Solved case · 1973
Also known as Death Angels killings · Operation Zebra
"Zebra Killers" mugshots, 1974 - l to r, Manuel Moore, Larry Green, Jessie Lee Cooks, JCX SimonCredit: California Department of CorrectionsPublic domainSourceThe short answer
Between October 1973 and April 1974, a group calling itself the "Death Angels" killed at least fifteen white people and wounded eight others in racially motivated attacks across San Francisco, prompting a controversial police manhunt known as Operation Zebra and the eventual conviction of four men.
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Suggest coverage for Zebra murdersBetween October 1973 and April 1974, San Francisco experienced a series of racially motivated street attacks that killed at least fifteen white people and wounded eight others. Police assigned the investigation a special radio band and named the case "Zebra." Some authorities have suggested the group responsible, which called itself the "Death Angels," may have been connected to as many as seventy-three or more killings between 1970 and 1974, though the confirmed San Francisco series spans October 1973 to April 1974.
The attacks began on October 20, 1973, when Richard and Quita Hague were abducted; Quita was killed and nearly decapitated, while Richard survived a brutal assault. Over the following months, victims were shot at close range with a .32 caliber pistol in a recurring pattern: a gunman would approach on foot, fire several shots, and flee. Victims included Frances Rose, Saleem Erakat, Paul Dancik, Marietta DiGirolamo, Ilario Bertuccio, Neal Moynihan, Mildred Hosler, and others; several people survived being shot, including future San Francisco mayor Art Agnos. A dismembered body found on December 24, 1973, at Ocean Beach, known for decades only as "John Doe #169," was identified through DNA comparison in 2022. The killings resumed in force on January 28, 1974, killing four more people, and continued into April 1974 with the fatal shooting of Nelson Shields IV.
The murders caused significant public fear and economic disruption in San Francisco. Following the April 1974 killing of Nelson Shields, police launched "Operation Zebra," a stop-and-search program targeting young Black men matching a composite sketch. The program drew strong criticism from civil rights organizations, including the NAACP and ACLU, and Black community leaders, who described it as racist and unconstitutional. Lawsuits were filed, and on April 25, 1974, a federal judge ruled the searches unconstitutional absent probable cause.
The case broke when an informant, Anthony Harris, met secretly with Mayor Joseph Alioto and later provided detailed testimony to police in exchange for immunity and placement in witness protection. Based on his information, seven men were arrested on May 1, 1974; three were released for lack of evidence. On May 16, 1974, a grand jury indicted J. C. Simon, Larry Green, Manuel Moore, and Jessie Lee Cooks on murder and related charges. After a lengthy trial that began in March 1975 and lasted 212 days with testimony from 181 witnesses, all four were convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy on March 29, 1976, and sentenced to life in prison, the maximum penalty allowed.
All four men were denied parole when first eligible in 1985. Simon died in prison in 2015, Moore in 2017, and Cooks in 2021. Larry Green remains incarcerated at California State Prison, Solano; a 2026 court order directed the parole board to schedule a new hearing for him after finding board members had improperly weighed his claims of innocence against him.
Richard and Quita Hague are abducted; Quita is killed, Richard survives a brutal assault.
Frances Rose is fatally shot; Jessie Lee Cooks is identified and arrested.
Robert Wayne Stoeckmann is shot and survives, wounding his attacker Leroy Doctor, who is later arrested.
Saleem Erakat is found shot dead in his store.
Paul Dancik is fatally shot; Art Agnos is shot and survives two days later, as does Marietta DiGirolamo, who is fatally shot the same night.
Ilario Bertuccio is fatally shot; Terese DeMartini survives a shooting hours later.
Neal Moynihan and Mildred Hosler are fatally shot within minutes of each other.
A dismembered body, later known as John Doe #169, is found at Ocean Beach; identified via DNA in 2022.
Five more shootings occur, killing Tana Smith, Vincent Wollin, John Bambic, and Jane Holly; Roxanne McMillan survives.
Tom Rainwater is killed and Linda Story wounded in a shooting.
Terry White and Ward Anderson are shot and survive.
Nelson Shields IV is fatally shot.
Operation Zebra stop-and-search program begins.
U.S. District Judge Alfonso Zirpoli rules the Operation Zebra searches unconstitutional.
Informant Anthony Harris meets secretly with Mayor Alioto.
Seven men are arrested in connection with the murders; three are later released for lack of evidence.
