The Fish Head Beach Murders: Lindsay Cutshall and Jason Allen // 628

Summary

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Going West: True Crime

Episode 628: The Fish Head Beach Murders: Lindsay Cutshall and Jason Allen
Release Date: July 24, 2026
Hosts: Daphne Woolsoncroft & Heath Merryman

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Episode Overview

This episode delves into the haunting case of Lindsay Cutshall and Jason Allen, a young engaged couple who were brutally murdered in 2004 while camping on California’s Fish Head Beach. Hosts Daphne and Heath walk listeners through the lives of Lindsay and Jason, the circumstances surrounding their deaths, the baffling investigation that spanned over a decade, and the shocking revelation of their killer. The hosts tie in the tragic randomness and senselessness of the crime, reflecting on the questions of motive and the chilling nature of the perpetrator.

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Key Discussion Points & Timeline

1. Background of the Victims

• Lindsay Cutshall: Born 1981 in Ohio, kind and peaceful, loved nature and faith; aspired to be a missionary.
• Jason Allen: Born 1978 in New Jersey, outgoing, adventurous, also faith-driven and wanted to be a missionary.
• The couple met at Appalachian Bible College and had an immediate, profound bond over faith and adventure.
• Together, they worked as river rafting guides at Rock-N-Water, a Christian adventure camp in California before their deaths.
• Planned their wedding for September 11, 2004.
  ([04:00 - 07:25])

2. Timeline of Disappearance and Discovery

• Friday, August 13, 2004: Lindsay and Jason leave camp for a weekend getaway, not sharing their plans.
• Saturday: Spent the day in San Francisco, then Bodega Bay, before settling at Fish Head Beach for the night.
• Sunday: Missed their weekly call home; not present for camp dinner, sparking concern among friends and family.
• Missing persons report filed; search efforts intensify.
• Thursday, August 19, 2004: Their bodies found on the beach by law enforcement—both shot in the head, still in their sleeping bags, belongings untouched.
  ([07:25 - 12:17])

3. Initial Investigation Hurdles

• No struggle, theft, or sexual assault—just seemingly targeted execution.
• No bullet casings, no murder weapon, no witnesses; remote location.
• Only evidence: intimate photos from their camera and tender notes in a communal driftwood hut "guest book."
  • Lindsay’s note: “The sun is going down in the horizon. All I see is the beams shining on the cliff face. And I know that God is awesome...”
  • Jason’s note: “As I stir this mac and cheese, I think to myself, what a wonderful life. I've just spent two awesome days with my fiancée, Lindsay...”
    ([13:04 - 15:29; 14:39 - 15:29])

4. Suspects and Dead Ends

• Early suspect: James Zook, who murdered his neighbor the same week nearby, but had an alibi.
• Forensic lead: Bullet fragments traced to a Marlin .45-70 lever-action rifle; tips about a transient man in the area, but no breakthrough.
• Comparisons drawn to other unsolved “camping couple” murders; explored the case of Joseph Burgess, a known murderer of a Christian couple in 1972, who was fixated on religious purity and transient.
  ([16:52 - 28:18])

Notable Quote:

“It almost looked like a hit. Almost like they were sniped.” — Daphne ([12:17])

5. The Joseph Burgess Parallel

• Burgess killed an unmarried Christian couple in 1972 in Canada with religious motivations, evaded capture for decades.
• Later killed in a standoff in New Mexico in 2009; not in California at the time of Lindsay and Jason’s murder.
• Theory: Burgess may have inspired similar killings, but he was cleared as the murderer in this case.
  ([22:19 - 28:18])

6. Break in the Case: The Gallon Family

• March 24, 2017: Sean Gallon murders his brother Seamus in Guerneville, CA.
• Sean had a history of violence, paranoia, and severe mental illness—documented erratic behavior and previous attacks (such as shooting someone with a homemade arrow).
• Former girlfriend and locals had previously tipped off police about his possible involvement in the Jenner Beach murders.
• Polygraph and mounting circumstantial evidence led to renewed suspicion.
• Discovery: After the 2004 murders, Gallon had in his possession a Marlin .45-70 rifle stolen years earlier.
  ([31:30 - 41:42])

Disturbing Discovery:

• Police found animal abuse and pipe bomb materials in his home, indicating a dangerous, deranged individual.
  ([41:38 - 42:36])

7. Sean Gallon's Confession and Motive

• Gallon confessed after his 2017 arrest, citing psychotic break and “voices” compelling him to kill.
  • “I just made myself do it. Like, I don't. I don't know what I was thinking.” — Sean’s confession ([44:49])
• Described leaving the scene, actively hiding shell casings and the weapon, and enlisting his father to destroy evidence.
• Motive: There was no personal reason—purely a random, psychotic act with no direct motive, magnifying the tragedy.
• Sean pleaded no contest and was sentenced to life for the murders of Lindsay, Jason, and his brother.
  ([42:57 - 49:24])

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Memorable Moments & Quotes

• “The motive behind this crime is gonna have you guys seriously shaking your heads.” — Daphne ([02:14])
• “It was so peaceful and so beautiful where they were at... then all of a sudden, they're deceased.” — Heath ([15:29])
• “Random, violent outburst, likely at the hands of a stranger. But who, and why?” — Daphne ([16:30])
• “He even says he doesn’t know why he did it and he had to almost talk himself into murdering this amazing couple.” — Daphne ([50:04])
• “They happened to end up at this one beach where this one monster was passing.” — Daphne ([50:03])

