Loren Joseph Herzog

Serial Killer

Loren Joseph Herzog and the Speed Freak Killers

Background

Loren Joseph Herzog was born on December 8, 1965, in California and grew up in the rural community of Linden in San Joaquin County. His longtime friend Wesley Howard Shermantine Jr. lived nearby. The two men attended school together and became familiar with the isolated roads, farms, waterways, foothills, wells, and abandoned properties surrounding Linden and Stockton. Herzog and Shermantine became known as the "Speed Freak Killers," a nickname connected to their frequent use of methamphetamine. Investigators suspected that the pair committed violent crimes while using drugs and traveling through remote areas of Northern California. Their alleged offenses included robbery, kidnapping, sexual assault, murder, and the concealment of human remains. The exact number of their victims has never been established. Some victims were included in criminal trials, while others were linked to the men through physical evidence, witness statements, recovered remains, or later claims made by Shermantine. It is important to distinguish between victims legally connected to Herzog, victims proven against Shermantine alone, and people who remain suspected victims.

Victims Established in Herzog's Final Criminal Case

• Henry Lee Howell, age 41 killed September 1, 1984 Highway 88 near Hope Valley, California: Howell was found dead beside or inside his vehicle along a remote mountain highway. He had been shot and had suffered severe injuries to his head and mouth. Herzog told investigators that he and Shermantine encountered Howell while traveling through the area and that Shermantine killed and robbed him. Herzog eventually pleaded guilty to being an accessory after Howell's murder.
• Howard Michael King III, age 35 killed November 27, 1984 Roberts Island, southwest of Stockton, California: King was sitting in the driver's seat of a Pontiac parked on an isolated road when he and his passenger were confronted. King was shot and killed. Tire impressions found near the crime scene were later associated with Shermantine's red pickup truck. Herzog was originally convicted of King's murder, but that conviction was overturned. He later pleaded guilty to acting as an accessory after the killing.
• Paul Raymond Cavanaugh, age 31 killed November 27, 1984 Roberts Island, southwest of Stockton, California: Cavanaugh was the passenger in the vehicle occupied by Howard King. Herzog told detectives that Cavanaugh was removed from the car and shot at close range. Herzog's original murder conviction was overturned with his other convictions. He subsequently pleaded guilty to being an accessory after Cavanaugh's murder.
• Cynthia Ann "Cyndi" Vanderheiden, age 25 disappeared and presumed killed November 14, 1998 last seen in the Linden and Clements area of California: Vanderheiden disappeared after spending part of the evening at the Linden Inn, a bar owned by her family. She was last seen in the company of Herzog and Shermantine. Her blood was later discovered inside Shermantine's vehicle. Herzog was originally convicted of her murder, but the conviction was overturned on appeal. He later pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and to furnishing her with methamphetamine. In February 2012, part of her skull was recovered from a ravine near San Andreas in Calaveras County.

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Confirmed Victims: (4)

Henry Howell Age: (41), Date of Death: 1984-09-01

Suspected Victims:

Chevelle Wheeler Age: (16), Date of Death: 1985-10-16

Roberta Ray Armtrout Age: (24), Date of Death: 1985-09-08

Kimberly Ann Billy Age: (19), Date of Death: 1984-12-11

Joann Hobson Age: (16), Date of Death: 1985-08-29

Tracy Diane Melton Age: (32), Date of Death: 1998-05-06

Phillip Cabot Lloyd Martin Age: (47), Date of Death: 1993-09-30

Speed Freak Killers - Wikipedia