Zebra murders

The Zebra murders were a number of connected murders performed by a black supremacist serial killer ring that took place in San Francisco, California in 1973 and 1974. They were dubbed the Zebra Killings because of the radio channel used by the San Francisco Police ("Z") exclusively for this case.

Arrest and Conviction

After seeing his face on a wanted poster for the crimes, a man named Anthony Harris, an employee at the Black Self-Help Moving and Storage in Market Street, came forward. Seeing the reward as a way of helping his family, he called the police and told them about the "Death Angels" a group of black men within the Nation of Islam, of which Harris was a member.

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Harris revealed the existence of the group to the police, and told them of a homicide which did not make the papers; it was that of a homeless man who they kidnapped from Ghirardelli Square. They brought the man to Black Self Help and took turns removing his limbs and hacking him to pieces. Harris told the detectives that they dumped the body into San Francisco Bay. He told his story in such detail that the police were convinced of its veracity.

Related Topics:
Ghirardelli Square - San Francisco Bay

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Harris provided the police with names, dates, addresses and details ? enough information to issue warrants against the killers.

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On May 1, simultaneous raids during the pre-dawn hours were made, resulting in the arrest of Larry Craig Green and J.C.X. Simon in an apartment building at 844 Grove Street. More were arrested at Black Self Help. None of them offered resistance when arrested.

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Of the seven arrested that day, three were released for lack of evidence.

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Mayor Alioto announced the news of the raids and announced that the killings were perpetrated by the Death Angels. Almost at once local black leaders denounced the arrests because of its apparent racist undertones. Black Muslim leader John Muhammad denied the allegations of a Black Muslim conspiracy to kill Caucasians.

Related Topics:
Black Muslim - Caucasians

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However, there was enough evidence to prove the case against the "Death Angels". The trial started on March 3, 1975. Despite the efforts of the defense to discredit Harris, it was to no avail as Harris spilled all the grisly details over 12 days of testimony. In addition, the Zebra team presented evidence of a .32 caliber Beretta automatic pistol that was recovered from a garbage can near the scene of one of the murders. They were able to demonstrate the chain of ownership of the gun to one of the workers of the Black Self Help. They also showed that it was used in many of the murders.

Related Topics:
March 3 - 1975 - Beretta

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Based on the testimony of 108 witnesses (including Harris), 8000 pages totalling 3.5 million words worth of transcripts, and culminating in what was then the longest criminal trial in California history, Larry Green and J.C.X. Simon ? as well as two others, Manuel Moore and Jessie Lee Cooke ? were convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder after an 18-hour deliberation by the jury in 1976. Each was sentenced to life imprisonment.

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While the Zebra killings were officially solved, there is a belief among some that not all the killers were caught. Today the murders have been largely forgotten ? even within San Francisco ? despite the enormity of the crimes when they happened and the great effect they had on the city.

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