Bride and groom slayed out of spite
One last adventure before their wedding – but they never made it down the aisle
The state of California is famous for very many things. Its stunning national parks, the glitz and glamour of Hollywood...
But for young lovers Lindsay Cutshall, 22, and Jason Allen, 26, the outdoors was always far more appealing.
In fact, Jason often joked how he never expected to marry as he couldn’t imagine meeting someone who would enjoy camping as much as he did.
But in 2002, while at Bible college, he met Lindsay.
And after just six weeks of dating, they got engaged.
Now it was August 2004 and they planned to spend the summer working at a Christian summer camp.
But before the season ended, they set off on a short road trip along California’s north coast.
Snapping photos in front of the Golden Gate Bridge and at Alcatraz Island, buying souvenirs in San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf.
And although they planned to stay in motels, they ended up camping in a small town called Jenner. Situated where the Russian River meets the Pacific Ocean, Jenner was home to just over 100 residents.
Its beach was the perfect spot for a couple who loved the outdoors.
They set up camp, even found a visitors’ book to write in.
What a wonderful life, Jason wrote. I’ve just spent two awesome days with my fiancée, Lindsay. Can life ever be so perfect?
The pair slipped into their sleeping bags on the evening of Saturday 14 August, perhaps talked about plans for their upcoming wedding.
Now just weeks away, Lindsay had chosen a white beaded gown, adorned with pink flowers.
Yet she’d never get the chance to wear it.
On the Monday morning, the couple’s families filed a missing person’s report after not hearing from them all weekend.
And just two days later, a helicopter found their bodies on that very same beach where they’d set up camp.
Their sleeping bags were stained with blood.
As police descended on the scene, it became clear that they had both been shot in the head at close range.
Two tragic murders, though police struggled to find a motive.
There was no sign of sexual assault.
And Lindsay was still wearing her jewellery – ruling out robbery.
With no clear view as to what or why this had happened, police looked at every possibility. They questioned everyone – from a local who lived in a van to a 21-year-old Wisconsin drifter.
They searched house-tohouse for the weapon, which they believed to be a .45 Marlin Model 1894 long rifle, commonly used for hunting.
They analysed graffiti found on driftwood.
And even offered a $50,000 reward (around £40,000) for anyone who had information.
Still, all leads resulted in a dead end.
Despite the lack of evidence, Sonoma County Sheriff Bill Cogbill told
It was the perfect spot for a couple who loved the outdoors
Jenner residents that they weren’t going to give up.
But soon enough, the case went cold.
Over a decade went by without any breakthroughs.
Though many members of the public came up with their own theories, the families and the police believed the case would never be solved.
That was until March 2017, when the seemingly unrelated murder of Shamus Gallon was reported to police.
Officers arrived at his home to find he’d been fatally shot.
Immediately, they arrested his older brother Shaun Gallon, then 38.
Shaun was already known to the police.
He had a long rap sheet and had previously been convicted of assault in 2009.
But what did this have to do with the murders of Lindsay and Jason?
Well, after confessing to shooting his brother in the chest and neck, Shaun said he wanted to talk about the couple on the beach.
Shaun told police he had been driving past the beach, feeling upset about the way his life was going.
He took a torch from his car to walk along the shore.
And that’s when he spotted Lindsay and Jason.
Knowing it was illegal for them to camp on the beach, Shaun said he returned to his car for a gun.
‘I was going to kill them out of spite,’ he told officers.
Though they were strangers to him, Shaun confessed to shooting Lindsay and Jason dead.
Naturally, police were initially wary of believing this sudden confession.
However, then Shaun directed police to a drinks can stashed in a bush near the scene.
And inside were the shell casings that’d been missing from the crime scene.
Armed with this new information, police were determined to get the case to court.
In May 2018, Gallon was officially charged with the murders.
He was also charged with attempted murder for an unrelated case involving a parcel bomb in June 2004.
Despite his confession, Gallon still pleaded not guilty at his preliminary hearing at the end of 2018.
But just days before the trial was due to start, in June 2019, he changed his mind.
Gallon agreed to plead no contest – where a defendant accepts conviction but does not plead or admit guilt.
And in return, the District Attorney would not seek the death penalty.
Now with no trial, all that remained was for Gallon to be sentenced.
On 15 July 2019, Judge Robert LaForge sentenced Shaun Gallon to three consecutive life terms without parole, plus another 94 years in state prison for his confessed series of crimes.
This included the murders of Lindsay Cutshall and Jason Allen, the 2017 killing of his brother and the attempted murder of a man with a bomb in Monte Rio in 2004.
‘It’s crystal clear to me you deserve to spend the rest of your life in prison – and then some,’ LaForge said.
Thankfully, after 15 years, the nightmare was over, though the hurt remained.
Lindsay’s mother Kathy attended the sentencing, bringing with her the gown her daughter was supposed to wear to marry Jason.
Showing it to their killer, she said, ‘They had a future in their marriage, they had a future with us, my grandchildren… The emptiness of this dress is what I wanted to show.’
He returned to the car for a gun, to kill them out of spite