Wineville Chicken Coop Murders
| Gordon Northcott | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Gordon Stewart Northcott November 9, 1906 Bladworth, Saskatchewan |
| Died |
(aged 23) San Quentin State Prison in San Quentin, California |
| Cause of death | Hanging |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
| Conviction(s) | February 8, 1929 |
| Killings | |
| Victims | 3 (confirmed), 1 (implicated) |
|
Span of killings
|
1926–1928 |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | California |
|
Date apprehended
|
September 19, 1928 |
| 1928 Northcott Farm Site | |
|---|---|
 1928 Northcott Farm Site
|
|
| Coordinates: 33°58′24″N 117°32′24″W / 33.97333°N 117.54000°WCoordinates: 33°58′24″N 117°32′24″W / 33.97333°N 117.54000°W |
The Wineville Chicken Coop Murders—also known as the Wineville Chicken Murders—were a series of abductions and murders of young boys that occurred in the city of Los Angeles and in Riverside County, California, between 1926 and 1928. The case received national attention.
In 1926, Gordon Stewart Northcott, a 19-year-old Canadian chicken ranch owner, took his 13-year-old nephew Sanford Clark (with the permission of the boy's parents) from the boy's home in Canada. After arriving at his Wineville, California farm (located in present-day Jurupa Valley), Northcott beat and sexually abused him.
In August 1928, Sanford's older sister, 19-year-old Jessie Clark, visited Sanford, who was 15 at the time, in Wineville. She was concerned about his welfare. At that time, Sanford told her that he feared for his life. One night while Northcott was asleep, Jessie learned from Sanford that Northcott had killed four boys at his ranch. Jessie returned to Canada about one week after the discovery.
Once in Canada, Jessie informed the American consul there about Northcott's crimes. The American consul then wrote a letter to the Los Angeles Police Department, detailing Jessie Clark's sworn complaint. Because there was initially some concern over an immigration issue, the Los Angeles Police Department contacted the United States Immigration Service to determine facts relative to Jessie's complaint.
On August 31, 1928, two United States Immigration Service inspectors, Judson F. Shaw and Scallorn, visited Northcott's chicken ranch in Wineville. They found 15-year-old Sanford Clark at the ranch and took him into custody.
Northcott had seen the agents driving up the long road to his ranch. Before fleeing into the treeline, he told Clark to stall the agents, or else he would shoot him from the treeline with a rifle. During the next two hours while Clark stalled, Northcott kept on running. Finally, when Clark felt that the agents could protect him, he told them that Northcott had fled into the trees which lined the edge of his chicken ranch property.
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Wikipedia