shadowangel
Black cats consider me unlucky.
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Margie Lee Winn was 17 when she and 18 year-old James Sloan attended a rodeo in Palm Springs on the night of February 7th, 1948. On their way home, the two pulled to the side of California Highway 99 near Beaumont around 2:45 am in order to set their wristwatches by the car's dash clock.
A man approached the rear of the running vehicle and jerked open the passenger-side front door. He then pointed a sawed-off small-guage shotgun at the couple and demanded money. James hit the gas, but not before the unknown gunman was able to get off one shot, fatally wounding Margie.
While Margie lay bleeding to death next to him, James drove to the nearest home, the farmhouse of Adolph Ellis. Ellis was outside the home, examining a vehicle which had been abandoned in front of the farmhouse. Earlier in the evening, a stranger has awakened the family when he broke into the home and threatened Ellis' wife. Ellis then drove the gunman from the home with a shotgun of his own.
Later investigation revealed the abandoned car had been stolen from a home in Riverside, CA. The owner stated that a sawed-off .410 gauge shotgun had also been in the car at the time it was stolen. This was determined to be the murder weapon used to kill Margie.
A massive manhunt was initiated for the killer. Roadblocks were set up and aircraft combed the area. Police were able to find footprints near the murder scene which matched those found around the abandoned car.
Two suspects were identified by police. Tobe Beams, 34, was removed from a train in Beaumont. He claimed he was a seaman cook, just recently off a ship. His attire matched that given of the killer, but his footprints did not match.
The other suspect, 25-year old Richard Olsen, was a WWII veteran who admitted to sending unsigned letters to the Redlands, CA police chief confessing to the murder.
Most of this information comes from Wikipedia, and cites two articles from the Los Angeles Times.
What is most intriguing about this case is the circumstances in relation to the location. If this case had taken place 20 years later...in 1968 and not 1948...Would it be considered a possible crime of the Zodiac Killer?
Beaumont, CA, is some 25 miles from Riverside, CA, the site of the murder of Cheri Jo Bates, commonly bellieved to be one of the first murders committed by Zodiac. Some other considerations....
The killer found a young couple, alone on the side of an empty road.
The murder at first appears to be a robbery (as in the Lake Berryessa murder).
The killer approached the passenger side of the vehicle.
The killer murdered the female, leaving the male unharmed.
An unsigned letter is sent to local law enforcement, taking credit for the murder.
The killer had a flashlight when he entered the Ellis home.
Though the bulletin for the killer stated he was 30-40 years old, determining age for the witnesses must have been very difficult given the circumstances. In the late 1960's, the Zodiac killer was described as possibly 35-45 years of age. (from the police description of a man seen fleeing the area of the Paul Stine murder)..Meaning he was possibly 20 to 25 at the time of the Margie Lee Winn murder.
A man approached the rear of the running vehicle and jerked open the passenger-side front door. He then pointed a sawed-off small-guage shotgun at the couple and demanded money. James hit the gas, but not before the unknown gunman was able to get off one shot, fatally wounding Margie.
While Margie lay bleeding to death next to him, James drove to the nearest home, the farmhouse of Adolph Ellis. Ellis was outside the home, examining a vehicle which had been abandoned in front of the farmhouse. Earlier in the evening, a stranger has awakened the family when he broke into the home and threatened Ellis' wife. Ellis then drove the gunman from the home with a shotgun of his own.
Later investigation revealed the abandoned car had been stolen from a home in Riverside, CA. The owner stated that a sawed-off .410 gauge shotgun had also been in the car at the time it was stolen. This was determined to be the murder weapon used to kill Margie.
A massive manhunt was initiated for the killer. Roadblocks were set up and aircraft combed the area. Police were able to find footprints near the murder scene which matched those found around the abandoned car.
Two suspects were identified by police. Tobe Beams, 34, was removed from a train in Beaumont. He claimed he was a seaman cook, just recently off a ship. His attire matched that given of the killer, but his footprints did not match.
The other suspect, 25-year old Richard Olsen, was a WWII veteran who admitted to sending unsigned letters to the Redlands, CA police chief confessing to the murder.
Most of this information comes from Wikipedia, and cites two articles from the Los Angeles Times.
What is most intriguing about this case is the circumstances in relation to the location. If this case had taken place 20 years later...in 1968 and not 1948...Would it be considered a possible crime of the Zodiac Killer?
Beaumont, CA, is some 25 miles from Riverside, CA, the site of the murder of Cheri Jo Bates, commonly bellieved to be one of the first murders committed by Zodiac. Some other considerations....
The killer found a young couple, alone on the side of an empty road.
The murder at first appears to be a robbery (as in the Lake Berryessa murder).
The killer approached the passenger side of the vehicle.
The killer murdered the female, leaving the male unharmed.
An unsigned letter is sent to local law enforcement, taking credit for the murder.
The killer had a flashlight when he entered the Ellis home.
Though the bulletin for the killer stated he was 30-40 years old, determining age for the witnesses must have been very difficult given the circumstances. In the late 1960's, the Zodiac killer was described as possibly 35-45 years of age. (from the police description of a man seen fleeing the area of the Paul Stine murder)..Meaning he was possibly 20 to 25 at the time of the Margie Lee Winn murder.