The Walker family fire, September 1968
On the night of Sunday, September 8, 1968, a fire erupted at the home of the Walker family at 1042 Panadero Way/Court in Clayton, Contra Costa County, CA. The parents, Richard and Jean, were at a hospital fundraising event at the time. A neighbor, James Hanson, noticed the fire when his dog began to bark at the sparks; he called the fire department. Earlier that evening, the son of a neighbor, a Contra Costa County municipal court judge, had been visiting to play with the children, though he left after dinner.
Another neighbor, Dale Ross, rushed to the scene, where he saw two of the children, Carolyn, 6, and Carlton, 9, banging on a window. Ross broke the window and pulled the children out of the house. However, Carlton stated that he needed to go rescue his 6mo baby sister, so Carlton ran back into the house. Ross was unable to follow after him due to the intense heat.
Neighbors reported hearing numerous small explosions during the fire, followed by a final "big blast." Flames were shooting up 60 ft from the home.
Firefighters rushed to the scene. The parents, Richard and Jean, arrived home in the final moments of the fire as the firemen were carrying the victims out of the house. Five of the couple's children died: Linda Lee Walker, 20, Cynthia Schoenstein, 11, Carlton Schoenstein, 9, Theodore Walker, 3, and Mary Ann Walker, 6 months. They all died from asphyxiation due to smoke inhalation. Carlton's body was found next to Mary Ann's crib. Only six-year-old Carolyn survived.
Following an investigation, police determined the fire was the result of arson, as there was flammable fluid found at the scene, and the "burn pattern" in the home also indicated arson. The culprit has never been determined.
According to a couple modern articles, there have been rumors that the fire was set by then-15 year old John Sapp, who later went on to kill four others (including his own mother) by the time he was 38; he is currently on death row. John Sapp had already been sent to juvenile detention by the time he was 15, purportedly by the judge who was the Walkers' neighbor. The theory states that Sapp set the fire to get revenge on the judge who sent him to juvie, but accidentally set fire to the wrong house, thinking it was the judges'. However, Sapp denies any involvement in the deaths of the Walker children, and there is no concrete evidence to pin it on him.
I found out about this case from a Zodiac forum regarding possible victims, hence the Connection tag on this event.
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