The Doodler is a serial killer who committed several murders in San Francisco in 1974 and 1975. He targeted white gay men in bars and lured them to follow him by drawing a doodle of them. He then stabbed them to death. He has, to date, not been identified. It seems that very little is known about this case that is still open. Five men were killed and linked to the Doodler’s modus operandi. Three men survived but refused to testify when a possible suspect was questioned. It is also believed that maybe the Doodler moved away from San Francisco and continued murdering gay men elsewhere. This podcast is about trying all these years later to find him. It’s a weird and sad story.
“Homosexuality was illegal in all ways but by name. If you were caught in a gay bar, you could be charged with any of a number of crimes. Lewd and lascivious behaviour, there’s anti-sodomite, there were laws on the books where people had to wear at least three articles of gender-appropriate clothing. You couldn’t be crossed dressed and try to pass as the opposite gender. A gay couple could be charged with lewd and lascivious behaviour for holding hands, a woman could be charged with cross-dressing for sporting a crew cut and wearing jeans and a leather jacket. The police could raid the home of a known homosexual and arrest them for sodomy. The risks involved in being arrested were devastating. Publication of one’s name, address, workplace, you could lose your job, you could lose your relationship with your family, you could lose your living space, so it was pretty serious. It was a pervasive, hateful campaign against queerness.”
Eight episodes of approximately 30 minutes each
Episode 1. The Coldest Case in San Francisco
Episode 2. Murder, Mistrust, and the SFPD
Episode 3. The Zebra Diversion
Episode 4. Gilford and Sanders
Episode 5. An Actor and a Diplomat Walk into a Bar
Episode 6. A Sketch for the Street Cops
Episode 7. The Man in the Sketch
Episode 8. Rays of Hope