Murder City: Santa Cruz, California, 1970 to 1973, Part 2

Once Upon A Crime | True Crime

Esther Ludlow

True Crime, Crime, Truecrime, Criminology, History, Criminals

4.6 • 5K Ratings

🗓️ 21 January 2025

⏱️ 52 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This month, I’m bringing you the story of three terrifying years that unfolded in Santa Cruz, California. Between 1970 and 1973, a series of murders rocked Santa Cruz, a once-peaceful beach community. Before it was all over, residents would live through unimaginable horrors - a prominent family wiped out in a mass murder by a deranged killer and two serial killers working simultaneously, but separately, in their midst.

In this second part of the series, we’ll pick up the story at the tail end of 1971. John Linley Frazier’s trial had just concluded, and he was sentenced to die. While the courtroom drama played out for one Santa Cruz killer, another was moving into town.

Edmund Emil Kemper III would become one of the most infamous serial killers on record. By the time he arrived in Santa Cruz in 1971, Kemper had already been convicted of a double murder. Less than a year after his release from prison, he would commit a series of gruesome murders that would forever cast a dark shadow over sunny Santa Cruz.

I’ve taken an unprecedented deep dive into “The Co-ed Killer” to provide details about Kemper’s life and crimes you haven’t heard anywhere else.

This is part two of “Murder City: Santa Cruz, California 1970 to 1973 - Ed Kemper.

Sources:

Murray, E. (2020). Murder Capital of the World.

Cheney, M. (1976). The Co-Ed Killer. Goodreads Press.

Edmund Kemper: The Life of the Co-Ed Killer. (2017). Hourly History.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This podcast details true crime cases. It contains adult themes and may contain descriptions of
0:06.3	violence. It is not intended for children. Listener discretion is advised.
0:18.7	Thank you for joining me for today's episode of Once Upon a Crime.
0:22.8	This month, I'm bringing you the story of three terrifying years that unfolded for residents of a small California city.
0:29.9	Between 1970 and 1973, a series of murders rocked Santa Cruz, a once peaceful beach community.
0:39.7	Before it was all over, residents would live through unimaginable horrors, a prominent family wiped out in a mass murder by a deranged
0:45.0	killer, and two serial killers working simultaneously, but separately in their midst. In last week's
0:52.2	episode, we traveled back in time to 1970 when a multiple
0:56.3	murder in Santa Cruz County shocked the community. The slaughter of five individuals, a prominent
1:02.2	Santa Cruz doctor, his wife, two young sons, and his secretary, was reminiscent of the
1:07.9	mass murders carried out by the followers of Charles Manson,
1:13.7	just a year earlier and 300 miles away.
1:17.2	The eerie similarities between the two mass killings caused residents to fear homicidal hippies were invading their town.
1:22.2	In the end, one man was charged with the murders of Dr. Oda and his family,
1:26.8	John Linley-Frasier. To hear all the details of
1:29.9	that case, listen to Episode 342, released last week on the Once Upon a Crime podcast and YouTube channel.
1:37.9	In this episode, we'll pick up the story at the tail end of 1971. John Linley-Frasier's trial had just concluded, and he was
1:46.4	sentenced to die. While the courtroom drama played out for one Santa Cruz killer, another was
1:52.0	moving into town. Edmund Emel Kemper III would become one of the most infamous serial killers on
1:58.4	record. By the time he arrived in Santa Cruz as a 22-year-old
2:02.6	in 1971, Kemper had already been convicted and served time in prison for a double murder. Less than a
2:09.6	year after his release from prison, he would move to town and over the next two years would commit
	...

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