higher than with any other group in the United States, and it was particularly high in the 1970s. There were many murders similar to the doodlers happening at the same time. It was tough to separate victims of a serial killer from targets of more random acts of violence. And even when a crime could be positively identified as,

the work of a serial killer. It wasn't always clear which serial killer was responsible. There were several other multi-murderers on the loose in Southern California, whose targets overlapped with the doodlers. For example, there were at least three serial killers who were all referred to as the freeway killer, all of whom preyed on young gay men in California. Initially, police assumed they were looking for a single, extremely prolific murderer and siphoned resources away from investigating and capturing the doodler specifically. Some officers dismissed the idea that the doodler's victims were connected, even after the third body was found.

The idea of gay panic was gaining traction at the time and was used to excuse the murder of gay men. Psychiatrist Edward Kemp describes the concept in his 1943 paper, the psychotherapy of the acute homosexual panic. He believed that otherwise reasonable men, may have an increased capacity for murder and similar crimes because of panic due to the pressure of uncontrollable perverse sexual cravings. In other words, in an effort to stifle their own homosexuality, they murdered gay men. There is, of course, no empirical evidence that such hate crimes are anything other than that.

But with the increasing visibility and viability of the gay rights movement in the 1960s and 70s, panic seemed to increase. So when the doodler's victims were found, many investigators believed they were likely committed by three separate killers, that, while tragic, these deaths weren't the beginning of a killing spree. For a while, it seemed like they might be right. There were no more reports of any stabbings or mysterious, charming artists for almost a year. But in May of 1975, the doodler returned. His fourth victim was Frederick Capen. a 32-year-old Vietnam veteran. On May 11, 1975, he went out to a number of gay bars around the city.

He was tall and spelt. Standing at six feet tall and effortlessly chic, when he went out, he turned heads. And Frederick liked to be noticed. That night, he wore a stylish blue corduroy jacket, a multicolored shirt and shorts. He was on the lookout for anyone he deemed fun enough to join him. As usual, he didn't have to look for long.

Shortly into his evening, a handsome young artist caught his attention. The doodler made a loud joke about the typical Castro crowd, and Frederick couldn't help but laugh. He liked the self-awareness and edged the doodler seemed to have. Frederick sat down next to the artist at the bar and began to flirt. The doodler was very interested. After laying low for almost a year, he was itching to strike again. Frederick came on strong as the doodler drew him on a napkin.

He was charmed by the stranger and was excited when the dudler asked him to make things more intimate. For the first time, the doodler didn't have to try and convince his target to move somewhere quiet. The pair made their way to a beach and strolled through one of the many sandy hiking trails along the bay. Just as with the other victims, the dudler was completely alone with his target. The moon wasn't out that night, and the couple moved carefully along the shoreline. Frederick tried to get to know the young artist a little better, but all of a sudden his new friend seemed uninterested. He stopped responding so candidly to Frederick's questions,

and an agitated edge crept into his voice. Frederick didn't understand it. Had he said something to offend him? He thought they were getting along great. After all, the doodler was the one who suggested they go somewhere to be alone. Frederick continued to push. If the stranger was going to play hard to get, he could play along. Still, he felt stonewalled.

He started to wonder if they'd been flirting at all before. But then why had the artist asked him to go for a walk on the beach? Frederick was so lost in thought he didn't even notice when the doodler slipped behind him. For a moment, he was alone. Just as Frederick came back to attention, the artist plunged a knife into his back. Despite being a sizable man and a Vietnam vet, Frederick was caught off guard. He couldn't defend himself from the oncoming blows. Frederick was killed in the middle of the sandy trail.

