John Tomlin Goodman III, a 20-year-old white male originally from New York and residing in San Francisco, was tragically murdered on October 5, 1978. He was last seen alive at a gay bar in San Francisco's Tenderloin District, accompanied by David Allen Likens, a known associate in the area. Witnesses reported that Goodman and Likens, along with an unidentified third man, engaged in sexual activity in the bar's restrooms before Goodman and Likens departed together.
The following day, Goodman's body was discovered inside a sleeping bag abandoned in a ravine off Tunitas Creek near San Gregorio, California. He had been strangled to death. Subsequent investigations revealed that items belonging to Goodman, including a leather jacket and a portable radio, were found in the possession of Likens' friend, Danny Hepburn. Hepburn noted that his own leather jacket had gone missing and that Likens had given him another jacket, later identified as Goodman's. Additionally, Goodman's blue Volkswagen was found abandoned in Oakland on November 20, 1978.
David Allen Likens, born on July 12, 1949, in Tucson, Arizona, had a prior conviction for second-degree murder in 1974, for which he served a prison sentence before being paroled. Between March and October 1978, Likens was implicated in a series of murders targeting young men in the San Francisco area. He was arrested on December 13, 1978, while already in custody for unrelated assault charges. Likens was charged with the murders of Daniel Joseph Oller, Ronald Louis Young, and John Tomlin Goodman III. The prosecution sought the death penalty, citing special circumstances of mass murder and a prior murder conviction.
Before he could stand trial for these charges, Likens died by suicide on January 18, 1979, while in custody at the San Mateo County Jail in California. His death brought an end to the legal proceedings, leaving many questions unanswered about the full extent of his crimes.
