The Earthquake Mission: How Schizophrenia Became Justice

Neighbor Notes the License Plate as Killer Shoots Seventy-Two-Year-Old Fred Perez: The Serial Murders of Herbert William Mullin Fred Perez was trimming his garden in broad daylight when a truck stopped in front of his house. One shot. He fell dead while neighbors watched from their windows. One of them wrote down the license plate-a single detail that would untangle thirteen unsolved deaths across Santa Cruz County and expose a killer the system had released again and again. In this episode, we trace the psychiatric decline of Herbert William Mullin and the catastrophic failures of California's mental health system. We examine the contradiction between his documented paranoid schizophrenia and his calculated return to the Llaneras home to eliminate a witness. We ask the question the jury faced in 1973: if a man kills obeying voices only he can hear, can the law hold him responsible? Victim: Fred Perez Date: February 13, 1973 Location: Santa Cruz, California Status: Solved - Herbert William Mullin was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 1968 but was released repeatedly from psychiatric facilities under California's 72-hour involuntary detention law. - Mullin believed Albert Einstein's death, his own birthday, and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake were connected signs commanding him to kill and prevent earthquakes. - He killed thirteen people in four months-a priest in a confessional, a hitchhiker, four campers, two children aged four and nine-but only ten crimes were formally charged due to insufficient evidence. - After killing the Llaneras family, Mullin left the scene, then returned and killed family friend Kathleen Prentice and her two children, suggesting calculated witness elimination that contradicted claims of complete psychosis. Herbert William Mullin, Santa Cruz serial killer 1972-1973, paranoid schizophrenia, auditory hallucinations, psychiatric system failure, California mental health, criminal responsibility, insanity defense, homicide investigation, true crime English To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com . Tired of ads? Listen to this podcast and 200+ more ad-free on OBOMEDIA. Try it free for 7 days, cancel anytime: https://obomedia.com/en/gratis?ref=desc-6981245 © 2026 Created by an independent creator of the OBOMEDIA Network. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the property of their respective creator, who is solely responsible for them, and are distributed by the OBOMEDIA Network on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without the creator's prior written permission is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.