SERIAL KILLER: The Doodler

Summary

Crime Junkie: SERIAL KILLER – The Doodler

Release Date: May 19, 2025
Hosts: Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat

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Introduction

In this chilling episode of Crime Junkie, host Ashley Flowers and co-host Brit Prawat delve deep into the unsettling case of "The Doodler," a serial killer who haunted San Francisco in the 1970s. The Doodler's reign of terror left a lasting impact on the community, particularly the gay community, amidst a backdrop of mistrust and animosity between law enforcement and marginalized groups.

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The Initial Crimes and Mysterious Caller

January 27, 1974 – First Call:
At nearly 2 AM, a mysterious caller reports finding a body on a San Francisco beach. [03:14] Ashley Flowers narrates, “The caller found a body on the beach but didn't want to get too close or reveal his identity.” When police arrive, they discover the victim, Gerald Kavanaugh, not merely floating but with multiple stab wounds, making drowning an unlikely cause of death. The circumstances of the caller's ability to locate the body in pitch darkness remain perplexing, as no further information about the caller emerges.

Second Murder – June 25, 1974:
Five months later, Joseph "Jay" Stevens, a beloved figure in the city's drag scene, is found brutally stabbed in Golden Gate Park. [06:37] Inspector Sergeant Dan Cunningham describes the scene as one of intense violence, with five stab wounds, three of which pierced the heart. Jay's prominence in the gay community contrasted sharply with the perceived indifference of the police toward such cases.

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Escalation and Community Tension

Despite recognizing patterns between the murders of Gerald, Jay, and later Klaus Christmann, a German national found in a similar manner, police efforts remained fragmented. [19:09] Britt remarks on the progressive culture of San Francisco in the 1970s, highlighting the juxtaposition of a vibrant community against inadequate law enforcement response.

July 1975 – Survivor Attack:
A European diplomat survives an attempted attack by someone he brought to his apartment. The assailant, later nicknamed "The Doodler," uses the phrase “you guys are all alike” [21:52] during the assault, mirroring the diplomat's later recounting. This event solidifies the notion of a serial killer targeting the gay community, yet fear and stigma prevent victims from fully cooperating with authorities.

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Formation of a Dedicated Task Force

Recognizing the serial nature of the crimes, SFPD assembles a specialized team led by Inspectors Rotea Guilford and Earl Sanders, known as the "Soul Brothers." [22:37] Their expertise and status as SFPD's first Black homicide investigators bring new vigor to the investigation. Their approach includes engaging directly with the gay community, leading to tips about a suspicious individual known for sketching patrons at gay bars.

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Breakthroughs and Dead Ends

2019 – Reopening the Case:
Decades later, Sergeant Cunningham teams up with retired Inspector Dan Dudette to revisit the cold case. They uncover a potential ninth victim, Warren Andrews, whose brutal attack adds complexity to the case. [40:47] The investigation highlights systemic issues, including fragmented case files and the absence of a consistent investigative approach.

DNA and Modern Forensics:
With advancements in forensic technology, Cunningham hopes DNA evidence might finally link the suspect to the crimes. However, initial leads prove unfruitful, and the primary person of interest continues to deny involvement, maintaining his innocence despite physical resemblance to the age-progressed composite sketch.

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The Enigma of Dr. Priest and Unsolved Mysteries

A pivotal moment in the investigation revolves around a supposed confession from a psychiatrist, Dr. Priest, who allegedly treated the suspect. [44:43] However, discrepancies arise when investigators cannot locate any records of Dr. Priest at Highland Hospital in the 1970s. This dead end complicates efforts to obtain crucial information that could shed light on the case.

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Legacy and Unanswered Questions

The Doodler case remains unsolved, leaving families of the victims without closure. The ripple effects extend beyond the immediate victims, affecting entire families and the community at large. [50:43] For instance, Jay's sister suffers a psychotic break, leading to further tragedy within his family.

Inspector Cunningham reflects on the persistent mystery, stating, “Whether the Doodler actually did all that much doodling, the fact remains that six men were brutally slain in 1974 and 75...” [48:51] The unresolved nature of these crimes continues to haunt the community, emphasizing the need for continued vigilance and community support in seeking justice.

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Conclusion

Fifty years after the last known Doodler murder, San Francisco's police department remains determined to solve the case, now offering a substantial reward of $250,000 for information leading to the killer's arrest. The enduring mystery of The Doodler underscores the profound impact of unsolved crimes on victims' families and the broader community, highlighting both the progress and ongoing challenges in criminal investigations.

Ashley Flowers closes with a heartfelt acknowledgment of the victims, honoring their memories and the relentless pursuit of justice: “All of the victims deserve to be remembered for who they were, not just how they died.” [50:43]

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Call to Action

San Francisco Police Department continues to encourage anyone with information to come forward, reinforcing that it's never too late to seek justice. Listeners are reminded to support ongoing investigations and honor the memories of those lost to The Doodler's terror.

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For more detailed information and sources, visit crimejunkiepodcast.com.

Transcript

[Ashley Flowers]

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[Britt]

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[Ashley Flowers]

Hi Crime Junkies. I'm your host, Ashley Flowers.

[Britt]

And I'm Britt.

[Ashley Flowers]

And the story I have for you today is one that has truly consumed me. In the 1970s, there was a serial killer lurking in San Francisco, one who some believe would sketch his victims as a way to lure them in and then attack them in the most brutal ways. And the wild part is that pretty early on, tons of people were pointing the finger at one man. Even survivors who escaped his clutches picked him out of a lineup. But to date, everyone has been too scared of what would happen to their lives if they cooperated with police. So this man is free, living among us. And though some believe he hasn't been a threat since 1976 when the murders stopped, the current detective thinks that we just might not know the true scope of his crimes. This is the story of the Doodler.

