Edward Wayne Edwards

I have seen this Guy's name kicked around in the past, but his name keeps coming up, and there are some fresh Google news hits for him. I have some brief info on him, but I am hoping to hear from other who know more about him. He did apparently kill a couple in another state other than CA.

Here is his 1955 mugshot:

Here is a brief timeline of Edwards' antics, that I found over at officialcoldcaseinvestigations.com

June 14, 1933: Born in Akron, Ohio.
December 1935: Mother committed suicide.
1940: Sent to orphanage in Parma, Ohio.
1948: Sent to reform school in Pennsylvania.
1950: Returned to Akron, started committing burglaries; left juvenile detention to join the Marines; went AWOL from Camp LeJeune, N.C.; arrested in Jacksonville, Fla.; dishonorably discharged from the Marines.
April 1952: Sentenced to a federal reformatory in Chillicothe, Ohio, for two years for impersonating a Marine and interstate transportation of a stolen car.
April 1955: Broke out of Akron jail while being held on burglary charges.
1956: Caught in Montana after a series of armed robberies, sentenced to penitentiary in Deer Lodge.
July 1959: Released in Montana, taken to Portland to stand trial for two armed robberies in 1956, sentenced to five years of probation.
1960: Broke out of jail in Portland, where he'd been arrested for turning in a false fire alarm. Questioned in connection with a double murder of a young couple. Traced to Colorado, where he cashed some checks on a Portland Bowling Club of which he was a member.
Nov. 10, 1961: Added to FBI's 10 Most Wanted fugitives list. A federal warrant charged him with unlawful interstate flight to avoid confinement after a robbery conviction.
Jan. 20, 1962: Captured in Atlanta with wife, Marlene.
May 18 1962: Sentenced to 16 years in Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary.
1967: Transferred to Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary in Pennsylvania; paroled from federal prison.
1971-1973: Touring as a speaker on prison reform, published book on his rehabilitation
September 1980: Left Wisconsin after being questioned about the Hack/Drew murders.
December 1982: Incarcerated in Pennsylvania prison for arson.
July 1986: Released from Pennsylvania prison.
July 30, 2009: Arrested in Louisville, Ky., for 1980 murders of Timothy Hack and Kelly Drew.
June 9, 2010: Pleaded guilty to Hack and drew murders and agreed to plead guilty to two 1977 Ohio murders.

Supposedly, this guy did kill a couple in a lovers lane area, and may have tied them up first. But he also was alleged to have raped the female, which doesnt match known Zodiac MO. One thing that does jump out is his DEER LODGE connection. Supposedly, this guy says he was in CA during the late 60's. I have an issue personally with this guy being Zodiac, in that you would think his probation & parole terms would keep him from bouncing all over from state to state. Also, seems like his prints would be readily available for comparison with Zodiac's.

At least one Law Enforcement official thinks this guy was Z, as evidenced by this article:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/10/16/BA3Q1FR5U6.DTL

Remember, Hartnell did not come up with "Deer Lodge" at all without prompting from LE who were interviewing him, so I would not view that as a strong connection in this case.

People still can't even agree whether it was Colorado or Montana.

This guy is okay apart from the sexual assault thing. Don't see Zodiac as a marrying man, either. I'd check him out, though, if only for the purpose of ruling him out. As I've mentioned before, he's certainly more promising than, say, Michael O'Hare or a certain two stepfathers.

Nacht, can you really see this dude being into "The Mikado"??

You never know.

There is nothing to say if he had an interest in the Mikado or not.
He was obviously no dummy.
The sexual assault issue is not really cut and dry if you do some reading
on him. The 1956 couples murder he is suspected of did not involve
any sexual assault. They were both executed with their hands tied
behind their backs. Robbery was not a motive either in this case.
He seems to have found religion in a big way while in prison. Obviously
did not stick with him or he was never really saved.
The biggest drawback for me is it looks like he was in Ohio during the
Z murders. But it sure would seem a retired homicide detective would
notice this major flaw in the Z theory also. I gotta figure John Cameron
has some more information on the timeline.

morf13 wrote:

1956: Caught in Montana after a series of armed robberies, sentenced to penitentiary in Deer Lodge.
July 1959: Released in Montana, taken to Portland to stand trial for two armed robberies in 1956, sentenced to five years of probation.

