Naman Shrestha
In Sundance Now’s ‘Butchers of L.A.,’ the focus is on three serial killers who wreaked havoc in Southern California in the 1970s and 1980s by killing dozens of young gay men and disposing of most of their remains in freeways. One of them was Randy Steven Kraft, who was also known as “the Scorecard Killer,” “the Southern California Strangler,” and “the Freeway Killer.” Operating in the Southern California region, Randy was considered one of the most methodical of the three as he managed to evade the police for several years. The three-part true crime documentary series delves deep into his background and his brutal killings.
Randy Steven Kraft Had a Strong Academic Background
Born on March 19, 1945, in Long Beach, California, to Opal Lee and Harold Herbert Kraft, Randy Steven Kraft was raised alongside his three older sisters, who doted on him. He completed his elementary education at Midway City Elementary School, where he impressed the teachers with his high level of intelligence, so much so that he was allowed to attend accelerated classes at 17th Street Junior High School. In his teenage years, he dreamed of becoming a senator in the future. While studying at Westminster High School, he continued his brilliant academic run by earning high grades. According to him, he had known that he was gay from his high school days, but kept it a secret.
After graduating from high school in June 1963, he pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Claremont Men’s College in Claremont, California. Simultaneously, he also became a part of the Reserve Officers Training Corps. The following year, he served as a bartender at a bar in Garden Grove, while also hooking up with men in Laguna Beach and Huntington Beach. It was in 1966 when he first got into a run-in with the law for propositioning an undercover police officer in Huntington Beach. Since he had no priors, he was let go without any charges filed against his name. In February 1968, Randy graduated from college, and four months later, he joined the US Air Force. However, it is alleged that when he revealed his sexual orientation to his superiors around July 1969, he was discharged from his duties due to “medical” reasons.
After his discharge, Randy moved back in with his parents and resumed working as a bartender. A few months later, in 1970, he allegedly lured a 13-year-old boy named Joseph Alvin Fancher into his apartment. In Randy’s 1989 trial, Joseph Alvin Fancher testified that he was drugged and sexually assaulted by the former when he was 13 in 1970. After escaping from the house, he was admitted to the hospital and proceeded to inform the authorities that he had been drugged and severely beaten by Randy. Since the survivor admitted to having taken the pills voluntarily, the authorities could not charge Randy. By 1971, he started attending Long Beach State University, pursuing higher education while working as a forklift driver in Huntington Beach.
Randy Steven Kraft Led a Secretive Double Life
At the university, Randy Steven Kraft crossed paths with Jeffrey Paul Graves. As sparks flew between them, they began dating. However, they parted ways a few years later, after which Randy got into a relationship with Jeff Seelig in 1976. While living in Laguna Hills, the couple allegedly picked up hitchhikers, who would agree to participate in sexual acts with them. As per Jeff’s accounts, Randy had never shown any signs of violence. However, it turned out that he led a double life as he claimed dozens of male victims between the early 1970s and the early 1980s in Southern California. He mostly targeted members of the US Marine Corps, whom he lured into his vehicle by offering them alcohol. After getting them intoxicated, he proceeded to severely torture and sexually assault them before strangling or bludgeoning them to death. As for his victims’ remains, he used to dispose of them alongside different freeways in Southern California.
Randy managed to evade the law for a decade or so, during which he is suspected of having killed more than 60 young men. In May 1983, he was stopped by the police on a California freeway as he was driving erratically. While he was only suspected of driving under the influence, the authorities found something more incriminating in the passenger seat of his vehicle — the remains of a Marine named Terry Lee Gambrel. Upon searching the trunk of his vehicle for more evidence, the detectives found a coded list that had more than 60 entries, possibly the names of his victims, including Geoffrey Alan Nelson, Edward Daniel Moore, Keith Crotwell, Mark Hall, and Michael Ray Schlicht. Thus, he became known by several nicknames, such as the “Scorecard Killer,” “Freeway Killer,” and “the Southern California Strangler.” He was eventually charged with 16 murders.
Randy Steven Kraft is Currently on Death Row in a California Prison
On September 26, 1988, Randy Steven Kraft’s trial got underway. The prosecution presented several pieces of physical evidence found in his Long Beach house and car, linking him to the murders. They also called nearly 160 witnesses to the stand, all of whom testified against the defendant. Meanwhile, Randy and his defense claimed that he was innocent and had no involvement in any of the killings. After an intense trial that lasted for several months, the jury returned with a final verdict on May 12, 1989. Randy was convicted of sixteen counts of murder, one count of sodomy, and one count of emasculation.
A few months later, on November 29, 1989, the Scorecard Killer was sentenced to death for his gruesome crimes. In the years that followed, several other victims surfaced whose murders were tied to Randy. In November 2023, the authorities identified the remains of a teenage victim with the help of investigative genetic genealogy, who was believed to have been killed by Randy decades ago. As of today, 80-year-old Randy Steven Kraft is on death row at California Institution for Men in Chino, California, and still maintains his innocence.
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