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Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment | |---------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:56-07:25 | Introduction to Lindsay and Jason’s lives and relationship | | 07:25-12:17 | Timeline: Disappearance, search, and discovery of bodies | | 13:04-15:29 | Crime scene details, lack of evidence, guestbook notes | | 16:52-22:19 | Early suspects, forensics, dead ends | | 22:19-28:18 | The Joseph Burgess parallel and dismissal as suspect | | 31:30-41:42 | The Gallon family, Sean’s background, and crime history | | 42:36-49:24 | Sean Gallon’s confession and breakdown of events/motive | | 49:24-50:28 | Closing reflections, tragedy of randomness, lasting impact |

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Tone & Host Reflections

Daphne and Heath approach the episode with empathy and respect for the victims, often pausing to reflect on the emotional weight of the couple’s final days and the “senselessness” of the crime. Their blend of narrative storytelling, forensic analysis, and personal reactions creates a rich, comprehensive recounting, while not shying away from the devastating impact felt by the families and community.

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Summary

This episode is at once a poignant memorial for Lindsay Cutshall and Jason Allen, and a chilling exploration of a crime whose randomness shrouded it in mystery for over a decade. The investigation’s twists, the lack of clear motive, and the eventual confession by a troubled man reflect the darkest and most confounding facets of true crime—making this a deeply affecting entry in the Going West series.

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For listeners wanting to learn more, the hosts mention posting the couples’ final photo together on their social media accounts.

Transcript

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[Heath]

What is going on, true crime fans? I'm your host, Heath.

[Daphne]

And I'm your host, Daphne.

[Heath]

And you're listening to Going West.

[Daphne]

Hello everybody. Hope you are doing well today. Today we have a case about this beautiful couple who should have lived long lives together and a very delusional person who took that opportunity away.

[Heath]

Yeah, this seems like one of the more nonsensical. I mean, all of these crimes are nonsensical, but this one just feels so like, why did you have to do it?

[Daphne]

Yeah. The motive behind this crime is gonna have you guys seriously shaking your heads. And we have some amazing things to share about this couple and what they were doing at the time that they were murdered, where they were, why they were there. Like this is a story like no other. So without further ado.

[Heath]

Alright, guys, this is episode 628 of Going West. So let's get into it.

[Daphne]

In the summer of 2004, two young camp counselors set out on a peaceful trip along California's northern coastline. But when they failed to return, a search led authorities to a heartbreaking discovery on a remote beach that devastated their families and baffled investigators for over a decade. Until another murder brought the answers they so desperately sought. These are the murders of Lindsay Cutshall and Jason Allen Also known as the Fish Head Beach Murders. Lindsey Cutshall was born on September 9, 1981 in Fresno, Ohio, to parents Kathy and Chris, and was raised alongside her older sister Carrie. She was known for being warm, kind, and overall just a total peacemaker. And although she was a bit shy when you were getting to know her, friends described her as generous and a loving friend and sister. Her dad was the pastor of Fresno Bible Church and the family were deeply rooted in their faith. We've been talking about faith a lot lately.

[Heath]

Yes, we have lots of religion in going west lately.

[Daphne]

I don't know. And we have more coming. I don't know what that is. Not on purpose.

[Heath]

Yeah.

[Daphne]

Like as a little girl, she even talked about wanting to be a missionary, you know, which is somebody who is sent to an area to promote a particular faith. This is what she wanted to do. So in 2002, she followed her older sister to Appalachian Bible College in Mount Hope, West Virginia, where she was pursuing an associate's degree alongside her theology studies, which was a hallmark of the program and one of the reasons that she was particularly drawn there. The other was the proximity to West Virginia's rugged and picturesque wilderness, which was something that Lindsay always had an affinity for. From a young age, Lindsay was known for being adventurous and outdoorsy and loved to ride motorcycles. And in Mount Hope, she made friends with a group of like minded people who described themselves as adrenaline junkies and sought out thrilling experiences in nature. Her sister Carrie was already friends with the group and welcomed Lindsay in when she arrived, which is how she met Jason Allen, who was also in the group. Now, Jason had graduated with his bachelor's degree the year prior, but had stayed in the area and was working as a river rafting guide. If that doesn't tell you how much he's into the adventurous, outdoorsy stuff.

[Heath]

Yeah, yeah. Both of them kind of bonded over the fact that they love to be adventurous, that, you know, they're thrill seekers. So this was a great way to bond for the two of them. Well, Jason Allen was born on May 16, 1978, making him about three and a half years older than Lindsay in Edison, New Jersey, to parents Dolores and Bob. And he grew up alongside two younger sisters named Elizabeth and Vanessa. His family eventually settled in Zealand, Michigan, where he lived until moving to West Virginia. Now Jason's sisters lovingly remember their goofy older brother who would do anything to make them laugh, including jumping on them, despite his Height advantage at 6:2 or, you know, just like snorkeling in the family hot tub. They also remember his spontaneity, his zeal for life, passion for the outdoors and big hearted nature. And just like Lindsay as a kid, he also wanted to be a missionary. So the pair met through friends and after dating for only six weeks, they were certain that they were going to spend the rest of their lives together.

[Daphne]

Makes sense. They have so much in common. They have the same goals, they have the same hobbies, like neither of them seem to have a mean bone in their body.

