Thursday, January 03, 2008

Old Orange County Crime Stories

OCThen reader, "ladyonthecase" seems to have a taste for true crime stories, because she asks us if anyone here can remember crime nostalgia from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s...

Orange County nostalgia? Don't get me started. I was born in Orange in 1943. Grew up there, came and went, and finally got out for good in 1970. I don't miss what it is now, but have fond memories of the "good old days".

I'm looking for stories of the "not-so-good" old days, however. Does anyone know of any sensational (or not so sensational but interesting) crimes or scandals that occurred in Orange during the 40's, 50's and very early 60's? I don't know how to access that kind of information unless there are old newspaper archives available. I'd love to see replies from anyone who remembers reading or hearing about criminal activity from that era. Since I was a kid then, I didn't pay any attention to the newspapers (other than the comics) and don't remember anything but the good stuff.
The Anaheim Police Department has some crime stories on their website...
http://www.anaheim.net/article.asp?id=670

34 comments:

  1. Some time in the late 50s (or early 60s) a series of cardboard boxes containing severed body parts turned up in Garden Grove.

    This may have been in the S.A. Register or GG News (I do remember
    Lampson Ave. being one of the locations)

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  2. Hello, I'm very interested in crime history of OC also. I took a class at CSLB in criminology, and the professor mentioned a case in the 70s about a serial killer who struck around OC and L. His name was Randy Kraft and he was a convicted of murdering a lot of men during that time. My prof. was a detective for Irvine at the time and found a body Kraft dumped off of the 405 and Ortega hwy I believe. Very scary stuff, google the name and you can find a lot of info about it.

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  3. I remember reading about a young man in Buena Park in the early 1950s or late 1940s who raped a very young girl and then killed her. I vaguely remember something about his house being located in what was then an orchard and what is now the location where a car dealer and theater is located. I remember reading how the entire Buena Park area was like one huge farm and a very quiet area. That's one of the reasons that rape and murder of that young girl was shocking.

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  4. In the late 1970's a serial killer bludgeoned 8(?) women in Costa Mesa, Irvine and Tustin. He was never caught. I have always been struck by law enforcement's complacency about the case. It has been documented on severial cold case TV shows but there is a striking lack of interest in it.
    LH

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  5. I remember growing up on marylee dr in garden grove.My neighbor across the street cut out a teachers heart. He ran a satanic cult until getting caught in 1972. We moved to our house when I was 10 in 1968, lucky me.Look up Steven craig Herd. come on don't be chicken!!!!!

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  6. Around 1968-70 a mom reported her son missing. She lived a few blocks south of the circle on the east side of Glassell. Kind of by the street where the church is. The boy was found murdered by the mom and boyfriend off Knoll Ranch Road. Everytime I drive by that area I think of that story. The Santa Ana Library has all of the old, old newspapers. The white marble library building.

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  7. I grew up in Orange County. Around 1968-1970 a mom said that her 3 year old was missing. She lived a few blocks south of the circle and to the east of Glassell. The boy was found off Knoll Ranch Rd. He had been killed by the mom and her boyfriend. Everytime I drive by that area, I think of that story. I know that the Santa Ana Library, the white marble one, has all of the old newspapers.

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  8. Looking for the story on a man found laying in the streets of Orange. He was approx. in his 70's. He was a very sick man who could only speak his name and age. He was taken to Orange General hospital three days before he died. Anyone who knows about this story, please let me know. Thank you.

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  9. I remember back in 1970-71 a massive manhunt for a man named "Klause" happened in the presidential tract near crescent and western ave. The criminal ran through our backyard with helicopter overhead, I believe he was caught too.

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  10. I grew up in Fountain Valley in the 70's. I vaguely remember the robbery/murder of a star FVHS wrestler who worked as a clerk at the 7-11 on Warner & Euclid. Anybody else remember this?

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    Replies
    1. Yes I do. I lived at Euclid & Edinger at the time.

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  11. I grew up in Huntington Beach. My mom was an atty in the OC system and worked downtown in S.A. so I heard a lot of stories. Toward the end of my junior high years in HB, a woman's body was found dumped in someone's side yard. She'd been raped, of course. They caught a young marine who'd picked her up, in LA possibly and murdered her. I also know all about the story mentioned above re. the satanic murderer and his partner in crime moose. I cannot believe you lived across the street. They were very scary people. Phoenix was another serial killer in the area from the 1970's. There were many of them.

