Timeline

Index: 1950 | 1960 | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 2000

May 30, 1928 Edwards born.
( Note:  prior to October 8, 2019 I believed Edwards was born June 14, 1933, as stated in his autobiography, see Date of Birth )

August 2, 1938 Edwards’ mother Lillian Cecelia Myers is shot in the stomach, she dies of Septicemia on August 8.

January 1940, Edwards sent to Parmadale Catholic Orphanage. [ It’s Me, page 385 says October, page 284 says January – see also comments, apparently the October date is correct ]

1944 Edwards runs away from Parmadale Catholic Orphanage, starts “Life of Crime” ( It’s Me page 73. ) A December 1946 evaluation gives the date as March 1945. ( It’s me page 284 ).

June 5, 1945, Chicago, Illinois, murder of Josephine Ross.

October 5, 1945 Mary Ethel Edwards dies.

Late 1945, Edwards molesting young girls in Akron, Ohio, sex acts with pre-teens ( It’s Me page 285 )

December 11, 1945,  Chicago, Illinois, murder of Frances Brown. Authorities link it to Josephine Ross. A note was written on the wall in lipstick, “For heavens sake catch me Before I kill more I cannot control myself”.

January 6, 1946, Chicago, Illinois, murder of Suzanne Degnan,  Suzanne was age 6.

June 26, 1946, a burglar William Heirens, detained, and later convicted for murder of Ross, Brown and Degnan.

January 1947, murder of Elizabeth Short, age 22, Los Angeles, California. In 2002 Edwards may be the author of a website about the case: blackdahliasolution.org

1948: Edwards is sent to reform school in Pennsylvania.

1950: Edwards returned to Akron, started committing burglaries; left juvenile detention to join the Marines; went AWOL from Camp LeJeune, North Carolina; arrested in Jacksonville, Florida; dishonorably discharged from the Marines.

April 1952: Edwards is sentenced to a federal reformatory in Chillicothe, Ohio, for two years for impersonating a Marine and interstate transportation of a stolen car.

July 4, 1954 : Edwards murders Marilyn Reese Sheppard, in Cleveland Ohio, her husband Dr.Sam Sheppard is wrongly convicted after a sensational trial.

March 9, 1955: Edwards arrested for burglary. Edwards escapes a courtroom.

April 7, 1955: Edwards breaks out of Akron jail while being held on burglary charges.

April 28, 1955 Stephanie Bryan last seen, San Francisco, California. Her body is found 2 weeks later, Burton Abbott convicted and executed in March 1957, after the Governor’s last minute stay reached the prison warden too late.

October 1955 Edwards murders 17 year old wife “Verna“.

1956: Edwards is caught in Montana after a series of armed robberies, sentenced to penitentiary in Deer Lodge.

July 1959: Edwards is released in Montana, taken to Portland to stand trial for two armed robberies in 1956, sentenced to five years of probation.

1960: Edwards broke out of jail in Portland, where he’d been arrested for turning in a false fire alarm. Questioned in connection with a double murder of a young couple (Larry Peyton and Beverley Allan). Traced to Colorado, where he cashed some checks on a Portland Bowling Club of which he was a member.

November 10, 1961: Edwards is  added to FBI’s 10 Most Wanted fugitives list. A federal warrant charged him with unlawful interstate flight to avoid confinement after a robbery conviction.

January 22, 1962: Edwards is captured at an apartment in Atlanta,Georgia with wife, Marlene  Harmon, by Detective L.N. Bradley. It’s Me page 174.

May 18, 1962: Edwards sentenced to 16 years in Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary.

1967: Edwards transferred to Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary in Pennsylvania; paroled from federal prison.

June 25 1968 Richard Robison, his wife Shirley Robison, and their four children are murdered in their Lake Michigan cottage just north of Good Hart, Michigan.

July 20, 1968, Edwards marries Kay Hedderley in Akron, Ohio.