[Dan Cunningham]

Yeah, I believe there might be a dead person on the beach at right across from your lowest sea, right down to the water. I Was like, oh, yeah, and I still have somebody lying there. But I didn't want to get too close because you know, what could happen. Okay. Did you want to give me something, sir? No, I don't think that's necessary. I just wanted to let somebody know, maybe needs help or something. But help is my duty to put. Oh, okay, fine. Let's wait. Okay, bye.

[Ashley Flowers]

That call came into San Francisco dispatch in the early morning hours of January 27, 1974. And I know that might have been a little hard to make out, but the gist is that the caller found a body on the beach. He didn't want to get too close to it, and the caller would not leave his name. He just thought that maybe the guy on the beach might need some help. Now, within minutes, they had officers descending on the scene. And what they found when they got there was odd. I mean, they quickly spot the body that the caller told them about. But he's not just lying there on the beach like the caller said. He is fully in the water, about to be pulled out with the tide, so much so that officers have to wade in and drag him back to dry land. And by the way, no one is thinking that this guy could have drowned or anything. He has got wounds everywhere. He was a victim of a homicide, no doubt. But here is the even stranger part. At nearly 2am when this call came in, it is very dark out, and there isn't any lighting down by the water. So when they get this body to the shore and have a minute to, like, take it all in, they're like, wait, what was this caller even doing out here on the beach in the middle of the night? And how exactly did he spot this body in the pitch dark? Now, it is worth noting that this beach is a common hookup spot. Now, there's no one else around when they get there, but maybe that's why the caller was out there, like, tbd, who he is, who he was with. But it might be all the reason in the world not to give his name when he called this in. Who knows, right? Like, is he married? Who was he with, blah, blah, blah. But the caller's name isn't the only thing that they're missing. They don't find a wallet or anything in the victim's clothes that would tell them his name either. I mean, really, they don't find much of anything at all. We asked retired Homicide Inspector Sergeant Dan Cunningham to describe the scene for us. He still works cold cases for the department, including this one, so it was still pretty fresh. In his mind. And he was basically like, what scene? Because, duh, the guy was like on the verge of being swallowed up by the Pacific. Which doesn't leave investigators with a whole lot to work with. In the following days, they put out a couple of media requests for the caller to come forward. Maybe he could shed some more light on the circumstances around all of this. Like, were there other people on the beach? Was he with anyone when he found the body? Did he see anything? But whoever that guy is that called in, he either never gets the message that police are looking for him, which I find hard to believe, this was going far and wide at the time, or he is intentionally laying low because he never comes forward.

[Britt]

So when they get out there, did the guy in the water look like he had just gone in or had he been dead for like a while?

[Ashley Flowers]

So I kind of think those are two separate questions because I don't think he had been in the water long because he wound up there on account of the tide coming in, not because of, like, he was killed and put there. As for how long he'd been dead, what I know is that the coroner finds that he was in the early stages of rigor mortis, which, like, quick reminder for crime junkies, that tends to begin around two hours post death, but can take up to six hours.

[Britt]

Okay, so the TLDR is at least two hours, but possibly more.

[Ashley Flowers]

Right. The coroner also determines that their victim, who is a middle aged white man, died from multiple stab wounds, 17 to be exact, in his chest, torso, front and back. And he went out with a fight based on the defensive wounds he has on his hand. Now, the water washed away a lot in terms of evidence. Not that they even could have done much of anything with it back in 1974, but what it didn't wash away or degrade were his prints. Or at least that's how I'm assuming they ended up IDing him. It never actually says that specifically, but I know he did have a prior encounter with police, so I'm thinking that maybe they had some kind of record of him. And in 74, like those records were likely just prints. However they do it, within a couple of days, they have determined that he is 50 year old Gerald Kavanaugh. He's a World War II vet originally from Canada, who at some point made his way to the US and do.

[Britt]

We know what he had gotten in trouble with police for? Like why they had his records?

[Ashley Flowers]

I don't know how long this was before his death, but he'd actually been stopped in the same area where he was found before on suspicion of public sex, in some nearby restrooms. And if you aren't picking up on it by now, this area where people would come to hook up, like, have sex in restrooms like this Wasn't like a teenage lover's lane. This was a spot mostly frequented by gay men. We weren't able to speak with any of Gerald's family or loved ones. So I have no idea why he was there or who he might have been with the night that he died. But I do know that the restrooms where he was suspected to have been having sex before, those were actually locked at night. So if he did go there on his own the night he died, he was likely on the beach when he was killed.

[Britt]

Which, to me makes me wonder if maybe Gerald was out there, like, with the caller, like, they were out on the beach together.

