Rex Allan Krebs

Case record: Rex Allan Krebs

Background

Rex Allan Krebs was a 33-year-old registered sex offender. He had served ten years of a twenty-year sentence in Soledad State Prison. After his release from prison in 1997, he was described as seeming to be doing well, and accusations in 1999 were described as disturbing. Art Krebs, his uncle of Sandpoint, Idaho, said: “We are shocked by it.” He also said: “It's not sitting very well with any of us. ” and: “Our heart does go to the family of the victims, regardless of who did it.”

Krebs had criminal trouble as a youth in Sandpoint, Idaho. In 1984, he received a felony grand theft conviction for stealing a car and some cassettes in Nez Perce County, Idaho. Mark Carnopis, a spokesman for the Idaho Department of Corrections, said: “He was sentenced to up to three years and served most of his 18 months' jail time in nearly back-to-back stints at a boot-camp program, according to Mark Carnopis, a spokesman for the Idaho Department of Corrections.” Krebs completed 11 months of probation in Idaho and then moved to Grover Beach in March 1987.

After moving to California, Krebs lived in Atascadero on Bajada Avenue near Traffic Way from June to September last year. A neighbor learned through Megan's Law that Krebs was a registered sex offender and a letter-writing campaign ensued, and Krebs moved out. Glenn Jordan, a neighbor and former San Luis Obispo police officer, said neighbors were thrilled when Krebs moved out. Glenn Jordan said: “We were all dancing.” Jordan said: “Krebs looked like an ordinary man and kept to himself while living there.” Jordan also said: “Earlier this month, FBI agents canvassed the neighborhood with a photo of Krebs and asked residents what they knew about him, Jordan said.” Although Krebs’ neighbors on Davis Canyon Road near Avila Beach estimated he had lived there for eight months, it was uncertain whether he moved there directly from Atascadero. Krebs had worked as a garage door hanger when he first moved to California in 1987 and more recently worked at a San Luis Obispo lumberyard.

Art Krebs said his nephew’s problems seemed to mount after he moved to California, where his mother had moved after remarrying. Art Krebs said: “I think things went haywire down there.” Art Krebs said although Rex Krebs never returned to Idaho, his father visited California at least once. Art Krebs said the family was no stranger to violence and stated that one of his brothers was murdered in Vancouver, Wash., and a sister was murdered in Spokane, without providing details of either case. Art Krebs said: “We've suffered a lot of pain and agony for the family.”

Rex Krebs’ father, Allan Krebs, faced trial for a drug-trafficking case in northwestern Montana. Deputy Lincoln County Attorney Bob Slomski said Krebs’ father was facing trial. Bob Slomski said Krebs’ father was “suspected of possessing methamphetamine and marijuana for sale.” Bob Slomski said: “He remains free on $75,000 bail.”

The offence

On the night of November 12, 1998, in San Luis Obispo, California, college student Rachel Newhouse walked home alone when a stranger appeared wearing a skull-face Halloween mask. The attacker beat her unconscious with his fists, threw her into his pick-up truck, and took her to his secluded canyon cabin, where he raped her while still wearing the mask. Newhouse was hog-tied and left to strangle to death.

In 1999, in the same town, Aundria Crawford, a college student aged 20, was attacked by a stalker shadowing her. He broke into her apartment, pummeled her into insensibility, and carried her away in his truck to his canyon lair. There, Crawford was raped, tortured, and murdered.

Krebs was identified as the prime suspect in the deaths of two young San Luis Obispo women.

Investigation

A Parole officer David Zaragoza paid a visit to Rex Allan Krebs. After sending Krebs back to jail for violating his parole, Zaragoza discovered Crawford’s eight ball keychain on the premises. An intensive search of the canyon discovered the two bodies buried in shallow graves on the rapist’s property.

Police said murder charges were imminent.

In the immediate aftermath, Human remains had been found on the property of a convicted rapist who had become the “sole suspect” in the deaths of two missing college students in San Luis Obispo. The statement that he had become the “sole suspect” and that murder charges were imminent was part of police accounts in April 1999.

Arrest

Krebs had been in custody since March 20 on possession of a simulated weapon and alcohol—both parole violations.

In June, Krebs was under arrest as the suspect in two violent sexual attacks in the South County.

Trial

A jury answered Krebs’ question in May 2001, sentencing him to death by lethal injection. When Krebs conceded, he said: “If I am not a monster, then what am I?”

Sentencing

Krebs was sentenced to death on May 11, 2001.

Appeals

No appeal information was provided.

Outcome

Aftermath

In 1999, investigators discovered human remains on Krebs’ property, and the two bodies were found buried in shallow graves.

Timeline

• 1984 — Krebs received a felony grand theft conviction for stealing a car and some cassettes in Nez Perce County, Idaho.
• 1987 — Krebs completed 8 months probation before moving to Grover Beach, California; he was sentenced in October 1987 to 20 years in prison.
• 1987-11-03 — Krebs started his term at the California Institution for Men at Chino.
• 1997-09-02 — Krebs was paroled.
• 1997 — Krebs completed 10 years of a 20-year sentence and was paroled.
• 1998-11-12 — Krebs attacked college student Rachel Newhouse in San Luis Obispo; Newhouse was beaten, raped, hog-tied, and left to strangle to death.
• 1999 — Krebs attacked college student Aundria Crawford in the same town; Crawford was raped, tortured, and murdered.
• 1999-03-20 — Krebs was in custody on possession of a simulated weapon and alcohol—both parole violations.
• 1999-03-11 — In the same town, a stalker shadowing college student Aundria Crawford broke into her apartment, pummeled her, and carried her to his canyon lair where she was raped, tortured, and murdered.
• 2001-05-11 — Krebs was sentenced to death.

Other details

Krebs initially pleaded not guilty to charges of rape, sodomy, assault with the intent to commit rape, an attempted rape and three burglaries. In August, he changed his plea to no contest. Court transcripts indicated he had also been convicted of a misdemeanor sex offense in an unspecified jurisdiction outside the county.

Krebs was chased out of town and registered as a sex offender in 1997. Jamie Hurly and David Sneed were named in connection with reporting of April 24, 1999.

Krebs had spent more than 11 of the past 15 years in custody.

Police said Krebs had not been arrested for crimes related to the cases of the dead women, and instead he had been in custody since March 20 on possession of a simulated weapon and alcohol—both parole violations.

Police identified Krebs as the prime suspect; he became the “sole suspect” in the deaths of two missing college students in San Luis Obispo.

Police say murder charges were imminent, but the information provided focused on his later sentencing to death in May 2001.