Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards are among the many purported victims of the notorious Zodiac Killer, highlighted in the Netflix docuseries “This is the Zodiac Speaking.”This gripping true crime series, comprising three episodes, debuted on Netflix on October 23, 2024.
The Zodiac Killer instilled fear across Northern California during the late 1960s, claiming responsibility for numerous murders through letters directed at law enforcement and newspapers. The Santa Barbara police established a connection between the murders of Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards and the notorious serial killer in 1970. The couple was found dead at Gaviota State Park beach, having been shot with a. 22 caliber semi-automatic firearm.
Arthur Leigh Allen, a former elementary school teacher and convicted sex offender, emerged as a suspect in the Zodiac Killer case. However, the absence of compelling evidence prevented law enforcement from charging him. The documentary presents fresh perspectives on the investigation, focusing on the Seaweather family, who had a close relationship with Allen.
The tragic deaths of Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards occurred on June 4, 1963
Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards were a young couple poised to be married soon, with Robert being 18 and the youngest of three siblings, while Linda was just 17. They were both students at Lompoc High School and resided in Santa Barbara, California.
Having been friends since childhood, they fell in love as they grew older and chose to commit to a life together. Tragically, their lives were cut short when their bodies were discovered in a beach shack at Gaviota State Park on June 4, 1963. Reports from The Cinemaholic indicate that Robert sustained 11 gunshot wounds, while Linda was shot 8 times, both with a. 22 caliber semi-automatic firearm.
The brutal nature of the couple’s murder and the fact that their bodies were found in such a secluded place left law enforcement in Santa Barbara baffled. Their limbs were bound with pre-cut rope, and Linda’s swimsuit was torn. Notably, their vehicle was untouched, suggesting that robbery was not the motive behind this heinous act.
The unsolved murder of Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards
For years, the murder of this young couple went unresolved. It was only after the Zodiac Killer’s notoriety grew and details surrounding his methods became widely known that the Santa Barbara police decided to reach out to the Vallejo police department.
In December 1968, the murders of David Arthur Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen were attributed to a. 22 caliber semi-automatic gun. Then in September 1969, Bryan Calvin Hartnell and Cecelia Ann Shepard were attacked, with claims of pre-cut rope being used in their case as well. These cases were linked to the Zodiac Killer, leading investigators to suspect that Domingos and Edwards might have been among the serial killer’s earliest victims.
In a press release issued in 1972, detectives Bill Armstrong and Dave Toschi announced that they were now investigating the murders of the young couple as part of the Zodiac case.
Arthur Leigh Allen, a former elementary school teacher and convicted sex offender, was suspected of being the Zodiac Killer, but he ultimately could not be detained due to insufficient evidence. In his last known communication in 1974, the Zodiac Killer claimed to have killed 37 individuals; however, all those murders, including those of Robert Domingos and Linda Edwards, sadly remain officially unresolved.
You can currently watch “This is the Zodiac Speaking”on Netflix.
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