Determining what drives people to kill has captured the minds and imagination of sociologists, criminal justice professionals and scholars since Cain took the jaw bone of an ass to his brother.
Murder, the of taking an innocent life, is the most extreme act known to human kind. What drives someone to that irrevocable decision? Greed, jealousy, love, revenge, and keeping a secret, are among the most often cited motives for murder. We know that mental illness plays a role in some of the serial killers we’ve seen in the Sacramento area. Richard Trenton Chase, the Vampire of Sacramento had a history of mental illness and was released from treatment only to unleash a bizarre and brutal serial of killings. Financial gain was the motive when Dorothea Puente poisoned as many as nine of her renters in her F St. Boarding house, burying them in the back yard, to cash their government benefit checks.
What about the killer who doesn’t seem to fall into the usual motives? Eric Royce Leonard didn’t kill for money, revenge, or love–he was said to have killed for the thrill of it. He’s known as the Sacramento Thrill Killer.
On the evening of February 12, 1991, Sallie Jane Thomas drove her fiancé, Stephen Anderson, to his new job as a clerk at a Quik Stop market on Auburn Boulevard. Miss Thomas would later recall a young White man wearing a black trench coat, black slacks, and black shoes, near the store.
A short time later, Lester Morris arrived at Quik Stop and found a man lying on the pavement in the parking lot, near the front door of the store. The man was bloody, but Morris recognized the gunshot victim was still alive, and ran into the store seeking help. He found Stephen Anderson, and another store employee, Zeid Obeid on the floor. Both men had been shot twice in the head at close range. Morris, who was deaf and had impaired speech, tried to call 911 from a pay phone but he could not make himself understood. A pickup truck pulled into the parking lot soon after, and the driver made another call to 911.
Five .25 caliber shell casings were found in the store. A small amount of money, and not all the cash in the register was taken and an open container of beef jerky was found outside the market.
One week later, on February 19, 1991, an employee of the Round Table Pizza store, in the Country Club shopping center in Sacramento, became concerned when her calls to the restaurant went unanswered. She went to the location and found the front door unlocked, well after what should have been closing time. In the back room of the establishment, she found all three employees, Sarah Crook, Kyle Reynolds, and Andrea Coladangelo with gunshot wounds to the head. Eight .25 caliber shell casings were discarded at the location.
Two of three cash registers were emptied. A customer told officers he’d seen a man in a black coat, black pants and black hassled loafers inside the Round Table Pizza just prior to the murders.
Sacramento Sheriff’s deputies and investigators interviewed over one hundred individuals in the areas around both crime scenes. Three months after the murders, they were running out of leads. However, one deputy interviewed a man who had been seen at both crime scenes after the investigations had begun. He claimed he lived in the area. His name was Eric Royce Leonard. Even though Leonard didn’t have an alibi for either of the crimes, the deputy didn’t consider him a likely subject because Leonard was quiet, timid, and confused as a result of a mental impairment. The deputy did take a photograph of Leonard.
In June 1991, a detective found the interview notes and the photo of Leonard. He took the photo to a gun store near the crime scenes and the manager said he’d seen the man in the store. The detective showed the photo to Sallie Thomas, who dropped her fiancé at the Quick Stop that night in February. She recognized Leonard as the man she’d seen that evening.
Detectives interviewed Leonard and he eventually admitted purchasing bullets for his father’s gun at the local gun shop and those bullets were the same kind used in the murders. Leonard was escorted home where officers took possession of a black trench coat and black tasseled loafers. At the same time, officers went to Leonard’s father’s home and took possession of a .25 caliber pistol. It quickly revealed that it was the firearm used in the murders.
On October 20, 1995, after a hard fought jury trial, full of evidence that Leonard was developmentally disabled, with an IQ of 80, with a history of epilepsy, he was found guilty of six counts of First Degree Murder, two counts of Robbery, and sentenced to Death.
There was never any admission by Leonard that the killings were carried out as a thrill, or on impulse. The Thrill Killer name was given him by the media covering the crimes, as they could see no other rationale for such a violent, brutal act. After his sentencing, he was hospitalized after hearing voices commanding him to scald himself with hot water.
Eric Royce Leonard remains on Death Row at San Quentin awaiting execution.
James L'Etoile 
Isn’t it about time for another book ?
I’m working on it!! I have a few in the pipeline.
[…] Eric Leonard – The Thrill Killer […]
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My girlfriend & I had encountered this guy a few days before the killings started at a bar in the same shopping center as the pizza shop. we went to the Glacer bar one night and this guy started to talk with us. He kept insisting that I dance with my girlfriend. He was annoying us so we left. Quite a surprise to us when we saw the news about the killings on the news.
It’s really a bit frightening when you think about all the chance encounters and near-misses with people like him. I almost reenter an apartment next to–Richard Chase–the Vampire of Sacramento.
I actually knew Eric personally. He was friends with my X-boyfriend. Eric was very quiet and seemed really nice his apartment was kept absolutely immaculate. He had the nickname batman because he was attacked by a couple of guys with bats. After that incident, they said he didn’t really seem the same. One night he was sitting in a dark room in an apartment and I sat next to him and asked if he wanted to talk. He replied “No’. I just sat there for a long time with him in silence. Never got a bad vibe off of him. Just quiet and sad.
