Richard Allen Davis - Early Life

Early Life

Davis was born the third of five children in San Francisco. Both of his parents, Bob and Evelyn Davis, were alcoholics. His defense attorneys during his trial said that his mother was a strict disciplinarian and punished Davis for smoking by burning his hand. Davis claims to be half Native American; his maternal grandmother was a Paiute. He also claims to be of Shoshone and English descent.

The couple divorced when Davis was 11. After the divorce the children lived with their father, Bob, a longshoreman. Davis' father was sometimes unable or unwilling to care for his children, so they shuttled among family members and babysitters. Davis' father would remarry two times. Davis resented both of his stepmothers.

Bob Davis was mentally unstable and sometimes suffered from hallucinations. He is reported to have taken a gun outside the home and shot at mirages.

At an early age, Davis tortured and killed animals. According to Ruth Baron, the mother of one of Davis's childhood friends, "He would douse cats with gasoline and set them on fire. He made a point of letting people know he carried a knife, and he used to find stray dogs and cut them."

By the time he entered his teens, Davis was deeply into a life of crime. He told a psychiatrist that stealing relieved whatever "tensions" were building up inside of him. He dropped out of high school in his sophomore year.

At 17, Davis found himself in front of a judge, who told him that he could either go to the California Youth Authority or join the United States Army. He choose the latter. He received a discharge after 13 months' service.

On October 12, 1973, Davis went to a party at the home of 18-year-old Marlene Voris. That night, Voris was found dead of a gunshot wound. There were seven suicide notes at the scene, and the police concluded that she committed suicide. Friends of Voris believe Davis murdered her. In 1977 he told a psychiatrist that her death had deeply affected him and he had been hearing her voice in his head and also "At times another voice would appear, telling him that she wanted to be assaulted or robbed or raped".

A few weeks after Voris' death, Davis was arrested for attempting to pawn property he had stolen. He confessed to a string of burglaries in La Honda and served six months in the county jail. Five weeks after his release, on May 13, 1974, he was arrested for another burglary. He was sentenced to 6 months to 15 years in prison however he was released on parole after serving a year of his sentence.