Trial
It was also discovered that Kraft kept a coded list of 61 neatly-printed terms and phrases such as "JAIL OUT" and "EDM" in his car. Upon closer investigation, the list was discovered to be a cryptic "scorecard" of his many victims: "JAIL OUT" referring to 23-year-old Roland Young (released from the Orange County drunk tank hours before his murder) and "EDM" to the initials of Edward Daniel Moore. The list also included four double murders, leading to a total of 65 listed victims. Two of the victims, Eric Church and Terry Gambrel, appear unlisted for unknown reasons. However, since the list is in code, the possibility exists that Eric Church and Terry Gambrel are listed in a way that investigators cannot recognize, which would lead to a total of 67 listed victims.
Kraft was eventually charged with 16 homicides committed between December 1972 and May, 1983. He pleaded not guilty at his trial in 1988, but he was convicted on all counts and sentenced to death on November 29, 1989. The death sentence was upheld by the California Supreme Court on August 11, 2000. Kraft is currently on death row at the San Quentin State Prison.
To date, 22 of Kraft's 67 estimated victims remain unrecovered and unidentified. This is due in part to the killings occurring throughout several states with bodies dumped in varying locations. A John Doe identified in 2012 as a U.S. Marine named Oral Alfred Stuart, Jr. who was found beaten to death in Long Beach in November of 1974 is believed to be a victim of Kraft.
Read more about this topic: Randy Steven Kraft
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“Going to trial with a lawyer who considers your whole life-style a Crime in Progress is not a happy prospect.”
—Hunter S. Thompson (b. 1939)