Man Who Murdered Two Young Women in Desert Sentenced to Die

Fred Berre Douglas, who claimed he had been “railroaded” by his attorney, was sentenced Friday to die in the gas chamber for murdering two Anaheim teen-agers after he and another man lured them to the desert by promising to pay them $500 each for a nude modeling session.

Judge Ronald E. Owen described Douglas as a “sadistic, unbelievably cruel and senseless killer” who took the young women’s lives to “gratify some weird sexual fantasy.”

Douglas, 56, an upholsterer from Garden Grove, wrote a 290-page statement in his cell at the Orange County Jail, which he claimed proved his innocence. Douglas asked the judge if he had read it.

Owen picked up the stack of pages and answered, “Mr. Douglas, I read every word.”

Denied New Trial

Owen then denied Douglas’ motions for a new trial and modification of the jury’s death penalty recommendation.

Douglas was convicted last November of first-degree murder in the deaths of Beth Jones, 19, and Margaret Kreuger, 16, roommates who disappeared on Aug. 13, 1982. Their bones were found eight months later, in an isolated part of Anza Borrego State Park, a desert preserve in southeastern San Diego County.

When last seen, the young women had told friends they were going to the desert to do some modeling for a man named Douglas.

Jean Jones, mother of one of the young women, said after Owen’s ruling that she was glad it was over. As to whether she thought Douglas would be given the death penalty, she said, “He will if I can do anything about it.”

Request Turned Down

Douglas asked the judge if he would send copies of his statement to the families of the two victims, but Owen refused.

Richard Hernandez, 40, an employee of Douglas’, testified that he and Douglas took the teen-agers to the desert park. Douglas bound the young women, telling them it was part of the modeling session, and then killed them, Hernandez told the court.

Hernandez was granted immunity from prosecution. Deputy Dist. Atty. Anthony Rackauckas said his office did not believe Hernandez intended for the young women to be harmed.

Hernandez testified that Douglas forced the young women to have sex with both men, and that Hernandez then went to some bushes to defecate. He testified that he heard screams and that when he returned, saw that one of the victims was dead and the other was being strangled by Douglas. He said he tried but was unable to prevent Douglas from killing the second victim.

After both young women were dead, he said, he and Douglas went to a bar outside the state park and drank a few beers, then returned to bury them.

Douglas and Hernandez were questioned by police immediately after the teen-agers’ disappearance, then both left the state. Charges were filed against them in July, 1983, when Anaheim police learned that the two had been found in Canada.

Fugitives in Canada

They eluded authorities in Canada, but Douglas was finally arrested in North Las Vegas, Nev., on Feb. 28, 1984. Hernandez was found in Mexico a week later.

In 1977, a prostitute told police that Douglas told her he was looking for models to take to the desert, so he could kill them while filming them having sex. After that, two undercover police officers went out with Douglas for a photo session. Douglas led them to a spot in the desert where he kept saws, knives, chemicals, animal horns and ropes, which police later said were props for the filming.

Douglas was arrested and charged with solicitation for murder, but the trial ended in a hung jury. He later pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of conspiracy to commit assault, and was given credit for the time he had spent in jail awaiting the outcome of his case.

Douglas’ attorney, George Peters, made what Owen described as an eloquent argument that Douglas should be given the lesser sentence of life without parole, despite his client’s claim that Peters was incompetent.

The judge also gave Douglas a chance to speak. Douglas said repeatedly that he had not been given a fair trial, because the jurors had heard only one side. His last words to Owen were, “This was the perfect frame-up--from Rackauckas and Hernandez.”