Quita Hague, a 28-year-old white woman, was tragically murdered on October 19, 1973, in San Francisco, California. She and her husband, Richard Hague, were abducted at gunpoint while walking near their home in Telegraph Hill. The assailants forced them into a van and transported them several miles away. Quita Hague was brutally attacked, suffering near decapitation, and her body was later discovered on a railroad track.
Richard Hague was severely beaten, left unconscious, and found wandering near the crime scene with his hands bound and his face slashed.
Her murder was one of several racially motivated attacks that became known as the 'Zebra murders,' a series of killings carried out by a group of four men associated with the extremist group known as the Death Angels. These attacks targeted white individuals in San Francisco between 1973 and 1974. The perpetrators were eventually identified as Manuel Moore, Larry Green, Jessie Lee Cooks, and J.C.X. Simon. They were arrested in 1974 after an informant provided crucial details about the crimes. The four men were convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, receiving life sentences.
The investigation into the Zebra murders was one of the largest manhunts in San Francisco's history. Authorities assigned a special police radio band, 'Zebra,' to coordinate efforts in tracking down the killers. The case sparked significant controversy, particularly regarding the police department's decision to stop and question thousands of Black men in an attempt to identify suspects. This approach led to accusations of racial profiling and civil rights violations.
Quita Hague was a reporter for the Industrial City Press at the time of her death. Her murder was widely covered in the media and remains a significant case in the history of racially motivated crimes in the United States.
