A Deadly Pattern Emerges and a Case That Still Raises Questions

Just twelve days after the Canyon Lake killing, investigators were called back to the same gated community. This time, 66-year-old June Roberts had been beaten with a wine decanter and strangled with a phone cord. Although valuables were left behind, her credit cards were missing, suggesting a motive that went beyond theft. Greco later summarized the sequence bluntly: “The violence came first.”

The stolen credit cards were traced to several stores, including a hair salon where a woman matching the suspect description had recently dyed her hair from blonde to red. A young boy accompanying her referred to the woman as his “other mommy,” a remark that would soon prove pivotal.

On March 10, 1994, the investigation took a decisive turn when Dorinda Hawkins survived an attack inside an antiques store in Lake Elsinore. Gray strangled her and fled with cash, but Hawkins lived and later recalled that the attacker said the spree “wasn’t about money.” When detectives relayed the suspect’s details to Jeri Armbrust, recognition followed. Shortly afterward, Gray appeared at Armbrust’s home matching the description precisely, prompting an urgent call to police.

Before authorities could serve a search warrant, Gray struck again. On March 16, she followed 87-year-old Dora Beebe to her home, strangled her with a phone cord, and used a clothes iron during the assault. Nearly $2,000 was later withdrawn from Beebe’s bank account. A search of Gray’s residence uncovered damning evidence, including stolen cash, items purchased with victims’ credit cards, sneakers matching the original crime scene print, and keys from the antiques store. Hawkins later identified Gray in a photo lineup.

Gray initially denied responsibility, claiming she had “found” the victims’ financial items. She later offered another explanation, saying she stole because “shopping puts me at rest.”

Facing capital punishment, Gray pursued an insanity defense but was ruled competent. She ultimately pleaded guilty to two murders and one attempted murder, while prosecutors declined to charge her in the Davis killing. Greco remains convinced of her involvement. “She couldn’t admit to that one,” he said. “It was too close.”

Despite lingering doubts, Greco acknowledged her current efforts to assist other inmates, while remaining cautious. “I think it’s good she’s trying to help,” he said. “But sincerity is hard to measure in someone capable of that kind of violence.”