On this day, Oct. 19, in 1970, John Linley Frazier killed five people and declared World War III against “materialism.” Called the Killer Prophet, Frazier was a contemporary of Charles Manson in an era when people feared hippie cult murderers.
Firefighters in Santa Cruz, Calif., responding to a blaze at a mansion overlooking Monterey Bay discovered five bodies floating in the backyard pool: eye surgeon Victor Ohta; his wife, Virginia; their sons, Derrick, 12, and Taggart, 11; and secretary Dorothy Cadwallader.
The victims had been bound with silk scarves.
Frazier left a typewritten note on Ohta’s Rolls-Royce declaring war against materialism and “persons who misuse the natural environment.” It was signed by the four “knights” of the tarot deck. Frazier, who lived nearby in a 6-by-6-foot shack, was soon arrested.
Frazier arrived at his trial with half of his head and face shaved, including one eyebrow. His death sentence was later reduced to life in prison.
This year, on the 40th anniversary of the Manson murders, Frazier, 62, hung himself in prison.
– Scott McCabe
