F I R S TP R E V508NEXTLAST

Angel of Death, The Zebra Murders
Because of the movie, a lot of attention has recently been paid to San Francisco's Zodiac Killer. But a far more vicious murder spree took place with the Zebra murders. During mid 70s the seemingly random killings left at least 16 people dead in San Francisco. The Zebra murders were the work of the Death Angels, a black supremacist serial killer ring that believed that they could earn a trip into paradise if they killed as many whites as possible. The first murder took place on October 19, 1973 followed by another ten days later. Less than a month later another random victim shot to death turned out to be a Jordanian Arab Muslim. The irony being that Angels of Death were a radical offshoot of the black nationalist group, Nation of Islam.

The attacks continued through January with more murdered and a number left for dead including future San Francisco mayor, Art Agnos. The killings turned San Francisco into a ghost town after dark. The case broken when Death Angel candidate, Anthony Harris decided to turn himself and the rest of the Angels in, hoping his family would benefit from the reward money. On May 1, 1974 police raided a house on this block of Grove Street and arrested seven men, charging three with the murders. All three were convicted to life sentences, in what was then the longest criminal trial in California history, including the testimony of 108 witnesses and 8000 pages of transcripts. Some members of the police suspected that up to 71 murders in California could have been the work of the Death Angels.
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