[Heath]

And sadly, you know, when I said that they knew that they were going to spend the rest of their lives together, you know, you would, you would see that as a positive thing. But in this circumstance, it's, it's a very tragic situation. They started planning a relaxing late summer outdoor wedding with a Christian bluegrass band set to perform, settling on Saturday, September 11, 2004 as their wedding date. But before they did, they made plans to get outdoors together in Northern California, having both been hired as guides at Rockin Water, which was a Christian adventure camp in Lotus, California, just about an hour southeast of Sacramento. Lindsay finished up her two year degree and the pair headed west to spend the summer in California. Now together, they attended the training program for guides hoping to be trained to lead river rafting expeditions. And eventually they told friends that they wanted to open their own Cross Christian adventure camp.

[Daphne]

Living conditions at the camp were pretty rugged, but 22 year old Lindsay and 26 year old Jason made sure to call home from a payphone every Sunday to talk to their families. On Friday, August 13, 2004, less than a month before their wedding, they decided to take a little weekend getaway as a break from work and the stress of planning a wedding because they had a lot going on this summer. Their camp counselors, they're like, let's get away together.

[Heath]

Yeah, just take one little quick weekend to do something fun for ourselves.

[Daphne]

But, but they actually didn't tell anyone where they were going, which is what led to a delay in the discovery that they were even missing in the first place. So Lindsay and Jason Left camp around 5pm on Friday evening and spent the night in Sacramento. The next morning, they drove into San Francisco and spent the day exploring the different tourist spots, including shopping at the historic Fisherman's Wharf. That afternoon they continued on to Sebastopol and then to Bodega Bay where they stopped at a surf shop to ask about places to camp overnight. You know, they're asking the locals. They soon wound up in Jenner, California where Jason had visited a few years prior. Now Jenner is this coastal town in Sonoma County, California. And they stopped at the Jenner Inn to eat dinner, which is this really charming inn that serves coastal food. You know, it's very cozy in there. And they were hoping to stay there as well. They wanted to have dinner and then stay the night, but there weren't any available rooms that night.

[Heath]

So now they got to figure out a new situation where they're gonna stay.

[Daphne]

They had already been consider camping, but then when they got to this end, they were thinking, huh, maybe we'll just stay here. But then they're like, okay, let's just camp out on the beach instead. Which would alter the course of their lives forever. They settled on Fish Head beach, where they planned on camping out under the stars for the night, even though it wasn't technically legal to do so. But oftentimes people did it anyway. And this is a beautiful kind of secluded, gray sanded beach that's covered in driftwood logs and has lots of steep bluffs behind it. Now, typically, rock and water employees would return for dinner around 4 and 5pm on Sundays in order to regroup and prepare for the week. But on Sunday evening, two days after they arrived at the beach, unbeknownst to anyone. So on August 15, 2004, they were notably not in attendance for dinner. To the surprise of their friends and fellow camp counselors, the camp director began asking around for them, but no one had seen them since Friday evening. Meanwhile, their parents were growing nervous because Lindsay and Jason hadn't made that weekly Sunday call home, right?

[Heath]

So now at this point, you know, they were supposed to be back for that dinner. They were supposed to make that phone call. Neither of those things happened. So people are starting to worry.

[Daphne]

So much so that their friends even scoped out the local river, wondering if maybe they had taken a raft out for like a little jaunt together. But they found no sign of them anywhere.

[Heath]

Well, by early Monday. So the next day, the camp director decided to call the families of the couple because it was clear that something just wasn't right here. A missing persons report was filed for the couple, and Sonoma county police were told to be on the lookout for Lindsay's red 1992 Ford Tempo with Ohio plates. By Tuesday, Lindsay's parents had rushed across the country to aid in the search efforts and and hung missing posters all over this coastline. Then on Thursday, August 19, a patrol officer found a vehicle matching the description of Lindsay's red Ford Tempo parked facing the wrong direction on the Pacific coast highway, perched on this jagged cliff above Fish Head beach just north of Jenner. California. A police helicopter headed out to search the coastline, and hovering over Fish Head beach, deputies spotted a makeshift shack composed of driftwood and what appeared to be two people sleeping on the beach in front of it. When a crew was sent to investigate this, they discovered the young couple still lying next to each other and still inside their sleeping bags. But both had suffered a single gunshot wound to the head. They were positioned about 20ft from the entrance of this driftwood hut, with Jason to the left of Lindsay lying on his side with his shoulder in the sand, having sustained a blow to his right cheek. Lindsey, on the other hand, was on her back next to Jason, and she had been shot in the back of her head on the left side. So the angles from which they were shot ruled out any remote possibility of their deaths being, like, some sort of murder suicide, especially since there was no gun found at the scene. So they're like, what the hell happened here?

[Daphne]

And what a nightmare for investigators, because this is a really remote area. It's very unlikely that there are any witnesses, but it almost looked like a hit. Almost like they were sniped.

[Heath]

Yeah, like, purposefully targeted.

[Daphne]

Yeah, because one gunshot each, they're lying in their sleeping bags. There's no struggle. This isn't a bloody scene. Nothing's taken from the scene. Like somebody just wanted them dead.

[Heath]

Also, sexual assault was not a motive in this case because, you know, obviously the evidence didn't suggest that.

[Daphne]

Right. So finding the motive here was really, really tough. And unfortunately, by the way, there were no bullet casings found and no evidence left behind either.

[Heath]

So whoever did this purposefully knew that they needed to collect those shell casings to take with them.

[Daphne]

Well, Lindsay's car was searched carefully, and there was no evidence found of any other person having been with them or having left behind any sign of their identity. So they had almost nothing to go off of here because it didn't seem like whoever did this had been spending time with them that day, but rather come upon them. But discarded near them was the couple's camera, which offered an intimate look into the final moments of their lives. This camera contained the last pictures of Lindsay and Jason on the beach together, just enjoying their trip. So I want to kind of describe for those who aren't looking at this picture on YouTube, this driftwood hut. It's not like. It's not constructed. Like. It's not like somebody brought out a hammer and nails and put a bunch of driftwood together. So it seems like somebody who frequents the area probably put that together for other people that are camping on the beach or visiting the beach.