I wonder if he knew "Frank Dryman"...also released in (Jan) of '69 from the same prison. (FD is also under other suspects)

--Regarding prints. Frank's were never put into the national database. Maybe Edwards weren't either? That guy who killed those cops in '57 had his fingerprints in the system and they didn't catch him until the FBI updated there stuff (pretty recently I think) to some sort of digital scanning and that is when they located the guy after 40+ years.

Here is a quote from the article. After 9/11??

"Even with a new digital image of the original fingerprint, you still have to have someplace to search for a match. After the events of 9/11, the FBI finally created a nationwide computer database that includes a copy of every criminal fingerprint in every state in the entire country.

They loaded a digital copy of the killer's print into the system. And just like that, a man that had eluded capture for nearly half a century was found in a matter of minutes." http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/07/05/48hours/main706303_page3.shtml?tag=contentMain;contentBody

***

Also, I just went back and read all the reports and interviews. Hartnell does state "Montana" and it was a "double name".

There were no prisons like that in CO as far as I could tell. Although Colorado was mentioned at one point, it would seem between "Montana" and the two word prison, I think that is correct. Whether Zodiac was full of it is another issue.

So, this guy was apparently in the slammer when the Santa Barbara and Riverside murders happened.

My interest in him just went down several notches.

Nachtsider wrote:

So, this guy was apparently in the slammer when the Santa Barbara and Riverside murders happened.

My interest in him just went down several notches.

I agree with you. And as I said before, certain things about him made me reluctant to think of him as a legitimate Z suspect. This is just the icing on the cake. I think Zodiac was actually inspired by the two escaped convicts that would up on a peninsula out on Lake Berryessa.

This guy was apprently in both Ohio,and Wisconsin. I posted about lovers lane killings outside of CA, and found such killings in both OH & WI as seen here:
https://zodiackillersite.forummotion.com/zodiac-theories-f14/lovers-lane-killings-in-other-states-t409.htm?highlight=lovers

It was interesting, and got my attention, but seems this guy was incarcerated during the time when these 2 cases happened.

morf13 wrote:

I think Zodiac was actually inspired by the two escaped convicts that would up on a peninsula out on Lake Berryessa.

Are you talking about the 1965 prison escape? Can you tell us why you think Z was inspired by this?

Edwards was in prison in 1966, therefor he could not have killed Bates and he could not have written any of the Bates/Riverside writings. He cannot be Zodiac IMO.

caresut wrote:

morf13 wrote:

I think Zodiac was actually inspired by the two escaped convicts that would up on a peninsula out on Lake Berryessa.

Are you talking about the 1965 prison escape? Can you tell us why you think Z was inspired by this?

I am referring to this- https://zodiackillersite.forummotion.com/cecelia-shepard-bryan-hartnell-9-27-69-f17/lake-berryessa-inspiration-t314.htm

To me, it seems likely that Z would have read about the prison escapees, and maybe even cheered them on or had a fantasy that he too was on the run. The fact that they wound up on a peninsula at Lake Berryessa, as did Z, got my attention. Of further interest to me personally, is that one of these escapees shres the last name of my own personal POI. I have tried, unsuccessfully so far, to determine if my POI was related to the escapee.

AK Wilks wrote:

Edwards was in prison in 1966, therefor he could not have killed Bates and he could not have written any of the Bates/Riverside writings. He cannot be Zodiac IMO.

I highly doubt he was Z as well. But remember... Z has never been definitively tied to the Bates murder. It's well within the realm of possibility that he simply padded his score with murders that he took no part in.

I think the evidence is very strong that Zodiac killed Bates. But even among the few who don't think Zodiac killed Bates, we have the experts saying Zodiac did the writings.

So someone who is in prison in 1966, liked Edwards, or out of state working, like Gaikowski, IMO is pretty much ruled out for Zodiac. Others may disagree.

