True Crime Garage: "Santa Rosa Murders ////// A Confluence of Killers"

Podcast: True Crime Garage
Hosts: Nic & The Captain
Release Date: October 1, 2025
Episode Focus: An in-depth, multi-layered exploration of the unsolved Santa Rosa Murders, examining the complex timeline, notable victims, missteps in the investigation, and a "confluence" of potential serial killer suspects that crossed paths in California in the 1970s.

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode continues True Crime Garage’s deep-dive into the Santa Rosa murders—a series of unsolved homicides from early-1970s Northern California, notorious for their confusing victim and suspect profiles, investigative missteps, and credible theories connecting these cases to some of the most infamous serial killers in American history. Nic and the Captain dissect the investigative timeline, revisit the failings of early leads, and interrogate the plausibility of a possible "confluence of killers" operating in the same place and era.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Victims—Complicated Identifications and Connections

• The episode opens by focusing on Carrie Ann Graham and Francine Marie Trimble (02:37–07:40), teens who vanished together in December 1978. Their remains were found seven months later, unidentified for decades due to misinterpretations by the coroner and failures to act on obvious clues.
  • "[For] those decades... how many people could you have talked to in those decades? It's very complicated to talk to [witnesses] now because either they moved away, they don't remember, or they have passed away themselves." — Nic (08:57)
• The hosts lament that despite families and the public correctly suspecting the identities of the bodies, authorities dismissed these assertions, partially owing to flawed gender and age assessments by the coroner.
• The "single-shell earring" is highlighted as a recurring—possibly signature—detail at different scenes.

2. Missteps & Roadblocks in Investigation

• The misidentification of the victims and missed opportunities for progress are criticized.
  • “Remember, time is the killer of evidence, not the killer of these two girls.” — Nic (06:53)
• Discussion of a "Jane Doe" found in 1979 near another victim's earlier site, her remains hogtied and dumped in a duffel bag—a parallel to other known cases (10:30–12:36).
  • DNA in 2009 proved this Jane Doe was not missing teen Jeanette Kamahele, despite long speculation.
  • Importance of identifying Jane Does in unlocking killer and victimology pathways.

3. Are the Cases Connected? Or a Confluence of Multiple Killers?

• The hosts debate whether all, some, or only a few cases were the work of a single killer, referencing the proximity and methods, but also the inconsistencies (bags vs. nude bodies, time gaps, etc.)
  • “There's escalation... There's somebody adapting. ...But I lean more towards the fact that it's just the same killer.” — Captain (11:50)
  • “I believe that a lot of them are connected... [but] maybe a couple of these girls were killed by a... serial killer, just not by the same serial killer that may have killed a handful of the other victims.” — Nic (17:40–17:56)
• They compare the pattern to the Long Island Serial Killer (LISK) case and other major serial investigations where more than one killer may have operated simultaneously or in close succession.

4. Victim Timeline Expansion—The Lisa Michelle Smith Case

• Expands the possible timeline: Lisa Michelle Smith, missing since 1971, may have been an early victim (18:07–26:47).
• Possible confusion around whether a "Lisa Smith" who escaped an assault in Nevada is the same missing teen—unresolved, but highlights the era's hitchhiking dangers and investigative disarray.

5. Suspects—“A Confluence of Killers”

A. Hillside Stranglers (Kenneth Bianchi & Angelo Buono)

• Noted for their M.O. of dumping bodies on hillsides; reportedly ruled out due to timeline, but Nic questions whether Buono could have acted solo, earlier (31:52–32:17).
• “It wouldn't surprise me if [Buono] was actively killing earlier than we are currently aware of.” — Nic (32:16)

B. Ted Bundy

• Timeline and geography are ambiguous—Bundy had West Coast and California ties, and victimology matches, though concrete evidence is lacking.
  • "He had a girlfriend down there... and he had a look that wouldn't be a stretch from that general description [of the suspect]." — Nic (33:22–34:34)
  • Credit card records and travel are debated, but not definitively exculpatory.

C. Frederick Manalli

• Santa Rosa college professor with direct links to victim Kim Allen, found with sadomasochistic drawings explicitly featuring her and others.
  • “It's very strange. It puts him in a very, very small percentile of life events...” — Nic (45:12)
  • Discovery of a potentially incriminating backpack is disputed in reports.
  • Police theorized he became obsessed with Kim Allen after her murder (which would exonerate him), but Nic pushes against dismissing the overwhelming overlap in fantasy/artwork and crime.

D. Jack Alexander Boykin

• Serial rapist linked posthumously by DNA to a 1996 murder (not Santa Rosa cases); committed violent crimes in Sonoma, raising questions about involvement (46:30–47:51).