[Heath]

And we've seen this, you know, you and I spending a lot of time on the Oregon coast. We've seen people make, like, driftwood huts and little, you know, places where you can, like, get some reprieve from the wind.

[Daphne]

Yeah, yeah, it's. It was. It's kind of a cute thing because also inside this driftwood hut was a notebook that people who are visiting Fish Head beach could sign their names in so people could write. It's almost like a guest book is left inside. And this little. So I can imagine as well, that whether he already knew about it, Jason did, or somebody told them, like, this is clearly a beloved spot for. For travelers.

[Heath]

Yeah. For many people.

[Daphne]

And they both. Both Lindsay and Jason wrote passages in this notebook. So we have writings from them on the final night of their lives. Lindsay's read quote, the sun is going down in the horizon. All I see is the beams shining on the cliff face. And I know that God is awesome. I look around, and I see his creation all around me. Lindsay from Coshocton, Ohio. And then Jason wrote, as I stir this Mac and cheese, I think to myself, what a wonderful life. I've just spent two awesome days with my fiance, Lindsay. Can life ever be so perfect? Only with a person who is so great. God gives us this privilege in life, and he has given me a wonderful woman to enjoy it. Jason from Michigan, August 14, 2004.

[Heath]

It just makes this whole case even more tragic, the fact that, you know, they really didn't know that anything was going to happen. Like, it was so peaceful and so beautiful where they were at. They were spending this nice, romantic little getaway together, and then all of a sudden, they're deceased.

[Daphne]

This is just such a beautiful insight into how great of a time in their lives this was for them, how in love they truly were.

[Heath]

Exactly.

[Daphne]

It just. Yeah, like you're saying, it makes it that much more heartbreaking, honestly. Well, through their bank activity, detectives were able to locate the gift shop where they bought two small bottles of Tabasco on Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. But there were no security cameras inside the shop, and the shopkeeper admitted that he couldn't remember them. But the employee of the surf shop where they stopped to ask about possible camping locations did remember them and said they were headed towards Jenner for the night and that they were alone. So, again, police had so little to go off of, and their murders just seem like the most baffling type of violence. This is a completely random, violent outburst, likely at the hands of a stranger. But who and why?

[Heath]

Yeah, this is one of those ones where it's like, you know, we don't often see these type of like random violent attacks. Like usually there's some sort of motive attached to it.

[Daphne]

That's why we cover so many. Like husband, wife murders.

[Heath]

Exactly. But this one just seems like it was completely and totally random. Well, an early suspect emerged in the form of a man named James Zook, who was wanted for committing a murder in nearby Sebastopol. Sebastopol, California, which is just 25 miles or 40 kilometers to the east of Jenner. A deputy came across him walking along a roadside and arrested him on the spot on August 19, 2004. So the same day that Lindsay and Jason's bodies were discovered. Now the day prior, 49 year old James Zook had killed his 44 year old neighbor Daniel Bloomfield during an altercation. And according to the police lieutenant who investigated the murder.

[Daphne]

Police.

[Heath]

The pair had been locked in an ongoing dispute over the ownership of a vehicle, which is a pretty insane thing to end in murder, but it did. They both resided at apartments on the same property. And after a confrontation in the driveway at 7:30pm the night before, James pulled a gun on Daniel and shot him in the torso before fleeing. But like I just said, you know, he was then arrested actually near his parents ranch just north of Jenner. Following his arrest, detectives were keenly interested in questioning him in connections with the murders of Lindsey and Jason, because the chances of two killers being on the loose in this quaint coastal area on the same day felt a little too far fetched to be real.

[Daphne]

Fair enough.

[Heath]

However, according to both James and his parents, he had an ironclad alibi as he had been home with them at the time of the murders. In April of 2006, James was found guilty of first degree murder for killing Daniel Bloomfield and remains incarcerated today, though he will be eligible for parole in January of 2028. So it wasn't too far fetched after all for there to be two killers. Because James, of course, wasn't responsible for taking the lives of Lindsey and Jason. With the investigation stalled yet again, law enforcement released a piece of information that had been revealed by the autopsy. So the fragment of the bullet removed from Jason's body was from a lever action 4570 caliber Marlin brand rifle. So hundreds of tips poured in when this piece of information was released. And many people tipped off police about a sketchy transient man who had been in the vicinity of the beach on the evening of the murders. But unfortunately, this tip didn't lead to any developments because nobody knew who he was or where he had gone.

[Daphne]

As leads continued to cool, investigators began combing over records to see if there were any similar unsolved cases that may be connected to the murder of 22 year old Lindsey and 26 year old Jason. Because there have been so many spontaneous murders of camping couples and we have covered a handful of them, including the Bumblebee Road murders of Lisa Marie Guerreri and Brandon Rumbaugh in Arizona, the Shenandoah national park murders of couple Julie Williams and Lolly Winans, and the Torrey Pine State beach murder of Barbara Nantes, who was camping outside with her boyfriend Jim Alt, who wound up surviving the attack. Jim did that. That was a crazy story. All of those were wild.

[Heath]

And that one actually seems like the most similar to Lindsay and Jason's attack.

