Summary of Offense:
On February 12, 1991, a lone gunman entered a Quik Stop market on Auburn Boulevard and shot two employees and a customer from close range. The shootings appeared to be a robbery, although nothing was taken except a tin of beef jerky and a few other items.
A week later, three workers in a Watt Avenue pizza parlor were killed in a similar manner. Authorities believed that the slayings were done for kicks. The unknown killer was quickly dubbed the “thrill killer” by the media, as an outburst of coverage followed the developments.
A massive manhunt ensued, and may have deterred the killer from making further attacks. But many months passed before police found a troubled young man named Eric Royce Leonard.
Victims: Zaid Obeid, Stephen Anderson (employees of a convenience store), Thor Johnson (convenience store customer), Sarah Crook, Kyle Reynolds and Andrea Coldangelo (pizza parlor employees).
Leonard was sentenced to death on June 13, 1996 in Sacramento County.
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