The original title of this news story was:
Christian Drifter May Have Killed Two Couples in Separate Beach Murders, Police Say
Why do think that it? Obviously this guy was not a ‘Christian’, more of a cultist.
Two couples fatally shot more than 30 years apart while camping in different countries may have been victims of the same man: a drifter who authorities say was part of a Christian commune and disapproved of relationships between unmarried couples.
Joseph Henry Burgess, 62, who died in a July 16 shootout with New Mexico sheriff’s deputies, had been wanted in Canada as a suspect in the 1972 murders of two university students on a Vancouver Island beach, and may be linked to more killings.
Investigators in Sonoma County, Calif., wanted to talk to him. The fatal shootings of two camp counselors whose bodies were found on a Jenner beach in 2004 bore a striking resemblance to the crime up north.
But Burgess’ nomadic lifestyle had kept his whereabouts a mystery.
He is believed to have spent the past decade burglarizing cabins in New Mexico’s Jemez Mountains, where he was nicknamed the “Cookie Bandit” for allegedly stealing food, boots and other goods. Deputies conducting a stakeout in hopes of catching the Cookie Bandit were confronted by Burgess, leading to a gun battle that left him and Sgt. Joe Harris dead.
(snip)
Burgess eventually made it out to the U.S. West Coast, where he lived in a religious commune run by the Children of God and called himself Job, in reference to the biblical figure, Creally said. He reportedly was kicked out of the commune’s boarding house after his rifle made other residents uncomfortable.
July 25th, 2009 12:28 am
Children of God…Weren’t they the ones who practiced “flirty fishing” during the 1970’s?
July 25th, 2009 12:30 am
I believe that you are right!