Linda, Gerald and Deborah Bricca:1966, Bridgetown, Cincinnati, Ohio

    

   Gerald, Linda and four year old  Deborah Bricca lived at 3381 Greenway, Cincinnati, Ohio. That’s in a western suburb of Cincinnati called Bridgetown. They had only been in town three years. The neighborhood was only about ten years old. It was a desirable neighborhood to live in. It was quiet and neighbors often had backyard barbecue parties. 

   Sunday September 25th, 1966 was a rainy day. 

   Gerry Bricca worked on Sunday September 25th, 1966.  He often worked on Sundays. 

He took the garbage out to the curb sometime between 9 and 10 p.m. The rain had let up for a little while. He spoke with a neighbor briefly then. 

   Linda Bricca’s Dad called her on that Sunday night around 10 p.m.  He said it was a normal conversation. He wanted to tell her about an upcoming vacation that he and Linda’s Mom were getting ready to take the next day. 

  No one heard or noticed the dogs barking on Sunday night or Monday morning. The indoor dogs typically barked a lot. 

  On Monday morning a neighbor noticed the Bricca's outdoor and interior lights on at 6 a.m. It seemed odd to him that so many lights were on that early. 

  Gerald’s boss called at 6:30 a.m. when Gerald Bricca failed to meet him at the airport for a business trip. No one answered at the house. He might have just decided to worry about Gerald’s absence later. He had a plane to catch after all. 

  The dogs were locked in a downstairs room. By late Monday and Tuesday the dogs were barking quite a bit. 

  The murderer used a weapon that he found at the house. He didn’t bring one. 

  Mr. Bricca did not go to work on Monday September 26th or Tuesday September 27th.

  Newspapers had piled up. But the Monday morning paper was missing. Had the killer taken it when it was delivered around 2 a.m.?

   By Tuesday neighbors were worried enough by the dogs barking and the newspapers piling up that they went knocking. Two men, Richard Myers and Richard Janszen noticed that the front door was closed but not locked. The doorknob was loose to the touch. As soon as they opened the door they smelled the odor of decomposition. They called Linda’s name several times. They thought they could see a leg and on the floor of the bedroom. They left quickly and called the Sheriff’s office. 

   Linda and Gerald were found in their bedroom lying on the floor. Linda was found on top of Jerry. 

   Linda Bricca had been raped and stabbed in the chest. The bodice of her nightgown was ripped. 

  Gerry Bricca had two men’s socks stuffed in his mouth. He was also stabbed in the chest. Tape residue was found on his face. 

   This is a killer who is not averse to looking his victims in the eyes. 

   Four year old Deborah Bricca was stabbed in the back several times. The knife went all the way through her torso. This is a killer with no qualms about killing a child. Why in the back?  She was found “at the front of her bed” on the floor. Had she hidden under the bed and been pulled out? She had on a nightgown and one red sock. Her other sock was found in the relatively undisturbed bed clothes. She was facedown and her arms and legs were outstretched. 

   There were no signs of forced entry. Some theorize that this means that someone in the Bricca family opened the door for a familiar person. But, the unlocked doors may not mean anything. Many people did not lock their doors in those days until they went to bed for the night. 

   Drawers were pulled open in almost every room. But nothing much appeared to be taken. Money, however, appeared to be taken from Gerry’s wallet.

   The knife was taken from a meat carving set kept on the dining room hutch. It was taken from the scene by the killer.  

   Gerald and Linda had marks that indicated they had been bound. Their wrists appeared to have been tied behind their backs. But the bindings were removed after death and the killer took them with him. Gerald’s mouth had been taped with medical tape and that was also removed. A small piece remained on his face though. (Later testing would show it to be medical tape. Most people had that in their medicine cabinet.) 

  Gerald and Linda each had a penetrative head wound that was found not to have been caused by the knife. Those wounds aren’t described in any more detail in the newspapers. 

   The medical examiner did feel that the killer was left handed. 

   The medical examiner found semen was present in the body of Linda Bricca. He did not rule this as a rape because there were no injuries or signs of a violent rape. He felt she could have had consensual sex earlier in the evening. Gerald Bricca was found not to be the contributor of that semen. To me, this doesn’t rule out rape by the murderer. It could be that the murderer had already tied up and injured Gerald. The murderer could have threatened to kill Debbie if Linda did not cooperate. Linda might have complied with his demands for sex in order to try to save Debbie. 

   (I think this killer just wanted to kill. He wanted to kill a perfect little family. I think this killer also committed the 1969 Dumler-Wilson murders in Cincinnati. In both crimes the bindings were taken away from the crime scene. Both families were young with children. I think the Dumler children were spared because they didn’t wake up. I think Debbie Bricca was killed because she woke up and went to her parents room, saw the killer and ran to hide under her bed. He had to eliminate her because she could possibly identify him.)

   Many other articles about this murder case look deeply at Linda’s infidelity with a local Veterinarian. Linda worked at this Vet’s office. I just don’t see him as the murderer.  Maybe. Hopefully DNA testing can take place that can solve this case once and for all. 

  I think this killer might have been inspired by the murders of the Clutter family detailed in the 1965 book “In Cold Blood” by Truman Capote. 

  Gall was found guilty in 1978 of the 1977 rape and stabbing murder of 11 year old Beth Ann Mote in Dayton. He stabbed her in the chest. He was also found guilty of the 1977 rape and murder of Lisa Janson and the murder of a Kentucky policeman. They were shot to death. He had abducted Lisa Janson from Cincinnati and killed her in Kentucky.

   I don’t think he began killing in 1977. I think he had been getting away with killing for a long time. 

Eugene William Gall Jr. circa 1963

  I believe he was the killer of Jessica Minter and Beverly Jarosz in 1964. Both opened the door to a stranger who killed them. I think that stranger was Eugene William Gall Jr. wearing his Dad’s postal service uniform pretending to have a package that needed a signature to receive. 

  If he killed those two young girls in 1964, maybe he was eager to try a more complicated home invasion and murder. 

   In 1964, Gall lived in Hillsboro with his parents.

  (In 1970, Gall was regularly stalking and raping women and girls around Lima, Ohio and earned the nickname “The Friday Night Rapist”. He lived in Middletown then. It’s north of Cincinnati.)

  This is a senseless killing and I believe that it is the work of a senseless killer. 

   I hope that investigators will compare any evidence they have to the DNA of Eugene William Gall Jr. 

   If you have a tip about the murders of the Bricca family please submit a tip to the link below: https://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Files/Law-Enforcement/Investigator/Cold-Case/Homicides/Bricca-2