[Daphne]

Completely agree, because it was also a beach murder that happened in Southern California, not Northern. But still, from these three separate attacks, only one of them have been solved. That's the murders of Julie and Lali. But one other eerily similar crime stuck out to investigators, particularly because in both instances, the victims were a young Christian couple. On June 21, 1972, a rattled university of British Columbia student reported to the small outpost for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Tofino, which is like this remote coastal town on the west side of Vancouver island in B.C. canada. This student had hiked the rugged terrain to an isolated stretch called Radar beach, which had become somewhat of a hippie commune in the years prior. So this terrified student reported having stumbled upon a double homicide and walked the 6 miles or 10 kilometers to the station to report it like as soon as he could. The couple soon identified as 20 year old university of British Columbia student Ann Durant and 21 year old college student from Sweden named Leif Carlson were found shot to death in a single sleeping bag. Ann was found with five bullet holes in her head and one in her arm. And Leif had four in his head, all from a.22 caliber rifle. As Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer Dan Creely began his investigation of this surrounding encampment, he met a woman who reported seeing a man named Joseph Burgess cleaning a.22 caliber rifle in the days prior to the murder. And reported that he had also apparently been complaining because Anne and Leaf were camping together, but they were not yet married. Which is such a strange gripe to have, like you can only camp together if you're married and we're gonna find out.

[Heath]

Joseph is like, you know, well, he's obviously fucking nuts, but he, he's also like highly religious. So in his mind that you can't, you can't sleep together.

[Daphne]

You know, God forbid a couple sleep next to each other on the beach on Wed. Yeah.

[Heath]

Right.

[Daphne]

Well, to the frustration of the investigation, Joseph had fled by then. But a police dog came upon his discarded belongings which included an ID and, and hand scrawled Bible passages that he shredded and littered around the campsite. Which says a lot as well.

[Heath]

Yeah.

[Daphne]

Of his mindset and how he's kind of bringing religion into this choice of his. Well, his fingerprints were also found at the scene of the murder. So this was a very strong connection.

[Heath]

Well, according to fellow residents of the beach, Joseph was a religious zealot. And his possible motivation is that he wanted to kill unmarried couples who were of course sleeping together.

[Daphne]

There's this wild headline from an old newspaper that says something like, Jesus freak kills Christian couple on beach.

[Heath]

I mean, that's so wild. So Joseph was a mentally ill transient who was a New Jersey native, but moved to Toronto in the 1960s to avoid the draft. He was a bit of a. Bit of a hippie, this guy. Yeah. He then made his way to Canada's West coast purchasing a.22 caliber rifle, supposedly for self protection. Then he moved into a boarding house of the Children of God congregation, which is known as a cult with a history of physical, psychological and sexual abuse against its members. Which if you haven't heard of the Children of God, which we've actually talked about.

[Daphne]

We did this year. What case was that for? I can't even remember. I cover so many dang cases.

[Heath]

I know so many dang cases. But I think it was the guy that ran that abortion clinic. Remember?

[Daphne]

Oh, yes. Oh, that was a bonus episode, wasn't it?

[Heath]

Yes, it was. Well, hey, go check it out. It's on patreon right now. Patreon.com goingwestpodcast and Apple subscriptions. So Joseph then began going by the name Job Weeks in reference to the biblical character. But Joseph was reportedly kicked out of the boarding house because his gun made his fellow residents feel uncomfortable. I mean, obviously, like, why do you have a gun in here? And then.

[Daphne]

Especially this guy.

[Heath]

Yeah, exactly, especially this guy. And then he began camping out in the hippie commune. Well, after fleeing Radar beach in the aftermath of the murders, he made his way south. An APB was issued for him, but he managed to exist on the fringes of society for long enough that he went undetected for decades until a shocking confrontation brought him Back into the public eye. Now, somehow, Joseph made his way to New Mexico, Though nobody knows quite how or when this transcontinental journey actually happened. But Sonoma county investigators were interested to learn that he actually had a sister that lived in Northern California near Fish Head Beach. And they wondered if possibly Joseph had perhaps taken refuge with her and committed another similar crime almost three decades later. And it would take five years, but they would finally get their answer, which

[Daphne]

is kind of crazy, because then you would imagine, did he commit other crimes? I mean, to kill Anne and Leaf in 1972 and then be suspected in a murder that occurred in 2004, that's

[Heath]

a lot of time to pass, you know, and if he's capable of doing that once, who's to say he couldn't do it again?

[Daphne]

It's almost like the zodiac killer, where a big motivation for zodiacs seemed to be killing couples at lovers lanes or couples that were out together. And so his MO Is like killing Christian couples or couples who are doing things that he doesn't agree with.

[Heath]

Right.

[Daphne]

So in 2009, in the Jemez mountains of New Mexico, located northwest of Santa Fe, locals had long been complaining of random break ins in which a local homeless man would enter their homes to steal food, camping equipment, and clothing to support his survivalist lifestyle. Like, he became known among residents as the Cookie Bandit.

[Heath]

The Cookie Bandit.

[Daphne]

I kind of like, wish that was my nickname.

[Heath]

You are the Cookie Bandit, but I know.

[Daphne]

But it wasn't just, like, snacks and equipment that he was taking, because in 2007, he had stolen the.357 revolver from one of the homes that he robbed. Frequently. Investigator suspicions that this man may have had something to do with the murders of Jason and Lindsay, of course, led them to a stakeout on July 26, 2009.

[Heath]

Yeah, and Joseph was not going down without a fight.

