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Murder capital of the world

By Emerson murray

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Bookshop Santa Cruz Author Talk, March 31, 2022

Reviews

Lookout Santa Cruz Review

Good Time Santa Cruz Review

Lookout Santa Cruz Author Talk Article

“An enlightening compilation of interviews, presented in an interesting format. Emerson Murray’s “Murder Capital of the world” has put together a vast amount of information from the many people involved or affected by the three murderers that plagued our small coastal county in California, in the early 1970s. He has captured the insights of law enforcement officers and how the crimes affected them and the friends and families of the suspects and victims. Very insightful, thorough and comprehensive!”
— Mickey Aluffi, retired Santa Cruz Deputy Sheriff

“I had the chance to read an advanced copy and this book is simply terrific. Many new information and details about the Kemper case. Direct quotes from his mother, his father and his older sister are quite revealing. Many new pictures of Kemper during the trial and a never-seen-before mugshot of young Kemper. Kemper researchers will be thrilled by this book as it enriches his story quite a lot. We will do an official review when the book comes out this Spring.”
— Christine Falco, edmundkemperstories.com

From Readers

“It's like a written version of a Ken Burns documentary. Fantastic job. I've read quite a few True crime books, and I'm putting this up with Helter Skelter and The Devil in the White City.”
— Doug G.

“Was in high school when all this was happening. Really scary times!
I’ve read all the other books on this subject. None come close to how amazing this book is!
I have learned new information that was never published before.
The book is formatted and put together in a way that is easy to read and understand. It is respectful to all of the victims, families, law enforcement and anyone else that was personally touched by these horrendous times.
Thanks Emerson Murray for your dedication and hard work in telling the stories of some dark history of our little town, in a clear and comprehensive way.”
— Karen T

Who is quoted in the book?

(in order of appearance. An * denotes that I interviewed them personally)

Peter Chang: Santa Cruz County District Attorney

Mickey Aluffi: Santa Cruz Deputy Sheriff*

Edmund Kemper

Ward Damio: Author

William Kelsay: Santa Cruz County Assistant District Attorney

Terry Medina: Santa Cruz Deputy Sheriff*

Randall Kane: Owner, The Catalyst

Austin Comstock: Santa Cruz attorney*

Harold Cartwright: Investigator, Santa Cruz Public Defender’s Office*

James Jackson: Santa Cruz Public Defender*

Herbert Mullin*

Gary Hamby: Childhood friend of Frazier

Roger Krone: Neighbor of Frazier*

Joe Cole: Neighbor of Frazier

Delores Frazier: Wife of John Linley Frazier

Chris Cottle: Santa Cruz County Assistant District Attorney*

Richard Koch: Childhood friend of Mullin*

Dick Verbrugge: Investigator, Santa Cruz District Attorney’s Office*

Jim Conner: Santa Cruz Police Officer*

Paul Dougherty: Santa Clara County Criminalist*

Forrest Robinson: Friend and co-worker with Clarnell Strandberg*

Joey Tranchina: Photographer*

Werner Herzog: Filmmaker

Errol Morris: Filmmaker

Robert Ludlow: Santa Cruz attorney*

Clarnell Strandberg: Kemper’s mother

Edmund Kemper Jr.: Kemper’s father

David Dozier: Childhood neighbor of Kemper* 

William Helms: Chief Deputy, Madera Police Department

Barry Burt: Mullin classmate and local*

Lynn Scott: High school friend of Dean Richardson and Jim Gianera*

Jeff Esposito: High school friend of Herbert Mullin and Dean Richardson

Charmaine Falcon: Friend of Jim Gianera*

Holly Harman: Friend of Jim and Joan Gianera*

Sam Robustelli: Santa Cruz Deputy Sheriff*

Douglas Liddicoat: Friend of Dr. Ohta

Louis Wileman: Associate of Dr. Ohta

Lark Ohta*

Ami Chandler: Neighbor of the Ohta

David Cadwallader: Brother-in-law of Dorothy Cadwallader*

Melinda Cadwallader: Daughter of Dorothy Cadwallader*

David Marlowe: Psychologist

Donald Lunde: Psychiatrist

Karen Weigel: Employee of Dr. Ohta

Pete Amos: Photographer, Santa Cruz Sentinel*

Pat O’Brien: Newscaster for KPIX television

Ted Pound: Fire Chief

Marj Von B: Journalist

Doug James: Santa Cruz County Sheriff

Kenneth Pittenger: Santa Cruz Deputy Sheriff

Dave Alcorn: Santa Cruz Deputy Sheriff*

Roger Murray: My dad*

Louis Keller: Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Office Administration

Paul Tara: Santa Cruz County Undersheriff

Pat Pascal: John Linley Frazier’s mother

Sandra Bryson: Frazier Parole Board Presiding Commissioner

Michael Rugg: Neighbor of John Linley Frazier and owner/operator of the Bigfoot Discovery Museum*

