Nathein Owings, an Australian teenager, was deeply affected when he learned about the brutal murder of his friend, Jack Murray, by the infamous “Sunset Strip Killers.” Carol Bundy, one half of the serial-killing couple, lured Murray into her car with the promise of sex before shooting him in the back of the head and beheading him. This gruesome act was Bundy’s twisted way of demonstrating her loyalty to her boyfriend, Douglas Clark. The news of Murray’s murder shook Owings and his family, who eventually moved back to Australia in 1980. However, the memory of Murray’s beheading continued to haunt Owings.
Years later, Owings received another email revealing that police had arrested the murderers and found Murray’s head in the fridge, as Bundy wanted to prove her undying love. The discovery of Murray’s decapitated head deeply affected Owings and his family. It was particularly disturbing to learn that it was Bundy, Clark’s girlfriend, who had committed the murder. Murray was one of the victims of the “Sunset Strip Killers,” a case that devastated Owings. He felt sorry for Murray’s wife and newborn baby and found it unsettling that Bundy, not Clark, had taken Murray’s life.
Owings and Murray’s families had a close bond, sharing a driveway and an Australian background. Murray, who had a promising career as a performer, was someone Owings looked up to. Murray often sang at the Little Nashville Bar, a popular North Hollywood establishment where Bundy used to watch him perform before luring him to his death.
Decades passed, but the hatred Owings and his parents felt towards Bundy and Clark never faded. Their relief came when Bundy died in prison in 2003 at the age of 61, and Clark, who was on death row, recently died of natural causes. Owings expressed his joy upon hearing the news of their deaths, attributing Murray’s murder to both Bundy and Clark. He wished his late mother and stepfather were alive to witness Clark’s demise.
The “Sunset Strip Killers,” Bundy and Clark, had a consistent modus operandi, which involved hunting victims in Los Angeles, beheading them, and engaging in necrophilia. Their crimes included the sexual assault and fatal shooting of teenagers Gina Narano and Cynthia Chandler, the rape and murder of Karen Jones, the sexual assault and post-mortem mutilation of Exxie Wilson, and the sexual assault, fatal shooting, and dumping of Marnette Comer near Forest Lawn Cemetery.
The case of the “Sunset Strip Killers” continues to be a chilling reminder of the heinous crimes committed by Bundy and Clark. Owings’ personal connection to the murder of his friend Jack Murray serves as a haunting testament to the lasting impact of such acts of violence.