[Daphne]

No. This culminated in a shootout where both the Cookie Bandit and an officer, Sergeant Joe Harris, lost their lives. His fingerprints were taken posthumously, and he was confirmed to be Joseph Burgess, the transient who claimed two lives 37 years earlier. He is still thought to be a possible perpetrator in other crimes, just based on his very erratic behavior and the brutal murder, of course, that he committed in 1972. Dan Creely, one of the investigators of the 1972 slaying of Ann Durant and Leif Carlson, said, quote, there is good reason to suspect that there could have very well been other killings between 72 and 09 that he became involved in. However, despite his mental illness and transient lifestyle, Joseph kept diligent notes about his travels and daily activities. And he had not been anywhere near Fish Head beach on the day that Lindsay and Jason were killed. So unfortunately for the grieving families here, it would take nearly eight more years for them to pin down the killer, by which point he would claim another victim.

[Heath]

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[Heath]

Chime is a fintech, not a bank. Banking services for Chime card provided by Chime's bank Partners. Optional products and services may have fees or charges. Stated cash back for Chime prime only. No minimum balance required. On March 24, 2017, almost 13 years after Lindsey and Jason were murdered, the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call about a shooting at a home, Guernville, California, only about a half hour inland from Jenner. Police were summoned to the home of Susan Gallon, who claimed that her son Seamus had been shot dead by her other son, Sean Gallon. According to Susan, a fight had broken out between the two and Shawn calmly retrieved his rifle from his car before marching upstairs and firing multiple shots at his brother and then fleeing.

[Daphne]

It's very disturbing that they were involved in an altercation, calmly went to go get his gun, consciously went back upstairs and shot his brother multiple times.

[Heath]

Yeah, literally. And according to Seamus's autopsy, Sean had shot his brother about seven times before reloading and then aiming for his neck, killing him instantly.

[Daphne]

More purpose.

[Heath]

Yeah, so this was just very, very brutal, you know. Well, thankfully Sean's getaway hadn't taken him very far though, because he was spotted in the vicinity soon after the murder and arrested. Following this brief police chase, Sean immediately broke down and admitted to killing his brother. And when he was asked about the Jenner beach murders, of course he declined any involvement. However, his name had actually already been floated to investigators 13 years prior due to his history of erratic and very violent behavior, as well as his mental Illness. Having been described as paranoid and antisocial, he would later be diagnosed with schizotypal personality disorder. And he also suffered from psychosis. Shawn was known to post, you know, very nonsensical ramblings on social media, which was very reflective of his mood and his delusions at that time. For example, on the very day that he murdered his brother, he posted a string of short Facebook statuses that read, quote, like sex for the body, like sex for free. Write sex with your mother, and then say, mega mother duthert, which I don't understand.

[Daphne]

I don't think that means anything.

[Heath]

I don't think it means anything at all. And when they said, you know, that this was like ramblings.

[Daphne]

It's ramblings.

[Heath]

It's ramblings. That's exactly what it was. Well, two months earlier, he had written, people I've never met seem to know me and my deeds. Why, just the other day, I was picking up my order of fish and fried potatoes, a young kid looks up to me and directly in my eyes thanks me for saving his world. In English, not telepathy. I immediately recognized him to be from the Pleiades star cluster. What? Another from that month. Read, quote, okay, I think I'm back on earth.

[Daphne]

This is really showing us inside his head.

[Heath]

Yeah, he is not. He's very much not doing well mentally. One post rambled about religious delusions. Reading, quote, so seeing how I'm a holy angel and have all the knowledge and information, and when you become the Lord's bride, you were married with a golden ring, halo, and wings. I would like to tell some of my stories from the war because I always talk to my fellow angels of heaven. Others concerned graphic and explicit sexual scenarios, including fantasies about rape. Like, he was posting this on Facebook for others to read. So multiple people tipped off investigators about the possibility of his involvement, including a former girlfriend who described him as erratic and a drug user and said that there had been a steep decline in his mental health in recent years.

[Daphne]

But his family, and especially his mother, Susan, unfortunately enabled him in his violent behavior, allowing him to wreak havoc on this community. So, growing up, the boys were homeschooled, and the family was very withdrawn and insular. Like, at one point, Shawn's father, David, had actually tried to summon social services because he was concerned that Sean would harm his little brother, who is the one that he eventually murdered.

[Heath]

Yeah, the one that he actually killed.

[Daphne]

But when a social worker arrived at the home, Susan Gallon. So the mom refused to allow her inside because she wanted to protect Shawn from legal ramifications, even though it was for his own good.

[Heath]

Yeah, she's saying there's nothing wrong with my kid.

[Daphne]

The social worker noted that Sean was living in squalid conditions, that his hygiene was poor, and that his behavior was, quote, bizarre. Then in 2009, he was sent to prison for shooting someone with one of his homemade arrows. So basically, on January 27th of 2009, he shot an arrow, like, from his bow and arrow from his home. And it punctured the convertible roof of the Mazda of the victim, who was James McNeil. And this guy was parked across the street, just chatting with a friend. And from his home, he's like, bow and arrowing this random guy on the street.

[Heath]

Yeah. Just totally ran. Hey, there you go. Random attack. He's shooting a fucking arrow at this guy's car.

[Daphne]

Exactly. It's in his history. So Sean shot the bow and arrow completely unprovoked. And when James, of course, reported the incident, police surrounded the Galland family home, bolstered by the SWAT team. And they also had a hostage negotiation team as well. But somehow he managed to escape. James was treated for his injury from the arrow. You know, he thankfully made a full recovery from that crazy attack. What a. What a wild story that he has for the rest of his life.

[Heath]

Yeah, I'm just sitting in my car, chilling on the. On the street, and then all of a sudden, arrow comes in.