December 20, 1968, first confirmed Zodiac killing in Northern California.
July 4, 1969, second confirmed Zodiac killing.
September 27, 1969, third confirmed Zodiac killing, survivor says Zodiac said he was in Deer Lodge Prison, Montana.
October 11, 1969, last confirmed Zodiac killing, Paul Lee Stine.

March 7, 1970 Judith Hakari is abducted and murdered in Sacramento.
October 25th 1970 Court reporter Nancy Bennallack murdered in Sacramento.

~December 25, 1970, Edwards photographed with relations Annabelle Myers, Edith Myers Bellett, John Bellett, Kay Hedderley. It’s Me page 87.

1971-1973: Edwards touring as a speaker on prison reform, published book (autobiography) on his rehabilitation.

Jan – April, 1971 : Edwards terrorising Margot Burns.

March 22, 1971: Zodiac Killer Leads article is published, Zodiac Pines card is sent.

February 4, 1972 Maureen Louise Sterling and Yvonne Lisa Weber, both aged 12, are murdered, the first of the “Highway 101 murders”, also know as the Santa Rosa hitchhiker murders. Note: the wikipedia article lists the Zodiac killer as a suspect.

October 17, 1972 Edwards appears on TV show “To Tell The Truth”.

August 1, 1973 A Zodiac letter is sent from New York. Edwards was in New York in 1973, promoting his book on a TV show “Dialing for Dollars” with host Lee Leonard (It’s Me, page 146).

February 16, 1976 The first of the Oakland Child murders in Michigan. The sites of the murders circle the area where the Robison family lived  and were buried (Lathrop Village and a cemetery off Beverly, at the intersection of Bates).

August 8, 1977 Edwards murders Billy Lavaco and Judy Straub in Ohio (confirmed murder).

1979 – 1981 The ~23 Atlanta child murders.

August 30, 1979 Three die after a fire in Pennsylvania. Louis DiNicola is convicted of arson and murder, then exonerated in 1994 after a retrial. Edwards testified against him at the retrial according to this 1998 filing : “(d) that false testimony from Defendant Edwards was used against Plaintiff in an effort to convict him in his second criminal trial”.

August 9, 1980 Edwards murders Tim Hack and Kelly Drew in Wisconsin (confirmed murder).

September 1980: Edwards left Wisconsin after being questioned about the Hack/Drew murders.

July 27, 1981 Edwards abducts and murders 6-year-old Adam Walsh. His father, John Walsh, later becomes an advocate for victims of violent crimes and the host of the television program America’s Most Wanted.

February 27, 1982 Wayne Williams is convicted of killing two men and blamed for the Atlanta child murders.

December 1982: Edwards incarcerated in Pennsylvania prison for arson.

July 1986: Edwards is released from Pennsylvania prison.

October 12, 1986 First “Colonial Parkway” double murder. September 2 1987, April 9 1988,  “Colonial Parkway” double murders.
October 12, 1989 Last “Colonial Parkway” double murder.

May 5, 1993 Arkansas, “West Memphis Three” murder.

July 9, 1993 Edwards writes a 3 page letter to the FBI, admitting committing crimes in 19 cities. This letter was recovered in 2010 from his personal files. ( It’s Me, page 126 )

March/April 1996, Burton, Ohio, Edwards murders Danny Boy Edwards (confirmed murder).

December 25, 1996, Boulder, Colorado, Edwards murders JonBenet Ramsey.

May 1, 2001 Chandra Levy disappears from her apartment in Washington D.C.

May 6, 2001 Chandra Levy’s parents call from Modesto, California to report they have not heard from her in 5 days.

November 1, 2001 Kent Heithholt found murdered in Columbia, Missouri. The next day Edwards blogs about the murder at ZodiacKiller.com, and references the murder of “CJB” ( Cheryl Jo Bates) 35 years earlier.

May 22, 2002 Chandra Levy’s body found. Ingmar Guandique arrested in April 2008, convicted, but granted new trial in June 2015. Charges are later dropped.

December 24, 2002 Laci Peterson, heavily pregnant, disappears from home in Modesto California.

April 11, 2003 Steve Hodel’s theory that his father murdered the Black Dahlia in 1947 was announced.

