This podcast details true crime cases.

It contains adult themes and may contain descriptions of violence.

It is not intended for children.

Listener discretion is advised. Thank you for joining me for today's episode of Once Upon A Crime.

In this month's series, Buried Family. me for today's episode of Once Upon a Crime.

In this month's series, Buried Family Secrets,

all share stories about family secrets held for decades

that hid the criminal actions of one family member.

In this week's episode, a young woman who'd heard stories all her life about her grandfather's

control and abuse of his family members takes it upon herself to learn more. She is shocked to find that not only

was Jim Mordecai feared by his spouse, ex-wives, and children, but he preyed upon

other young girls and women in his community and may have been

responsible for a series of murders of hitchhikers in Northern California.

This is Chapter 2 of Buried Family Secrets, my grandfather the serial killer, the case of Jim Mordecai. Jim was. Jim Mordecai was not a good man. Everyone in his family would agree with that

statement. His three wives, four biological children, stepchildren, and grandchildren.

He was abusive and narcissistic and ruled his family by fear and intimidation. But to many outside the family, Jim Mordecai was a cool

guy, a favorite teacher, a respected leader, and an admired mentor. They were fooled by his charm, which he could turn on and off like a light switch.

When the switch was flipped on, Jim Mordecai's whole demeanor turned dark, very dark, according to those unfortunate enough to witness

it, but fortunate enough to live to tell the tale. Born in Northern California in 1941, Jim Mordecai was the son of a rancher slash building contractor, Harold Mordecai, and his wife Evelyn.

Jim graduated from Montgomery High School in Santa Rosa in 1960 and attended California colleges, ultimately

earning a teaching degree with an emphasis in agricultural sciences.

Mordecai married three times beginning in 1960. Sciences. that would dash his hopes of becoming a college football star.

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