California woman suspects step-grandfather was 1970s Santa Rosa serial killer
A California woman believes her step-grandfather may have been the monster behind the unsolved murders of several young women in the 1970s.
Sierra Barter always knew her mother, Shannon, disliked her stepfather, Jim Mordecai – so much so that she was estranged from her own mother, Judy, for 10 years, Fox News Digital reported.
But it was not until several years after Mordecai died at age 67 in 2008 that Barter herself learned that the man had sexually abused many of the girls and women in his life, including one of his stepdaughters.
“Hearing my aunt’s stories had a huge impact on me,” Barter told the outlet of uncovering the truth about her step-grandfather, which is documented in the new four-part Max feature, “The Truth About Jim.”
“It was hard to hear how these women, women I shared giggles with, who dressed me up like a doll and all of that, were enduring such suffering behind closed doors. It was heartbreaking,” she added. “It was devastating to hear what was taken from them at the hands of their father.”
Eventually, Barter started to suspect that Mordecai was the predator behind the Santa Rosa hitchhiker murders, a series of at least seven unsolved murders of young women in the area north of San Francisco between 1972 and 1973.
Three of the known victims were bound, and two others were hogtied – something Mordecai allegedly frequently threatened to do to the women in his life.
When his second wife asked for a divorce, he even said to her, “If you try to get the girls, I will slit their throats,” referring to their young children.
Mordecai also had a seemingly random collection of cheap women’s jewelry.
Barter gave some of Mordecai’s personal belongings that may contain DNA to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation is ongoing.
“These cases are very old,” Barter told Fox.
“There’s a lot of evidence that isn’t there anymore. There’s a lot of follow-up that needs to happen. A lot of people have passed away,” she explained. “But I’m still hopeful. Maybe there’s a chance we can finally get some answers for these families.”
While they are still waiting for answers, Barter said she feels free from Mordecai’s shadow.
“I’m just really happy I gained my family back,” Barter said. “It’s not fun to have a fractured family. … But I’m grateful that I don’t have to live with Jim lurking in the sphere anymore. … And I’m so grateful to be surrounded by a group of women reminding me to speak up.
“There’s not a lot of Jim’s childhood that survived. I can only assume that people who are hurt tend to hurt other people,” she added.
“But I don’t want to make excuses for him. There is always an opportunity to get help, which he did not choose to do. I’m not sure why he did the things that he did. I think he was feeling powerless, and that’s why he took his anger out on people and tried to take their power.”
