Phillip Carl Jablonski: A History of Violence and Murder
Phillip Carl Jablonski was an American serial killer whose documented violence against women extended from the late 1960s through a multistate murder spree in April 1991. Born on January 3, 1946, in California, he served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. After returning to civilian life, he repeatedly abused, threatened and sexually assaulted women with whom he had relationships. His criminal record eventually included rape, armed assault, robbery and the murders of five women in California and Utah.
Jablonski frequently targeted women who trusted him, including intimate partners, relatives and acquaintances. He also attacked strangers while traveling. His crimes commonly involved restraint, strangulation, firearms, knives and sexual violence. Investigators later recovered writings and an audio recording in which he documented or described several of the killings. These materials, together with physical evidence found in his vehicle, played an important role in connecting him to the victims.
Early Violence and Criminal Convictions
Long before the confirmed murders, Jablonski displayed a pattern of controlling and violent behavior toward women. Former partners described incidents in which he strangled, suffocated, beat or threatened them. In 1972, he raped a woman at knifepoint in her home while her infant was nearby. She escaped and contacted police, leading to Jablonski's arrest and imprisonment for rape.
After his release, Jablonski became involved with Melinda Raye “Linda” Kimball. The couple lived together in Palm Springs, California, and had a daughter. Kimball eventually attempted to leave him. Before her death, Jablonski also entered the home of Kimball's mother, Isobel Pahls, and held a knife to her throat. Pahls escaped, but she did not immediately report the incident because she was concerned about her daughter.
Confirmed Murder Victims
- Melinda Raye “Linda” Kimball — July 16, 1978 — Palm Springs, Riverside County, California: Kimball, 29, returned to the apartment she had shared with Jablonski to collect belongings for their baby. Her body was found inside the apartment later that day. Her wrists had been bound, and she had been beaten, stabbed and strangled with a belt. The official cause of death was asphyxiation. Jablonski fled California and was arrested in Arizona 11 days later. A handwritten note found in his possession referred directly to killing Kimball. He was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to prison.
- Fathyma Vann, also known as Fanny Hansen — April 22, 1991 — Desert area outside Indio, Riverside County, California: Vann, 38, attended an automotive course with Jablonski at the College of the Desert. She was last seen with him after class on April 22. Her body was discovered beside a desert road the following day. She had been killed by a gunshot and subjected to sexual assault and extensive postmortem mutilation. Investigators found her military identification in Jablonski's vehicle. A belt recovered from the vehicle contained her name, the date April 22, 1991, and a reference to Palm Desert. Jablonski also described the assault and killing in an audio recording.
- Carol Spadoni Jablonski — April 23, 1991 — Sanchez Street, Burlingame, San Mateo County, California: Spadoni, 46, met Jablonski after answering a personal advertisement he had placed while imprisoned for Kimball's murder. They married at San Quentin State Prison in 1982. By 1991, Spadoni had become afraid of him and did not want him living with her. Jablonski entered the Burlingame home she shared with her mother and attacked her. Spadoni was shot behind the ear, tightly gagged with duct tape and stabbed repeatedly. The gunshot was determined to be the principal cause of death, with the stab wounds and suffocation contributing. Her body was discovered on April 26 after a friend became concerned and contacted police.
- Eva Petersen — April 23, 1991 — Sanchez Street, Burlingame, San Mateo County, California: Petersen, 72, was Carol Spadoni's mother and lived in the same home. She had previously expressed fear that Jablonski might harm her. Petersen was shot in the head and chest, stabbed in the neck and sexually assaulted. Blood evidence showed that her body had been dragged across part of the house. She was found on the garage floor when police entered the residence on April 26. The gunshot wounds were identified as the cause of death.
- Margie Marie Stocks Rogers — April 27, 1991 — Rogers Roost, Thompson Springs, Grand County, Utah: Rogers, 58, was working at the convenience store and gas station she owned with her husband near Interstate 70. Jablonski entered the business while fleeing California. He shot Rogers twice in the head with a .22-caliber firearm and robbed the store's cash register. Her clothing had also been disturbed in a manner consistent with the sexual behavior Jablonski described in his recording. Her body was found inside the store on the morning of April 27.
The April 1991 Murder Spree
Jablonski had been paroled in September 1990 after serving approximately 12 years for Kimball's murder. Prison and psychiatric records described him as a mentally disturbed and potentially dangerous inmate. He had previously attacked his own mother during a prison family visit, and after his release he admitted that he had stopped consistently taking prescribed psychiatric medication.
On April 22, 1991, Jablonski left his automotive class with Fathyma Vann. After murdering her, he drove north to Burlingame, despite instructions from his parole officer that he remain away from San Mateo County. On April 23, he murdered Carol Spadoni and Eva Petersen in their home. He then stole Petersen's money, checks and credit cards. A bank teller later identified him as the person who cashed a forged check from Petersen's account that afternoon.
Jablonski continued eastward. On April 25, he threatened a woman named Yvette Shelby with a firearm at a rest area in Wyoming. She escaped after he lost his grip on the weapon. Police questioned Jablonski about the incident, but he claimed the gun had accidentally fallen from his vehicle, and he was allowed to continue traveling. Two days later, he murdered Margie Rogers in Utah.
Arrest and Physical Evidence
Jablonski was arrested on April 28, 1991, in Kansas. Authorities found cash, Petersen's checks and credit cards, a loaded .22-caliber revolver, ammunition, duct tape, restraints, a stun device and a knife sheath in his possession. Ballistics testing connected the revolver to bullets recovered from Petersen and was consistent with the bullet that killed Spadoni.
Investigators also discovered a leather belt bearing the victims' names, dates and locations. The entries included Fathyma Vann, Carol Spadoni and Eva Petersen. In a small address book, Jablonski had written “Death, April 23rd, 1991” beneath the names of Spadoni and Petersen before authorities had publicly announced the date of their murders.
One of the most significant pieces of evidence was a tape recording made by Jablonski himself. On it, he described the killings and sexual assaults in detail. The recording demonstrated knowledge that only the killer was likely to possess and closely matched the physical evidence found at the crime scenes.
Trial, Death Sentence and Final Years
In 1994, a San Mateo County jury convicted Jablonski of the first-degree murders of Carol Spadoni and Eva Petersen. The jury also found special circumstances involving multiple murders, a previous murder conviction and sexual offenses committed during Petersen's killing. Although Jablonski pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, jurors determined that he was legally sane when he committed the crimes.
On June 17, 1994, the jury returned death verdicts. The court formally sentenced him to death on August 12, 1994. Evidence concerning the murders of Kimball, Vann and Rogers, together with his numerous earlier assaults, was presented to demonstrate his long history of extreme violence. The California Supreme Court affirmed his convictions and death sentence on January 23, 2006.
Jablonski remained on death row at San Quentin State Prison for the rest of his life. He was found unresponsive in his cell and pronounced dead on December 27, 2019, at the age of 73. He died without being executed. His case remains notable for the repeated warning signs that preceded his release, the rapid succession of murders committed after parole and the unusually extensive collection of evidence he created documenting his own crimes.
