The Doodler | Episode 8: Rays of Hope

Podcast: The Binge Crimes: The Doodler
Host: Kevin Fagan, San Francisco Chronicle
Date: August 19, 2025

Episode Overview

This pivotal episode, "Rays of Hope," focuses on emerging developments in the nearly 50-year-old Doodler serial killer case in San Francisco. Host Kevin Fagan, with collaborator Mike Taylor and key cold case detectives, explores three promising leads—a new psychiatrist identity, possible related crimes outside California, and overlooked physical evidence in a potential sixth victim's case. The episode blends investigative updates with poignant reflection on loss, queer history, hope, and the enduring urgency for justice.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Case Reactivation & Police Efforts

• Recent Press Conference (01:29)
  SFPD Commander Greg MacEachern and Cold Case Investigator Dan Cunningham announce the reopening of the Doodler case, hope that fresh publicity may yield new leads, and offer a $100,000 reward for information identifying the suspect.
  • DNA Evidence: DNA has been submitted from several homicides; results are pending.
  • Age-progressed Sketch: An updated image of the suspect is released for the public to scrutinize.
  • "We are now offering a $100,000 reward for anyone that can identify the suspect in the assaults from the caricature picture or the sketch that had been drawn back in 1975." – Dan Cunningham (02:20)

2. The Central Person of Interest (POI)

• The Psychiatrist Link (04:00–05:45)
  The focus remains on a patient identified by "Dr. Priest" in the 1970s. Investigators, then and now, regard him as the strongest lead.
  • Cunningham has personally interviewed the POI, confirming sexual identity and past psychiatric help.
  • DNA Obtained: The POI cooperated and provided a sample; his DNA is already in law enforcement databases from prior, non-violent arrests.
  • "I've interviewed him, gotten his DNA...based on the information he told me in the interview, this is the same person they looked at as the suspect back in 1977." – Dan Cunningham (05:44)

3. Roadblocks in Prosecution

• Insufficient Evidence (10:01–10:36)
  Legal experts consulted state the evidence is not strong enough for an arrest—case wouldn't survive a hearing or trial.
  • "You got nothing because the standard of proof is so high...It's beyond a reasonable doubt to a moral certainty." – Doug Munson, retired prosecutor (10:06)

4. The "Three Rays of Hope"

A. #1: Cracking the Psychiatrist’s Identity

• Dr. Priest or Dr. Preece? (13:03–16:46)
  New research identifies the psychiatrist as Dr. Howard Preece (not Priest), who worked at Highland Hospital and later in the prison system.
  • Dr. Preece's family says he liked challenging cases; connection plausible.
  • Though deceased, his personal papers and family memories are being pursued as potential sources for forgotten insights or names.
  • "He always seemed to have an interest in troublemakers, I guess, and wanting to figure them out." – Holly Preece, Dr. Preece’s daughter (15:28)

B. #2: National Crime Linkages

• VICAP and Traveler Murders (18:02–19:37)
  After initial questioning in 1976, the POI traveled across the U.S.; similar crimes occurred along his route.
  • SFPD shares crime scene information in VICAP, resulting in 15 possible matches across the South, East, and Midwest.
  • "There's several different incidents that we're interested in looking at." – Dan Cunningham (18:46)

C. #3: The Warren Andrews Murder

• Possible Sixth Doodler Victim (21:20–25:37)
  Warren Andrews, attacked in April 1975, wasn’t stabbed (like the canonical victims) but suffered fatal head trauma. Investigators now revisit his case as possibly connected.
  • Physical evidence includes a rock, a tree branch, and, notably, a handkerchief which may yield DNA.
  • "Just because the fact of the location, the time period, some of the, you know, the victimology, makes me think that it might be connected." – Detective Dan Dedette (23:51)

Reflections on Police, Queer History, and Ongoing Injustice

SFPD and the LGBTQ Community

• Commander Teresa Ewins offers perspective on longstanding fear and reluctance to report among queer San Franciscans.
  • "Life wasn't so different as far as people having the fear of being out." – Teresa Ewins (28:37)

Hate Crimes Then and Now

• Advocates stress that social conditions enabling hate-fueled crimes persist, especially against trans people.
  • "As long as groups are otherized and marginalized, the ground will be fertile for violent people to strike, for killers like the Doodler to take advantage of the hate..." – Kevin Fagan (30:24)

Victim’s Families and the Weight of Loss

• Interview with Melissa, sister of Jay Stevens (second Doodler victim):
  • "To have some closure...would be just divine." (31:22)
  • "What was it like to kill my brother? ...Because it sure rained havoc on our lives, you know, and was it that satisfying? And why?" (32:30)

The Human Side of Investigation

• Fagan reflects on carrying the memories of the victims and the duty to make their stories known.
  • "It's not my job to possess their memories, though. It's my job to shine a light on them and to pass their memory on to you." (33:12)

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• On the challenge ahead:
  "A lot of this has to do, I think, with, with the public’s involvement...someone out in the public has seen something." – Mike Taylor (35:47)

• On progress in the case:
  "It was a football game. And I think when we started the ball's on the one or two yard line. I think we got it out to midfield." – Dan Dedette (36:48)

• On public responsibility:
  “Who knows? All it takes is one phone call.” – Mike Taylor (38:29)

Key Timestamps of Important Segments

• Press conference & SFPD updates: 01:29 – 03:20
• Discussion of Person of Interest & DNA: 05:08 – 08:20
• Legal barriers/Prosecutor perspectives: 10:01 – 10:36
• Dr. Preece’s identity revealed: 13:03 – 16:46
• VICAP national leads: 18:02 – 19:37
• Warren Andrews case breakdown: 21:20 – 25:37
• Police-LGBTQQ relations: 28:37 – 29:12
• Melissa Stevens emotional interview: 31:22 – 33:12
• Investigation reflection & call for tips: 35:47 – 38:32

Conclusion & Episode Takeaway

Three credible “rays of hope” now illuminate a path forward for a half-century old cold case: a clearer understanding of the psychiatrist’s identity and network, national links to potentially related murders, and the pursuit of long-lost physical evidence that may yet yield DNA. The episode ends on a bittersweet, resilient note—while justice has not been achieved, renewed investigation, public engagement, and advances in forensic technology mean there is still hope for answers and closure for victims’ families, the city’s queer community, and all who remember.