BUMP>>>> Due to recent interest in this guy

I think it is time to post all Edwards info we have in one thread and scrutinize all facts and information we can get hands on. It would be great if we can get John Cameron ( to join the MB )and Tim Spencer to engade into a discussion about that fellow.
I would also like to discuss every single confirmed Zodiac letter in connection with this suspect. I believe we can get into a much better agreement about the suitability of this individual despite the fact that
he was jailed in during 63and 66. Zodiac, the bragger, never mentions the Bates case, until LE creates a possible connection. What a great alibi, admitting to a crime when the perp was actually in jail at that time! We are exactly doing that, right? The Domingos/Edwards could have a direct relation to the name of the female victim. Who says Zodiac did not copy that particular crime later because of a name! See a name..
Also, Zodiac is sharing many hints in reference as to how he accomplished for example not to leave fingerprints, how to attach a flashlight to a gun, how to make a bomb, how to conduct a search in the park etc.. These are all things for example inmates talk about while "killing time" in prison.
Edwards was out of prison in time to order guns in from out of state before the law ent in affect. Order out of state guns is a good way to get wht you need if officially you are not allowed to leave the state unless you get written permission.
Edwards got the best reason of all to be anywhere he wanted to. He got written permission to leave Ohio to engade in teachings and lectures. He taught and lectured what to do and what not to do. In his book, the epilogue is just that, how to protect yourself from a criminal.

I can and will go on with the list, we will actually work on this together. If you read all the info there is about Edwards, plus consider his biographical information, plus consider what and how he wrote it in his book, your hair will start to stand up.

Morph, we need to find out how best to talk about Edwrads' book without colliding with copyright infringement issues. Please advice. Is quoting with giving the source appropriate? I don't think we can post any scans of the book. As a matter of fact, we may have to remove the one scan from p 232 I believe it was.

I would also like to mention two more things

1. I am still slowly progressing on my 340 approach. I am trying to avoid any direct connection to Edwards like his name or so. However, I am runnung passages and words from his book. As I mentioned in the other thread and on the other site, I am cruising around a "I SAW T....T AS I" (note the symmetry!). I can clearly see the possibility of a mono sub cipher here keted in via individual passwords or passphrases. I mentioned that before, so I will not get into it here.

2. Tim Spencer mentioned something on Z.com yesterday or today, that hit me like a brick. He said that the inmates received certain numbers and thus lost their names in a way. As Edwards saw quite some prisons from inside, I doubt he would pick a particular number as his "ID". However, it is possible. Tim also mentioned that Zodiac clued that if you crack the cipher you would "have" him.
Well, guess what, I found something.

I FOUND "GOT ED"...he has clued all along about it.

Anyone interested in further discussing ED EDWARDS as viable Zodiac suspect, raise your hand.. Kevin, I am not excluding the possibility of a Bujok/ Edwards or Dryman/Edwards team at this time. So I am looking forward what you come up further with in connection with Bujok.

-Nin

Yes! EWE is a very interesting candidate for Zodiac!

Nin, did you understand how it was that Edwards came to know Dannie Boy? In the video it's not clear at all. At least to me, maybe I missed something, though.

It's at the beginning of Part 1. He says that Dannie was living with foster parents, and that when the foster parents split up he went to live with one of the other people that had been living there also. Then this person told Edwards that he was going to kick Dannie out, so Edwards went and got him. Was this person someone that Edwards knew? Or what??

To me, Dannie looks like he could be Edward's biological son. They both have extremely similar noses - long and narrow. I'm wondering if Dannie could have been his child, born out of wedlock, then sent to the orphanage. Just wondering, because anyone that could kill their own son for money is capable of ANYTHING.

Thanks if you, or someone else here, can explain!

Also, one thing that has bugged me about Lake Berryessa is - why did Z wear the cross hair symbol on his bib. It's been suggested that perhaps someone was filming the crime. We know Edwards committed murder to make money - I imagine snuff films are pretty darn expensive. Is it possible that this was what LB was all about? That could explain the cross hair symbol - makes the crime look creepier.

Jem wrote:

Yes! EWE is a very interesting candidate for Zodiac!

Nin, did you understand how it was that Edwards came to know Dannie Boy? In the video it's not clear at all. At least to me, maybe I missed something, though.

