Vender Duncan

Over the ensuing months, he attempted to have his sentence commuted by appealing both to the Supreme Court of California and Governor Pat Brown, both of whom refused to do so. His death sentence was confirmed on May 25, 1959, when the SCOTUS refused to hear to his final appeal. As a result, Duncan was executed in the gas chamber at San Quentin State Prison on May 29, 1959.

Duncan's trial on April 15, 1958, with the prosecutors deciding to charge him solely for the 1955 murders. Contradicting his previous statements, he entered a double plea of not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity. As per a new state law, there would be additional hearings to determine whether he was sane and thus eligible to receive the death penalty. After 11 days, Duncan was found guilty on all charges by jury verdict and soon after, sentenced to death.

On April 5, 1957, Duncan was in the Grove Street area when he came across 68-year-old Ada Romig, an elderly pensioner who lived nearby. He then attacked her in a vacant lot, repeatedly beating and smashing a brick in her face, before dragging her to nearby Fulton Street. After hurling her body over a brick wall, Duncan continued dragging Romig until he found another vacant lot, where he left her. The semi-conscious woman was left lying in serious condition until a passer-by spotted her and alerted the authorities. Romig, who suffered a fractured skull and numerous bruises, was quickly driven to the hospital, remaining in critical condition until she finally succumbed to her injuries six days later. She was only able to provide a partial description of her attacker, describing him as "about 40" and with dark hair.

On January 9, 1955, Duncan was walking through California Street when he spotted a second-floor apartment. After climbing up the fire escape, he peeked through the window, where he saw 82-year-old tailor Marceline Herdlick counting some money. Duncan then entered through the window, intending to attack her. Fearing that he might get caught, Duncan hit her in the face, causing the woman to fall to the ground. He then choked her to death before proceeding to copulate with her corpse. After assuring that Herdlick was dead, he then searched through the drawers in an attempt to find any money or valuables, before leaving. On his way, he accidentally dropped a small desk radio, which was left lying on the fire escape.

Vender Lee Duncan (February 18, 1928 – May 29, 1959) was an American serial killer, rapist and burglar who attacked and sexually assaulted elderly women in San Francisco, California from 1955 to 1957, fatally injuring three of them. Following an arrest for a burglary, he confessed to all his crimes, was convicted for two and eventually executed at the San Quentin State Prison in 1959.

Vender Lee Duncan was born on February 18, 1928, in Sinclair City, Texas, a small unincorporated town in Smith County. A troubled youth who often got into fights, he lost an eye at age 17 and later served a sentence for attempted murder after stabbing a man 24 times. At an indeterminate point in his life, he drifted towards San Francisco with his common-law wife, Helen Green, working as a house painter to make ends meet. When this proved insufficient, he started burglaring into houses, frequently preying on dwellings inhabited by the elderly and sometimes raping them.