Herbert William Mullin was an American serial killer who murdered 13 people in California during the early 1970s. He later admitted to the crimes and said he believed that killing people would stop earthquakes from happening.
Early Life
Herbert William Mullin was born on April 18, 1947, in Salinas, California. His father was known to be strict, but there were no reports of abuse. Not long before Herbert turned five, his family moved to San Francisco. He grew up like many other children and had several friends in school.
At San Lorenzo Valley High School, he was seen as a promising student. When he was sixteen, his classmates voted him “Most Likely to Succeed.” However, beneath this public image, he was struggling.
During his teenage years, signs of mental illness began to appear. He later received a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia. His condition became worse with his use of LSD and cannabis.
In 1965, shortly after graduating from high school, a close friend named Dean Richardson died in a car accident. The loss deeply affected Mullin. He built small shrines to his friend in his room and became preoccupied with ideas about reincarnation. Those around him noticed changes in his behavior.
He attended Cabrillo College in Aptos and earned an associate degree in civil highway technology in 1967. In 1969, he was admitted to Mendocino State Hospital. Over the next few years, he was committed to several mental hospitals.
Each time, he was released after doctors decided he was not a danger to himself or others. By his mid-twenties, his mental health remained unstable.
By 1972, at age twenty-five, Mullin had moved back in with his parents in Felton, California, in the Santa Cruz Mountains. His thoughts had grown more extreme. He believed his actions could prevent disasters. These beliefs would soon lead to a series of violent crimes.
The Killing Spree
In October 1972, Mullin began killing. He believed that human deaths could prevent earthquakes. He connected his birthday, April 18, with the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and thought it was meaningful.
He later claimed that voices, including one he believed was his father’s, ordered him to make sacrifices.
On October 13, 1972, he pulled over on the road and pretended his car had broken down. A 55-year-old man named Lawrence White stopped to help. Mullin struck him in the head with a baseball bat and dragged his body into the woods. It was found the next day.
Ten days later, he offered a ride to Mary Margaret Guilfoyle, a student who was late for an appointment. While driving, he stabbed her in the chest. He later disemboweled her body, searching for what he believed was proof of environmental damage. Her remains were not found until February 1973.
On November 2, 1972, Mullin went to St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Los Gatos. He later claimed that the priest he spoke with in confession offered himself as the next sacrifice. Mullin attacked and killed Father Henri Tomei inside the church.
In early January 1973, he searched for a former friend, Jim Gianera, blaming him for introducing him to cannabis. After finding Gianera’s cabin, Mullin shot him. Gianera tried to warn his wife, Joan, but Mullin broke down the bathroom door and killed her as well.
He then returned to the nearby home of Kathleen “Kathy” Francis, who had directed him earlier. He shot and killed her and her two young children, Daemon Francis and David Hughes. Afterward, he stabbed each victim.
Police initially believed these cabin killings were related to drugs and did not connect them to the earlier crimes.
Arrest and Investigation
By February 1973, Mullin continued his violence. On February 10, he encountered four teenage boys camping illegally in a state park in Santa Cruz. He approached them and claimed to be a park ranger.
He told them they were polluting the forest and ordered them to leave. The boys dismissed him and remained in their tent.
The next day, Mullin returned with a .22 caliber pistol. He shot Robert Spector, Brian Scott Card, David Oliker, and Mark Dreibelbis in the head, killing them all. Afterward, he took their .22 caliber rifle and twenty dollars.
Soon after, he killed again. While driving with firewood in his station wagon, he noticed 72-year-old Fred Abbie Perez working in his garden. Mullin made a U-turn, placed his rifle across the hood of his car, and shot Perez in the heart.
A neighbor witnessed the shooting and reported Mullin’s license plate number.
Police quickly broadcast the description. Within minutes, an officer stopped Mullin’s vehicle. He complied calmly and did not resist. The .22 caliber pistol used in the cabin killings was beside him in the car.
Investigators at first did not see a clear pattern. The weapons varied, and the victims were different in age and background. During the same time period, another serial killer, Edmund Kemper, was also committing murders in the area. This overlap created confusion for law enforcement.
All of Mullin’s killings occurred over four months. He later admitted to the crimes and said he believed he was saving the environment from disaster.
Trial, Prison, and Death
Mullin’s trial began on July 30, 1973. The main question was not whether he committed the crimes, because he had confessed.
The issue was whether he was legally sane. Prosecutors argued that he planned some of the murders and tried to hide evidence, which showed he understood his actions. His defense attorney argued that his delusions drove him to kill.
On August 19, 1973, after fourteen hours of jury deliberation, he was found guilty. He was convicted of first-degree murder for the killings of Jim Gianera and Kathy Francis because they were judged to be planned.
He was convicted of second-degree murder for eight other killings, which the jury believed were not premeditated.
In December 1973, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for killing Father Henri Tomei. He was sentenced to life in prison. Over the years, he was denied parole eight times.
While in prison, Mullin was housed at Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, California. He was diagnosed with schizophrenic reaction, paranoid type, by Dr. David Marlowe of the University of California at Santa Cruz.
During his time in custody, he shared adjoining cells with Edmund Kemper. Kemper later described their interactions, saying Mullin would sing loudly and disturb others. According to Kemper, he once threw water on Mullin to make him stop. He also said he would give Mullin peanuts when he behaved.
Mullin remained in prison for decades. On August 18, 2022, he died of natural causes at the California Health Care Facility. He was 75 years old.
