Richard Allen Earl Sr. was 38 when he was among nine people murdered on November 7, 1973, in Acampo, California, in the mass crime known as the Victor Murders. The victims included his wife Wanda Jean Cummings Earl, 37; daughter Debra Jean Earl, 18; and son Richard Allen Ricky Earl Jr., 15. Neighbors the Parkins and Debra’s fiancé were also killed.

The victims were found bound and executed inside the Parkin home: the children in the master bedroom and the adults in a walk-in closet. Two men, Douglas Gretzler and Willie Steelman, were arrested shortly after the killings. Gretzler was captured at the Clunie Hotel in Sacramento and Steelman after a standoff at a masseuse’s apartment. Both were later convicted of multiple murders in California and Arizona.