A California woman believes her step-grandfather may be the monster behind the unsolved murders of several young women in the 1970s.
Sierra Barter always knew her mother, Shannon, and disliked her stepfather, Jim Mordecai – so much so that she was estranged from her own mother, Judy, for 10 years. Fox News Digital reported.
But it wasn't until several years after Mordecai's death at age 67 in 2008 that Barter herself learned that the man had sexually abused numerous girls and women in his life, including one of his daughters-in-law.
“Hearing my aunt's stories had a huge impact on me,” Barter told the outlet of discovering the truth about her step-grandfather, which is documented in Max's new four-part feature film, “The Truth on Jim.
“It was hard to hear how these women, the women I shared laughs with, who dressed me like a doll and all that, were enduring so much pain behind closed doors. It was heartbreaking,” she added. “It was devastating to learn what had been taken away from them by their father.”
Eventually, Barter began to suspect that Mordecai was the predator behind the Santa Rosa Hitchhiker Murders, a series of at least seven unsolved murders of young women in the area north of San Francisco between 1972 and 1973.
Three of the known victims were bound and two others were tied up – something Mordecai reportedly frequently threatened to do to the women in his life.
When his second wife filed for divorce, he even told her, “If you try to have the girls, I will slit their throats,” referring to their young children.
Mordecai also had a seemingly random collection of inexpensive women's jewelry.
Barter gave some of Mordecai's personal effects that may contain DNA to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office.
The investigation is ongoing.
“These cases are very old,” Barter told Fox.
“There is a lot of evidence that no longer exists. There is a lot of follow-up to be done. A lot of people died,” she explained. “But I still have hope. Maybe there's a chance we can finally get some answers for these families.
While they still wait for answers, Barter said she feels free from Mordecai's shadow.
“I’m really, really happy to have my family back,” Barter said. “It's no fun having a broken family. …But I'm grateful that I no longer have to live with Jim lurking in the sphere. …And I'm so grateful to be surrounded by a group of women who remind me to speak up.
“There's not much of Jim's childhood that survives. I can only assume that hurt people tend to hurt others,” she added.
“But I don’t want to make excuses for him. There is always an opportunity to get help, which he did not choose to do. I don't know why he did the things he did. I think he felt powerless, and that's why he took out his anger on people and tried to seize their power.