Two Lompoc High Seniors Are Slain

Two Lompoc High School seniors who were to have graduated tonight were found shot to death last night at a secluded spot on the beach 25 miles west of Santa Barbara and about two miles from Vista del Mar School.

Apparently murdered Tuesday while on a “ditch day” from school were Robert Domingos, 18, a varsity football player, and Linda Edwards, 17.

Sheriff James T. Webster placed a tight security around the isolated beach location of the slaying after the bodies were discovered in a crude lean-to shack at 10 p.m. by CHP officer Paul Shults.

SHOT SEVERAL TIMES

The boy had been shot 11 times and the girl 8 times with a .22 caliber gun, autopsies performed last night and early today by Dr. John P. Blanchard and Dr. Robert Failing, autopsy surgeons, indicated.

Dr. Blanchard said there were some powder burns on the bodies, and that he determined the couple had been dead for about 24 hours when found, which would place the time of the murders sometime Tuesday night. He said that there were no indications that the girl who would have been 18 tomorrow, had been sexually assaulted. A witness at the scene last night said that the swimming suit had been cut from the girl’s body.

Miss Edwards had been dragged, authorities said, and a bullet had shattered her right leg. Domingos had facial bruises, and there were indications he might have scuffled with someone during the vicious, brutal attack. Sheriff Webster said the shooting occurred outside, and the bodies were placed inside afterward.

SEARCH PRESSED

An intensive investigation and search for clues continued through the night and by daylight today. Ray Pinker, forensic chemist with the Los Angeles Police Department, arrived at 1 p.m. today to assist.

The type of weapon used had not been determined definitely today, but live ammunition of the .22 caliber long-rifle type was found near the death scene.

There were also indications that an attempt might have been made to set fire to the shack, as burned leaves and brush which had been piled against the rudely-built hideaway were found.

At Lompoc High School, where an awards assembly was in progress this morning, an atmosphere of gloom clouded preparations for tonight’s commencement activities. The flag was flown at half-staff on the school’s flagpole.

PLANNED TO MARRY

Friends of the couple said in Lompoc they were “going steady” and were to have been married this summer or in the fall.

Domingos was the son of Mr. and Mrs. George (Hutch) Domingos, of Route 1, Box 138, Drum Canyon, Lompoc Valley. Born May 12, 1945, he was popular at the school, where he was vice president of the Future Farmers of America chapter the past two years.

Miss Edwards was the daughter of Mrs. Eva Edwards, Apt. C, 421 N. L St. She was born June 7, 1945, in Denver, and entered the Lompoc school Jan. 3, 1961.

School officials said the two were not on the official “ditch day” list and did not board the bus Tuesday with their classmates to make a senior trip.

Sheriff’s records indicate that the two were first reported missing yesterday at 2:36 p.m., along with the Domingos car, a 1957 Pontiac. The car was found about 9 last night by the youth’s father, who was searching in the area with two friends, Lee and Leo Gnesa, of Lompoc. It was parked in a thicket, hidden from the road, between the north and south bound lanes of the divided highway. Miss Edwards’ purse and some clothes were seen in the locked car, and the men went to the Gaviota Store and called the Highway Patrol.

Officer Shults went to the scene, then walked to the beach with the men. When they came to the shack, he went on alone, and discovered the bodies. The sheriff’s office was notified, and Sheriff Webster, Undersheriff Ray Romero, Charles M. Taylor, chief deputy criminal inspector, and Capt. James T. Johnson went immediately to the site. With the help of the County Fire Department and Professional Ambulance Service, the bodies were taken to the Welch-Ryce Associates mortuary.

Domingos told authorities he had decided to look in the area because it was a popular spot among Lompoc teen-agers for swimming and surfing. He said his son left the house about noon Tuesday.

PHOTO CAPTION

CRUDELY-BUILT SHACK in hideaway area on the beach two miles south of Vista del Mar School, where bodies of two Lompoc High School seniors were found last night, was the subject of careful screening today by authorities. Officer-guard, whose gun is shown, digs into floor debris in search of evidence. Not visible from the highway or the beach, the shack is about 1,000 feet from the water.—News-Press photo