Did Visalia Ransacker commit 1975 murder another man was convicted for? A new book says yes

All those residents flocked to the first Inside the Visalia Ransacker Investigation forum in April to hear behind-the-scenes stories of the burglar/rapist/murderer who turned out to be the notorious Golden State Killer will be intrigued by Part II.

Lawyer and private investigator Tony Reid was brought into the investigation differently. His agency in Los Angeles was asked to research a murder unrelated to the Visalia Ransacker. Another man, Oscar Clifton, was convicted and sent to death row. He died in jail. His family wanted to know why he was convicted on what they described as scant evidence.

Reid’s research led him to retired Sgt. John Vaughan headed the search for the Ransacker after Claude Snelling was murdered in 1975. Reid and Vaughan shared information and agreed that the Clifton investigation had been flawed, and the murder should have been attributed to the Ransacker.

‘The Inside Story of the Visalia Ransacker’: Top cop to tell gripping story behind manhunt

Reid started a podcast on the case, which led to a book just out this week, which will be the focus of the Part II forum at 6 p.m. Thursday at College of the Sequoias.

In 2019, though, the Tulare County District Attorney's Office reopened the case and found "ample evidence to support the conviction" of Clifton for the murder of Donna Jo Richmond.

“Upon completion of this latest review, I am again confident, just as this office was the previous times we reviewed the case, that the countless hours of report analysis, evidence evaluation, court transcripts, and DNA evaluation solidifies that Oscar Clifton tragically and violently ended the life of Richmond in an orange grove the day after Christmas in 1975,” Ward said in 2019.

A convicted sex offender, Clifton was prosecuted and convicted in July 1976 for the kidnap, attempted rape and death of Richmond. He was 35 years old at the time of his arrest.

The evidence collected at the scene at the time of the homicide and a prior sexual assault conviction from 1965 solidified the DA's ruling, including a partial DNA profile developed from semen found on Richmond's body. That profile found DeAngelo's DNA was not consistent with the DNA found on Richmond and Clifton's DNA was consistent with the DNA found on Richmond.

In addition to the DNA results, there were several eyewitnesses who placed Clifton in the area where Richmond went missing.

New book

The book has all the intrigue of a captivating mystery — but it’s all true: Connections to other murders, shocking corruption by the Sheriff’s Department investigation, illegally destroyed evidence, clever misleading clues left by the Ransacker, and a wrongly-convicted suspect.

At the forum, John Vaughan will return to join Reid in discussing why they concluded that the Visalia Ransacker was responsible for more local murders than Claude Snelling’s.

“I want to make sure John gets full credit for his powerful police work and getting it right,” said Reid. “He and his team were the only ones who got it right.”

The book is dedicated to Vaughan.

When the Ransacker left the Visalia area, he committed other vicious crimes such as the East Area Rapist in Sacramento, the Original Nightstalker in L.A., and the Golden State Killer. He wasn’t apprehended until 2018.

“It was Vaughan who told Sacramento that the Visalia Ransacker's planting of evidence was a deliberate ploy to confuse the police and frame, other suspects,” said Reid. “Vaughan told them this was the Ransacker/East Area Rapist’s most unique MO point… Sgt. Vaughan is the true hero. Any credit I’ve ever received for my work, I will tell anyone and everyone that it was John’s help that made this possible.”

12/26/75

The book is entitled “12/26/75,” the date that 14-year-old Donna Jo Richmond was murdered and later found in an orchard in Exeter. The murder that brought Reid into the case. The murder that Oscar Clifton was convicted of.

For those who have followed Reid’s 12/26/75.com podcasts, his book is more than an adaptation of those podcasts. It shares new insight formed during the investigation, provides a first-hand look at the crimes, and exposes the faulty evidence used to get a false conviction.

“The website, social media, and podcast episodes…[were] launched as a way to contact people in Exeter and Visalia,” said Reid. “That worked, too. Some of the best information that came in was from locals. People still had valuable information on the homicides and the ransacking burglaries. Perhaps it's just as important as making connections with other people who wanted to help, even in small ways—asking other people to share their information or their questions.”

Book’s emphasis

Reid emphasizes that the book is not about Joseph DeAngelo Jr., the Visalia Ransacker.

“Instead, the focus is on the Visalia investigation led by Sgt. Vaughan, and on Visalia police agents William McGowen and Duane Shipley, who worked alongside him from 1975-78…Equally important, we also wanted to make sure that Claude Snelling is never forgotten, both as a member of the community and as a brave hero to his family,” Reid said.

"Of course, the book is also about Oscar Clifton’s wrongful conviction. In Oscar's words from prison, here are the facts ‘for the whole world to read about the wholly preventable and tragic results for him, his family, and DeAngelo’s later victims.

Book’s goal

Reid’s and other investigative work have resulted in several media programs.

“In all honesty, I expected that ABC 20/20 and the six-part HBO special would cover Visalia PD’s original work on the case,” said Reid. “They would finally tell the world about the incredible act of bravery and sacrifice by Claude Snelling... I also thought that, since [Tulare County Sheriff’s Office] had named DeAngelo a suspect in Jennifer Armour’s homicide (July 2018), there would be renewed interest in seeing her killer brought to justice. None of that happened.”

So what does Reid hope the book will achieve?

“In the end, the book's purpose is all those things, but to bring the information together in a new form. To tell the story of the investigation unfolding and share the new information we collectively discovered about key witnesses and evidence. I hope everyone agrees that those goals come together in the book.”

How to attend 

Inside the Visalia Ransacker Investigation: Part II.  Featuring private investigator/author Tony Reid and retired Visalia Police Sgt. John Vaughn. 6-8 p.m. Thursday, July 7 at the College of the Sequoias Ponderosa Lecture Hall,  915 S. Mooney Blvd., Visalia (behind the theater). Free, open to the public. Reid will bring and sign copies of his new book.

This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Visalia Ransacker investigation turns from true crime podcast to new book