Color Footage of Monfort, Pitman, Craig, Fromme and Cooper's Stockton Arrest

This is some recently released film of those arrested for Lauren and James Willett's murders.  It's from San Francisco Bay Area television station, KPIX.  It's kind of cool that it is in color and you can tell exactly where the newspaper pictures came from.  There is also some footage of the exterior of the house on Flora St.

The Trial For James Willett's Murder

Michael Monfort and James Craig ultimately pleaded guilty for James Willett's murder but a jury was picked and the trial did open before a plea deal was reached.  The articles begin with Billy Goucher in June of 1973 pleading guilty to second degree murder in the death of James Willett.  Goucher agreed to the plea to reduce his charge from first degree murder and therefore do less prison time.  He also had to become a state's witness in the upcoming trial of Monfort and Craig in order for that plea to stand.

Almost six months later the trial for Monfort and Craig was ready to get underway.  Nancy Pitman and Priscilla Cooper were brought from Frontera to testify as witnesses.  There were the usual motions and protests voiced by the defense attorneys.  Along the way there were a couple of surprising twists and turns before the deal was done.

The Parker Resort in Guerneville

When the Pattys were in Guerneville recently investigating the death of James Willett, they tried to determine which of the many local resorts it was in which the group had been living. Mystery solved: on the police report that FARFLUNG just provided, Priscilla Cooper states that some photos introduced into evidence were taken "at the Parker Resort."

Parker's Resort is family owned and operated, and has been for decades. They are dog friendly and offer camping and RVing (cabins like those pictured below are no longer rented to the public). They generally have good reviews on yelp.


The Pattys nearly stayed there, but ended up several miles away instead. The entrance on Neeley Road is barely marked as you can see. In fact, The Pattys almost missed it entirely.

Here also is a great view from Neeley road just a few hundred yards west of Parker's Resort of the thriving metropolis of downtown Guerneville, CA:


You can read Eviliz.com reader Cece's firsthand account of life at Parker's with the Willetts here:http://www.eviliz.com/2011/11/this-is-for-heidi-willett_02.html

Why they married

http://www.sonomasheriff.org/about_history.php

Left- Nancy and baby Eric

In October of 1972, The Press Democrat headline read “Manson Link to River Slaying.” Aryan Brotherhood members Michael Monfort and James Craig, along with notorious Manson family members Pricilla Cooper, Stacy Pitman and Lynnette Fromme (a.k.a. “Squeaky,” and who incidentally, attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford in 1975) were arrested in connection to the murder of United States Marine James T. Willett. Willett was shot through the head with a .38 caliber weapon and buried in a shallow grave on a mountain south of Guerneville. His wife, Lauren Willett, was also found murdered and buried in a similar grave in Stockton. Monfort was the first to be linked to the murders. He used James Willett’s identification after being arrested for robbing a liquor store. He later jumped bail. His recapture was shortly followed by the arrest of the other four suspects at a Stockton apartment, where officers located Willett’s discharge papers. The prosecution subpoenaed Cooper and Pittman to testify against Monfort and Craig. In an attempt to mock the law, Monfort and Craig managed to marry the women before the trial, making it illegal for the women to testify against their husbands. Nevertheless, Monfort and Craig were both convicted and served time for their crimes. After being paroled, Craig was shot numerous times, his body was stuffed in the trunk of a car and the car was set on fire on a Sacramento street.