ARTICLES
In 2018, the author was still investigating Ed Edwards, who arrived in Great Falls, Montana in late 1955. On January 2, 1956, two teenagers were murdered on a lovers’ lane west of town, a case that remains unsolved. Shortly after, Edwards was arrested in Billings for armed robbery and sentenced to 5-10 years at Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge. Spencer was eager to learn more about the arrest, particularly the car Edwards was driving.
Amazed to read a story that he vaguely remembered from his mother’s scrapbook; Spencer continued his search for information about Edwards. To his astonishment, he found an article entitled “Armed Robber Arrested in Billings” next to his dad’s photo – it was about Edward Edwards.
The juxtaposition of the two articles was incredible – one about a man saving lives and the other about a serial killer. A discovery made over half a century later…
What an incredible coincidence……
It’s another remarkable coincidence that this purse resembles one that the author’s mother bought from the Montana State Prison gift shop in 1958. The author discovered the Ed Edwards began selling hand-tooled leather goods for the gift shop to raise money for bribing guards between 1956 and 1959. The author is convinced that Ed Edwards drafted the purse his mother acquired 65 years ago.
What a coincidence……
The truly incredible note of this article is the calendar day it was printed-Aug. 8. Edwards' mother died under suspicious circumstances, Aug. 8, 1933 and he celebrated that day over the years by killing people.
What a co-incidence.....
In the search for news of Edward Edwards’ arrest, Spencer found a 65-year-old newspaper dated the day after the Billings robbery. To his amazement, the front page depicted a three-column photo and story of his father detailing the donation of his rare O-negative blood type, which could save unborn babies from miscarriages, birth defects, or death.
San Jose Newspaper - July 1970
When the attack of Cecelia Shepard and Bryan Hartnell occurred, the Zodiac utilized a black marker to create a crossed circle on the door of Bryan’s car. Below this symbol, the killer listed the dates of the twoshootings with another inscription: “Sept 27 69 6:30 by knife.”
This act is widely believed to have been inspired by a Tim Holt comic, suggesting that the killer had an affinity for and familiarity with comics and westerns.
In a psychological evaluation of Ed Edwards dated December 11, 1946, the examiner noted that Edwards frequented the movies six times a week, had a strong fondness for westerns, and aspired to be a cowboy.
In a subsequent publication of the Red Mask comic, the contributors were thanked, with a specific mention of Ed Burns, whom the author suspects might have been an alias used by Edwards, given his penchant for arson-related activities.