[Ashley Flowers]

I don't know. Maybe. I mean, the caller could have been out there with someone else as well, but maybe the who doesn't even matter, and he just didn't want anyone to know that he was out there with another man or to meet a man, like, again, all just speculation. We may never know again because this caller has never come forward. And in 1974, to be truthful, I don't think anyone really wanted to know. To put it bluntly, Even in a city like San Francisco that was seen as progressive 1974, policing didn't treat everyone as equal. And it doesn't seem like they put much effort into solving Gerald's case. Like, sure, a plea or two went out to the public, but if they made any real effort to get to the bottom of things, it's never reported on. And I know from our own reporting that the gay community Was very much under the impression that not much was being done. So when a call comes in five months later About a body in golden gate park, Gerald's death, which happened just a mile and a half away, Isn't really on anyone's radar. It comes in early the morning of June 25, and from the looks of things, it's another stabbing. The victim is fully clothed, and. And he had been stabbed a total of five times, Three times in the heart. But much like with Gerald, no wallet, no ID can be located. So investigators initially suspect a mugging gone wrong, Especially because there is a scene here that tells a bit of a story. CNN reports that there is a pool of blood about 10ft from the body with visible drag marks between the two spots, Leading them to believe that the man was attacked. Where the blood is concentrated. Some kind of struggle ensued. And then the killer dragged him to the slightly more hidden spot where his body was found. And it's wild that the body wasn't found sooner because when they canvassed the area, a resident tells them that she heard a man screaming for help a little before midnight the night before. Sergeant Cunningham told us that she did call this in, although it's hard to tell if there was actually any follow up because like I said, the body isn't discovered until close to seven. Now, thankfully, investigators ID their victim quickly this time. He's 27 year old Joseph Stevens, who goes by Jay. And it turns out he's one of the most beloved performers in the city's drag scene. One of his regular gigs is at a club called Finocchio's, as the master of ceremonies, no less, which has been referred to as like, the birthplace of American drag.

[Britt]

So Jay is like drag royalty?

[Ashley Flowers]

Yes. And okay, here's the thing, by the way, based on the available info, it is possible that Jay would identify as a trans woman today. His younger sister Melissa told the San Francisco Chronicle that there isn't a doubt in her mind that he would have. But whether it was a sign of the times or Jay was just a CIS gay man who loved dressing in drag, the pronouns that he used were he, him. So, like, that's what I'm still going to use as well. So investigators quickly find that Jay was last seen leaving a place called the Cabaret club in north beach sometime before midnight on the 24th. Now, nothing suggests that he left the club with another person, but where he's found in Golden Gate park is a hike from North Beach. Investigators know that he's got a car, and clearly you would have needed one to get up there as quickly as they assume he did if those screams heard around midnight were him. But his car is nowhere to be found in or near the park. And that's because unbeknownst to these officers at the crime scene, Jay's car was some 45 minutes away, being hauled away after it was involved in a crime at a separate crime scene.

[Britt]

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[Ron Huberman]

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[Ashley Flowers]

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[Ashley Flowers]

So about two hours before Jay's body was discovered, an officer patrolling a neighborhood about 45 minutes away in a city called Hayward noticed a blue Toyota acting kind of sus. There had been a string of sexual assault in the area recently, so the cop figured he should like check this out. But when he initiated a traffic stop, the Toyota peeled off and it turned into a whole high speed chase situation. But God bless dumb criminals, right? Because the driver raced over a set of railroad tracks and not at a railroad crossing and crashed right into a house on the other side. Now the driver, a blonde, 20 something, jumped out of the car, fled on foot and got away. But when police ran the car's place and found that it was registered to J, they eventually touched base with SFPD who immediately think that they've got their killer or at least a description of their killer. They now I don't have the exact like play by play, but one way or another the blonde guy ends up getting ID'd and located and dude is shocked to learn that the car he'd crashed belonged to a homicide victim. He denies any involvement in Jay's death, swearing up and down that he just lifted the car from where it was parked at Golden Gate Park. And as unbelievable as I know that sounds, his story actually checks out. Seriously, he's literally just like the world's unluckiest car thief. Which is a bummer for investigators because it means that their promising early lead turns into a dead end real fast. And with nothing else to go on, and knowing they weren't making any connections to a larger pattern of crimes yet, it kind of feels like everyone just shrugged their shoulders and said, like, oh, well, we tried. Now, our team talked to Ron Huberman, who was the first openly gay investigator with the San Francisco DA's office in the 70s. And as you can imagine, he had unique insight into the tense dynamic between the gay community and law enforcement at the time. And he said the simplest way to put it was that there was a ton of hate crimes happening at the time. The murders, he said, were, like, next level. But what he saw from the inside is that police just did not care. He also emphasized the level of tension, animosity even, that existed between SFPD and the queer community at the time. Because you got to keep in mind that in 1970s, San Francisco morality laws were enforced. Cops pose as gay men at the time to entrap actual gay men. And queer crime victims are liable to find themselves in cuffs if they go to law enforcement for help. I mean, that same year, 1974, a gay man settled a lawsuit against SFPD for nearly a quarter of a million dollars, which would be like 1.5 million today, after police pulled him from a car and beat him to the point of having permanent brain damage.

[Britt]

And how was Ron even out at this time?

[Ashley Flowers]

I had the same question. So apparently, and this is super interesting, it had to do with the election of a DA who both sincerely wanted to integrate the gay community into mainstream and maybe saw the political benefit of doing so. And Ron told us that things at the police academy were. Were kind of tense at first, but he was able to win some trainees over with a little humor, which I think came easy to Ron. I mean, okay, so literally, his nickname in the gay community was Daddy cop, which obviously was like tongue in cheek, because, like, obviously, the guy didn't take himself too seriously. But anyways, that was my long winded way of emphasizing that these cases were kind of thrown to the side and thought to be one offs. No one was thinking serial killer. I don't even know that serial killer was A thing that, you know, we had a word for at the time. But that changes. Twelve days after Jay's murder. That's when another man is found deceased on the beach really close to where Gerald had been found. This murder is especially brutal. The victim is another white man on the younger side like Jay, and he was nearly decapitated. Sergeant Cunningham told us one of the original investigators said it was probably the worst crime scene he'd ever worked. The and that dude worked the Zodiac investigation. This young man was found fully clothed, but yet again, no wallet, no ID. So it takes two weeks to ID him as a 31 year old German national named Klaus Christmann. Klaus, investigators learn, has a family back home in Germany, like a wife and two kids. But he'd come to the US a few months back and has been staying with friends, this American couple who lived in the Castro, which I think is like, like a suburb of.

