In the early 1970s, California was terrorized by a string of murders committed by a man who believed he was preventing a catastrophe. Herbert Mullin wasn’t killing for pleasure, profit, or power — he was killing because he thought the voices in his mind were warning him of an imminent earthquake, one that would destroy the state if he didn’t offer human sacrifices first.
This episode dives deep into Mullin’s unraveling psyche, tracing his journey from a once-promising student and athlete to a young man consumed by untreated schizophrenia. We examine his early warning signs, his fixation on natural disasters, and the intense delusions that ultimately guided his violent actions.
Inside this episode:
- Mullin’s childhood, mental health struggles, and the first signs that something was wrong
- His belief that murder would “stabilize the earth’s plates” and prevent massive loss of life
- The connection between his crimes and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake
- How his killing spree collided with the same era and geography as serial killers Ed Kemper and John Linley Frazier, earning Santa Cruz the disturbing nickname “Murder Capital of the World”
- The investigation that revealed a chilling pattern of calculated, delusion-driven killings
- Mullin’s trial, where insanity, responsibility, and mental illness clashed in one of California’s most controversial cases
- Sources:
- • Vann, Ethan A. The Life and Crimes of Herbert Mullin. Crime Archives Publishing, 2017.
- • Newton, Michael. The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers. Checkmark Books, 2006.
- • Ressler, Robert K., and Tom Shachtman. Whoever Fights Monsters. St. Martin’s Press, 1992.
- • Douglas, John, and Mark Olshaker. Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit. Scribner, 1995.
- • “People v. Herbert W. Mullin.” California Court of Appeal Records, 1973–1974.
- • Santa Cruz Sentinel Archives – Coverage of Mullin’s arrest, trial, and sentencing (1972–1973).
- • Los Angeles Times Archives – Reporting on the Santa Cruz murder cases of the early 1970s.
- • “Herbert Mullin – Serial Killer Profile.” Murderpedia.org.
- • “The Santa Cruz Killings: Mullin and Kemper.” American Justice (A&E Documentary Episode).
- • Hickey, Eric W. Serial Murderers and Their Victims. Wadsworth Publishing, 2013.