The doodler knew if he left the body there, it would be discovered in only a few hours by morning hikers. He dragged the body about 20 feet off the trail. He planned to conceal the corpse more, but it was dark and hard for him to make sure it was entirely hidden. Eventually, he ran off without erasing all of the tracks he created when dragging the body. The next day, a curious hiker followed the tracks and found Frederick's body. The autopsy determined that he'd been stabbed directly in the heart multiple times. The gay community was beginning to panic. Many of the mainstream San Francisco newspapers avoided covering the murders,

but there were several papers geared toward the LGBT community that covered the debate. developing case. There was a lot of talk about the mysterious artist, but no one seemed to have any hard information. Police couldn't find a cooperative witness and were once again left at a loss. Some tipsters had come forward giving a general description of the man they believed was responsible, but for whatever reason, police never drew up a sketch of the man to try and identify him. Perhaps they didn't want the doodler to know they were onto his crimes. Either way, without any leads, all they could do was hope they got lucky before the next body was found. They didn't get lucky. The doodler's fifth and final confirmed victim was found a month

after the death of Frederick Capon. On June 4, 1975, Harold Goldberg's body was found in the woods near a golf course in Lincoln Park. His throat had been slit, and the corpse was in a state of heavy decay by the time it was found. Investigators believed he had been dead for two weeks. Dirt and maggots covered his face. Gullberg was a 66-year-old, heavily tattooed Swedish sailor who became a citizen of the United States in 1955. He often traveled overseas for long periods of time, which explained why no one had reported him missing prior to the discovery of his corpse. Police made their usual inquiries. They blanketed the gay bar where Gulles. was last seen, searching for anyone who had caught a glimpse of the victim prior to his murder.

As it turns out, the doodler had been noticed by patrons of the bar that evening, and with the bodies piling up, more people were willing to talk to police. Multiple witnesses recalled seeing a young, charming black man sketching patrons in the bar that night, before leaving with someone. Witnesses claimed the man was in his early 20s, with short dark hair, deep-set eyes, and a prominent nose. He was thin, and estimated to be around six feet tall.

A few tipsters also reported they had seen him wearing a Navy-type watch cap. This was a type of knitted wool beanie commonly worn at the time by American Navy sailors went on watch duty. Frederick Capin, the Vietnam veteran,

had also been in the Navy. Detectives hoped there was a connection, but found none. They turned their attention to the Doudler's supposed studies instead. One witness overheard the doodler claimed to be studying commercial art. Considering his assumed age, a student fit the police's profile perfectly. They canvassed nearby art schools, but again, they found nothing to go on.

Five months after Goldberg was murdered, in November of 1975, the investigation reached a standstill. The police were having trouble getting people in the community to talk to them for more than a few minutes, due to a long-standing mistrust between the gay community and the police. Law enforcement decided they needed to cast a wider net. Finally, they publicly released a sketch of the suspect, along with parts of their criminal profile. Authorities believe the doodler was a cunning man of high intelligence. They guessed that he had a history of mental difficulties involving sex

and even posited that he might be seeing a therapist. Along with the release of the sketch, Police issued a statement promising to maintain confidentiality if anyone with information about the doodler came forward. Inspectors worried one reason they weren't getting more witnesses coming forward was because men were concerned about being publicly outed if they assisted with the investigation. The strategy worked.

It turned out there weren't just people out there who had caught glimpses of the doodler drinking at bars. There were also men who had been attacked but managed to escape. The first of the witnesses was an unidentified European diplomat. He told police he met the killer at a restaurant in the upper market area in May of 1975, probably soon after Gulberg was murdered. The doodler wooed the diplomat in the same way as the others. After a short chat, they left the restaurant together and headed to the diplomat's apartment.

There, the doodler asked for cocaine. When the diplomat turned his back, the doodler made his move. He stabbed the diplomats six times, but missed his vital organs. The diplomat refused to elaborate on how exactly he managed to escape his apartment after being stabbed. Of course, the diplomat told police everything under a strict promise of confidentiality. He strenuously denied any sexual contact had occurred, but couldn't afford to face discrimination or a major scandal. Police tried to get him to change his mind. officers worried that even if they caught the right guy,

they would be unable to prosecute him if nobody was willing to risk their reputation and testify. But for the diplomat, there was no other option. Soon after the diplomat came forward, another man contacted the police. He also insisted his identity be kept secret, but was described as a well-known San Francisco figure. It's possible he was a politician or local celebrity.