[Britt]

It's like an area of San Francisco that in the 70s had a really vibrant, progressive culture.

[Ashley Flowers]

Okay, got it. So he's become something of a regular at the city's gay bars. Now, investigators determined that one of those bars is actually the last place he was seen. Witnesses say he left alone at around 2am and even though Sergeant Cunningham told us that investigators found some of the men Klaus was known to have been involved with, all of them quickly get ruled out. So when the culprit doesn't fall into their laps quickly, police move on to other cases. Though there is finally chatter amongst them that these were maybe more than just one offs. I mean, there's clearly a pattern between Gerald and Jay and Klaus. But aside from each of them being part of the queer community, like there were no other connections and no task force or anything was being put together to try and find one. And they weren't even really alerting the public to the threat of a serial killer. But even though they weren't announcing it, I mean, this is a community that already has a target on their backs. They are quick to pay attention and spread the word amongst themselves. And soon rumors start running rampant about a possible serial killer in their midst. And everyone's waiting for the next shoe to drop. But it doesn't. Weeks go by without another murder, and then months. And as they inch up on the one year mark from the last murder, I imagine people's guards are down, and maybe that is what allowed for the next murder to happen. On May 12, 1975, SFPD is alerted to the discovery of. Of another body on the beach. That morning, a hiker finds a Set of bloody drag marks that leads to the body of a young man. Now, this time, it doesn't take police long to catch on. He has all the same hallmarks of all the previous murders. And they know in that moment that their killer is still out there and he has no intention of stopping. So maybe now's the time to put a little more effort into finding him before he can kill again.

[Britt]

Which means it's task force time.

[Ashley Flowers]

Their version, maybe. So here's something wild I just learned. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that in the 1970s, homicide cases were worked by shift. So instead of. Listen, instead of being assigned to a specific. Like, one homicide is assigned to a specific investigator. What they did was like, whoever was on shift would work it and then like, pass it off to the next guy when it was his turn.

[Britt]

What?

[Ashley Flowers]

Dude, I know. Like, no wonder this was a serial killer's heyday.

[Britt]

My God, this is so inefficient. Like, everyone knows, like a tiny little piece of one case that just keeps getting, like, hot potatoed around to investigators.

[Ashley Flowers]

I know. Like, it makes no sense. So literally no one has any idea what's going on, who has what case, what he's done, what still needs to be worked on. It is a hot mess that is especially messy when you have multiple cases that are connected. So the higher ups decide, maybe we should assign this newest case and the stalled investigations to a dedicated team of homicide inspectors. Like, right, Great idea, actually. So this isn't like a. A task force, like you're thinking, where it's like multi agency or whatever for.

[Britt]

This system, it's kind of a task force.

[Ashley Flowers]

And they do get two of SFPD's for Finest. These guys have a track record second to none. And like, listen, if this was a movie, like Q slo mo 70s title track, where they like walk like head on into frame. Because the way that these guys are talked about, they are kind of legends in their own time. And they're fondly known as the Soul Brothers.

[Britt]

So iconic.

[Ashley Flowers]

I know their names are Rotea Guilford and Earl Sanders. And Inspectors Guilford And Sanders are SFPD's first, first and second black homicide investigators. And it's hard to overstate just how radically they changed the course of the investigation. But first things first. They have to ID the most recent victim.

[Britt]

I assume no ID on the body.

[Ashley Flowers]

Right? Same as the others. But the victim they find out is a registered nurse. So his prints are on file with the state board of nursing. So somehow they get connected to those and they find out he's 32 year old Florida Frederick Kappen. Like the others, Frederick was stabbed to death 16 times in total. The fatal wounds piercing his heart. Judging by the drag marks and the dried blood the coroner notes on the soles of his shoes, he went down fighting. Now what they find out is Frederick was last seen alive at a gay bar the night before his body was discovered. Actually, the same one, Klaus, was last seen at this place called Bojangles.

[Britt]

Did they ever find out where Gerald was last seen? Because I feel like that's the pattern here. The rest of them were all seen at like a bar or a nightclub.

[Ashley Flowers]

So they're not sure where he last was. I think everyone's guess is that he was probably out on the town before his death too. Maybe. So if this is the pattern, Guilford and Sanders decide to meet the gay community where they're at at the gay bars right now. These guys don't necessarily have the community's trust from day one, as you can imagine, but they're willing to work for it. And what do you know? A little respect and kindness goes a long way. And before long, they are hearing whispers of a rumor that has been making its way through the scene. Supposedly there is a guy who likes to camp out at gay bars with a sketchbook in hand. And while everyone else makes merry around him, he quietly sketches the faces of other bar patrons. And word has it that this guy is like, pretty good at what he does. Now, it doesn't seem like anyone is saying he did it or they saw him with the men or drawing the men or anything like that, but this guy has just been standing out for about as long as the murders have been happening. But before they can even begin to track down a name for this artist, it happens again.

