Saleem Sammy Erakat, a 53-year-old Jordanian Arab immigrant, was murdered on November 25, 1973, in San Francisco. He owned a small grocery on Larkin Street. Simon entered the store, ordered Erakat to the back room, tied his hands, and shot him in the back of the head with a .32 caliber gun while using a quilt to muffle the sound; about $1,300 was taken from the store.

Erakat’s killing was described as the third in a series of racially motivated attacks by a group referred to as the Zebra Killers. That campaign of violence is said to have involved 20 attacks and 23 victims, targeting people perceived to be white. In May 1974 a San Francisco grand jury indicted Jessie Lee Cooks, Larry Craig Green, Manuel Moore, and J.C.X. Simon on conspiracy and related charges covering crimes between October 20, 1973, and April 30, 1974, including charges tied to Erakat’s murder.

Anyone who knew Erakat, worked on Larkin Street then, or has information about the store or that day is asked to share what they remember.