114. Sounds Like Terror In The Castro - The Doodler Murders

In 1974 and 1975 five white gay men were savagely stabbed to death by a young African American man who attracted his victims by sketching their likenesses in the bars and cafes of San Francisco's Castro District, eventually luring them away to their doom.  He has never been identified, let alone arrested.  So how do we know so much about this killer and his modus operandi?  We know because three additional victims of the so-called "Doodler" survived to tell their stories - and each of them described that same scenario.  All three of those victims also provided similar descriptions of their attacker  And, tragically, all three insisted on full anonymity - all refused to be named or to step forward into the public light or press charges even if their would-be murderer were ever arrested.  And the reason for that is heartbreaking - and (in today's world) almost impossible to comprehend.  In this fascinating and heartfelt account of "The Doodler" and his serial murders, Melissa also explores San Francisco at a turning point in its history, the hidden heartbreak of being forced to live one's life in closeted fear and shame, and the Castro District businessman-turned-politician who understood that pain, exposed it and ultimately gave his life so that gay men and women everywhere would never be forced into it again.