William Crandell, a man in his 60s, was killed on November 12, 1983, in the Skid Row area of downtown Los Angeles. His death was one of three homicides of indigent men in that period; the sequence began with the murder of Anthony Cody on Halloween and ended with the killing of Bobby Joe Jones on November 20, 1983.

Norman Bernard, a transient from North Carolina who had been diagnosed as a chronic schizophrenic, later confessed to the three killings. Bernard told investigators he used a .22-caliber handgun and said he believed he was relieving his victims of hopelessness. He was arrested on November 22, 1983, in Irvine after an unrelated attempted car break-in and voluntarily confessed during questioning. Bernard entered guilty pleas to three counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances and was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.

If anyone knew William Crandell or has information about his life on Skid Row before November 12, 1983, please share what can help remember him or assist ongoing historical records.