Mark William Cunningham

Mark William Cunningham (born 1959/1960)[1] is an American serial killer and arsonist who shot and killed three men at random in Santa Cruz, California, from April through June 1983. The murders were not linked together until months later, when forensic evidence concluded that the victims had been shot with the same gun. Cunningham was arrested the following year, was tried, convicted, and sentenced to life in prison in 1988.[1]

Mark William Cunningham
Born1959 or 1960 (age 63–64)
Conviction(s)Murder
Criminal penaltyLife imprisonment without parole
Details
Victims3
Span of crimes
April – June 1983
CountryUnited States
State(s)California
Date apprehended
January 3, 1985
Imprisoned atPelican Bay State Prison

Murders

Mark Ferrell

On April 27, 1983, Santa Cruz authorities responded to call about a burning vehicle found along East Zayante Road. Firemen arrived and were able to stop the fire, but soon after they discovered a dead body lying in the front seat. The man, later identified as 20-year-old electronics worker Mark Cameron Ferrell, was determined to have been shot multiple times before the killer ignited his car on fire.[2] A bullet was recovered from Ferrell's chest which was determined to have come from an Old West style .38 caliber revolver.[3]

Hon Lee and Chen Ying

On June 7, 1983, two surfers on Laguna Beach found the bodies of two men lying face down on a trail leading from the beach to Highway 1.[4] Authorities found that the two had been shot. The two men were identified as 30-year-old Hon Mau Lee and 29-year-old Chen Chien Ying, both of Chinatown, Los Angeles.[4] Police noted the randomness of the killings; the killer had not tried to hide the bodies, and investigators speculated the perpetrator shot the two at random while they walked down the trail. In addition, none of the men's personal and valuable possessions had been taken.[4]

Arrest

In November 1983, ballistics evidence showed that there was a 90 percent chance that the same gun had been used in the three killings.[2] Despite the breakthrough, at the time, police had few leads, and for over a year, detectives were frustrated as the case sat unsolved with no suspects.[5] However, on January 3, 1985, a man called police to turn in his friend Mark William Cunningham, whom he overheard bragging about killing three men.[6]

In addition, Cunningham's girlfriend Lynn Bohnen came forward. She had met Cunningham in 1981, when she was 14 and Cunningham was 21, and the two started a relationship, though the two did stop dating after a while.[3] In 1984 she broke down to her new boyfriend, Steve Walker, that she had been with Cunningham the day of Lee and Ying's murders, and that she knew he had killed him. She later told detectives the same story. Following this, Cunningham was arrested.[7]

Trial and imprisonment

Cunningham was indicted on three counts of first-degree murder. He pleaded not guilty. In October 1985, it was announced that prosecutors would seek the death penalty.[8] In January 1988, Cunningham went to trial. The star witness in the case was Bohnen. Bohnen took the stand and told the jury that on June 7, 1983, after Cunningham had picked her up from school, they stopped across from Laguna Beach. Cunningham then spotted the two men walking up the trail to the beach and pulled a gun from under his seat then followed the men up the trail. Shortly after, according to Bohnen, Cunningham sprinted back to his vehicle and frantically drove away.[6]

In early February, the seven women and five men jury found Cunningham guilty of two counts of first-degree murder for the killings of Lee and Ying and found him guilty of one count of second-degree murder for the killing of Ferrell. That same April, the jury spared his life and decided to sentence Cunningham to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.[1][9] Following his sentencing, Cunningham was transferred to Pelican Bay State Prison in Del Norte County, where he has remained ever since.

Media

In 2003, Discovery Channel tv show The New Detectives aired the episode "Random Targets", which examined Cunningham's case along with Timothy Wilson Spencer.

See also

References
  1. Mark Bergstrom (April 26, 1988). "Killer sentenced". Santa Cruz Sentinel. p. 1. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
  2. "Three unsolved murders linked by ballistics tests, deputies say". Santa Cruz Sentinel. November 3, 1983. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
  3. John Robinson (January 21, 1988). "Witness links murder suspect to gun". Santa Cruz Sentinel. p. 2. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
  4. "Murder detectives seek clues in Chinatown". Santa Cruz Sentinel. June 9, 1983. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
  5. Mark Bergstrom (January 7, 1985). "Arraignments set for murder suspects". Santa Cruz Sentinel. p. 2. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
  6. Mark Bergstrom (January 12, 1988). "Prosecution's view of murder at random". Santa Cruz Sentinel. p. 2. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
  7. Mark Bergstrom (January 4, 1985). "Tip leads to arrest in three slayings". Santa Cruz Sentinel. p. 1. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
  8. "Felton man to be tried in killings". Santa Cruz Sentinel. October 24, 1985. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
  9. Mark Bergstrom (April 26, 1988). "Killer sentenced". Santa Cruz Sentinel. p. 8. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
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