After he gave his statement to police, He abruptly left town. He didn't answer subsequent letters and phone calls from police, who pleaded with him to make a story public. Ultimately, he never shared his story in court or in the media, and law enforcement still had no one willing to testify. A third and final witness contacted authorities several months afterward in late 1975.

His name is also not known, but he was described as a nationally known, entertainer who regularly flew from Los Angeles to San Francisco. The identity of the third witness has never been confirmed, but there are a few theories about who he might have been. The SFPD has steadfastly refused to comment. The first theory is that the witness was Johnny Ray, a singer who was called The Father of Rock and Roll by Tony Bennett. It also could have been Rock Hudson, a Golden Age Hollywood heartthrob. Both performers were known to frequent San Francisco at the time in question, as flights were cheap and it was a common weekend

destination. But these theories are based on rumors. For many of the same reasons, it's been suggested that the witness was Richard Chamberlain, the first man to play Jason Bourne in a film. Lastly, it may have been Salminio, best known for a rebel without a cause. Salminio may be the most likely candidate, as he was performing in a play in San Francisco at the time, and was thus definitely in the city. None of the theories have ever been confirmed. To this day, the witness's identities remain a mystery to the public. As SFPD considers the doodler to be an open case,

investigators rarely comment on it to media. Further, in order to preserve their anonymity, details provided by the SFPD about the specifics of the witness's encounters are few and far between. But even though their statements couldn't be used as public testimony, the information was still useful in finding the man many still believe is responsible for the killings. Coming up, the police close in on a suspect in the Doodler murders.

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Start selling on Deepop, where Taste recognizes Taste. Now, back to the story. After the Doodler murdered five men between 1974 and 1975, three survivors of his attacks came forward anonymously to the police. Then after years of the mainstream press ignoring the killings, news of the doodler finally made the biggest papers. In 1976, the story hit the second page of the widely read San Francisco Chronicle. The article said detectives were looking for a, quote,

smiling black cartoonist believed to be responsible for stabbing six men he picked up in Castro Village gay bars. The publication prompted dozens of tips about the identity of the doodler. predictably, most of the tips led nowhere, but a few of them, confirmed what the three survivors had told detectives and helped them to hone in on a suspect. By mid-1976, with the help of public tips, legworked by investigators, and accounts from survivors, authorities had a strong suspect. He was an artistic young man with a history of mental illness and documented conflict with his own sexuality. Based on the accounts of the witnesses and a conversation with a therapist who believed he was working with the doodler, police believed the young artist

was ashamed of his sexuality. This could have led to an intense self-loathing whenever he gave into his attraction to men. From what police could gather, the doodler apparently picked up men in gay Mars, attempted to or did have sex with them, and then, in a rage, stabbed them to death. His actions were fueled by intense shame and self-loathing, which led direct to the same. directly to violence and more shame. If he did kill his victims out of rage and self-loathing, fueled by internalized homophobia, then the doodler was also blaming his victims for seducing him.

All three of the anonymous surviving witnesses reported the doodler telling them, all you guys are alike. He clearly had prejudice toward the men he targeted. But there are reasons to wonder whether the dudler really killed his victims due to a sudden burst of rage or if the murders were premeditated.

There are a couple of elements in the murders which imply he may have selected his victims prior to meeting them in the bar. The first is the fact that all of his victims were found in secluded locations, parks, beaches, and golf courses. It's possible the doodler could have scoped out isolated places in advance of his kills.