E. Jim Morai (from HBO Max’s “The Truth About Jim”)

• Suspected due largely to a family-discovered box of single earrings (now missing) and disturbing behavior towards women. Eyewitness from a skating rink case thought Morai looked similar to the man seen with victims, but had said likewise about a Bundy photo previously (48:34–56:36).

F. Terry Peder Rasmussen

• Not previously a Santa Rosa suspect, but Nic notes Rasmussen (Bear Brook murders) lived and worked as an electrician in Redwood City during the relevant period. Serial killer nomad potentially in the right time and place (57:27–62:26).

G. Joseph DeAngelo (Golden State Killer)

• Another California serial killer in the area in the early '70s, often speculated—especially in recent books—as also possibly being the Zodiac. No hard evidence but many circumstantial/lifestyle connections (64:25–70:00).

H. Arthur Leigh Allen

• The most infamous Zodiac suspect, whose life timeline overlaps closely with the Santa Rosa cases. Investigators strongly discounted his involvement in both, but the hosts find the parallels compelling, especially after the Netflix “Zodiac Speaking” series (70:00–71:11).

I. Zodiac Killer (Unknown)

• Continues to loom large as a possible connection, given unsolved status, geographic/temporal overlap, and similar victimology.

6. Systemic Failings, Eyewitness Problems & the Passage of Time

• The episode frequently criticizes the systemic, procedural, and generational failures in the investigation, from bureaucratic inertia to the dangers of relying on decades-old eyewitness recollection.
  • "You can't investigate [all these cases] as if they're one. That only troubles your investigation... Investigate them independently of one another." — Nic (64:04)

7. Call for Action & The Role of DNA

• A refrain throughout: any remaining DNA or physical evidence (especially from Jane Does) should be tested or retested—preferably using modern genetic genealogy—to pursue the dwindling remaining leads.
• Urges listeners with knowledge to reach out to Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office at 707-565-2727 or ColdCase@sonoma-county.org.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Official Inertia:
  "You just want to grab the sheriff office’s public information officer and smack them over the head with a phone book and say... go back to the medical examiner and demand that they do another autopsy." — Nic (08:13)

• On Interconnectedness of Victims:
  "There’s escalation... somebody adapting. So dumping the body in basically the same location, you go, ding, ding, ding. There’s a connection somehow, some way..." — Captain (11:50)

• On Mishandled Case Files:
  "When you’re in the office and you ask Steve to make a hundred copies of some report, and he keeps handing you back 10 pages... Steve didn’t get it correct. Steve is still an Steve." — Captain (09:39)

• On The Frustration of Missed Opportunities:
  "What does it matter now? Your case still sits there open, unsolved. And how many people could you have talked to in those decades?” — Nic (08:57)

• On The Possibility of Multiple Killers:
  "Maybe these girls were killed by a, by definition, serial killer. Just not by the same serial killer that may have killed a handful of the other victims, which..." — Nic (17:51)

• On the Pile-Up of Suspects:
  "I call this… a confluence of killers because there’s been so many known—and in the case of the Zodiac, unknown—serial killers to have been linked, potentially linked, to one of these cases…” — Nic (28:30)

• On Emotional Impact:
  "Time is running out for these cases. Anybody that has any information at all… please contact [the] Cold Case unit." — Nic (75:29)

Notable Timestamps for Key Segments

• Carrie Ann Graham & Francine Trimble’s Case: 02:37–09:39
• Police & Coroner Failings Recapped: 06:53–09:39
• Jane Doe Investigation & Importance of Identification: 10:30–17:20
• Hitchhiking Victims & Lisa Michelle Smith: 18:07–26:47
• Suspect Discussion Kicks Off—“Confluence of Killers”: 28:30–31:52
• Ted Bundy Speculation: 33:19–37:11
• Frederick Manalli & “Smoking Gun” Questions: 40:34–46:29
• Jack Alexander Boykin: 46:30–47:51
• Jim Morai / "The Truth About Jim": 48:34–56:31
• Arthur Leigh Allen & the Zodiac: 70:00–75:29
• Outro / Call for Tips: 75:29–76:29

Episode Conclusion

True Crime Garage’s Santa Rosa Murders episode is a masterclass in both meticulous true crime storytelling and in the dangers and limitations of criminal investigation across decades. Nic and the Captain layer humor, candid frustration, and sharp analysis as they survey a staggeringly complex case haunted by both incompetence and the real likelihood of overlapping killers. For listeners new and old, the episode is a sobering reminder of the fragility of evidence, the chaos of witness memory, and the enduring mysteries left behind by America’s most elusive murderers.

For More Information or to Submit a Tip:

Contact: Sonoma County Sheriff's Cold Case Unit
Phone: 707-565-2727
Email: ColdCase@sonoma-county.org