It's at the beginning of Part 1. He says that Dannie was living with foster parents, and that when the foster parents split up he went to live with one of the other people that had been living there also. Then this person told Edwards that he was going to kick Dannie out, so Edwards went and got him. Was this person someone that Edwards knew? Or what??

To me, Dannie looks like he could be Edward's biological son. They both have extremely similar noses - long and narrow. I'm wondering if Dannie could have been his child, born out of wedlock, then sent to the orphanage. Just wondering, because anyone that could kill their own son for money is capable of ANYTHING.

Thanks if you, or someone else here, can explain!

Also, one thing that has bugged me about Lake Berryessa is - why did Z wear the cross hair symbol on his bib. It's been suggested that perhaps someone was filming the crime. We know Edwards committed murder to make money - I imagine snuff films are pretty darn expensive. Is it possible that this was what LB was all about? That could explain the cross hair symbol - makes the crime look creepier.

Dannie Boy--then Dannie Law Gloeckner--and his brother, Craig, came to live with Joyce (Brigham) Hopper and and her then-husband, Ted Brigham in 1986. The boys had lived in Cleveland with their parents, now deceased, prior to moving to Burton Township.

The Cuyahoga County Office of Human Resources placed the boys in the Brigham home, which contained other foster children overseen by Joyce and her then-husband, Ted Brigham, according to an April 24, 1997, article from the Lake County News-Herald.

Joyce and Ted Brigham had up to 10 foster sons living in their home at one time, because it was a licensed group home at the time. Dannie Boy got along well with the other boys most of the time. He also dated a few women, but never was in a serious relationship.

Dannie is a 1992 Berkshire High School graduate. After graduation, he worked for a landscaper. Then he went off and started life after Burton, which included a stint in the U.S. Army.
On Dec. 19, 1995, Dannie Law Gloeckner legally changed his name to Dannie Boy Edwards, according to Geauga County Probate Court records.

Ted drove the school wrestling team bus - Danny was on the wrestling team- , Ted Brigham passed away due to a heart attack driving a bus.
Craig Gloeckner, who is deaf, graduated from the Mayfield School for Speech and Hearing Impaired.

Ed Edwards was Danny's adoptive foster father, not his real father. I am not sure about how Danny met Edwards, perhaps one or some of Edwards' 5 kida went to the same school as Danny. Danny lived about 2 1/2 years with Ed and Kate Edwards.

Regarding the LB, the cross hair symbol on Zodiac's bib: Edwards was placed in a very strict catholic orphanage when he was 7 years old. He talks about mental and physical abuse taking place at the institution ran by nuns. Without getting into the subject in depth Edwards was deeply traumatized during his stay at the orphanage. LB happend to coincide with the founding date of this orphanage in order to honor St Vincent de Paul, September 27! If Zodiac was to turn out to be the Zodiac I'd say the crosshair symbol may have alluded to something the nuns were either wearing around their necks, like a cross on a chain dangling down in that area , or a cross on their robe, something like it. If Edwards was Zodiac he might have been reliving the torture at the orphanage, but this time HE was the one in control.

-Nin

Thank you, Nin! Your explanation of the cross hair symbol makes sense. So many things about Z make it obvious that he harbored some serious hatred for the Catholic church.

Edwards appearance on To Tell The Truth, 1972. Sorry if this has been posted elsewhere.

https://www.youtube.com/user/mscameron18#p/u/3/n-lHHj0um8g

https://www.youtube.com/user/mscameron18#p/u/4/Sj0FqwIE4PM

An article written when Edwards was starting his speaking tour to youth about the perils of the life of crime.

Thanks much for sharing the article, Seagull!

As you have alreday previously noticed, the Alcatraz reference is incorrect. Edwards has never been incarcerated in Alcatraz. Interesting reference to Deerlodge. The article also names one of Edward's main motives for his con life, recognition. Goes well with the storyline of his book he published soon after, ,to be the best criminal ever'..

Claiming not to have committed any murder or sex crimes so far was a blunt lie on Edwards behalf (1960 Portland Oregon murder, 1954 Great Falls murder). It shows that his "metamorphosis" was very "onesided" and did not reflect the real Edwards. Only a part of Edwards metamorphosed. Question is, which one..

-Nin