CA CA - Danna Elizabeth Walsh, 16, Rio Dell, 24 August 1984

On a warm August night in 1984, Danna was fetching a cup of soda from the local Circle K convenience store in Willits CA. When she left the store, just after 2 AM, she started down the street into the ill-lit residential section. A wayfaring trucker, Jackie Ray Hovarter, who had just paused in Willits for a drink, followed her into the dark and threatened her with a knife. He walked her back to his truck, bound her hand and foot, and deposited her in its sleeper bunk.

Hovarter rolled north on Highway 101 until he was far into the lonely dark. He then pulled his 1977 Kenworth truck to the roadside and raped Danna. When he was done, he returned to the wheel and continued towards his cargo pickup at the sawmill in Eureka CA.

As he approached Eureka, he faced the problem of the sawmill's security guards noticing his kidnap victim. Hovarter strangled her to death and dropped her off the Rio Dell Bridge on 101.

Hovarter bungled his next attempt at murder, on a southbound trip on 101. Picked up on information from the girl he failed to kill, Hovarter was subsequently convicted of murdering Danna.

Findagrave website: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=21280068

“Lost Coast Highway” by Gray George, pages 348 - 363

I believe Hovarter is a likely suspect for the Francine Graham and Kerry Ann Trimble murders as well. Hwy. 20 was the main artery of a steady stream of trucks servicing both the G.P. and L.P. mills. I am quite familiar with the area as I was raised on Hwy.20. If one was driving west and stopped at the first pullout that was in heavy forest and of sufficient size for a semi truck you would be where the bodies where discovered. In his previous conviction the shipping and receiving records of the Samoa L.P. plant where used and seemed quite meticulous. Was Jackie Ray Hovarter doing runs to the fort bragg mills in December 78? And is there any shipping and receiving records either on the mill side or to where he delivered his loads that could place him there. Maybe he was later than usual to the Samoa mill which was the case with his murder conviction. I look at him as a likely suspect all hitchhiker murders along the 101 corridor from eureka to the bay area during this timeframe.

Excuse me Kerry Graham and Francine Trimble.

Would be great to cross reference all the shipping and receiving records from all the mills operating in the area and see if Hovarter can be placed on 101 during the times of murders. Sadly I think all records are lost to time as is the mills that produced them.

I like the way you think, Rickus. I am trying to use the new Emerald Triangle forum for such purposes. Will you join in that endeavor?

I will help as much as my can. Another idea regarding Hovarter it is said he was an independent contractor meaning he could have had business expenses used for tax writeoffs fuel, meals etc. If he had claimed these on his taxes he would habe needed to provided receipts which provide dates and times and potentially a way to track his movements.

Brilliant, Rickus, brilliant! But where would we find those receipts?

Jackie Hovarter is currently housed in the Humboldt County Correction Facility if I'm not mistaken. A simple glance HCSO jail reports online would verify this. I believe he is here for an appeal on one of his cases. I also remember reading online somewhere where they do believe he was the one that killed the two girls on Hwy 20 mentioned above.

I could not check whether you were mistaken or not because I can't find the HCSO jail report. It's unfortunate that you didn't provide a link. However, with Hovarter facing the kill shot in the crook of his elbow, there's bound to be an appeal.

I originally accused Hovarter of murdering Francine and Kerry here on WS. Others here concur. So you probably read the accusation right here on WS.