Herbert Mullin: The Disturbing Reign of an American Serial Killer

Herbert Mullin is an American serial killer who committed 13 murders within a span of just four months in 1972 and 1973.

Early Years

Herbert Mullin was born on April 18, 1947, in California. His father, a World War II veteran, raised him with strictness but did not abuse him. Mullin was a good student and popular among his peers.

Schizophrenia

After successfully graduating from high school, his life took a turn when one of his closest friends died in a car accident. Suddenly, he began to fear that he might be homosexual and broke up with his girlfriend without giving any reasons. He developed a panic about earthquakes, which would significantly influence his future actions. The fact that his birthday coincided with the anniversary of the great 1906 San Francisco earthquake further reinforced his beliefs.

Mullin's obsession with earthquakes worsened over time, leading him to admit himself to a psychiatric institution. The following years were marked by repeated stays in mental institutions, but his delusions grew increasingly severe. He tended to self-mutilate and engaged in more frequent conversations with himself.

In 1972, he moved back in with his parents. Suddenly, he started hearing voices in his head warning him of another major earthquake. According to these voices, only blood sacrifices could prevent a catastrophe.

Murder Spree

On October 13, 1972, Mullin committed his first murder. He senselessly attacked a homeless man with a baseball bat. Later, he told investigators that the man had telepathically requested it. His next victim was a 24-year-old woman hitchhiking. Initially, the murder was attributed to Edmund Kemper, who was also killing in California at the time.

Mullin wanted to cleanse his guilty conscience and went to confession. However, during the confession, he ended up killing the priest. Once again, he sought atonement, this time by seeking employment with the US Marines. Although he passed the psychological and physical tests, his history in psychiatric institutions led to his rejection. This rejection fueled his paranoid delusion that hippies were somehow involved.

Mullin decided to murder a former classmate who had sold him cannabis in the past. However, a different family now lived at his old address. He killed the woman and her two children but asked for the new address of his former schoolmate beforehand. Later that day, he went there and murdered the classmate and his wife.

Shortly thereafter, Mullin killed four teenagers who were camping in a park. He committed his final murder on February 13, 1973, in broad daylight. He suddenly stopped his car by the roadside and shot an elderly man who was mowing the lawn. Emotionless, he drove away. There were numerous eyewitnesses who provided a detailed description of Mullin. He surrendered without resistance when apprehended.

Conviction

Since Mullin confessed to all the murders, the only question remaining was whether he was legally sane or not. Shortly after his arrest, an earthquake struck California, which Mullin saw as a sign that his actions in the past months had prevented the worst.

On August 19, 1973, he was found guilty of two counts of premeditated murder and eight counts of manslaughter, as those murders were committed on impulse. So far, his request for parole has been rejected ten times.

The FBI later determined that the initial signs of paranoid schizophrenia had already manifested during his final years in school.

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