The Killer Who Avoided Earthquakes: Herbert Mullin

The Killer Who Avoided Earthquakes: Herbert Mullin: The Serial Murder of Herbert William Mullin October 1972. A man begins to kill, convinced that each death prevents a catastrophic earthquake. For months, thirteen people fall under his hands while he hears voices ordering him to carry out a delusional "mission" based on Einstein and April 18. In this episode, we explore how a brilliant student became a serial killer, what points the psychiatric system failed before each homicide occurred, and how the jury had to decide between documented insanity and tactical rationality. The central contradiction: how can someone kill obeying orders that only he hears and be convicted of premeditation? Victim: Herbert William Mullin and his 13 victims Date: October 1972 - February 1973 Location: Santa Cruz, California Status: Incarcerated; parole request denied in 2006 - Formal diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia in 1969, four years before the first recorded crime. - California's 72-hour law allowed Mullin to be repeatedly released despite voluntary commitments. - He returned to Kathleen Prentice's house after killing the Llaneras family to eliminate a witness; the prosecution used this to argue rational behavior. - He voluntarily confessed to 13 murders but was only formally charged with 10; three remained uncharged despite spontaneous admission. Herbert William Mullin, Santa Cruz earthquake delusion, 1972-1973, paranoid schizophrenia, serial killer, criminal minds, forensic, homicide, justice, investigation, true crime SpanishTo listen ad-free and access premium episodes, start your 30-day free trial at obomedia.comOBOMEDIA presents true crime storiesa true crime podcast built on real cases.Every true crime story in our crime files follows the crime investigation from the missing person report to the trial: investigators and police building a murder case, a police investigation gone cold, justice for the victim and those who survived.We open the unsolved murder, the cold case reopened decades later, the mysterious death, the disappearance, the serial killer, the family murder, the murder mystery; the missing persons  a missing woman, a missing girl, a missing man found dead and the missing and murdered.From the infamous case to the unsolved case, from classic true crime to dark true crime and disturbing true crime: true crime reports, real crime stories, real murder cases, true murder stories and unsolved mysteries one true crime case at a time, from the OBOMEDIA true crime vault.© 2026 Created with OBOMEDIA technology. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text and related materials) are the property of their respective creator and are distributed under the OBOMEDIA name on platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and Pocket Casts. Reproduction, distribution, editing or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited. For permissions, licensing and business inquirie