Opinion ID: 1176325
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Schatz Murder

Text: Beth Schatz was killed by a person or persons who entered the mobilehome in the early morning hours of June 26, 1980, through a kitchen window. She and her husband, George, had entertained friends on the preceding evening, and had retired about 11:30 p.m. George Schatz customarily cleaned the sink and counter after doing the evening dishes, and believed he had done so on that night. He was awakened by a disturbance and stood up next to his bed. He saw two young Black males in the bedroom. One directed him to lie down and not get up. He complied with that order, lay down, and stared upward. He does not recall falling asleep or becoming unconscious, but apparently did so. Before that occurred he realized that his wife was not in the bed. He heard noises made by the intruders as they moved about the home. When he awakened or regained consciousness he heard no sounds. He arose, and found his wife lying on the floor near the foot of the bed. He knelt beside her, tried to waken her, and realized that she was dead. He then telephoned police. Until that time he did not realize that he had been injured. He was bleeding from a head wound or wounds, however, and was transported to a hospital by the police officers who responded to his call. He had sustained six wounds to the head area, one to his neck, a broken nose, and two black eyes. Beth Schatz's death was caused by multiple blows to the head, with the injuries concentrated on the left side of her skull. The injuries included depressed fractures of her skull, and some had caused hemorrhages in the pons, the upper part of the brain stem, an area in which hemorrhage is lethal. The injuries suffered by both victims were consistent with blows from a ball-peen hammer. Several items of property, including a television set, a 30.06 deer rifle, a shotgun, Mr. Schatz's wallet, a money clip, and a jewelry box were missing from the home. The couple's 1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass automobile was also missing. Shoeprints found in the flower bed under the kitchen window of the mobilehome bore a strong indication that they had been made by shoes owned and shared by defendant and his brother. A fingerprint found on a screen that had been removed from the kitchen window of the mobilehome was identified as that of defendant, as was a partial palm print on the edge of the kitchen counter. The palm print was placed with the fingers resting over the edge of the counter. A security guard working the 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. shift at an auto dealership next to Luther Burbank High School at Florin Road and Luther Drive observed a car driving north on Luther Drive at a high rate of speed at 1:30 a.m. on the night of the homicide. The car barely stopped for the stop sign before skidding onto Florin Road where a highway patrol car crossed its path, but did not stop to ticket it. The car might have been an Oldsmobile Cutlass. Cecelia (CiCi) Anders, a friend of defendant who lived in a downtown apartment about 10 miles from the Gardens area, was awakened about 4 or 4:30 a.m. on June 26 by defendant and Michael Hamilton. [2] Defendant's cousin, Norman Hamilton, who was Michael's brother, was spending the night with CiCi. Norman's stepbrother, Clarence Harris, arrived at the apartment shortly after defendant and Michael. Defendant said that they had been at a club which stayed open all night, the After Hours. He also told CiCi that he had killed a woman, later stating to her: I don't know if I killed that bitch, and I don't know if she's dead or not. Norman Hamilton recalled that defendant said he had beaten the woman. Defendant also said that he had taken a TV and a 30.06 rifle that he planned to sell; that he had driven from the trailer court; and that as he did so a highway patrol car came flying by. Michael was present during this conversation but said little other than that he had done nothing, and was not going to ride the beef. Defendant and Clarence Harris left the Anders apartment about 5 a.m., having been there for about 45 minutes. The Schatzes' Oldsmobile Cutlass was found abandoned in a field in the Gardens area at 19th Street and O'Neil Way. The car had not been in the field at 5:30 a.m., but was seen there at 6:30 a.m. The keys were found later in the yard of a home on 19th Street adjacent to the field. A ball-peen hammer, on the head of which was found blood of a type matching that of George Schatz, was found on the floorboard of the Cutlass near the passenger seat. Defendant testified, offering alibis for the time of each murder. He also testified that he had been in the Southwind Mobile Home Estates on June 25 (the day before the Schatz murder), and that he had pried open the screen over the kitchen window of the Schatz home and leaned inside to see if there were items that he could steal. He had entered the trailer court while on his way to his cousin's home because that was a quicker way. The trailer court was to the immediate south of the high school. After leaving the trailer court, defendant hopped a fence into the high school grounds and went over the railroad tracks to the apartment complex on the west.