Throughout the 1970s, Southern California residents were held in the grip of terror as multiple serial killers stalked the streets, preying on victims from every walk of life, including the area’s gay community. From 1971 to 1983, Randy Kraft kidnapped, tortured, and murdered at least sixteen men and boys, but the real number of victims is believed to be considerably higher. When he was arrested in 1983, investigators searched Kraft’s home and found a list with cryptic references to what they believed were sixty-one victims in total. The discovery of that list led the press to dub Kraft “The Scorecard Killer.”
Following his arrest in 1983, Randy Kraft was tried and convicted of sixteen counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to death. Although the arrest and trial put an end to Kraft’s murder spree, several critical questions remain unanswered, including the most important aspect of the case detectives were never able to solve: who was Randy Kraft’s accomplice?
Thank you to the Incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research and Writing support!
References
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Associated Press. 1983. "Five murders charged to computer analyst." Sacramento Bee, May 25: 2.
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Grant, Gordon. 1983. "How a routine stop led to a big arrest." Los Angeles Times, May 20: 73.
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—. 1988. "Two other states were closing in on Kraft." Los Angeles Times, January 4: 3.
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Hughes, Beth. 1982. "L.A. area's missing youths-a trail of mystery and murder." San Francisco Examiner, August 23: B5.
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—. 1988. "Randy Kraft's scorecard?" Los Angeles Times, October 2: 117.
McDougal, Dennis. 1991. Angel of Darkness: The True Story of Randy Kraft and the Most Heinous Murder Spree. New York, NY: Warner Books.
