On October 9, 1956, the body of Floyd Leroy Barnett, a 27-year-old White male cannery worker, was discovered in the Sacramento River. His remains bore both bludgeon and knife wounds, indicating a violent death. The nature of the injuries suggested a brutal attack, and the case was treated as a homicide.
Investigators noted similarities between Barnett's murder and other killings attributed to Stephen A. Nash, a transient truck driver born in 1924. Nash had a troubled past marked by abandonment and institutionalization, and he had previously served time at San Quentin State Prison for strong-arm robberies. Between 1955 and 1956, Nash confessed to the murders of 11 individuals, often involving stabbing, and his victims included both men and boys. The modus operandi in Barnett's case—specifically the combination of bludgeoning and stabbing—aligned with Nash's known methods, leading authorities to suspect his involvement.
Nash's criminal activities escalated dramatically during this period. On November 16, 1956, he assaulted Dennis Butler in Los Angeles, stabbing him in the abdomen; Butler survived the attack. Subsequently, on November 26, 1956, Nash murdered John Berg in Long Beach after spending the night at Berg's apartment. Just days later, on November 29, 1956, he befriended 10-year-old Lawrence Rice on the Ocean Park beach and later lured the boy under the Santa Monica pier, where he stabbed him multiple times, resulting in Rice's death. Nash's confessions revealed a disturbing lack of remorse, as he admitted to killing "just for kicks."
Nash was apprehended on November 29, 1956, in Los Angeles. He was indicted for the murders of Lawrence Rice and John Berg. During his trial, Nash's defense challenged the M'Naghten rule, which pertains to the legal definition of insanity. However, the court upheld the existing standard, and Nash was found guilty of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to death and executed in the gas chamber at San Quentin State Prison on August 21, 1959.
While Nash was suspected in the murder of Floyd Leroy Barnett, he was not formally charged or tried for this particular crime. The similarities in the modus operandi and the timeline of events led authorities to believe in his involvement, but definitive evidence linking Nash to Barnett's death was lacking. As a result, Barnett's murder remains officially unsolved, though it is widely believed that Nash was responsible.
