John Sapp

Background

John Sapp was a drifter and drug dealer.

By age 32, Sapp had spent the better part of two decades confined to state and county institutions. Following the disappearance of a girlfriend, 24-year-old Elizabeth Duarte, in 1981, Sapp was imprisoned for two years on a charge of burning her home.

The lady was still missing five years later. In May 1986 Sapp was arrested again, charged with her murder and those of two other persons.

Prosecutors named Sapp's first known victims as John Abono, 22, reported missing from his Concord, California, home in 1975. Another Concord victim, Robert Weber, 35, had been abducted, shot, and dumped in Colusa County, where his bullet-riddled body was recovered during August 1985.

Sapp’s arrest was precipitated by the discovery of a human skeleton in Butte County during April 1986, believed to be the last remains of Sapp's elderly mother. No one had seen 67-year-old Geraldine Sapp since her son moved in with her some time in 1985.

Sapp denied the murder of his mother, while confessing knowledge of her death. He said she had been killed by someone else and that he had finished off her slayer as a gesture of familial respect.

As May of 1986 wore on, authorities in Butte and Contra Costa Counties were examining more sites where Sapp reported planting corpses of his nameless victims.

The offence

Sapp was convicted in Contra Costa County Superior Court in 1991 of murdering his former girlfriend, Elizabeth Duarte; cocaine dealer Robert Weber; and marijuana buyer John Abono.

The California Supreme Court later said Sapp killed three Contra Costa County residents during a 10-year period between 1975 and 1985.

Murder of John Abono

On December 22, 1975, 22-year-old John Abono was living in Concord, Contra Costa County.

In the late afternoon, Abono and his friend Tim Bowler went to buy some marijuana from Sapp, a longtime friend of Abono’s. Bowler had given Abono $200 to $300 to buy two pounds of marijuana. Abono drove by Sapp’s house and pointed it out to Bowler, who did not know Sapp.

Bowler noticed a Volkswagen parked in front. Abono, who was driving, parked his sports car nearby. Bowler got out of the car and walked home, leaving Abono to buy the drugs.

That evening, after waiting in vain for Abono and the marijuana, Bowler drove by Sapp’s house several times. When Bowler drove by between 7:00 and 8:00 p.m. and again around 11:00 p.m., he noticed that the Volkswagen was gone but that Abono’s car was still parked on the street. Shortly after Abono’s disappearance, Concord Police Officer Richard Berendsen talked to Sapp. Sapp said he knew he was suspected of killing Abono because Abono had once “snitched” on him.

Sapp claimed that Abono had “simply left town” out of fear of Sapp, and that Abono would eventually come back.

After his April 1986 arrest for being a felon in possession of a concealable firearm, Sapp spoke with Concord Police Officer Jim Webster about killing Abono some 10 years earlier.

Sapp and Abono had been close friends for many years, but Sapp became annoyed with Abono over “bad dope deals.” Sapp explained:

“[Abono] put me in a situation of messing with heroin dealers. Just bad business. He was doing too many bad drug deals. He was lying. . . . [and] a heroin addict.”

So Sapp decided to kill Abono and did so “within a few days.”

Sapp gave these details of the murder:

• Sapp met Abono to transact a marijuana purchase.
• Abono appeared to be high on heroin.
• Sapp put a gun to Abono’s head and took him to an area near Castle Rock on Mount Diablo, Contra Costa County.
• Sapp made Abono walk for about 45 minutes to an isolated area.
• Sapp then shot Abono several times in the head.
• Initially, Sapp covered Abono’s body with brush, but he later returned with a shovel and buried the body.

The area where Sapp killed Abono was not too far from where he later killed and buried Elizabeth Duarte.

Sapp directed police officers to the area of Abono’s killing, but they did not find Abono’s body.

Investigation

Sapp was arrested in Nevada County in 1986 on a weapons charge.

The discovery of a human skeleton in Butte County during April 1986 led authorities to believe it was the last remains of Sapp’s elderly mother, 67-year-old Geraldine Sapp, who had not been seen since Sapp moved in with her some time in 1985.

Authorities in Butte and Contra Costa Counties examined more sites where Sapp reported planting corpses of his nameless victims as May 1986 progressed.

Arrest

In May 1986, Sapp was arrested and charged with the murder of Elizabeth Duarte and two other persons.

Sapp confessed to the murders after being arrested in Nevada County in 1986 on a weapons charge.

Trial

Sapp was convicted in Contra Costa County Superior Court in 1991 of murdering Elizabeth Duarte, Robert Weber, and John Abono.

Sentencing

Sapp was sentenced to death on June 21, 1991.

Appeals

On July 31, 2003, the California Supreme Court upheld Sapp’s death sentence.

The court said it unanimously rejected a series of arguments Sapp raised on appeal, including claims that his confessions were illegally obtained and that the three murder charges should have been tried separately.

The ruling was issued at the court's headquarters in San Francisco. Sapp could appeal further by filing habeas corpus petitions in state and federal court.

Outcome

The California Supreme Court unanimously upheld the death penalty of John Sapp.

Other details

John Sapp once worked at Chevron Research in Richmond.

The appeal material described Sapp’s lawyer as not immediately available for comment.

The victims identified were Elizabeth Duarte (24), John Abono (22), Robert Weber (35), and Sapp’s mother Geraldine Sapp (67).