David Edwin Mason: The Oakland Serial Killer
Background and Early Violence
David Edwin Mason was an American serial killer and robber whose crimes spread fear through Northern California during the early 1980s. Born on December 2, 1956, in Statesboro, Georgia, Mason spent much of his youth in California. His childhood was marked by severe behavioral problems, repeated institutional placements, violence, fire-setting, and suicide attempts. He passed through foster homes, residential treatment programs, and the California Youth Authority before briefly serving in the United States Marine Corps.
Mason demonstrated his capacity for calculated violence several years before committing murder. On July 8, 1977, he entered the Western Welding Supply Company in San Leandro and attacked clerk Virginia Jansen. While she prepared an invoice, Mason stabbed her in the back with a ten-inch ice pick. He forced her to surrender money from the business and her purse, threatened to kill her if she identified him, and attempted to wipe away his fingerprints. Jansen survived and identified Mason from a photograph. He later surrendered, pleaded guilty to robbery and assault with a deadly weapon, and served approximately two years in prison before being paroled on July 13, 1979.
The Oakland Murders
Between March and December 1980, Mason entered the homes of four elderly Oakland residents and murdered them during robberies. His victims generally lived alone, making them especially vulnerable. In several cases, Mason had previous knowledge of the victim, the residence, or the valuables kept inside. The attacks were characterized by severe beatings, strangulation, theft, and attempts to prevent the victims from identifying him.
Mason was not immediately connected to the deaths. The four Oakland killings initially appeared among a large number of unsolved homicides. Investigators eventually learned the truth after Mason recorded a cassette tape for his family. He labeled the recording "David E. MasonEpitaph" and referred to numbered homicide cases appearing in a newspaper article about unsolved Oakland murders. After his arrest, Mason gave investigators detailed statements and led authorities to the locations where the four victims had been killed.
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