Billy Lee Chadd

On the evening of July 27, 1974, Chadd broke into a residence in Linda Vista, intending to burglarize it. However, after noticing the home's occupant, 30-year-old Patricia Franklin, in her bathtub, he became aroused. He proceeded to bind Franklin's hands and feet with a drapery cord,[2] blindfolded her with a towel, and forced her into her bedroom. There, he raped her multiple times vaginally, anally, and orally. During the ordeal, Chadd nearly bit off one of her nipples. He later strangled Franklin and stabbed her 15 times with a steak knife, killing her. Afterwards, he ransacked the home before leaving. Franklin's body was soon discovered by her roommate. Investigators found one fingerprint at the crime scene, but unable to connect it to Chadd, the case became inactive.[3]

On August 7, 1975, Chadd met Delmar Bright, a 29-year-old busboy for a hotel in Las Vegas.[4] Chadd stated that Bright offered him $20 and a six-pack of beer in exchange for Chadd posing nude. Chadd agreed, and the two went to Bright's apartment. Once they arrived, Bright asked Chadd to tie him up with extension cords. He obliged, telling Bright to lie on his stomach, after which he tied the man's hands together. He then retrieved another cord and wrapped it around his neck in a slip knot. Chadd asked Bright for one reason not to kill him. Bright thought he was joking until Chadd showed him his knife. Chadd proceeded to cut the victim's throat and strangled him to death. Afterwards, he masturbated before cleaning the apartment in an attempt to get rid of forensic evidence. Then, he left the apartment and hailed a taxi.[5][6]

On February 15, 1978, Chadd raped and murdered Linda Hewitt at the house she was babysitting for in National City. He bound Hewitt, who was with her 9-month-old son, with a drapery cord, and raped her. At one point, he picked up her son by the hair, threatening to harm him if Hewitt did not sexually satisfy him. He then stabbed her several times, the fatal wound being to her throat. One hour later, shortly after noon, the two kids she was babysitting returned home and discovered her body. They alerted their neighbor, who called the police.[7] Hewitt was last seen alive at a drugstore. The store's clerk witnessed a man with her, who he described as a short, clean shaven man with short hair in his early 20s who had a medium-build. He also wore a t-shirt and jeans.[3]

Chadd, a member of the Marine Corps, was working as an orderly attendant, tasked with collecting background information on Marine patients, at the Balboa Hospital in San Diego. While on the job, he noticed a wife and daughter visiting their father, a patient with a terminal illness. After sifting through medical records, he found their address. On the night of March 31, 1978, Chadd, armed with a bowie knife, broke into their Chula Vista home by cutting through a screen window. Once inside, he made his way to the wife's bedroom and demanded that the woman to take off her bathrobe. He proceeded to tie her up with a drapery cord and cut off her underwear with his knife. Over the course of three hours, he raped the victim twice as her family slept upstairs. He eventually allowed her to dress, and left the knife on the dresser. The woman lunged for the knife and screamed for her family. The first to enter the room was her 17-year-old daughter. Chadd had already wrestled his knife away from the woman, and ordered the daughter to bring the rest of the family into the bedroom. After the woman's mother, father, and three youngest children went into the bedroom, Chadd ordered them to sit on the bed, and ordered the 17-year-old girl to tie them up. Afterwards, he forced the girl into the living room, where he raped her. He later cut lamp cords and returned to the bedroom to bound the feet of the family members. He then raped the girl a second time. At approximately 5 a.m., Chadd forced the mother and daughter into his car parked in front of the house. Planning to kill them, he drove to a secluded dirt road near Route 94. However, the road became muddy due to rain, making him unable to drive along it. Because of this, he let the victims go.[8]