The second element of the crimes which suggests premeditation are the victims themselves. Nearly all of his victims were transplants to San Francisco, estranged from their families, or frequent travelers, who weren't likely to have close family realize they were missing straight away. Therefore, the victims had nobody to pressure police into hunting for the killer. Although Jay Stevens, Frederick Capon, and Gerald Kavanaugh lived in San Francisco, they weren't from the city.

Christman was visiting all the way from Germany, while Gulberg came from Sweden and often traveled for his city. job. Gerald Kavanaugh was from Canada with no family connections in California that we know of. It would have likewise taken his disappearance a while to set in with any family he might have had back home. Christman left his wife and children in Germany three months prior, and there's no way of knowing when they expected him to return, if at all. The doodler had convenient targets and may have gone on to kill for much longer if it hadn't been for the three witnesses who slipped away. Thanks to them, police found a young man who matched their descriptions and brought him in for questioning in 1976.

The man was exactly as the survivors described. He was attractive, charming, and friendly. He spoke to detectives without complaint and freely offered personal information. During the interrogation, the suspect let slip some personal information that made investigators strongly believe he was the culprit. To this day, it's unknown exactly what the information. information was, but it was damning enough for authorities to still believe they had the killer. However, a search of the man's apartment failed to yield a murder weapon, bloody clothing, or stolen property they could link to the killings.

Police also put their suspect in a lineup and asked the three survivors to identify him. All three positively identified the troubled young artist as their attacker. Authorities implored their witnesses to give up their anonymity and testify against the killer. They argued that allowing the doodler to walk free put the community at risk. But because of the personal, professional, and potential legal repercussions of coming out, none of the survivors were willing to publicly testify. Without anyone willing to publicly testify and lacking hard evidence linking the killer to the scene, the police needed a confession to bring the case to trial. But despite prodding him, they never got the man to

completely confess. In 1976, detectives were forced to release the young artist whom they, to this day, believe was the doodler. They kept their suspect under indefinite surveillance in the months following, hoping he might slip up and provide them with some additional evidence. Outwardly, the investigation remained ongoing, but privately, detectives were confident they'd found the right guy. They just couldn't move on him without more evidence.

A year later, on July 1, 1977, Patrick Kearney and David Hill turned themselves in to the Riverside County Sheriff's Office in Southern California. They were wanted in connection with the freeway killings, a wave of murders in which most of the targets were young gay men. In response, the press and public began to ask if Kearney and Hill could also be responsible for the Doodler murders. The SFPD was still surveilling their number one doodler suspect and were all but certain that Kearney and Hill were not to blame. Still, they put Kearney and Hill's photos in front of the survivors to make sure. None of them contradicted their earlier assertions and assured officers the young artist was the one responsible. Media continued pressing police and speculating that the freeway killers could be the doodler. In July of 1977, San Francisco,

investigator, Rotea Guilford, made a statement about the case to put the rumors to rest. He vehemently insisted there was no connection between the doodler and the freeway killers. His denial only made the public more curious. The speculation and accusations continued for several more months. By that point, Guilford was fed up. He made a statement about the three men who managed to escape the doodler and came forward to the police. This was the first time the public was made aware that there were survivors of the Doodler's attacks. With this revelation, Guilford had intended to silence the gossip once and for all.

But of course, it only led to a different kind of speculation. Police said publicly that because none of the witnesses were willing to testify, they had been forced to let their suspect go. It's possible that by letting the media know about the anonymous survivors, investigators hoped public opinion would pressure one of the witnesses to testify. It's easy to understand law enforcement's frustration, but it's also important to consider the consequences for the witnesses if they chose to testify. They had already been viciously attacked.

It would be unimaginable to then be asked to publicize one's private life to bring the attacker to justice. Even in the safest circumstances, victims of trauma have difficulty speaking about their experiences. Psychiatrist Dr. Chris Palmer writes, Many people with a trauma history don't want to talk about it. Suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts can be common among trauma survivors, and some engage in purposeful self-injury. They're trying desperately to put it in the past and keep it there, but they just don't know how to do that.

