True Crime Garage: Santa Rosa Murders ////// Suspects

Release Date: September 30, 2025
Hosts: Nic and the Captain

Overview of the Episode

In this episode, Nic and the Captain delve into the chilling unsolved case of the Santa Rosa Murders—a series of homicides and disappearances involving young women and girls in Sonoma County, California, during the early 1970s. Known for their detailed storytelling and banter, the hosts focus on the ongoing debate over whether the cases were connected by a single serial killer or multiple perpetrators. The discussion covers the victimology, investigative strategies, notable suspects, infamous connections to other serial killers, and the cultural context of the era. The episode is rich with forensic curiosity, case analysis, and speculation about the killer’s psychology and methods.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction to the Santa Rosa Murders (03:00–09:00)

• Victimology & Case Background:

  • Multiple young women and girls, often hitchhiking, were murdered in Sonoma County during the early 70s. Most bodies were found nude, near creek beds or at the bottoms of steep embankments.
  • A peculiar, recurring detail: a single gold earring was often found at several crime scenes.
  • Some victims were found together, suggesting possible connections between specific cases.

• Changing Landscape of Santa Rosa:

  • Rapid growth and urbanization in Santa Rosa during the 1970s paralleled a surge in violent crime, the rise of hitchhiking, and ushered in what the hosts dub “the Golden Age of serial killers.”

"Police believe the perpetrators… assessed their victims based on certain characteristics, behaviors or vulnerabilities before committing the crime." – Nic (04:35)

2. Chronology of Victims & Investigative Hurdles (09:00–20:00)

• Case Summaries:

  • Marlene Sterling (12) & Yvonne Weber (13): Friends last seen leaving an ice rink; bodies found together after 10 months.
  • Kim Wendy Allen (19): Hitchhiking art student, found sexually assaulted and strangled; her checkbook was mailed posthumously 40–60 minutes away, adding a mysterious element to the crime.
  • Jeanette Kamahele (20): Disappeared while hitchhiking; body never found, but presumed victim.
  • Lori Lee Cursa (13): Runaway, found hogtied in a very specific manner.

• Investigative Strategies:

  • Hosts discuss the complications of linking the cases with scant evidence but note the similarities in the crime scenes and victim acquisition methods.
  • Nic suggests a division-of-labor approach for a small team of investigators to streamline casework and avoid confusion.

"My move would be… I’m going to take six [detectives] and put them in pairs… working independently on each case… I want one detective fielding all incoming tips… and one detective reaching out to surrounding jurisdictions looking for similar cases." – Nic (15:00)

3. Case Linkages, Forensics, and the Killer’s ‘Art’ (20:45–27:30)

• Subsequent Victims:

  • Carolyn Davis (15): Found near earlier victims, died of strychnine poisoning; presence of a ‘symbol’ near the body prompted “witchcraft” speculations.
  • Teresa Walsh (23): Found hogtied and strangled; strong similarity to Lori Lee Cursa’s bindings.
  • Sonoma County Jane Doe (late teens/early 20s): Remains found hogtied in 1979, years after other murders, with hard contact lenses dating her death to the same period as the initial murders.

• Signature vs. MO:

  • Discussion about the importance of ligatures, tying methods, and whether these elements represented a “signature” or “art” for the killer.

"There can be a constrictor element to the torture… less for strangulation, more for constricting. Again, this means something to the killer. It’s part of his art." – Nic (25:34)

4. Serial Killer Era Context & Investigation Limitations (27:40–33:00)

• Serial Killer Culture:

  • The 1970s were rife with serial killers, hindered by a lack of forensic advances and poor interagency coordination.
  • Notorious contemporaries—Edmund Kemper, the Zodiac Killer, Ted Bundy—were all active during this era.

• Hitchhiking Risks:

  • The hosts reflect on societal norms around hitchhiking and how predators exploited those norms.

"Next time you’re at Vacaville, ask Ed Kemper… at this very same time, he was driving up and down the roads looking for pretty young college women." – Nic (28:01)

5. Symbolism, Taunting, and Psychopathy (33:31–43:00)

• Symbol at a Crime Scene:
  • “Witchcraft” symbol found at one scene, later dismissed as a likely coincidence based on two boys’ testimony.
• Profiles & Motives:
  • Police profilers theorized the killer as a male loner with a domineering mother, savior complex, likely to taunt law enforcement.
• Comparison to Zodiac, BTK, and Other Serial Killers:
  • Reference to the “game” aspect of Zodiac crimes; BTK’s afterlife slave fantasies; comparisons of the Santa Rosa killings’ signatures to known serial killer patterns.

