CA John Franklin Hood and Sandra Garcia, 20, murdered 21 February 1970, Santa Barbara, CA

[Richard]

John Franklin Hood and Sandra Garcia Murder

On the evening of February 21, 1970, 20-year-old Sandra Garcia left her home with her fiancée, John Franklin Hood. The couple was carrying a blanket and some food as they headed toward East Beach near Santa Barbara. The couple never returned home, and their bodies were found atop their blanket on the beach the next morning. John was stabbed 11 times, and Sandra was so badly mutilated that she was almost unrecognizable.

The murder weapon was a bone-headed fish knife, which was buried in the sand beneath their bodies. Nothing was stolen, and Sandra was not sexually assaulted, so there seemed to be no motive for the crime. It’s been speculated that the murders of John Franklin Hood and Sandra Garcia might also have been committed by the Zodiac Killer.

LINK:

Famous Unsolved Murders of Families

 

[Richard]

John Franklin Hood, 24

Sandra Garcia, 20

John F. Hood and Sandra Garcia were shortly to be married and were enjoying the evening tranquility lying on a blanket under a full moon, when a man armed with a bone handled 4" blade approached them and shattered their dreams.

Despite apparently fighting back against their attacker, both unfortunately had their lives cruelly snatched away on the remote Santa Barbara beach.

John Hood suffered eleven knife wounds, the majority inflicted to the face and back, with Sandra Garcia receiving the brunt of the vicious attack, leaving her almost unrecognizable in what appeared a senseless and motiveless crime. There appeared to be no sexual interference and robbery was ruled out.

The couple were discovered the following day, Sunday 22nd February, lying face down on their blanket. The bone-handled fish knife used in their murder was retrieved from beneath the blanket, partially buried in the sand...

One of Sandra Garcia's friends, JoAnn Schwendtner recalled memories of the young woman, stating “Sandy was a very nice girl. She was my ride to college. The entire 1968 Bishop graduating class went to her funeral. Whenever I go to a funeral, I think about Sandy a lot because she did not get to live her life"...

LINK:

Santa Barbara Murders 1970

 

[Richard]

On the evening of February 21, 1970, 20-year-old Sandra Garcia left her home with her fiancée, John Franklin Hood. The couple was carrying a blanket and some food as they headed toward East Beach near Santa Barbara. The couple never returned home, and their bodies were found atop their blanket on the beach the next morning. They were beaten and stabbed to death; John was stabbed 11 times, and Sandra was so badly mutilated that she was almost unrecognizable.

The murder weapon turned out to be a bone-headed fish knife, which was buried in the sand beneath their bodies. Nothing was stolen, and Sandra was not sexually assaulted, so there seemed to be no motive for the crime. Months later, there was another pair of unsolved murders on a different Santa Barbara beach. Two young men, Thomas Dolan and Homer Shadwick, were hacked to death by an unidentified assailant. A third man, Thomas Hayes, survived the attack. It’s unknown if the two crimes are connected, but neither were solved. However, given the similarities to the 1969 attack at Lake Berryessa, it’s been speculated that the murders of John Franklin Hood and Sandra Garcia might also have been committed by the Zodiac Killer.

LINK:

10 Unsolved Cases Involving Murdered Couples - Listverse