[Britt]

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[Ashley Flowers]

On June 4, 1975, a man's badly decomposed body is discovered hidden in some bushes near the Lincoln park golf course. Like the others, he's clothed, though his pants are unzipped. And again, seemingly no id. So all the signs are there, and the case goes right to Guilford and Sanders. But this one's going to be different than all the rest. I mean, normally they're on a scene within hours of a murder, like things are fresh. But not this time. The coroner says that this man had been out there anywhere from 10 days to a month. And badly decomposed. Might have been an understatement, because Sergeant Cunningham told us that. That the remains are actually mummified, which basically throws their normal form of IDing the victim out the window. No usable pranks. Somehow they do eventually ID him, though. He's Harold Goldberg, a 66 year old sailor and naturalized US citizen, originally from Sweden. And then in July, another man is attacked, but he is alive when he stumbles into a local ER pleading for help. Now, dude is drenched in blood and he's saying that he's been stabbed. And though he does want immediate medical help, make no mistake, he does not want the police involved. Like, does not want to file a report. He is adamant that he does not want a report filed. Like, he will not cooperate if one is filed.

[Britt]

Is he afraid of being outed?

[Ashley Flowers]

Mm. He's a European diplomat, and San Francisco is where he was stationed for his job. I actually don't know his name because that's never been released, so I'm just gonna refer to him as the Diplomat. But they get his story nonetheless. I mean, again, he. I don't know how they convince him, but they do. And his story is a doozy. He says that he was by himself in a diner called the Truck stop. It's like 2am A nearby gay bar called the Rear End had just closed its doors, and he noticed a guy sitting alone sketching animals on a napkin. And these sketches were pretty impressive. By total coincidence, the Diplomat has some art training, so they, like, strike up a little Conversation about their shared hobby. And the guy doing the sketches was a young black guy, good looking, total, like, artist vibes, according to Ron Huberman. And the diplomat was intrigued when he mentioned that he was studying to be a cartoonist. So they're, like, chatting, they hit it off. And when the diplomat asks if he wanted to head back to his apartment, maybe for a nightcap, whatever, the artist accepted the invite. So, like, so far, so good, right? But when they got there, things got real weird real fast. It started when the artist asked to use the bathroom. The diplomat was like, sure, no problem. So the artist goes in, but then the guy, like, wouldn't come out. Sergeant Cunningham told us that after so long, the diplomat was, like, knocking on the door. I mean, more than once, asking if he was okay. About 30 minutes later, as the diplomat was standing with his back to the bathroom door, all of a sudden, it swings open. The artist growled something along the lines of, you guys are all alike. And then he plunged a steak knife into the diplomat's back. Now, the diplomat started fighting back, but the artist managed to stab him six times before the knife broke off in his body. And this. Thank God it did, because only then did the artist run out the front door, allowing the diplomat to barely escape with his life. And his injuries are no joke. I mean, the poor guy is hospitalized for weeks. And this, by the way, is when their killer earns the nickname the Doodler. Supposedly, Guilford and Sanders come up with it, Although it's possible they heard it from the people in the community. So the diplomat is recovering, and then fast forward two weeks later, Guilford and Sanders learned that another man has just survived an attack by someone he'd taken home. And take a wild guess where that guy lives. Same apartment building on the same floor as the diplomat.

[Britt]

What?

[Ashley Flowers]

Yet they don't know each other, But, I mean, like, they're so close, they could borrow a cup of sugar. Yeah, this second attack isn't exactly the same as the diplomat. So this guy had been tied up, possibly voluntarily, when the guy that he brought home started beating the crap out of him. Thankfully, the attacker got spooked when neighbors heard screaming and started, like, pounding on the walls.

[Britt]

And how do we know it was the same guy?

[Ashley Flowers]

Well, because the victim told police what he said as he started attacking him.

[Britt]

All you guys are alike.

[Ashley Flowers]

Yep. But like the diplomat, this victim wants nothing to do with an investigation or an eventual prosecution. Like, he does not want to be outed. And though he also says his attacker was a black man in his early 20s, Guilford and Sanders realize that he'd been pretty intoxicated and probably wouldn't be of much use with a sketch artist. But they think the diplomat would be partly. Sergeant Cunningham told us, because he thinks he and his attacker were together for a while, partly because he was way less intoxicated and partly because of his artistic training. So they go to him, and they promise to protect his identity, asking him to please just spend a few hours with their sketch artist. He is their only real shot at getting this guy before he strikes again. But every time they ask, his answer is, no, no, no, no, no, no. And then suddenly he says, fine, but that's all. Once they have their composite stopping, the guy is on them, and they're gonna have to do it without his help, which, like, can you imagine, like, living in a world where, like, your own safety could be at risk, but, like, coming out and, like, just saying who you are is, like, scarier.

[Britt]

It's more risky.

[Ashley Flowers]

Like, freaking terrifying. Guilford and Sanders jump at this proposal. And once the composite sketch is released in October, the tips start pouring in. The first big one is called in by an anonymous woman who recognizes the guy in the sketch. She says he lives in the East Bay and his name is such and such. And I'm only being vague because I couldn't let the name slip if I wanted to. It has never been released on or off the record. I mean, the one thing I will say about this investigation is, like, they truly have, like, kept identities under wrap for decades. It's almost, like, very impressive if I didn't want to know so bad. Now, what I do know is that it is apparently a common name. So initially, the tip isn't super useful. Although, to be perfectly honest, I don't even think it reaches Guilford and Sanders.

[Britt]

Like, it just gets lost in the shuffle.

[Ashley Flowers]

I think so, because the woman comes back. Like, it pisses her off because, like, by 10 days go by, she hasn't gotten contacted. She feels like nothing is happening. So she's like, my tip must not have been taken seriously. So she calls again, mad. And this time, she not only gives his name, but she gives his address, his age, his freaking license plate.

[Britt]

You know, not all heroes wear capes, truly.

[Ashley Flowers]

So this second message does reach Guilford and Sanders, who put the guy under immediate surveillance. They don't approach him just yet. Instead, they start putting together a profile, which seems like the right move, I think. And here's where things get wild.

