Lloyd Gomez

Serial Killer

Lloyd Gomez: The Phantom Hobo Killer

Lloyd Gomez was an American serial killer who murdered transient and homeless men along California railroad routes during 1950 and 1951. He became known in later accounts as the "Phantom Hobo Killer" and the "Hobo Jungle Killer." Gomez lived much of his adult life as a transient, traveling between California communities by freight train and using the name Harry Jenks at times. His victims were generally men living or sleeping near railroad tracks, freight yards, rail cars, or the temporary camps then commonly called "hobo jungles." Gomez ultimately confessed to nine killings. Because historical records disagree about several exact dates, uncertain dates are identified as such rather than presented as established facts.

Early Life and Criminal History

Gomez was born on December 6, 1923, in Caliente, Nevada. He received little formal education and began traveling while still young. During the 1940s he repeatedly came into contact with law enforcement. In Nevada he was convicted after an armed robbery case and served time in prison before being released in 1946. He was later arrested for additional crimes in California, including burglary and assault. In 1948 he walked away from a Sacramento County road camp before completing his sentence. He also served time in federal prison before returning to California in 1949. After his release, Gomez resumed traveling through California by freight train. His movements brought him into repeated contact with men who lived an equally transient existence. These men were particularly vulnerable: many had no permanent addresses, slept outdoors or in freight cars, and could disappear without immediately being reported missing. Gomez later told investigators that robbery was an important reason for the murders. The amounts he obtained were extraordinarily small, sometimes only a few cents.

The Beginning of the Murders

Gomez said his first victim was an unidentified man near the Western Pacific railroad yards outside Oroville. The exact date of death cannot be established with confidence. Gomez placed the killing in the summer of 1950, while another historical account noted that the remains were discovered on November 27, 1950 and were believed to have been there for months. Gomez said he attacked the man and took a bottle of wine and only five cents. The first killing for which there is a firmly established date was the death of Warren Hood Cunningham near Sacramento. On November 11, 1950, Cunningham confronted Gomez in an encampment near the American River over two cans of beer that Gomez had stolen. Cunningham chased him while carrying knives, but Gomez escaped. Instead of leaving the dispute behind, Gomez returned later with a .22-caliber rifle. From a concealed position near the trees he fired repeatedly at Cunningham. Court records establish that Cunningham was struck by four of six shots and died at the scene. Gomez then fled by catching a passing freight train. Only days later, Gomez reached Mojave, California. There he killed Earl Franklin Woods, a 50-year-old transient, by attacking him with a rock. Historical accounts commonly place Woods's death on November 19, 1950, although some summaries give the date as November 18 or 19. Gomez reportedly obtained only a few cigarettes from Woods. Shortly afterward, Gomez was arrested in the Los Angeles area for vagrancy, but authorities did not yet know that he was responsible for the killings. ...

Confirmed Victims: (9)

John Doe 1 , Date of Death: Summer 1950

E227: SERIAL KILLER – Lloyd Gomez – Fruitloops