Charles Jackson, a 46-year-old African American man, was killed on December 1, 1974, in Los Angeles. His body was found near the Central Library in downtown Los Angeles and is identified as the first in a series of murders that became linked by a distinctive pattern: victims’ throats were slashed, bodies were posed, and some were sprinkled with salt.

The killings continued over about two months and targeted homeless and transient men. The offender was later identified as Vaughn Orrin Greenwood. Greenwood was arrested after an attempted murder of another man, William Graham. Investigators found a letter Greenwood had addressed to himself at a scene, which led them to his residence; cufflinks belonging to one victim were recovered there. Greenwood, then 32, was convicted on nine counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison on January 19, 1977.

Are there readers who remember downtown Los Angeles in late 1974 or who knew Charles Jackson and can share any details that might add to his story?