[Britt]

Now streaming exclusively on Paramount, the psychological thriller Criminal Minds. Evolution is back, and the Hunt is on. The BAU faces a chilling new case with a network of serial killers working together. The more they uncover, the darker it gets. Criminal Minds Evolution new season, now streaming exclusively on Paramount.

[Ron Huberman]

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[Ashley Flowers]

Soon another tip comes in about this same guy, but your brain is going to explode when I tell you. Who calls this one in? I mean, I. I don't know the lady's name. I can't tell you who she is exactly, but I can tell you her profession. She is a secretary at Highland Hospital in the East Bay. Not for, like a surgeon or whatever, for a psychiatrist, if she's to be believed. Her boss treats the guy that Guilford and Sanders have under surveillance, and her boss treats him for issues relating to his inability to cope with his same sex attractions. Oh, and spoiler alert, he straight up confessed to the murders in his sessions with the doc, which, like, what? I know, three days later, that doctor calls in and he's like, yeah, so you know that thing my secretary said? It's completely true. My patient so. And so whoever he is, is the killer everyone is calling the doodler.

[Britt]

So he's not just saying that his patient confessed. He's saying that he believes that confession.

[Ashley Flowers]

Beyond a shadow of a doubt. Like, this is your guy. I know this is your guy for a fact.

[Britt]

I assume with him being called the doodler, the public knows about the sketches too.

[Ashley Flowers]

Yeah, they do by this point.

[Britt]

And this guy is like a good artist, too, that they're calling in about.

[Ashley Flowers]

Yes, question mark. So here's the thing. Outside of the reporting on the diplomat's interaction with him, where he said like, yes, he was. Answers on that are kind of hard to come by. Like, I can't find a solid answer on. Like, was this guy really a cartoonist? Was it, like, I don't know. Now, before long, Guilford and Sanders decide it's time to confront this guy that they've been watching. And so In January of 1976, they bring him in for questioning. He comes in voluntarily doesn't even bring a lawyer. And while he denies being the Doodler, he doesn't deny everything. Guilford tells the San Francisco Chronicle. Quote, he said he's reformed. He said he'd had problems with his sexual identity since he was 13 and had homosexual experiences, had experimented with it, but he said his sessions with the psychiatrist had cured him, end quote. Which sounds conversion therapy to me, but like, I could be wrong. Either way, this guy's description of himself couldn't fit the pert profile more closely, which is of someone who is quiet, intelligent, middle class, and absolutely drowning in self loathing over his attraction to men, which he probably acts on before lashing out violently with a kind of misdirected self hatred. And here's where things get really frustrating. Even though we have survivors, and even though they have a suspect, the survivors that they have won't cooperate to ID him as their attacker. They even have found a third survivor by this point, but he's a super famous actor who, surprise, surprise, wants nothing to do with the case. And this guy wasn't actually physically attacked. Rather, he ended the encounter, which was like a potential hookup when a knife fell out of the guy's pocket.

[Britt]

And are you saying that they won't even, like, come in and ID the guy or they just won't cooperate if, when it comes to testifying, the latter?

[Ashley Flowers]

Well, maybe a little former. I know the diplomat at one point at least looks at a lineup. I don't know about the other guys. And when they finally convince him to do that, he does pick their guy out as the doodler. But he still won't be caught dead in a courtroom saying that that's the man he brought back to his apartment. And that's why this case, solved in everything but name, as far as Guilford and Sanders are concerned, goes cold, ice cold for the next four decades. And it seems that their suspect, if their suspect is their guy, gets like cold feet or whatever once he knows that the cops are onto him. Because the Doodler killings in San Francisco just stop and they never resume again in all that time. It wasn't until 2018 that Sergeant Cunningham picks the investigation back up and started working it with another recently retired investigator working cold cases. This guy's name is Dan Dudette. So they have to go back and start from scratch, because in the four decades that the case sat untouched, the file, you know, got moved around, it got misplaced, things got separated and whatnot. So the records they have are fragmented, they're incomplete. And I think Sergeant Cunningham almost Views this as a blessing and a curse, like kind of thing, because, like, they're almost forced to start from square one. And I said blessing because starting from square one leads them to some surprising conclusions. Take this. The number of Doodler victims is pretty well settled by this point, right? There are five deceased victims and three survivors. Eight people total. But they decide, you know what? We should look at all of the cold case homicides of gay men from 74 and 75, eventually concluding that there was actually a ninth Doodler victim. His name was Warren Andrews. And at first glance, his case doesn't have much in common with the others. Warren was found barely clinging to life on April 27th of 1975 at this cliff overlooking the ocean called Land's End. But he wasn't stabbed like the others. He was beaten brutally with a rock and a tree branch. And even though he was found quickly, he was in terrible shape. He was in a coma for a couple of months and then eventually passed away.

[Britt]

So then what's the connection?

[Ashley Flowers]

I think mostly like, who he was and the location where he was found. See, Warren is thought to have been gay. And Land's End is another remote hookup spot. It's also just a mile from where Harold Goldberg was found in a similar setting. And it's the cliffs that really get Sergeant Cunningham's wheels spinning. It seems obvious to him that whatever happened there, it didn't go down the way the killer wanted it to. It was especially messy. The victim was still alive when he was found, and the weapons the killer used seemed improvised.

[Britt]

Okay, can you just put this a little bit in context for me? When Warren is attacked in April of 75.

[Ashley Flowers]

Oh, so you have. You have Gerald, who was the first victim found on the beach in the water. Then you have Jay the second victim, then Klaus is the third. Then there was that like almost 10 month break where nothing happened. This attack on Warren was April of 75, and then May 75 was Frederick and June 75 was Harold.

