The State - News from Feb. 6, 1987

A man and a woman were shot to death at a motel they managed in Atascadero. Police said both were naked, and the man appeared to have been tied up at the time of the double murder, while the woman had evidently been fleeing with two infants clutched to her chest. The babies, said to be about 4 months and 15 months old, survived. Other circumstances were not known, and police said the motel had no name--only a sign in front that said “For Sale or Trade.” Police were called to the scene by a man and woman who said they had been sleeping in the motel’s laundry room when they heard screams and shots. When the first officer arrived, he found the unit occupied by the victims in flames, and put out the blaze with a fire extinguisher. No motive for the crime has been discovered, a police spokesman said.