April 13, 2003 further rumours in the Black Dahlia case are announced.

April 13, 14, 2003 Body of Laci Peterson’s son Conner found, Laci’s body found the next day. Laci’s husband Scott Peterson is arrested, convicted of murder and sentenced to death.

November 2003, Charles Erickson and Ryan Ferguson arrested for murder of Kent Heithholt. Later convicted, but Ferguson’s conviction overturned and charges dropped in November 2013.

Around 2005, Edwards moves from New Mexico to mobile home in Louisville, Kentucky. Source.

October 31, 2005, Edwards frames Steven Avery for murder of  Teresa Halbach in Wisconsin.

March 31, 2008. Edwards kidnaps/murders Robert Wiles. Body never found. Edwards took Wiles’ cell phone and used it to frame Stobert L. Holt by following him, to make it look as if he had the phone. Holt was convicted in 2012 and sentenced to 30 years. It’s Me, page 370.

June 14, 2008 Megan Lynne Touma, 7 months pregnant, is murdered at Fort Brag, North Carolina. The cause of death was most likely asphyxiation either by strangulation or drowning, according to the autopsy report. She had bruising on her neck and was found submerged in a bathtub, and a Zodiac sign is written on the mirror in lipstick. A week after Touma’s body was found, a Zodiac letter was sent to The Fayetteville Observer newspaper claiming to be her killer. Edwards also went online using his grandmother’s name with information about Edgar Patino, who was arrested and plead guilty to 2nd degree murder to avoid being tried for 1st degree murder. It’s Me, pages 370-377.

July 27, 2008, Washington D.C., Dr. Bruce Ivins supposedly kills himself with Tylenol. On August 6, the FBI say he sent the 2001 anthrax letters.

March 9, 2009 WMTV in Madison, Wisconsin broadcasted a special on the 30-year-old unsolved case of Tim Hack and Kelly Drew. After the show airs, one of Edwards’ children called authorities to say Edwards may have murdered  Hack and Drew. The child remembered starting school in Watertown in 1980 but then abruptly leaving Wisconsin, and said Edwards was working at the reception hall where Hack and Drew were last seen. The child remembered Edwards saying the bodies would turn up in a field.

May 5, 2009 Sheri Coleman, 32, and her sons Garett, 11, and Gavin, 9, are found strangled in their Columbia home. On May 6, 2011, Christopher Coleman is convicted of their murder.

June 9, 2009 Edwards interviewed in Wisconsin, DNA swab taken.

June 14, 2009, “bababijan” (Edwards) posts message concerning John and Adam Walsh.

July 30, 2009 Edwards is arrested. He later confessed to the murder of Billy Lavaco and Judy Straub.

June 9, 2010, Plea agreement to murders of Billy Lavaco, 21, of Doylestown, Judith Straub, 18, of Sterling, Ohio, Tim Hack, 19, and Kelly Drew, 19, both of Jefferson, Wisconsin.

June 17, 2010 Edwards confesses to murder of Danny Boy Edwards.

March 11, 2011, Edwards sentenced to death by three judge panel for the 1996 murder of his last victim, Dannie Boy Edwards, 25, the foster child who regarded Edwards as family.

April 7, 2011, Edwards dies in prison, Columbus, Ohio

Note, this timeline is incomplete, the emphasis here is on wrongful convictions, see other sources ( It’s Me, or http://coldcasecameron.com/killers-timeline/ ) for more information.

See also Recent Developments for events post-2012.

41 thoughts on “Timeline”

  3. The information provided on this site is deceptive and falsely leads readers to consider that Edwards has murdered all persons mentioned killed. He, Edwards, may be a serial killer and a real worthless slime but he committed less than half the murders contributed to him by the false writings of this site.

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Wendy, if that’s so, you should be able to say which murders you agree were committed by Edwards, and which were not, and give reasons.

      I would agree that the evidence is stronger in some cases than others, obviously.

      If you can show anything is false, please say why, so the site can be corrected. I believe everything is correct. Have you read John Cameron’s book?