[Britt]

Got it. I wonder if it was after Harold because that's when he got the string of other victims that start surviving.

[Ashley Flowers]

So the diplomat and the other guy who lived in his building. Yes. But best I can tell, the super famous actor guy was maybe in May. Although no one seems to like really know that for sure. So. So yeah, I don't know if his like MO is changing or if you like. Because he seems like. Right. Like it was like usually you see the opposite.

[Britt]

It's. It's like de. Escalating almost.

[Ashley Flowers]

Yeah. Or he's Just like, I don't know if he's just like losing control and he. Whatever it is. Anyways, they're thinking that looking at the scene where Warren was found, it wouldn't be hard to imagine things going awry. Like, what if the killer had intended to stab him like the others, but he somehow lost his knife in a struggle? Or who knows? And Sergeant Cunningham told us it's easy to imagine the knife getting like knocked over the cliff's edge, forcing him to like think on his feet. So Cunningham's getting his ducks in a row, right? Like setting the record straight. And as he's getting things organized, him and his partner also find that there are some items that can be sent out for testing. So they do that. Then they have the diplomats composite from all those years ago, age progressed. They release that to the public along with that weird 911 call that we played at the beginning of the episode. All that comes out in February of 2019. They're hoping that someone is going to recognize that voice because up until that point they had not released the call.

[Britt]

So why are they even doing all this? Like, what exactly are they looking for?

[Ashley Flowers]

Well, I think with the caller, like there are a couple of possibilities. Like it could be, I mean, at minimum a really important witness. But as Detective Cunningham told us, I mean, he also very well could be the killer, which would actually make a whole lot of sense in terms of how the caller even came across that body in the dark on a deserted beach at 2am And Detective Cunningham wants to know the freaking answer. I mean, I haven't mentioned this yet, but he has already interviewed our unnamed suspect, person of interest. He did that back in 2018 because dude's still alive, obviously, and living in the East Bay now as an out gay man. But he told Sergeant Cunningham the same thing he told Guilford and Sanders all those years ago. He's not the doodler. The end. Even though the guy is a dead ringer for the age progressed composite. Now DNA might end up doing the trick and tie him to the crimes. That would be great, but they don't want to put all their eggs in one basket. I mean, who knows if they will even get a usable profile from the evidence they sent off. So they decide to think outside the box a little bit. Like if they can't use any of the survivors, they decide maybe they can go back to that psychiatrist and start there.

[Britt]

Okay, Yeah, I was kind of wondering about that. Like, he's saying this guy confessed to him. He believes the confession. Like, dude, I don't know. Let's run with that.

[Ashley Flowers]

I don't know why they couldn't use him in 74. I don't know if it was like. I don't even think HIPAA was, like, a thing. And obviously they're, like, coming to police and telling him, I don't know. But now they want to start with a psychiatrist. Again, I don't know that they're gonna, like, use him in court necessarily, but.

[Britt]

They'Re like, it's a good jumping off point.

[Ashley Flowers]

Let's go to him. Except there's a huge problem.

[Britt]

Of course there is.

[Ashley Flowers]

From their files, the only name they can find for the psychiatrist is a note, like, scratched by guilford that says, Dr. Priest, psych equals C. Highland Hospital.

[Britt]

Cool.

[Ashley Flowers]

And for the life of them, they cannot find any record of there being a doctor priest who practiced psychiatry at Highland Hospital in the 70s. So it's like this doctor never even existed.

[Britt]

I mean, TBD Records in the 70s, plus, like, maybe he's already passed away. I mean, how old was he back then?

[Ashley Flowers]

Here's the thing, though. It's not like they can't just find someone currently working there in 2019 when they go looking. Like, the hospital has no record of this guy at all, which is, like, wild to me.

[Britt]

Was there a chance the name was wrong? Like, was it like a visiting doctor? Like a Tempo? A sub?

[Ashley Flowers]

They have a lower lift idea first. That also wouldn't require a warrant. Right. So they're going to ask the public for help.

[Britt]

Oh.

[Ashley Flowers]

At the beginning of 2019, SFPD announces a $100,000 reward for information leading to the Doodler's arrest. And they also ask the public for their help in locating this elusive Dr. Priest. Spoiler alert, though. No dice. But it's not a dead end altogether. See, over the years, Cunningham and Dad worked hand in hand with a reporter from the San Francisco chronicle. And in 2021, this reporter and his PI think that they might have solved the puzzle of Dr. Priest. They come across the name of a Dr. Howard Preece, P R, E E, C, E, who practiced psychiatry at Highland hospital in the 70s. And though Dr. Preece passed away in 2005, his daughter tells them, yeah, this Doodler guy is exactly the sort of patient her dad would have treated. Sadly, she doesn't have any of his old records anymore, nor does she know where they could be, if they even still exist. Now, Cunningham eventually asks a court to order Highland hospital to release Dr. Priest's records from way back when, but the judge denies the request, citing the fact that there is no evidence that the patient still poses a threat to the public. Says there's no indication that he's posed a threat since 1976. Which, like, again, I don't know the rules around this, but to me it is, like, wild.

[Britt]

Like, I get, maybe not a threat to the public, but do we not care about justice or his victim?

[Ashley Flowers]

That's what I'm saying. Like, I don't know what rule we're following here.

[Britt]

These are like, two different things. I understand, but let's address at least one of them.