[Daphne]

Sean retreated to the attic, but still had access to a rifle, according to his brother Seamus. Now, this standoff lasted 29 hours, and tear gas was even fired into the home. Like, this is a big deal. This is a. This is an event. This is a standoff.

[Heath]

Yeah.

[Daphne]

But they eventually stormed the house in hopes of finding and arresting 28 year old Shawn and found only an empty house.

[Heath]

Sean had slipped out.

[Daphne]

More than 24 people from nearby businesses and residences had to be evacuated for their own safety. Because if there's a 29 hour standoff, this guy has a bow and arrow. They know that he's erratic. They're like, there's this. This man is on the loose, everybody.

[Heath]

Yeah.

[Daphne]

Shelter in place.

[Heath]

And they also don't know what else he has. They don't know if he had more guns and if he, you know, had a gun with him when he escaped. So they're like, lock down, everybody. This guy's on the loose.

[Daphne]

Because inside the home, among Sean's possessions, they found ammunition, a pistol, a homemade bow and arrow set, and a bulletproof vest.

[Heath]

Having been born and raised in the area, Sean, who was about 23 when Lindsey and Jason were killed, making him about Lindsey's age, was very familiar with his surroundings and was also known for being a survivalist who enjoyed living in the rugged wilderness of the Russian river and Sonoma county coastal region. Multiple press releases warned that he was armed and dangerous, and a $75,000 reward was issued for his capture. On March 4, 2009, he finally surrendered himself to the police, pleading, of course, guilty to shooting James McNeil, you know, with that arrow. He was sentenced to three years in prison for this crime. Made the news again in 2017 after the violent confrontation with his brother turned deadly. Now, Sean was asked to take a polygraph concerning his involvement in the murders, and he consented, but he ultimately failed. So detectives finally felt sure that they had their culprit. Now, in Sean's Facebook history was a private message from his ex girlfriend that read, maybe I should just go turn you in for that $50,000 reward. Why don't you go shoot some more people and try to get away with it?

[Daphne]

So it's like she knows.

[Heath]

Yeah. And she's being. She's being a bit snarky about it

[Daphne]

right now, as she should be, honestly.

[Heath]

Well, this particular ex girlfriend lived in the United Kingdom by the time police recovered that Facebook message, but the investigators were so desperate to speak with her, so they headed out to the UK to meet her. However, a stunning development arose shortly after the officer arrived in the UK and before Sean's ex girlfriend even spoke with him, because Sean passed along a note saying that he wanted to talk to them and that he had a confession to make.

[Daphne]

Sean Gallon had actually been an early person of interest in the murders of Lindsay and Jason simply because of his criminal history and his proximity to the scene of the murders. And get this. Weeks after the murders, a deputy came upon an illegally parked vehicle, and inside found ammunition and hunting equipment and some camouflaged clothing. When Sean, the owner of the car, was questioned, they discovered that he had in his possession a stolen.45 caliber gun, which had been taken alongside 10 other guns back in 1999. So five years earlier, alongside that arsenal of guns, or in that arsenal of guns, was a stolen.45.70 caliber Marlin rifle, which was the murder weapon. So detectives visited his home in the aftermath of his release for his gun possession arrest. And inside. This is pretty disturbing. It's kind of an animal abuse warning. It's.

[Heath]

It's just.

[Daphne]

It's pretty unusual, honestly.

[Heath]

Yeah, it is.

[Daphne]

Inside his home, they found a dead turkey upside down in a trash Can. And then in the shower, blood streaked the walls and the tile floor from when he had caught and dismembered a shark.

[Heath]

The fuck?

[Daphne]

Which is like, never heard of anybody doing that. Holy shit.

[Heath]

That's so strange.

[Daphne]

The remains of that shark were being kept in the fridge, and a bloody hatchet was still inside the shower. Also inside the home were pipes and fuse cords which could be used to fashion pipe bombs. And a five gallon drum filled with bullets. Like, this is. This is the guy? Yeah.

[Heath]

I mean, this really is just a peek into his mental illness, his mental health. You know, the fact that he's like dismembering a shark in his own home and then he's, you know, potentially making pipe bombs. I mean, this guy is dangerous.

[Daphne]

This is a dangerous, deranged, disturbed man. So police at this point were onto him. But after a brief interview, Sean grew uncomfortable and demanded that they leave his home. So they were kind of forced to wait for information to surface that would relate him to the murders, which they did not have at that point. And then years later, it finally came.

[Heath]

So Sean explained that he had never been the same after trying LSD when he was 21, though this likely just coincided with his already developing mental illness. By Sean's recollection, one day this guy comes up and gives us a bottle of acid and then everything like, exploded. I went crazy. So here's what happened with Lindsey and Jason. On the Evening of Saturday, August 14, Sean was driving to Jenner beach to hunt wild boar, which was and is legal, by the way. And that's when he spotted Lindsay's car parked along the Pacific coast highway and watched Lindsay and Jason exit the car and walk down towards the beach. After hunting, Sean was driving home and noticed that the car was still there. So he returned home and began drinking in excess, finding himself obsessed over this couple and claiming to hear voices telling him to kill them. His confession letter detailed that some unknown force, whom even he didn't understand, possessed him and told him to return to the area and kill the couple that he saw earlier. Seeing that the car was still parked there, he followed those voices who beckoned him down to the beach. In the dead of the night, he scaled a 200 foot cliff with only a flashlight.

[Daphne]

Jeez, that's determination.

