Gerald Mason murder of two police officers in 1957

Only a few Forensic Files cases go back as far as this one. By the time police got their fingerprint match in 2002, Gerald Mason was 70 years old. I can recall one other case that remained cold for decades, but not quite as long – the 1969 case of Diane Maxwell in the episode Brotherly Love (s12e22). At only 25 years old, Diane was raped and murdered by a complete stranger in broad daylight. It had also been a latent fingerprint that finally helped identify her assailant.

Image credit: Episode screen capture from Forensic Files

The children of the two slain police officers provided interesting interviews for the episode. After over 40 years, everyone involved must have believed the case would forever go unsolved. And in 2002, the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) only contained 47 million fingerprints. In December 2021, it was reported to hold a whopping 162 million. While it seems most of the case's original investigators had long since retired, or as likely passed away, it was refreshing to include an interview with the latent print examiner Howard Speaks. I'm sure it pleased him to learn the case he'd obtained the only fingerprint available had finally been solved.

Drifter or predator

At the time in 1957, Gerald Mason was referred to as a "drifter" who'd made his way from Louisiana to California. Still in his early 20s, one wonders what brought Mason to California in the first place? He'd been arrested in South Carolina for burglary in 1956, so victimizing for personal gain was a line he was already willing to cross. That was seemingly his intention near El Segundo on the evening of May 22, 1957. But robbing some teens of their belongings and a vehicle took an ugly turn when Mason made the leap from burglary to sexual assault. It was said he was drinking on the night in question. But most of us hopefully don't have rape in our hearts, even when impaired by alcohol. One wonders what other crimes Mason may have committed and never held responsible for.

Image credit: Episode screen capture from Forensic Files

Gerald Mason believed he'd go to death row if convicted of the theft and sexual assault. He stated this when explaining why he'd chosen to shoot both police officers. Mason claimed to not see the red light he'd run, leading the officers to pull him over – when fleeing the scene of a rape in a stolen car full of stolen goods, one would think to drive more carefully. Then as the coward he was, Mason waited until officer Phillips' back was turned before drawing his weapon and shooting him three times. Before officer Curtis could react, Mason leveled the weapon and shot him through the squad car windshield.

A lot has changed in police procedure in the 60+ years since this occurrence. The safety of our men in blue seems to be a higher priority. First, officers seldom let the suspect exit the vehicle when stopped. Police have an advantage when all the occupants remain in the car. If outside the vehicle, one should expect to be patted down for a weapon and asked to sit on the curb or sidewalk, typically with one's legs crossed. Maintaining control of the situation is essential to ensuring each officer on duty returns home safely.

Decades-old evidence

Recovery of the vehicle stolen by Mason before it could be cleaned or destroyed was essential to the investigation. It showed that officer Phillips had been able to strike the fleeing vehicle from a prone position with three out of his six shots. Also, it was from the steering wheel that his thumb print was recovered by police. Recall that detectives were fortunate to have found two partial prints that when combined resulted in one complete thumbprint.

When entered into the IFAIS database, investigators used computer technology to "enhance" the quality of the print for comparison. If there was a defense in the case against Mason, this would've been an argument to raise. Over 20 years ago, computers were still "hocus pocus" to many people. It could've easily been argued that the investigators did more than enhance the details of the latent print. In an average juror's mind, a misunderstood computer process could easily morph one fingerprint to another. Regard the detailed explanation of computer enhancement offered by Norman Tiller in Soft Touch (s06e09). He had to explain (with aid from expert Pam Ringer) to the judge and opposing counsel each step of the process to remove the fabric pattern, leaving only left thumbprint of suspect Robert Knight. In the end, a legal precedent had been set when the judge agreed that nothing in Tiller's procedure altered the print.

Image credit: Episode screen capture from Forensic Files

It was stated that Gerald Mason's handwriting had not significantly changed in the 45 years between 1957 and 2002. This was a break for handwriting analyst Paul Edholm when comparing Mason's registration at the Shreveport YMCA to a known sample. One of Gerald Mason's downfalls was using an alias that didn't differ much from his own name. "George D. Wilson" shares several letters with Mason's real name, so Edholm had several points of reference.

This made me curious of a few things. When registering for a room at the YMCA, should Gerald Mason have chosen a fictitious name with less in common than his own? Should he have attempted to write it differently, or with his other hand? Also, the Sears company asked for no official identification and let Mason purchase a gun simply by providing a name and address, both of which were fake. And they gave it to him on the spot. Thankfully, gun control has come a long was since 1957 (but we still have quite a way to go).

The daughter of slain officer Richard Phillips was clear on her thoughts about Mason. She didn't care that he'd lived four-and-a-half decades crime-free, stating, "He's a thief, he's a rapist, and he's a murderer. He just got old." But isn't the underlying intent of the United States' prison system about reform and rehabilitation and not mere punishment? Let's suggest Mason had committed no other crimes after the murders on May 22, 1957. Giving him two life sentences was purely about punishment – no reform was needed. What are your thoughts?

Here's a lighter idea to ponder as I close: What happened with the bullet wound Mason sustained when shot by officer Phillips? The bullet supposedly entered the vehicle through the trunk, pierced the back and front seats, and struck mason below the right shoulder blade. Did investigators see the bullet hole through the driver's seat? Did he ever get this treated? If he did, how did he explain being shot in the back? Could area hospitals then (or now) have been alerted to keep an eye out for such a suspect?

Where is Gerald Mason now in 2024?

Just days before his 83rd birthday, Gerald Mason died in prison. He had served 14 years of his sentence. In 2009, six years into his stint, he was denied parole and would not be eligible again for another 15 years. He'd have been 90 by then.