[Ashley Flowers]

Okay? But also, what if everyone's wrong? What if he has posed a threat since 1976? See, one of the things Cunningham learns about his guy is that he actually skipped town way back in 76 and spent some time on the road moving from place to place. So, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, Cunningham researches whether there were any other similar cross crimes in the years after 76 anywhere else. And wouldn't you know it, there were. Now, it's not totally clear, but Cunningham said that he is in touch with various other law enforcement entities about it. And he's also submitted more items for forensic testing, though so far no one has been able to isolate a profile other than the victims, like, whatever victim was related to that item. And it's mostly because their deaths were just, like, so bloody. But he emphasized to our reporter that he is still got high hopes on the DNA front. And there's one more conclusion that Cunningham has come to about this case that I think is wild. He's not convinced that the Doodler actually did so much doodling.

[Britt]

Ashley, we're calling him the Doodler.

[Ashley Flowers]

I know as far as he's concerned, that trope is more lore than fact, springing from the diplomat story about his attacker sketching animals. And then it just kind of like, took on a life of its own. And listen, I don't know where I kind of fall on this, because Guilford and Sanders certainly thought the doodling angle was accurate. And Ron Huberman, like Daddy Cop, working the case for the DA's office, with his own deep ties to the gay community, he remains convinced of it to this day. Ron told us that he talked to multiple people with firsthand accounts of this guy sketching men in bars and using the sketches to hit on them. And he also told us that in the seven or eight years since the case has been reopened, he hasn't been contacted, which I thought was kind of surprising. Like, he was. He was someone who was boots on the ground at the time and was part of the community being targeted. So I don't know quite what to make of that. But whether the Doodler actually did all that much doodling, the fact remains that six men were brutally slain in 1974 and 75, and that's six that we know of. There is a strong person of interest in this case, and the families of the victims still haven't received justice. These murders had ripple effects of a magnitude that is hard to comprehend. I mean, take Jay's family, for instance. His murder caused one of his sisters to have a full blown psychotic break. She was convinced that his death had unleashed evil spirits somehow. And just three months later, she attacked their mother and their other sister, Melissa. And their mother was killed and dismembered, and Melissa just barely survived.

[Britt]

I mean, one could even say that they're like the second wave of victims.

[Ashley Flowers]

Of the Doodler, you know, I mean, I think so. That's why I said, when you say he's not like a threat to anyone.

[Britt]

Like, it's like he's not a threat to the community that he was a threat to at the time.

[Ashley Flowers]

But what he did, like, still continues.

[Britt]

Yeah.

[Ashley Flowers]

And I think I want to close out with a quote from Frederick Kapan's niece. Frederick was a talented artist and a dedicated nurse, providing care to his community day in and day out. He was also a war hero, having saved the lives of four marines in Vietnam. And his niece said in a podcast series by the San Francisco Chronicle, quote, I just want my uncle to be remembered for the good he did and not to be remembered for the circumstances under which he was killed. I think all of the victims deserve that. It has been 50 years since the Doodler murders, and time for justice is running out. San Francisco police department is still offering that reward, which has been raised to $250,000. And that's for anyone who can help them solve these cases once and for all. So if that is you, you can call their 24 hour tip line at 415-575-4444 or text them at tip411 and you can remain anonymous. You can find all the source material for this episode on our website, crimejunkiepodcast.com.

[Britt]

And you can follow us on Instagram at crimejunkiepodcast.

[Ashley Flowers]

We will be back next week with a brand new episode. But don't leave us. Stick around. We have got another segment of the good. All right, Brit, so in light of Mother's Day being this month, I heard you got a special good that has to do with Mother's Day. I haven't seen it yet.

[Britt]

Yes, I think you're gonna love this one. This is from Joy. Hi, ladies. Story time. I live in central Arkansas. Last year we had a 14 year old girl who ran away from home in our community. A very long and interesting story. But anyway, here's what I want people to know.

[Ashley Flowers]

She doesn't know us. We need the long and interesting story.

[Britt]

But anyway, details. But anyway, moving right along. Community involvement lesson number one. The community became aware that she was missing. But the local police were not doing much and didn't consider her missing because it was clear she left on her own. The Mama Bears in our community called bs. They organized, hung banners, created social media feeds, contacted organizations, contacted media outlets, hit the streets with flyers and pressured the police. Through community pressure, the police finally stepped up and started really looking for her and participating in finding her. Community involvement listened too, because the Mama Bears were able to get her photos spread country wide. And the crime junkies of the world are awesome. A librarian hundreds of miles away in a another state was able to recognize her from the missing child post and called police. We got her back safe and sound. She had been gone for weeks, had hopped a train and was so far away.

[Ashley Flowers]

Oh my God.

[Britt]

But people paid attention, cared, and got involved. Community involvement lesson three. Because of the community's vocal unwillingness to accept that a child that runs away shouldn't be looked for, the local police have been much more active in the search for missing, quote unquote, runaway teens. And the even better news is that it has spread through the entire central Arkansas area. I now see all of our regional police stations posting about and investigating runaway cases and treating these kids as missing. They don't want to face the wrath.

[Ashley Flowers]

Of the Mama Bears. I knew. Are they starting a club? Can I join? No.

[Britt]

Anyway, be weird, be rude, save lives. Which I think that was beautiful. Amazing. Isn't that so like full body Jills.

[Ashley Flowers]

I love. I kind of want to twerk. I don't know why that's my response. Crime Junkie is an audio Chuck production. So what do you think, Chuck? Do you approve? Great gifts for dad? We've got em and they're up to 60% off at Nordstrom Rack stores now.

[Britt]

How did I not know Rack has Adidas? They've got the best gifts.

[Ashley Flowers]

Gotta show dad some love. Snag amazing deals on Father's Day. Gifts from Cole Hahn, Calvin Klein, Vince and more. Great brands, great prices. That's why you Rack.

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