[Heath]

Yeah, he was determined to get down there. So seeing that the car was still there, he walked down to the couple who were sleeping on the sand in their sleeping bags in front of that driftwood hut. He then returned to his vehicle to fetch his rifle and then went back down to where Lindsay and Jason were sleeping.

[Daphne]

So it's like he left to find them. Found them, went all the way back, got his gun and all the way back. That's a lot of time to think about this.

[Heath]

Yes, absolutely.

[Daphne]

He's saying that he's following these voices.

[Heath]

Yeah, yeah. He's saying that he's possessed and he is determined to take their lives. Sean recalled in his confession, quote, I saw two people asleep in their sleeping bags, just laying there asleep. I just made myself do it. Like, I don't. I don't know what I was thinking. Sean shined his flashlight on them and then shot Jason in the head just after Jason had written about how perfect his life was and how happy he and Lindsay were together, just a month away from their wedding. At that point, Lindsay actually woke up from the noise, sat bolt upright, but before she knew what was happening, Shawn shot her, too, striking her in the head.

[Daphne]

He then scooped up the only stage spent casing, because one of them was actually caught in the gun and took the other casing out of the gun. He stuck the shell casings in a soda can and discarded them into some BlackBerry bushes on a remote road near his family's house.

[Heath]

What's really interesting, real quick, before we move on, is the fact that he knew to pick up the shell casings. Right. So it's like, yeah, he has this mental illness, but he knows that what he did on some level was wrong because he knew that he. He didn't want to get caught, so he had to pick him up and he had to hide him.

[Daphne]

Very actually.

[Heath]

Right.

[Daphne]

So true. So actually, this can, though it was later found. You would think that after all this time, it would have just been thrown away or lost, but he kept it because shortly after the murder, when Sean was arrested for the stolen.45 caliber gun, he called his dad, David, from prison and asked him to discard the rest of his arsenal of stolen guns, including the rifle that he had used to murder Lindsay and Jason. So he put all the evidence away again, like you're saying, knowing that what he did was wrong, he is consciously putting this stuff aside and hiding it. And then after he gets arrested, he doesn't want to be arrested for the murders again. So he. Because right now he's just being arrested for stolen weapons. So a murder charge, especially a double homicide, is way worse. So he called his dad and told him to get rid of all that stuff.

[Heath]

That, to me, shows that he knew exactly what he was doing and he knew that he needed to cover it all up.

[Daphne]

Well, Disappointingly, his dad, David, obliged without asking questions or reporting it. And by the time Sean admitted to the murders, years later, his dad had already passed away, taking his son's terrible deeds to his grave. Because in 2013, David took his own life. According to Sean, prior to his death, his dad confronted him with a flyer about the murders of Lindsay and Jason, wondering if the weapon he had disposed of on behalf of his son had anything to do with this double homicide. He had this hunch, yeah.

[Heath]

So David even believes that maybe his son was involved in it.

[Daphne]

And Sean didn't say, yeah, Dad, I did, that. He actually denied it. But he thinks that his dad knew that he was lying because he later said, quote, I'm sure it didn't help. I might have been directly why he did it. So he thinks that his dad knew that he did it anyway and was so ashamed and disappointed by it that it's part of the reason that he took his own life. On June 13, 2019, Sean Gallon pleaded no contest to the murders of Lindsay Cutshall and Jason Allen, avoiding the death penalty by doing so. And their family sat in court having to hear of this beautiful, happy couple and how their lives were so viciously taken away from them. Especially, like, again, I. I keep thinking back to those notes that they wrote in the little notebook in the driftwood hut. Like, yeah, that their families got to hear about Jason saying, as I stir this Mac and cheese, like, how can life be so perfect? And knowing, at least that they were so happy before they died and that they had such an amazing last day, but also knowing that they should have made it to the next day and the next day and to their wedding and having kids together and a family and. And living until they were old. On July 15, 2019, Sean was given three consecutive life sentences in prison, one for each of the lives that he took. His brother Seamus, as well as Lindsay and Jason. Thank you so much, everybody, for listening to this episode of Going West.

[Heath]

Yes, thank you guys so much for listening to this episode. I mean, what a tragic story. They were so close to their wedding. They just seem like such a lovely couple that truly loved each other.

[Daphne]

It's really devastating as well, because they had driven a little ways to this spot. This wasn't like, oh, this is our place. This is where we met. This is our special spot. It wasn't any of that. It was just a nice spot for them to camp because the Jenner Inn was fully booked for the night. So them being there was purely by happenstance. After spending a day going to San Francisco and you know, Bodega Bay. Like they just happened to end up at this one beach where this one monster monster was passing.

[Heath]

Yeah.

[Daphne]

And like you said earlier, this is just such a senseless crime. He even says he doesn't know why he did it and he had to almost talk himself in to murdering this amazing couple. It's so devastating. So thank you guys so much for tuning in to this one. Don't forget, if you want to see actually that last photo of Jason and Lindsay, we will post it on our socials. You could see it here of course on YouTube as well.

[Ashley/Home Chef/Chime Advertiser]

So.

[Daphne]

So check us out. Give us a follow if you're watching on YouTube. Don't forget to subscribe. Turn on our notifications that you know every time we come out with an episode. Make sure you're also subscribed if you're not on YouTube, whether it be Spotify or Apple. And follow us on socials.

[Heath]

Yeah, and if you're, if you're just discovering us from YouTube, go give us a follow on our socials. We're on Instagram @goingwestpodcast. We're also on Facebook as well as TikTok. We love you guys. Thank you for sticking with us for another episode of Going west and we will see you next time. Alright guys, so for everybody out there

[Daphne]

in the world, don't be a stranger.

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