Randy
Steven
Kraft
The Scorecard Killer
“If anyone deserved the death penalty,
he had it coming.”
–Judge Donald A. McCartin
BACKGROUND
born in Long Beach, CA in 1945
spent most of life in Orange County, CA
had an IQ of 129, considered brilliant
and intellectual
went to Claremont Men’s College
joined Reserve Officer Training Corps
in 1963
identified Republican
campaigned for Barry Goldwater
BACKGROUND
1964: spending time in gay bar, open
about his homosexuality
suffered from stomach pains and
migraines; took Valium for pain
first offense: approaching a police
officer in 1966, let off with warning
stationed at Edwards Air Force Base in
1969, discharged for “medical reasons”
(homosexuality)
successful computer programmer
CRIME
DATE
VICTIM
strangled, a sock was stuffed in his rectum
Dec. 26, 1972
Edward Daniel Moore
sodomized and castrated
April 9, 1973
Kevin Clark Bailey
strangled
July 28, 1973
Ronnie Daven Wiebe
killed and decapitated
July 30, 1975
Keith Daven Crotwell
mutilated with cigarette lighter
Jan. 3, 1976
Mark Howard Hall
castrated and strangled
Feb. 12, 1978
Geoffery Alan Nelson
sodomized and strangled
Feb. 12, 1978
Roger James DeVaul
strangled, castrated
April 16, 1978
Scott Michael Hughes
strangled
June 19, 1978
Richard Allen Keith
burned by cigarette lighter, strangulation
and drug poisoning
July 8, 1978
Keith Arthur Klingbiel
sodomized, castrated, suffocated
Nov. 18, 1978
Michael Joseph Inderbieten
burned, alcohol and drug poisoning
June 19, 1979
Donnie Harold Crisel
acute intoxication
Sept. 3, 1980
Robert Wyatt Loggins
strangled
Jan. 27, 1983
Eric Herbert Church
MOST RECENT CRIME
May 14, 1983
Police stop Kraft at
1am for driving
intoxicated;
Find Terry Lee Gambrel
in his trunk- strangled
with his own belt
PUNISHMENT
Found Guilty
on all terms.
Convicted of first degree
murder, sodomy and torture.
He was sentenced to death
and is currently serving
sentence at San Quention
Prison on Death Row.
First Degree murder:
Murder was deliberate and
premeditated; there was
intent to kill
Sodomy:
Sexual intercourse between
two of the same sex;
Homosexual Relationships
CULTURAL REFERENCES
Angel of Darkness
A biography of Randy
Kraft and his twisted
murder spree
By Dennis McDougal
LABELING THEORY
Kraft fits the labeling theory, as he interacts as a deviant with members of
society deemed “normal” and “powerful”. Randy Steven Kraft was homosexual and
was therefore deviant in society, as people were supposed to have relationships with
others from the opposite sex. When Kraft joined the military at Edwards Air Force
base, he was considered different because of his homosexuality. Because of this, a
powerful person, in his case a psychiatrist, labeled him as deviant and discharged him
from the military base for “medical reasons”. The psychiatrist was powerful enough
to impose his own standards upon society and specifically Kraft.
Kraft additionally meets the consequences of labeling in his alikeness to
secondary deviance. After Kraft was discharged from the military base for being
homosexual, he accepted his life as deviant from others. He began to meet up with
other men who also were homosexual, and spent a lot of time in gay bars. This
acceptance of his label later contributed to his crimes. Kraft went on to murder sixteen
men, the majority of whom were homosexual as well. Additionally, he committed
many sexual acts on these men before killing them and was publicly known to torture
his victims. Kraft also utilized the neutralization technique of denial of responsibility
by never admitting to his crimes or that he was guilty by any means. Kraft fits the
mold for the deviant within the labeling theory.