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On Oct. 1, 1979, a man in a ski mask entered the home of *Mary
Brown and *John Davis. The couple were awakened, a flashlight
shining in their eyes, and Brown was ordered to tie up Davis with
pre-cut lengths of cord that were brought to the house. While
the masked intruder ransacked the house supposedly looking for
money, Brown managed to hop outside to the front of her home and
scream for help. The intruder pulled her back into the house.
During this time, Davis made his escape into the backyard. While
the intruder pursued Davis, Brown escaped again, this time running
into the arms of a neighbor who had been alerted by her screams.
Having lost control of the situation, the intruder was spotted
escaping on a bicycle and he disappeared down a creek bed.
*Not their real
names
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Two months later, on December 30, 1979, another
couple was attacked a few blocks from Brown/Davis. Robert
Offerman and Debra Alexandria Manning were found shot
to death. Both of them were bound. Examination of the
crime scene led investigators to believe that Offerman
had managed to loosen his bindings and lunge at the
intruder before he was shot and killed. Neighbors who
heard the gunshots thought that they were firecrackers.
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On March 13, 1980, Lyman and Charlene Smith were found
bludgeoned to death in their home in Ventura County. A
log from the fireplace was used to kill the Smith's. Their
wrists and ankles were bound with drapery cord and an
ornate "chinese knot"(also called the "diamond
knot") was used on their wrists. Subsequent examination
by the coroner revealed that Charlene had been raped.
Though there were similarities to the attacks in Goleta,
the Smith's murder was not immediately linked to the others.
Ventura Detectives suspected Joe Alsip, a former business
partner of Lyman Smith, who was later exonerated.
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On August 19, 1980, Keith and Patrice Harrington
were found bludgeoned to death in their home in Laguna
Niguel, CA. Like Charlene Smith, Patrice Harrington was
raped. Though there was evidence that the Harringtons
were bound at the wrist and ankles, the killer removed
the ligatures and the murder weapon from the scene of
the crime.
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On February 5, 1981, Manuela Witthuhn was raped
and bludgeoned to death in her home in Irvine, CA.
Like the Harringtons, the ligatures and murder weapon
were removed from the crime scene. Unlike the Harringtons,
Witthuhn, though married, was home alone at the
time of the attack. A lamp and crystal curio were
taken from her home presumably by the killer.
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On July 27, 1981, Cheri Domingo and Gregory Sanchez
were found murdered in Cheri Domingo's home. This
attacked occurred a half-mile from the murder of
Robert Offerman and Alexandria Manning. Sanchez
was shot once in the face and then bludgeoned to
death. Cheri Domingo was bludgeoned to death. Again,
ligatures used to bind them and the murder weapon
were removed from the home. The attacker's familiarity
with the area lead police to believe he lived near
the San Jose Creek.
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On May 4, 1986, Janelle Lisa Cruz was found bludgeoned
to death in her home. Her family was away on vacation
in Mexico. Cruz' male friend reported hearing noises
outside her bedroom window shortly before he left
for the evening. Cruz dismissed them as coming from
the washing machine. A pipe wrench was reported
missing by Cruz stepfather and was most likely the
murder weapon
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The last known contact made by the EAR/ONS was
a phone call that he made to one of his victims
either in 1990 or 1991. A DNA match linking the
so-called "Original Night Stalker" murders
with the "East Area Rapist" attacks
was made in 2001, making him the most "prolific
serial offender" in California history. Now
there is a high likelihood that the EAR/ONS is
also the Visalia Ransacker responsible for murdering
Claude Snelling and attempting to kidnap his daughter
on September 11, 1975. The identity of this serial
burglar/rapist/murderer remains a mystery.
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