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  12. Around 1969-70 when I was in 6th or 7th grade (at Cerra Villa Junior High), a friend and I were in the old gravel quarry in the Villa Park area and we were approached by a young, clean cut white male with neat brown or black hair. He looked to be 18-20 years old. He asked us if we wanted to play a game. He suggested we use our belts to tie him up and he would try to get out of it. He would then do the same thing to us. We nervously declined and made a hasty departure. This quarry was remote location and a posted no-trespassing area. Because we were forbidden to be in the old quarry, I never told my parents about the incident. I have always wondered if this predator went on to commit other crimes.

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  13. I remember "The Head in The Box:
    I think I was in 5th or 6th grade, so it would have been '58-'60. There was an article/picture on the front page of the Santa Ana Register - A woman's head had been found in a cardboard box in Santa Ana. The story had a photo of the box and a sketch of what the woman's face looked like. My classmate's father was the lead detective on the case. Her name was Connie Corralli - I think- We attended Lowell Elementary School in Santa Ana.
    The story has haunted me for years - does anyone know if the case was ever solved.

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  14. Where to start? How about the campus shooting at CSUF in 1972. The Santa Ana City library may still have the old O.C. Register papers on film. And while you are there you could look up murders in O.C. by bow and arrow.

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  15. I am looking for an article regarding a man named Ervin Leroy Sutton who was murdered by Richard McKay. He was shot up with with acid or bleach and hung. There was a woman involved and she plead guilty but I believe she has already been released from prison. His body was found in a orange grove in Placentia, Ca. I believe it was in 1976.

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    Replies
    1. What information are u looking for iam the victims daughter. Yiu can contact me at tiasutton@yahoo.com

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    2. What information are you looking for, the victim was my father.

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    3. Are you related to Ervin?

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    4. yes we are related to him he is my great uncle.

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    5. yes, I'm the daughter of THANKGOODNESSIMFABULOUS and the grand daughter of Ervin

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    6. I am Leroy Sutton's sister, if you are looking for an article regarding his death, you can go directly to the news paper. If you don't have the article how do you know this information about my brother? Who are you?

      You can contact me at sunshine_tyffanie@yahoo.com

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  16. randy kraft murdered my mom's cousin (i guess my cuz, too)...one of this boy's sisters is married to my first cousin Paul (on my dad's side)...did they ever convict kraft of the murder?

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  17. I can't remember the year but I was in elementary school in Anaheim in the 1950's/1960's. Because of a bright yellow dress I was wearing I had been bothered by knats while eating lunch outside and they had me go eat in the school office. While I was sitting there a teacher, whom I remember as having a ton of kids, like 8 to 10, had been fired while on her latest maternity leave. She walked into the front office then directly into the Principal's office and laid a plastic bag onto the Principal's desk. It was her newborn baby, she told the Principal, "you have the death of my baby on your hands". I have been trying to find out more about this as I grew up but have not located anymore information. Does anyone else know about it or heard any stories over the years about this?

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    Replies
    1. have you found any info on this? Im interested as well!

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  18. To the person looking for information regarding Ervin Leroy Sutton, can you tell me what information are you looking for. Mr. Sutton was my dad.

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  19. Looking for information about a young girl around 14 who was found dead in Straw Hat Pizza on Valley View around 1967-1969. She somehow got dragged into a pizza dough mixer and died.

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    Replies
    1. I remember that well... she went to my church and she lived right on thecorner of valley view and la palma ave.... she was visiting her friend who worked there when it happened... they had to take the machine to renaker mortuary to get her out... i wish I could remember her name..

      So sad

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    2. Very sad, I worked at that Straw Hat, as a teen, around 1981, the workers there thought it was haunted, and told me about what happened to the girl. I never knew if the story was true, or not, until now.

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  20. Hi - trying to locate information on a murder that took place at Reynold's Stables (now known as Huntington Beach Equestrian Center) on Goldenwest Avenue. Late 1970's. Bow and arrow - male. Any information would be appreciated!

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  21. I am looking for information about the murder of a little girl in Santa Ana whose body was found by Monte Vista Elementary school in the 1970's. I think that it was 1976.

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  22. Los Angeles public library has a good website that displays pictures from that era. Almost all have captions which may give you a point to start researching.

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  23. I am trying to find information on the dentist who murder people while put under. He threw them in the garbage. Happened in 1976? The name doctors named popadoplous?? something like that lol

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