CMC grad is OC's most notorious criminal

The Orange County Register recently created a new blog dedicated the 50 most notorious crimes in the history of Orange County. With the county celebrating its 120th Anniversary, the newspaper thought it would highlight these dark parts of the county's history.

Written by Register reporter Larry Welborn, the blog generated both praise and criticism, with some readers calling it "sensational" and untimely as it was published right around the holidays.

One feature of the blog also allowed readers to vote on what they thought was the most notorious crime story in the history of the county. The top vote getter was Randy Steven Kraft, whom I wrote about here.

The Claremont McKenna College graduate is believed to have killed some 65 young men in California, Oregon and Michigan over a 13-year span. Police found a scorecard in Kraft's vehicle with 65 codified names on it.

Kraft was finally arrested on May 14, 1983 when CHP pulled him over for swerving and discovered a dead marine in his passenger seat. Many of his victims were simply shoved out of his moving vehicle on the side of the freeway, discarded like a piece of litter.

Kraft was convicted of 16 murders and sentenced to death in 1989. He is still on death row.