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      1. I knew him and spent years trying to stop him. Everyone acted like he was over them. They didn’t want to open a can of worms. It should make everyone angry. I knew him as Ralph Ulysses Brickenshaw….Ulysses, the name of a president like he also used Garfield.

        Liked by 1 person

    2. Bullshit! I knew him. I spent years of my life trying to get LE, FBI, CIA, JFK Researchers, ETC. to listen to me! I knew him as Ralph in North Carolina. After so many years I just figured I was crazy and if he had been a genius with credentials that said he was a government agent, then surely to God he would be dead. Then I saw his pictures from the late 60’s to early 70’s on the internet. There was that Devil. How would you have liked to have spent your life trying to stop a serial killer? You would feel some obligation wouldn’t you? You know what some important person told me “We don’t want to open a can of worms.” If they had maybe some people would be alive, others wouldn’t be in prison for crimes they didn’t commit, and 2 of my babies wouldn’t have been taken overseas by their father. Apparently he had a close call in Seattle. Imagine my face when I looked at the picture of missing Jonathan Camacho in Washington State in the Post Office. Don’t tell me he couldn’t have killed all those people. I called the police on him back in the 1970’s and they acted like he was in charge of them!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I’m very interested in what you say. My sister, Debra Wilhite, went missing in the mid 70s. She was last seen at a truck stop in SW IN where she worked as a waitress. She was said to have given a ride to a cattle truck driver. Her body nor her car were ever found and she is listed as a cold case homicide. She had an infant and a toddler daughters. I’m wondering where Edwards lived or traveled through in mid 70s?

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    3. You don’t know what your talking about. He did do this just covered evidence .he had a very high IQ how I know was married to his son and I have two of his grandkids. My son his grandson filmed and wrote and produced a documentary about him to be released this spring on Paramount network formally Spike TV

      Liked by 1 person

    5. Yes, you are correct. He is absolutely NOT responsible for the Black Dahlia, that is the most absurd nonsense and I have read every possible book and newsclipping on the case. He was not the zodiac even though it is interesting a family member lived nearby to the cab murder. He may have committed a copy cat Zodiac killing. But was not the Zodiac. He did not kill Jon Benet Ramsey either. That is just a odd one thrown in there. I feel like this site would blame Ed Edwards for killing JFK and RFK. The list causes confusion among people interested in solving cases related to Edwards. I do believe Edwards is responsible for over 50 murders. But many are far fetched. Stick to the clear evidence.

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  4. Hello sir:
    I am the father to one of the men on your site. Wrongfully accused? I have to ask you some questions. Can you call me?
    I remembered for his “Anibal” that you mentioned. I have a problem with what you’re writing.
    Cordially,

    Liked by 2 people

      2. I disagree, the evidence suggests he was framed. From the article:

        When the prime suspect Scolaro learned of the impending charges and arrest, he committed suicide on March 8, 1973. Scolaro left behind a typewritten note on which he wrote “I am a lier [sic] – a cheat – a phony with a list of people he had swindled in multiple business schemes. He then added a handwritten note to his mother on the same sheet of paper saying “I had nothing to do with the Robisons – I’m a liar but not a murderer – I’m sick and scared – God and everyone please forgive me.”

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      3. You can’t really prove that something is false, the burden of proof lies with the one making the claim. The evidence here is woefully weak and anecdotal at best. Use critical thinking, don’t just let your emotions dictate what you believe to be true, and don’t believe everything you read.

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  6. Ed Edwards wanted to be famous. “Some day people would hear of Ed Edwards, master criminal.” From Metamorphosis of a Criminal, page 38. If Edward Edwards committed all of these murders, wouldn’t he have confessed? Wouldn’t he have wanted EVERYONE to know how cunning he was? Why would he admit to 4-5 murders and not tell the world about all the others? He was already imprisoned. He was already dying. He already had a date with the executioner. Seems to me that a man with an ego his size, would have written another book, had he had all of these others crimes under his belt.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Edwards set a very difficult puzzle for us to figure out, I guess he felt spelling everything out would spoil the puzzle. We don’t really know why he didn’t confess to hundreds more murders.

