28 Believed Killed By ‘gay’ Murderer (Press, 16 July 1977)

On 16 July 1977, a grand jury in Riverside, California, handed down three murder indictments against Patrick Kearney, while simultaneously dropping charges against his housemate, David Hill, in connection with the so-called "trash-bag murders." This case has been linked to the deaths of 28 young men, with many of the victims’ dismembered bodies discovered dumped in plastic trash bags along roadsides. Should all 28 murders be confirmed as connected, this would become the largest mass homicide in United States history. Patrick Kearney, a 37-year-old aircraft designer, alongside his 34-year-old housemate David Hill, voluntarily surrendered to police on 1 July 1977. Following their surrender, Kearney reportedly made extensive confessions, which assisted law enforcement in locating at least one dismembered body associated with the case. The grand jury's decision to indict Kearney on three murder charges was announced, while they decided not to indict Hill, with prosecutor Byron Morton noting that the evidence against Hill was insufficient. The formal charges against Hill were dismissed during a Riverside municipal court session on this day. This case has drawn comparisons to a previous mass killing incident in 1973, where 27 murders linked to a homosexual ring in Texas had been recorded as the largest prior mass homicide in the United States.

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