Joseph Naso — California Serial Killer Sentenced to Death

The Case

The Joseph Naso case involves a California serial killer and rapist who was convicted in 2013 of murdering four women between 1977 and 1994. Joseph Naso, a former commercial photographer from Reno, Nevada, was 79 years old when he received the death penalty in Marin County, California. Born January 7, 1934, Naso became known in media coverage as "Crazy Joe," "the Double Initial Killer," and "the Alphabet Killer" due to the coincidental pattern that some of his victims had matching initials in their first and last names.

The case remained cold for decades until a routine probation check in 2010 uncovered disturbing evidence that linked Naso to multiple unsolved murders across California. His conviction represents one of the most chilling serial murder cases in California history, involving a predator who used his photography skills to lure and victimize women over nearly two decades.

The Crime

Naso's modus operandi was methodical and exploitative. Prosecutors established that he posed as a freelance photographer to gain the trust of women, then drugged, photographed, sexually assaulted, and strangled his victims. The photography ruse provided him both access to potential victims and a cover for his activities, as many women would not have suspected danger from what appeared to be legitimate modeling opportunities.

The murders occurred across multiple California counties over 17 years. Roxene Roggasch, approximately 18 years old, was killed in 1977 near Fairfax in Marin County. The following year, Carmen Colon, 31, became his second known victim. After a 15-year gap, Pamela Parsons was murdered in 1993, followed by Tracy Tafoya, 31, whose body was found in 1994 in Marysville, Yuba County.

Investigators believe the extended gap between murders may indicate either undetected victims or periods when Naso satisfied his violent urges through other means. The evidence suggests he meticulously documented his crimes, keeping photographs and personal items from his victims as trophies.

The Victims

The four women convicted in the Marin County case represented a cross-section of vulnerable victims. Roxene Roggasch was a young woman, barely an adult, when her life was cut short in 1977. Her body was discovered near Fairfax, beginning what would become a decades-long series of murders.

Carmen Colon, 31, was killed in 1978. The spacing and selection of victims suggested a predator who carefully chose his targets, likely women he encountered through his photography work or daily life who he believed would not be immediately missed or whose disappearances might not be connected.

Pamela Parsons became a victim in 1993, marking a resumption of Naso's killing after the long gap. Tracy Tafoya, also 31, was found in Marysville in 1994, becoming the final victim for which Naso would be convicted. Both Carmen Colon and Tracy Tafoya being the same age suggests Naso may have had specific preferences in victim selection.

Law enforcement has investigated potential connections to additional victims, including cases dating back to 1974 and a cold case involving a woman in Daly City, though these were not part of the 2013 conviction.

Investigation

The break in the case came unexpectedly in April 2010 when Nevada parole and probation authorities conducted a routine check at Naso's Reno home. Naso was on probation for petty theft at the time, giving officers legal authority to search his residence.

What they discovered was deeply disturbing: photographs of unconscious women in various states of undress, a handwritten journal that prosecutors would later describe as a "rape diary," and other evidence suggesting a long history of sexual violence. The photographs appeared to show women who had been drugged and posed while unconscious, unaware they were being photographed.

Further investigation revealed that Naso had kept mementos from his victims in a bank safe-deposit box, including additional photographs and identification items. This evidence provided investigators with crucial links to the cold cases of multiple murdered women across California.

The diary contained entries that appeared to document sexual assaults, and when cross-referenced with unsolved murder cases, investigators found compelling matches. The meticulous records Naso kept of his crimes, likely intended as private trophies, became the primary evidence that would convict him.

Trial and Verdict

Naso's trial in Marin County was notable for his decision to represent himself in court. At 79 years old, he faced four counts of first-degree murder spanning crimes committed over 17 years. The prosecution presented the photographs, diary entries, and physical evidence linking him to each victim.

The trial testimony revealed the calculated nature of Naso's crimes. Prosecutors argued that he had systematically targeted, drugged, assaulted, and murdered these women, then kept photographic records and personal items as souvenirs. The evidence of his "rape diary" proved particularly damning, providing a written record that could be matched to known victim disappearances and murders.

Despite representing himself and mounting a defense, Naso was convicted on all four counts of murder in 2013. The jury found that the evidence overwhelmingly demonstrated his guilt. Following the conviction, he was sentenced to death and remanded to California's death row.

The conviction brought closure to families who had waited decades for answers about their loved ones' deaths. However, investigators continued to examine whether Naso might be connected to additional unsolved cases, given the evidence suggesting a pattern of violence that may have begun before 1977.

Today

Joseph Naso remains on death row in California as of this writing. California has maintained a moratorium on executions, meaning Naso, now in his nineties if still living, is unlikely to face execution and will most likely die of natural causes while incarcerated.

Law enforcement agencies continue to investigate potential connections between Naso and other cold cases. Media coverage has suggested links to additional victims, and some jurisdictions have reopened old cases to determine if evidence might connect them to Naso's confirmed pattern of predation.

The case has been featured in true crime programming, including "Death Row Confidential: Secrets of a Serial Killer" on Oxygen, which examined the evidence and psychology behind Naso's crimes. His case serves as a reminder of how long serial predators can operate undetected and how seemingly routine law enforcement procedures—in this case, a probation check—can unexpectedly break open cold cases.

The investigation into Naso's full criminal history may never be complete. The photographs found in his possession included many women who have never been identified, raising troubling questions about whether additional victims exist whose cases remain unsolved or whose disappearances were never even reported.

For the families of Roxene Roggasch, Carmen Colon, Pamela Parsons, and Tracy Tafoya, the 2013 conviction provided some measure of justice, even if it came decades after their loved ones were taken from them.