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  7. My name is Wayne Wolfe and I am the son of Edward Wayne Edwards. I was born Edward Wayne Edwards Jr in 1956 in Montana while he was in Dear Lodge. My mom took me in to see him as a baby and he gave her a hand carved leather photo album that he made with my face on the front in a zodiac symbol and on the back it says Wayne Jr also in a zodiac symbol. My son Brandon Wayne Wolfe has made a documentary about all of this. I love reading all the stories about Edward. After my mom divorced him she remarried a great man and he adopted me and raised me to be a respectable engineer, so I guess genedics don’t pass down, thank God.

    Liked by 3 people

    2. Mr. Wolfe is there any way Mr. Edwards could have been in SW Indiana in Oct. in the mid 70s? My then 19 yr old sis went missing after giving a guy a ride from her waitress job. Neither she nor her car were found and she (Debra Wilhite) is a cold case homicide. Her coworkers said the man drove a cattle truck and asked her for a ride.

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      3. Wayne Gulley was suspected. He is imprisoned for murdering Sherry Lee Gibson during a sex crime. I think police cleared him regarding my sis. But the Evansville Courier (Mark Wilson) recently did a front page article on a Sunday. It stated her husband lied to police and didn’t provide them a physical description of his missing wife Debra for 3 weeks. He was a suspect. After the article, the reporter, Mr. Wilson, received a call from our relative. He stated that Debra’s spouse was a big drug dealer, prostitutes Debra, who married him at 15, and either had her killed or killed her himself. He soon thereafter ran his car into an ongoing train at 55 mph, killing him and his young passenger. Our mother said Debra’s husband used to lock her in their apartment before he left for work and forbade mother to let her out. It is all still being discussed.

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      4. Brenda, sorry for your loss. The Wolfe’s have no clue where that monster was or when. Jeanette White left him when he was in Deer Lodge prison in what 1956?! And they claim to have not even known he was their father/grandfather until recently! Keep digging, until you can positively disprove he was your sister’s murder. I would keep him on your suspect list!

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  8. As to when Edward Wayne Edwards entered the Parmadale Catholic Orphanage, October 1940 would have to be correct, January 1940 incorrect. The 1940 U.S. Census was taken in April 1940, and that census shows him as still living with his aunt, his mother’s older sister, his adoptive mother, Mary Ethel Myers Edwards (1909-1945), and her husband Fred Edwards (1909-1978). Mary Ethel suffered from multiple sclerosis and was probably no longer able to care for him properly.

    Liked by 1 person

  9. I just read about this in People Magazine. Where was he in October 1970? I was in high school in Maryland and my friend, Pamela Conyers, age 16, was murdered. I believe it’s still unsolved.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Edwards would travel all around the country committing murders. I had a look at the Conyers case, I don’t any particular reason to suspect it was Edwards, but I think he should be considered as a possible suspect in almost any cold case murder.

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  11. I’m very curious to why you believe he was Laci Peterson’s killer? I’m actually watching “It was him, the man murders of Ed Edwards” right now. I have seen shows on Ed Edwards before. But I followed the Laci Peterson’s case since it began, and read alot of books about it. I’d love to hear your opinion on this one in particular.

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  12. 3 cases in Colorado: Christopher Abeyta, July 15, 1986 in Colorado Springs baby disappeared from his crib while family sleeping; JonBenet Ramsey December 25-26, 1996, Boulder – also happened in the home while family was sleeping; Abby Blagg, November 13, 2001 – missing from home, mother in house, mother killed and removed from house, body found at landfill. Re Blagg, there is evidence pointing to alternative suspects – one unknown – evidence was not allowed into trial. I would love to know if anyone knows where Ed was at these times. I know Mr. Cameron thinks he killed JonBenet, but I can’t find reference to why he believes that.

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  14. Where was Edwards in late October, 1989? Amy Mihaljevic was abducted and murdered near Cleveland on 10-29-89 and her body was found months later dumped in a field. Her murder has never been solved. She was ten years old.

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