John Linley Frazier

John Linley Frazier, known as The Killer Prophet (January 26, 1946 – August 13, 2009), was an American mass murderer who killed five people in Santa Cruz, California.

John Linley Frazier
BornJanuary 26, 1946
Ohio, U.S.
DiedAugust 13, 2009(2009-08-13) (aged 63)
Mule Creek State Prison, Ione, California
Cause of deathSuicide by hanging
Other namesThe Killer Prophet
Criminal penaltyDeath commuted to Life imprisonment
Details
Location(s)Santa Cruz, California
Killed5
Weapons.38 revolver
Imprisoned atOctober 19, 1970

The case was the subject of a 2017 episode of Investigation Discovery's series A Crime to Remember (Season 4 Episode 7, "Killer Prophet").

Biography

John Linley Frazier was born in Ohio on 26 January 1946. Following a car accident in the late 1960s he became a religious fanatic who spent days with his Bible and believed the voice of God was telling him to commit homicides.

On October 19, 1970, Frazier entered the home of ophthalmologist Victor Ohta. He found Ohta and his wife, two sons, and secretary there. In a delusional fit, believing he was an agent of God, he bound their hands with colorful scarves, shot the five of them dead and put their bodies in the home's swimming pool.

After the killings, Frazier typed a note on a typewriter owned by Ohta, which he left on the window of Ohta's Rolls Royce. The note read:

Halloween, 1970. Today World War III will begin, as bought to you by the People of the Free Universe. From this day forward, anyone and/or everyone or company of persons who misuses the natural environment or destroys same will suffer the penalty of death by the People of the Free Universe. I and my comrades from this day forth will fight until death or freedom against anyone who does not support natural life on this planet. Materialism must die, or Mankind will stop.
KNIGHT OF WANDS
KNIGHT OF CUPS
KNIGHT OF PENTACLES
KNIGHT OF SWORDS

Neighbors informed police that they had seen Frazier patrolling a neighborhood in Soquel, armed with a gun. The firearm, a .38 caliber pistol, was believed to have been used in the slayings. There were also reports of Frazier being seen driving the Ohtas' missing station wagon.

Two sheriff's deputies, Bradley Arbsland and Rodney Sanford, went into the woods and found the cabin (more like a shack) reported to be where Frazier lived. Upon entering the cabin they found it to be empty but noticed signs of recent activity. The two deputies staked out the vicinity of the cabin for 20 hours, hiding in some nearby brush. The next morning, October 23, at 7:30 A.M., the two deputies captured Frazier while he slept. He did not resist. Captured four days after the murders of the Ohta family, his only request was for a glass of water.

On the first day of the trial, Frazier appeared in court with a new look representing the two sides of a hippie. One side had long hair and a long beard and the other side was totally bald with no beard, hair or eyebrow. He later shaved his head completely on advice from his attorney.

Frazier was sentenced to death on November 29, 1971. However, in 1972 the death penalty was abolished in California and his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.[1]

Death

On August 13, 2009, Frazier hanged himself in Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, California.[2]

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See also

Trivia

Literature
  • Ward Damio: Urge to Kill. Pinnacle Books, 1974, ISBN 0-523-00380-3.
  • David Everitt: Human Monsters. Contemporary Books, New York 1993 ISBN 9780809239948
  • Donald T. Lunde: Murder and Madness. San Francisco Book Co., San Francisco, CA 1976 ISBN 9780913374320

Music
  • Doom Metal band Church of Misery, released a track in 2013 called "All Hollow's Eve" about Frazier on their album, Thy Kingdom Scum.[3]

References
  1. Calhoun, Bob (August 18, 2016). "Yesterday's Crimes: The Santa Cruz Serial Killer Epidemic". SF Weekly. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  2. Jennifer Squires: Police: Mass murderer John Linley Frazier hung himself in prison. Santa Cruz Sentinel, August 19, 2009, accessed on August 16, 2010 (English). Katherine Ramsland: John Linley Frazier, the Killer Prophet and Hippie Murderer. The Year of the Hippie Murders. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., accessed August 16, 2010 (English). Mara Bovsun: Crazed Hippy Killer Caused horror with 1970 murder of California doctor. NYDailyNews.com, March 22, 2009, accessed August 17, 2010 (English)
  3. "Church of Misery "Thy Kingdom Scum" - Metal Blade Records". Metalblade.com. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  • Jennifer Squires: Police: Mass murderer John Linley Frazier hanged himself in prison. Santa Cruz Sentinel, August 19, 2009, accessed on August 16, 2010 (English).
  • Katherine Ramsland: John Linley Frazier, the Killer Prophet and Hippie Murderer. The Year of the Hippie Murders. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., accessed August 16, 2010 (English).
  • Mara Bovsun: Crazed Hippy Killer Caused horror with 1970 murder of California doctor. NYDailyNews.com, March 22, 2009, accessed August 17, 2010 (English)
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