Linda, it always amazes me how we encounter people like Eric in our day to days lives–and wonder, could we have done anything to change the outcome?
It seems that it always has to be someone’s mental state or their miserable upbringing – call it what it is: EVIL Some people are just bad and they let themselves get worse until they are very bad wicked people and then – they are just evil and evil itself is a force. I have been an attorney for many years and I assure you dear reader…. EVIL exists and evil people exist.
David, I agree there is evil out in the world. I believe, we as humans, want to know why it exists. We want to understand and get some measure of comfort that we can predict how it happens and who is vulnerable. It’s not as simple as that and we can seek to understand all we want, but that doesn’t change the path evil takes to our doorstep.
James, when someone kills an animal for no good reason other than just to feel the power of a gun – that is bad enough. Now, take someone such as Eric Leonard who,after having balistically buthered two helpless human beings at a Quick Stop just haft murder a third one out in the parking lot. Then what does he do? He waits week before murdering three other innocent people. These people had every right to live – who was he to cause so much sorry and misery to others just to satisfy his wicked desire to inflict misery on their families. If he were not evil, but sick as people want to believe, then he would not have pulled that little episode in court – he wouldn’t have shot the man in the parking lot. No, he had enough rationale reasoning in him to try and evade capture and avoid the death penalty, which he WILL face when he least expects it. EVIL exists dear reader. Oh, please believe me, it does exist and it consumes if left unchallenged. Evil people will give you an eerie feeling and you best beware.
I send my utmost Respects for ALL the Victims and their Families!!!! My Mother In-law is “Sallie Jane Thomas”, witch of course I have been Married to Her Daughter Jennifer Marie Prater since “4-12-12”!!!! She (Sallie) had suffered a Serious Trauma from the Sight of Her Deceased Ex-Fiance Stephen Anderson, and within that, her Pregnancy had caused a Serious Complication to her Daughter/My Wife witch left her Daughter having to Live on Social Security for the Rest of Her Life!!!! I wish My Wife and Mother In-law my Deepest Thoughts!!!!
I was dating his sister when all the murders were happening. I knew Eric. There is far more about Eric that never came out in public. He was not a thrill killer. He had motive far more bizarre. I was there when he came to my apartment where I lived with his sister. He was wearing his black trench coat fully dressed in the summer with over a 100 degrees temperature outside. The first murders had already happened. Eric had a step brother he just became acquainted with. Eric got upset with his step brother and came to my apartment where his brother was sleeping on the couch. Eric came in and stood over his step brother starring down on him while he slept. I went to Eric and said hey Eric don’t wake him up he has to work in a few hours on his new job. Eric didn’t move, he just starred down and his step brother his hands and arms locked stiff in the pockets of his trench coach. I waved my hand in front of Eric face trying to break the stare. Eric didn’t flinch. Suddenly his sister came in from the bedroom and said hey Eric what are you doing here? Eric snapped up and ran out of the apartment. Eric was there to kill his brother. I was collateral damage if need be. Two nights later three more people were killed. Sometime later I got a call from Eric’s father saying in a panic, Brian, get over here I need your help. I asked what’s wrong, he said he did it, come alone now. I went to Eric’s father house, his sister in tow. She was not going to be left behind. The detective on the case was already there outside the house. She caught me and Eric’s sister out front before we went in, and said, This is how we’re going to do this. She gave me and Eric’s sister instructions. The detective asked me to draw what the house looked like inside. It was a small house and Eric was on the couch by the front door. When we entered the house we were instructed to stand in certain places. Eric was sitting in the couch by the front door. We came in and took our places as instructed. We did exactly what the detective told us to do. The detective and an officer came in the back door and stood out of sight. Per the detectives instruction she would touch my hand I was told to clasp behind my back. I felt the touch on my hand and I stepped back and she rushed in with another officer and took Eric down. I asked her how she knew it was Eric from the beginning? She said I can only explain it this way. When the guilty come to view the crimes they commit, we ask everyone questions and the people not involved will look to the right and the guilty will look left. Eric looked left. She was incredible at her job.
That dude lived EXACTLY! above my apartment in Carmichael.. I only ever said hello to him throwing out my trash! Woosh .
I still remember that phone call it was around 630am my mother called me to tell me to get home .. my younger sister was the manager and her boyfriend was as well .. I did receive Andrea’s pasta maker from my sister .. this was a very tragic thing that had happened .. Sarah Andrea and Kyle were amazing people they were friends of my sister and employees rest in heaven to all the victims
I went to ARC and worked fast food on Auburn Blvd when this happened. I lived in an apartment across the street from the college and would often eat breakfast at the college. Eric was there sometimes standing out wearing his trench coat. I think I only saw him with coffee. After the second Tuesday murders, I was working the next Tuesday and we called our corporate HQ asking permission to close because the radio stations, news and papers were all surmising that the unknown “beef jerky killer” was going to kill on consecutive Tuesdays… The traffic was heavy and cops were all over the place – everyone was looking for the thrill killer. About 830PM the police came in for like the third time and shut us down 90 minutes early – said they could not cover every single business… the whole thing was wild.