Californian cult ruled by a “master manipulator” committed murders on Elm Street

Detective Gary Deckard and his team found themselves in a real nightmare on Elm Street.

Shortly after midnight on May 21, 1990, police entered a house at 5223 Elm Street in Salida, a small farming town in California. Inside lay the bodies of Dennis Colwell, Darlene “Emmie” Paris, Franklin Raper and Richard Ritchey. All of the victims had suffered blunt force trauma and numerous stab wounds. Paris had been nearly decapitated.

“When I arrived on the scene, we had two officers who had responded to the initial 911 call,” Deckard, the lead investigator, told Fox News Digital. “All of those officers were terrified by what they saw. And these are very big officers… When I walked onto the scene, I understood why.”

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“When they were going to murder these people, they turned off the electricity,” Deckard explained. “So it was completely dark… It was just a horrific crime scene. One of the policewomen told me it felt like Freddy Krueger was coming out of hiding. There was one body after another in this little house.”

The quadruple murder is being investigated in Investigation Discovery's true crime series “The Real Murders on Elm Street.” It examines harrowing cases across the country that all took place on Elm Street, including interviews with relatives and investigators.

“People have always wanted to know why someone would go into a house and brutally kill people,” Deckard said. “Was it the act of an individual or the leader of a group?”

Detective Gary Deckard was the lead investigator on this case. (Investigation and discovery)

The police would soon get their answer.

There was one survivor, a woman named Donna, who escaped the attack. She described how the murders were committed by several people wearing camouflage clothing and masks.

“I tried to get as much information out of her as I could,” Deckard said. “I learned that Donna arrived at the house. She didn't know where to go that night. She arrived with another person who ended up being one of the victims. She was in one of the bedrooms when the murders started. One of the suspects had taken off his mask. So Donna could see his face.”

“While everyone was being murdered, Donna ran into the garage,” Deckard continued. “There were no lights on in there, but she found a pile of clothes. She hid under the clothes and the suspects didn't see her… When she had the chance, she ran down Elm Street and knocked on people's doors, hoping someone would hear her screams. Eventually, someone did. That's how the 911 call came in.”

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Police later learned that Gerald Cruz had ordered the killing of everyone in the house. (Investigation and discovery)

Many people from the town gathered outside the crime scene. After Donna got a description of the suspect she had seen – a white man with afro hair – one of the locals said, “That sounds like a guy named Jason. He lives outside the 'camp.'”

The police knew the residential area, which was known to the locals as “the camp.” The residents kept to themselves.

When police went there, pieces of camouflage clothing were found hanging on a clothesline. Investigators then went to a nearby trailer belonging to Gerald Cruz. He denied knowing anything about the murders but gave some names of members of his commune.

Authorities soon identified Jason LaMarsh of The Camp. He matched the description of the suspect Donna had seen that night. As the investigation continued, police learned that Cruz was the leader of The Cause, a group that “sought the advancement of humanity,” according to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital. LaMarsh was associated with the group.

Richard Vieira, pictured here, claimed that Gerald Cruz ordered him to kill Darlene Paris. (Investigation and discovery)

“Gerald Cruz was a dynamic personality,” Deckard said. “He took people off the streets who were unemployed and had no money. Then he became like their father and promised to take care of them. They became so brave … that they would do almost anything for him.”

Investigators obtained a search warrant for Cruz's home. Inside, they found masks, bomb-making materials, a receipt for a knife and satanic literature. Court documents revealed that Cruz's diaries contained the signatures and fingerprints of people identified as his followers.

There was also the “Wheel of Punishment.” Deckard said the device was used to torture Cruz's followers if they ever disobeyed. Punishments included eating off the floor, beatings and sodomy in front of the group, among other things.

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On May 20, 1990, Gerald Cruz gathered James Beck (pictured here), Richard Vieira, and Jason LaMarsh. He gave them tasks and had them wear camouflage clothing. (Investigation and discovery)

“When we found it on the property, we didn't know what the deal was with that wheel,” Deckard said. “I interviewed other people who were part of the group that Gerald Cruz supervised. They described to me that the 'Wheel of Punishment' was used when you got in trouble for anything. And Gerald ruled with an iron fist. If you got in trouble, you had to throw the wheel up. Wherever your thumb landed on the wheel, that was the punishment you got.”

“There were all kinds of punishments,” Deckard said. “But the most bizarre punishment was sex with another person of the same sex. It could be beatings, it could be anything.”

According to court documents, Cruz was arrested for possession of explosives. Other supporters were arrested.

Ronald Willey, pictured here, was among those ordered to storm Franklin Raper's house. (Investigation and discovery)

“We learned that they had a meeting at 'camp' where they all lived for the most part,” Deckard explained. “During that meeting, they prepared to kill Franklin Raper. That was the motive. They didn't know anyone else would be in the house. But Gerald Cruz had instructions to make sure there were no witnesses.”

Court documents showed that Raper, then about 50 years old, moved into the “camp” with his trailer in January 1990. He subsequently maintained “a bitter relationship” with Cruz.

Before the murders, Cruz told an acquaintance that he would “like to get his hands on” Raper. After an argument, Raper's car was set on fire.

From the episode, it was clear that Raper was never afraid of Cruz and didn't think twice about confronting him.

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According to court documents, Michelle Evans entered into a plea agreement. In exchange for her testimony, she was sentenced to one year in prison. (Investigation and discovery)

The series also revealed that Raper was known for luring people who had nowhere to go.

Deckard said Raper was the target of Cruz and his group. The other victims were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

According to the report, Cruz and his followers attacked Raper at his home, where they gathered all of the victims in the living room. Raper was beaten with a baseball bat so severely that his head and face were “distorted,” court documents say. He was also stabbed and his arm was broken.

Pictured here from left to right are James David Beck, Ronald Wayne Willey, Gerald Dean Cruz, Michelle Lee Evans and Richard John Vieira in the Stanislaus County courtroom. (Investigation and discovery)

Deckard said that as Paris screamed and pleaded for her life, Cruz told Vieira to “silence her.”

“Gerald Cruz had so much power over him,” Deckard said.

It was subsequently reported that LaMarsh and Ronald Willey were found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder. Both were sentenced to 62 years in prison. Vieira is on death row at San Quentin along with Cruz and James Beck. Michelle Evans pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting murder. She was sentenced to one year in prison in exchange for her testimony in court. She served six months of that sentence.

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Detective Gary Deckard admitted that the case still haunts him decades later. (Investigation and discovery)

To this day, Deckard still has questions.

“Why would someone sacrifice their life to please one individual, a master manipulator?” he said. “How can someone have so much authority and rule over an entire camp as a father and provider? Why would people just sacrifice their entire lives and kill people they don't even know? People who have never done anything to them? It was just horrific. I have no answers.”