Post by Agent99 aka Sandia on Sept 26, 2013 16:59:33 GMT
This is my first post here or on any forum related to the EAR / ONS case, even though I have been following the case for years. I read the A&E board from time to time, but never registered because there was far too much trolling and personal bickering there for my taste. This seems a much nicer and more productive forum, and I hope that it stays that way.
As my nickname indicates, I am from Germany, so I am one of probably very few posters here from outside the US. The EAR / ONS case is not very well known or widely discussed over here, but I have seen a handful of posts about it on German-language true crime forums, so there are a few people who know about it. I myself first became aware of the case in 2007 when I read about it online, probably on Wikipedia (I don't remember where, exactly). I have been following the case ever since, checking at least every couple of months if there is any news. I bought and read Larry Crompton's book as soon as it came out. I was very excited in 2011 when they finally connected the Goleta murders to EAR / ONS by DNA. In the beginning, I had had my doubts about whether the Goleta murders were committed by EAR / ONS (they seemed more sloppy than his usual "work"), but I became a convert after reading Crompton's book and was then quite sure that it was EAR / ONS. It was great to see it confirmed by DNA.
In 2010 while on a holiday trip in Los Angeles, I actually used one day to go to Irvine and look at the Witthuhn crime scene and the Cruz crime scene. I had become so obsessed with the case by then that I just had to go there. Looking at the houses and walking the streets there gives one an insight into what kind of neighborhoods EAR / ONS liked to prowl that can be approached, but not equalled by seeing photographs or videos. It was a very interesting day, but also sad, obviously. All the victims' murders were terrible for their loved ones, but I have always felt especially sad about the Cruz murder, his last and youngest known murder victim.
I have no background in law enforcement. I am a historian, and by doing some local history research here in Germany, I learned how to do a little bit of "detective work" in terms of tracking down information from obscure events decades ago (which does, of course, in no way approach what professional law enforcement agents are doing, but there are a couple of similarities like going through old records, files, et cetera).
Anyway, I just thought I would say hello to you all and introduce myself. Let's hope that this case can one day be solved after all.
Welcome to the board. It is amazing how this case has attracted international attention. As far as I know we have posters from England, Scotland, and Germany. It is a very fascinating case, and I hope you can help us solve it. Your background in history research can be very valuable, indeed. Well I hope you can work some magic here.
Bis spater, agent 99 (I hope auto correct doesn't correct the German, it is stubborn and wants to, oh and Lepke is right, your English is impeccable).
