David Mason

David Edwin Mason (December 2, 1956 – August 24, 1993) was an American serial killer who killed at least four elderly people between March and December 1980 in Oakland, California, his cellmate in 1982 and possibly his male lover.

David Edwin Mason was born on December 2, 1956, in Statesboro, Georgia, the eldest son and fourth of eight total children born to Harris and Margie Mason.

According to his father, David was the result of an unwanted pregnancy, as his mother tried to induce a miscarriage by lifting furniture and riding horses.

Shortly after his birth, the family moved to Oakland, California.

Mason's parents were strict fundamentalist Pentecostals, as a result of which they would subject their children to harsh physical, psychological and verbal abuse if any of them showed what they considered a "lack of enthusiasm" in religious activities.

David and his siblings would later recall that they spent most of their time on the territory of the house or in church.

Unable to bear relentless bullying, Mason first attempted suicide at age 5 by swallowing several dozen tablets.

Later on in life, both of his parents admitted that they beat David for even minuscule reasons, and Mason himself claimed that on at least two occasions, his mother had inflicted more than 100 hits during a punishment session with a belt, switch or pancake turner.

In the mid-1960s, Mason began to exhibit concerning behavior and signs of mental illness - at the age of 8, his father found him standing in front of his younger brother's crib with a knife in his hand, for which he was beaten.

Unable to control his behavior, Mason's parents began to lock David in his room for prolonged periods of time, installing a grate with steel bars on the window.

In one case, while he was in "the dungeon" as it was called, 11-year-old David defecated himself, and when his mother found out, she forced him to wear the soiled underwear on his head.

In subsequent years, Mason made several more suicide attempts, at various times trying to commit suicide by self-immolation, hanging, setting his clothes on fire, cutting his veins and throwing himself down the stairs.

During this period, he attacked other children and teachers alike, earning a reputation as a bully, and attempted to set fire to neighboring houses, his school and the church.

In 1970, Mason was arrested for several petty offences, after which he reported his parents' ill-treatment of him to the authorities.

He underwent a psychiatric reevaluation, which determined that he had an IQ of 110 and a good learning ability, but also showed signs PTSD, for which he was sent to a boarding school with his parents' permission.

Mason escaped from the boarding school and returned home on several occasions, claiming that he had been sexually abused by the staff and other children, but each time was forcibly returned.

In 1973, he was arrested and convicted for yet another arson, for which he was given several months imprisonment at a juvenile detention center, returning home after finishing the sentence.

On July 8, 1977, Mason stabbed store clerk Virginia Jansen with an ice pick in the back after robbing a store in San Leandro, before stealing her pocket money and $270 from the cash register.

He threatened to kill her if she called the police and testified against him, cleaned his fingerprints from various objects, and left.

Jansen was hospitalized for her wound but survived.

She positively identified Mason after his photograph was presented to her.

An arrest warrant was issued, and he voluntarily surrendered to police.

At trial, Mason pleaded guilty to the crimes.

Mason was sentenced in November 1977 to 36 months in state prison, and was paroled on July 13, 1979.

Mason's first victim was 73-year-old Joan Picard, whom he had known for 8 years and had performed various cleaning and gardening work in his youth.

Since he frequently visited her house, he knew that the elderly woman had a collection of rare antique coins, and due to her fear of robbers, Picard had shown him how the alarm system works, letting him know how to turn it off.

On March 6, 1980, in desperate need for cash, Mason went to Picard's house and, threatening her with a weapon, demanded that she hand over her coin collection, money and any other valuables.

During the robbery, the woman unsuccessfully attempted to turn on the alarm, causing Mason to choke her into unconsciousness.

He then used his time to loot money and valuables, but Picard soon woke up and attempted to flee.

Mason caught up to her, then beat and tied Picard with electric wire before finally strangling her, to get rid of any witnesses to the crime.

That same evening, he sold the coins for $85.

Picard's body, clad only in her blue skirt and bra, was found two days later by her daughter.

The living room, stairs and bedroom were covered in bloodstains, and it appeared that the killer had removed her sweater by force, due to which fragments of buttons were found in different rooms.

Mason's second victim was 83-year-old Arthur Jennings, a known homosexual notorious for paying teenagers and young men for sexual services.

David himself later alleged that he had had sex with Jennings on several occasions since his school years, either in his car or at his house.

For these crimes, he was sentenced to death and executed at San Quentin State Prison's gas chamber in 1993, the last inmate to have been executed in this manner in the state.

He was also the first condemned inmate since the reinstatement of the death penalty to voluntarily withdraw all of his appeals.

The following year, he dropped out of school shortly before finishing the 11th grade and enlisted in the Marine Corps, but quickly lost interest in military service.

During his first few weeks, Mason committed numerous offenses and was disciplined several times, resulting in his dismissal from the Marines four months later and his return to his parents' house.

After returning to Oakland, Mason supported himself through odd jobs and prostitution.