A grand jury indicts J. C. Simon, Larry Green, Manuel Moore, and Jessie Lee Cooks on murder charges.
Trial begins for the four defendants.
Cooks, Green, Moore, and Simon are convicted and sentenced to life in prison.
All four men become eligible for parole and are denied.
J. C. X. Simon dies in San Quentin State Prison.
Manuel Moore dies at the California Health Care Facility.
Jessie Lee Cooks dies at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility.
John Doe #169 is identified through DNA comparison; his name is not released.
A San Francisco judge orders the parole board to schedule a new hearing for Larry Green.
Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
Shot and wounded on December 13, 1973; survived and later became San Francisco mayor.[3]
Fatally shot in her car on October 30, 1973.[3]
Fatally shot on December 20, 1973.[3]
Fatally shot on January 28, 1974.[3]
Fatally shot on January 28, 1974.[3]
Dismembered body found December 24, 1973, at Ocean Beach; identified via DNA in 2022, name not released.[3]
Survived being shot on April 1, 1974.[3]
Fatally shot on December 13, 1973.[3]
Fatally shot on December 22, 1973.[3]
Fatally shot on December 22, 1973.[3]
Fatally shot on April 16, 1974.[3]
Fatally shot on December 11, 1973.[3]
Killed on October 20, 1973, in an abduction with her husband Richard Hague.[3]
Survived a violent attack after being abducted with his wife Quita on October 20, 1973.[3]
Shot and wounded on November 9, 1973; survived and shot his attacker.[3]
Survived being shot twice on January 28, 1974.[3]
Found shot dead in his store on November 25, 1973.[3]
Fatally shot on January 28, 1974.[3]
Survived being shot while parking her car on December 20, 1973.[3]
Shot and survived on April 14, 1974.[3]
Fatally shot on April 1, 1974.[3]
Fatally shot on January 28, 1974.[3]
Shot and survived on April 14, 1974.[3]
Convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy on March 29, 1976; sentenced to life; died in prison in 2015.[3]
Convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy on March 29, 1976; sentenced to life; died in prison in 2021.[3]
Convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy on March 29, 1976; sentenced to life; currently incarcerated.[3]
Arrested and sentenced to 9.5 years to life for shooting Robert Wayne Stoeckmann.[3]
Convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy on March 29, 1976; sentenced to life; died in prison in 2017.[3]
From the record
Coverage is not a source: every fact in this file rests on the records below.
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SOLVEDListenSan Francisco Chinatown and City Hall sand-lots, San Francisco, California · 1870s
A three-day riot targeting Chinese immigrants swept San Francisco's Chinatown and surrounding neighborhoods from July 23 to July 25, 1877, killing four people and destroying more than $100,000 in Chinese-owned property.
Image recordEditorial useSourceUNSOLVEDListenClara Street, South of Market, San Francisco, California · 2010s
In August 2018, the remains of 65-year-old Brian Egg were found concealed in a fish tank inside his San Francisco home after neighbors and family reported him missing; his death was ruled a homicide caused by blunt-force trauma, and although two men were briefly held as persons of interest, no one has been convicted.
SOLVEDListenNineteenth and Lexington Streets, Mission District, San Francisco, CA · 1970s
Robert Hillsborough, a 33-year-old gardener, was fatally stabbed in San Francisco's Mission District on June 21–22, 1977, by a group of young men who targeted him because he was gay. His death galvanized LGBT political mobilization and led to a record-setting Gay Freedom Day Parade.
SOLVEDListenPickton family farm, 953 Dominion Avenue, Port Coquitlam, British Columbia · 1978
Robert Pickton, a pig farmer from Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, was convicted in December 2007 of second-degree murder in the deaths of six women from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Investigators linked him to the deaths of at least 26 women in total, and 20 further first-degree murder charges against him were stayed in 2010.
SOLVEDListenBushland near Truro, South Australia (principal body-recovery site) · 1976
Seven young women and girls were abducted, sexually assaulted, and murdered in and around Adelaide, South Australia, between December 1976 and February 1977; James Miller was convicted of six of the murders in 1980 on the basis of joint criminal enterprise.
Image recordCC BY-SA 4.0SourceUNSOLVEDListenBroward and Miami-Dade Counties, Florida · 1975
Between February 1975 and January 1976, at least twelve girls and women were murdered in Broward and Dade (now Miami-Dade) County, Florida, their bodies found in or near South Florida canals; the case remains formally unsolved though investigators have named two deceased suspects in connection with two of the victims.