The prospect of reliving the horrific attacks, combined with the public backlash that would result from publicly coming out as gay, was likely too much for the survivors to bear. In fact, at the time, most psychologists would have discouraged the victims from coming forward. Dr. Palmer continues, up until recently, a paradigm for working with trauma survivors was safety first. The concern was that facing the trauma would make the suicidality or substance abuse even worse. Survivors had many understandable reasons for remaining anonymous,

even if it meant the doodler walked free. Guilford explained that they believed they had identified the doodler a year prior, but were unable to make an arrest. Police were still keeping tabs on their suspect, who was alive and healthy in the Bay Area. The public was shocked that something like this could happen. The doodler was positively identified by three witnesses, and yet he was never able to be arrested due to a lack of evidence.

Without the technology to test DNA, or witnesses willing to testify against the suspect, authorities really did have their hands tied. Following Gilford's revelation, a number of prominent gay rights activists commented on the case. They reflected on the larger LGBT communities' distress. Harvey Milk, a city supervisor, and later the first openly gay elected official in the history of California, defended the witnesses who refused to testify. He said, my feeling is they don't want to be. exposed, I can understand their position. I respect the pressure society has put on them.

He went on to address how many members of the LGBT community were forced to keep their sexuality a secret to avoid losing their jobs, family, or friends. Coming out publicly could even put them at risk for additional violence. Another local spokesman for the gay community, a teacher named Hank Wilson, criticized the way the SFPD and news outlets handled the Doodler-Cat. case. Wilson was responding not just to the doodler, but to the freeway killers cases as well. At first, the killers were largely ignored by the press and police and given breathing room to continue killing. Then, once press decided to sensationalize the stories, they focused heavily on the speculative sexuality of the killers rather than their horrific crimes.

In Wilson's words, you never hear about the heterosexual murderer who had killed 12 women. after raping them. We have diversity in the gay community. We have the crazies, but so does every other part of society. From Wilson's point of view, the public speculation about the Doodler case only added fuel to the fire of homophobia. He accused the media of deliberately placing unfair emphasis on the worst acts of an otherwise thriving community. Since 1976, there have been developments in the Doodler case. Following the prosecution of the Golden State Killer based on modern DNA evidence in 2018,

several serial killers have had their cases reopened. In June 2018, news outlets began talking about the Doodler once again, 43 years after his first murder. Detective Cunningham of the San Francisco Police Department has said that he's working with the crime lab to extract a DNA sample from evidence gathered at the original crime scenes. Since then, there haven't been any updates.

We still don't know for sure if the San Francisco Police's original suspect is the culprit. But maybe someday soon, the doodler's victims will finally get justice. Thanks again for tuning in to serial killers. We'll be back Monday with a new episode.

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Have a killer week. Serial Killers was created by Max Cutler, is a production of Cutler Media and is part of the Parcast Network. It is produced by Max and Ron Cutler, sound designed by Michael Langsner, with production assistants by Ron Chupier. and Paul Mahler. Additional production assistance by Maggie Admyre and Carly Madden. Serial Killers is written by Alyssa Thorne and stars Greg Paulson and Vanessa Richardson.

A beloved 75-year-old man washing up, getting ready for bed, is brutally beaten and killed. Despite an exhaustive investigation, the killer avoids arrest and then strikes again. I'm Global News crime reporter Nancy Hicks. You might listen to a lot of true crime podcast this year, but they're not crime beat. Search for and follow the award-winning podcast Crime Beat on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and wherever you find your favorite podcasts. Blood Trails is a true crime podcast born in the outdoors, where the terrain is unforgiving, the evidence is scarce, and the truth gets buried under brush and silence.

I've seen something in the road. I instantly thought it was a sleeping bed, and there was a fool of blood. Somebody somewhere knows something. I'm Jordan Sillers. Season 2 is out now with new episodes every Thursday. Listen on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.