The Mechanic Who Knew Where to Look - Episode 28

The Mechanic Who Knew Where to Look: The Murders of Kay Turner and Rachanda Pickle

A highway mechanic volunteered to lead police into the Oregon woods and walked them directly to a broken watch stopped at 9:27 a.m. on Christmas Eve. He already knew exactly where to step. This investigation would take fifteen years to crack — and the answer had been standing in front of investigators from day one.

In this episode, we explore the impossible alibi that collapsed only after a divorce, a rope found in a suspect's truck carrying a missing girl's hair and blood, and a storage unit emptied the same night police made their first arrest. How does a man with a CB radio handle known to everyone at the local diner as "The Pervert" pass a polygraph, keep his freedom for over a decade, and collect victims along a single stretch of Oregon highway?

Case Details

Victim: Kay Turner, 35, Eugene office worker; Rachanda Pickle, 13, stepdaughter of the suspect.

Date: December 24, 1978 (Kay Turner); July 10, 1990 (Rachanda Pickle).

Location: Highway 20 corridor, Camp Sherman and Santiam Junction, Oregon, USA.

Case Status: John Aykroyd was convicted of Kay Turner's murder on October 6, 1993, and accepted a no-contest plea for Rachanda Pickle's murder in 2013. He died in prison in 2013. No parole was possible under the plea terms. Multiple additional Highway 20 victims remain officially unsolved.

Episode Key Points

- The broken watch found with Kay Turner's clothing had its stem knocked out, freezing the time at exactly 9:27 a.m. on December 24 — the window when John Aykroyd was the last confirmed person to see her alive.

- John's alibi for Christmas Eve was corroborated for years by Pam Beck, who later admitted she lied because her husband threatened to kill her if she told the truth.

- A rope recovered from John's truck contained Rachanda Pickle's hair and blood. John told police the rope had been used to play with kittens.

- The same night Roger Beck was arrested for Kay Turner's murder, John Aykroyd completely emptied his rented storage unit. The contents were never recovered.

Kay Turner, Rachanda Pickle, Highway 20 Oregon murders, Camp Sherman homicide, Santiam Junction missing person 1990, serial killers, true detective, homicide, investigation, forensic science, murder, criminal minds, unsolved mysteries, true crime English.