John Linley Frazier

Allison Ayers: Friend and roommate of John Linley Frazier

Floyd Weber: Scotts Valley reserve police officer

June Aries: Ex-mother-in-law of John Linley Frazier’s wife, Delores

Michael Stebbins: Owner of Performance West

Mike Wark: Friend of John Linley Frazier

Mike Lee: Reporter KPIX

Henry Mello: Santa Cruz County Supervisor

Dan Forbus: Santa Cruz County Supervisor

Ernest Wicklund: Santa Cruz Mayor

Dan Righettin: Reporter, Santa Cruz Sentinel

Geno Pini: Santa Cruz Police Chief

Clark Kerr: University of California President

Byron Stookey Jr.: UCSC Director of Academic Planning

John Fiorovich: Country Cousin’s Sporting Goods

Pat Liteky: Santa Cruz County Supervisor

Charles Franich: Judge

Rod Sanford: Santa Cruz Deputy Sheriff

Walt Weiskopf: Frazier’s neighbor

Kimberly Weiskopf: Frazier’s neighbor

Michael Madden: Frazier’s neighbor

Don Stewart: Mullin’s boxing coach

Sam Munoz: Jury Room owner

Robert Kinsey: Psychiatrist

Skaidrite Rubene-Koo: Aiko Koo’s mother

Edmund Kemper’s fiance*

Barney Barnett: Journalist

Bob Lee: Santa Cruz County District Attorney

Nancy Guilfoyle: Mary Guilfoyle’s sister-in-law*

Bill Tubbs: Private investigator

Paula Johns: UCSC assistant professor

Forrest Schall: Brother of Cynthia Schall*

Jeff Towle: Friend of Mary Guilfoyle

William Friedland: UCSC Senior Preceptor

Cameron Smith: UCSC student

Mike Prizmich: Mullin Parole Board Presiding Commissioner

Ronald Rico: Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney

Edward McGowan: Los Gatos Police Officer

Cynthia Schall: Victim of Kemper. Excerpt from a letter to her father

C. Gilbert: Santa Cruz Police Officer

Chuck Scherer: Santa Cruz Deputy Sheriff

Eleanor Foster: Joan Gianera’s mother

George Gianera: Jim Gianera’s brother

Robert Francis: Kathleen Francis’ husband

Steven Houtz: Francis family neighbor

Thatcher Hall Clark: Francis family neighbor

Charles Morris: Psychiatrist

William Henry Mitchell: Doctor. Performed autopsies

Hans Dibbern: Doctor. Performed autopsies

James Sheridan: Santa Cruz Police Officer

Harold Klonecky: Principal of Torrance High

James Liu: Alice Liu’s father

Wendy Thorpe: Rosalind Thorpe’s sister*

Duane Gull: Santa Cruz Deputy Sheriff

Earl Fox: Chief of Police, Fleetwood, Pennsylvania

Lothair Dreibelbis: Father of Mark Dreibelbis

Ditta Oliker: Mother of David Oliker

Jeffrey Card: Brother of Brian Scott Card

Jean Everice Carter: Doctor. Performed autopsies

Fred Spector: Robert Spector’s uncle

John Perez: Son of Fred Perez*

Joan Stagnaro: Neighbor of Fred Perez

Sean Upton: Santa Cruz Police Officer

Richard Foerster: Santa Cruz Police Officer

William Mullin: Herbert Mullin’s father

Jean Mullin: Herbert Mullin’s mother

Don Smythe: Santa Cruz Deputy Sheriff

Marilyn Baker: KQED news host

Gene Dawson: Reverent, Drug Abuse Preventive Center

Dee Shafer: Psychologist

Raymond Koch: Neighbor of Herbert Mullin*

Tim Crump: Neighbor of Herbert Mullin*

Pat Bocca: Sister of Herbert Mullin

Maxine White: SLV counselor

John J. O’Connor: Priest and Mullin family friend

Doug Monroe: Santa Cruz Police Officer

J. Bonar: Santa Cruz Corrections Officer

Bonnie Ring: UCSC Lecturer and friend of Rosalind Thorpe

Robert Edgar: UCSC Provost and friend of Alice Liu

Susan Swanson: Sister of Edmund Kemper

Allyn Kemper: Sister of Edmund Kemper

Carla Gervasoni: Neighbor of Kemper

Douglas Roth: Friend of Kemper

F.M. Glenn Wilson: UCSC Provost

Cesar Barber: UCSC Vice Chancellor

Mercedes Tileston: Social Worker, Atascadero

Arthur Reichstadt: Social Worker, Atascadero

S. Solomon: Doctor, Atascadero

Cleo Taylor: Social Worker, Atascadero

Richard Auwaerter: Psychologist, Atascadero

John Stroud: Psychiatric Consultant, Atascadero

David O’Neil: Psychology Intern, Atascadero

David Martinez: Pueblo Police Officer

James McCoy: Pueblo Police Officer

Robert Mayber: Pueblo Chief of Police

Robert Silva: Pueblo Police Officer

Edward Lawrence: Friend of Mullin

Joel Fort: Psychiatrist

Kenneth Springer: Mullin jury foreman

Walter Rappaport: Psychiatrist

Harry Brauer: Judge

Susan Felix: Wife of Dr. Morton Felix*

Ariadne Symons: Santa Cruz Deputy District Attorney

John Douglas: F.B.I. Behavioral Science Unit