"…the single earring found at several of the scenes seems to be some kind of marker or tell, to point out to police, ‘This is me. I’m still out here. I’m still doing this. You haven’t caught me yet.’" – Nic (42:30)

6. Notable FBI and Law Enforcement Theories (46:58–58:15)

• FBI Connections:
  • 1975 FBI report suggested 14 similar unsolved homicides across California and western U.S., possibly linked to the Santa Rosa murders.
  • Rosa Vasquez, Yvonne Quillen Tang, Angela Thomas, and Nancy Gidley among the possible additional victims, many last seen in or near San Francisco.

"…there are 14 unsolved homicides between 72 and 74 that they were working and believed to have been committed by the same perpetrator." – Nic (47:01)

• Hitchhiking & Highway 101:
  • Many victims were last seen along or near Highway 101, further linking cases across counties.
  • Discussion about the killer’s possible weekday vs. weekend activity, hinting at someone with schedule flexibility (perhaps a utility or delivery worker).

7. Case Disparities and Over-Inclusion (59:25–62:28)

• Cases Likely Not Related:
  • Brenda K. Merchant (stabbed in her apartment with baby left unharmed) and Donna Braun (possible runaway, known associates) are discussed as potentially unrelated, illustrating how serial cases often become over-clustered.

"This one to me smells of a bad alibi… Unless you can tell me that that’s not his handprint… that one I would push to the side." – Nic (62:29)

8. Clustered Endings & Later Victims (62:28–64:30)

• Late 1970s Murders:
  • 1978 disappearance of Carrie Ann Graham (15) and Francine Marie Trimble (14) reignited local fear; bodies found together 80 miles north of Forestville, echoing the paired-victim dynamic of earlier Santa Rosa cases.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “[The killer] assessed their victims… before committing the crime. If their suspicions are true, this means… the killer or killers, very likely… let some unsuspecting individual go free as they did not fit their preferred criteria.” – Nic (04:35)
• “I want you out there kicking nuts and sucking butts. I need somebody collecting some good coffee and collecting some good donuts—and let’s start off this day with a dark cup of coffee and a nice blow job.” – Captain (18:16) [Humorous, irreverent banter]
• “If you work [the cases] independently, you should end up with the same result… If they are in fact then later connected, you will start seeing that connective tissue.” – Nic (18:51)
• “The 1970s was the golden era of hitchhiking, especially in the state of California—and sick monsters were using this to their advantage to play out their twisted, torturous fantasies.” – Nic (27:40)
• “We talked about a profile… at least a high school education, grew up as a loner, had a domineering mother, likely deeply hated all women… possesses a savior complex to the point that he believes he’s doing the world a favor by murdering these young women.” – Nic (41:19)
• “The game to him was equally as important as the murders. Where with BTK and with this perpetrator, it appears to me that the murders are probably far more significant…” – Nic (43:07)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic | |------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:00 | Introduction to the Santa Rosa Murders; victim and crime scene overviews | | 12:00 | Details on the first identified victims and investigative challenges | | 15:00 | Strategic discussion: how to structure an effective investigation | | 20:45 | Additional victims, forensic details, and linkages (ligature bindings, signature) | | 25:34 | The killer’s ‘art’—fantasy, torture, and the psychology of bindings | | 27:40 | Context: rise of serial killers, dangers of hitchhiking | | 33:31 | The “witchcraft” symbol and suspect taunting behavior | | 41:19 | FBI/psychological profile of the killer | | 47:01 | FBI report connecting additional victims across California | | 57:25 | Highway 101 as a repeated locus—implications for case connections | | 62:29 | Hosts discuss over-inclusion in victim lists (with case of Brenda K. Merchant) | | 64:30 | 1978 cases and echoes of earlier double-victim scenarios |

Tone & Language

• The episode maintains True Crime Garage’s signature mix of irreverent humor, relatable “garage banter,” and careful, serious analysis, giving emotional gravitas to victims while critiquing investigative missteps and cultural phenomena.
• Hosts inject personal opinion and speculative commentary, keeping the tone conversational and sometimes darkly comic.

Conclusion

This episode masterfully synthesizes decades-old case facts, criminal psychology, investigative philosophy, and cultural climate, prompting listeners to consider not only the details of each murder but also the broader systemic issues that allowed the cases to remain unsolved. Nic and the Captain balance empathy for the victims with critical, sometimes sardonic commentary on both police work and criminal pathology, making it both accessible for newcomers and rewarding for seasoned true crime followers.

For follow-up: The hosts tease further discussion in the next episode, indicating ongoing exploration of suspects and related cold cases.

True Crime Garage closing mantra:
“Be good. Be kind. And don’t litter.” (65:39)