DID THEY KNOW EACH OTHER? WERE THE SERIAL KILLERS COMMUNICATING IN SOME WAY?
Exploring these two questions is at the heart of this crime series. Northern California in the 1970s became recognized globally as the birthplace of the American Serial Killer. Known serial killers of that era were almost all male, almost all white, extremely intelligent, and very cunning. Veteran reporters and Bay Area investigators have long joked about the notion that “there was something in the water” that bred this particular species of premeditated spree killers.
“These are people that if they want you, they will convince you that they are the guy next door. You will not see them coming until it’s too late.”
“What drew me into this three-year all-consuming investigation that has now evolved into the Moby Dick of all crime stories is this nagging sense that somehow all of these serial killers were connected or communicating in some way. Talk to any seasoned homicide detective from the Bay Area and you will find that they were juggling double-digit murders county by county every year in the ‘70s. What alarmed investigators at the time was this troubling trend where the serial killers were taking photographs of their victims or keepsakes. It’s almost as if a switch went off and all of these serial killers got this idea of collecting women as trophies. Did they communicate and if so, how? Answering these vexing questions and solving THE STANFORD MURDERS and related cold cases is the foundation of this investigation or what has become my obsession.”