Although this topic has been covered before, here it shall be expanded in a little more detail, concerning the timeline of Pierre Bidou and his thoughts that he must have just passed the Lake Herman Road turnout literally minutes before the murders of David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen on December 20th 1968. This however was not the case, and his statements of not seeing any vehicles in the turnout or passing any vehicles on Lake Herman Road after his seizure of marijuana at The Cottage, is simply not relevant to the minutes before the murders. Here are a collection of statements by Pierre Bidou:
[1] 2007 documentary: "During that night we had served a search warrant at what we call The Cottage at Lake Herman which was owned by the city of Benicia, a narcotics search warrant my partner and I, we confiscated about a pound and a half of marijuana, which in the 1960's was a big drugs bust, today it wouldn't get very high on the Richter scale. We were heading back to the police department to put the marijuana into evidence and as we drove by, we did not see or observe anyone in that area, because it's a turn there and your headlights shine right in there as you go by. I was pulling into the lot in the police department, we heard the Benicia Police Department dispatch about a call of a possible shooting and victims on Lake Herman Road, and described the location. My partner and I turned around at that time and responded to the call. We felt we were only minutes from the crime scene when it actually happened and for the best of my recollection we did not pass any other vehicle or traffic. I'm pretty sure of that because that is one of the things we told the sheriff's office, that we did not see any other vehicles coming our way. What could have happened, depending on where a vehicle turned onto Lake Herman Road, if it came from behind us, from Vallejo, we would not have seen them."
[2] Benicia Herald: "Bidou and his partner had served a warrant on a Lake Herman Road cabin Dec 20 1968, and were on the way to deposit some marijuana in the police department's evidence locker, when they were dispatched back to Lake Herman Road."
[3] True Crime video with Aphrodite Jones (2010): "We had just passed here (Lake Herman Road turnout) and there was no one here. Patrols would always look here, because this was kind of known as a lovers point."
[1] 2007 documentary: "During that night we had served a search warrant at what we call The Cottage at Lake Herman which was owned by the city of Benicia, a narcotics search warrant my partner and I, we confiscated about a pound and a half of marijuana, which in the 1960's was a big drugs bust, today it wouldn't get very high on the Richter scale. We were heading back to the police department to put the marijuana into evidence and as we drove by, we did not see or observe anyone in that area, because it's a turn there and your headlights shine right in there as you go by. I was pulling into the lot in the police department, we heard the Benicia Police Department dispatch about a call of a possible shooting and victims on Lake Herman Road, and described the location. My partner and I turned around at that time and responded to the call. We felt we were only minutes from the crime scene when it actually happened and for the best of my recollection we did not pass any other vehicle or traffic. I'm pretty sure of that because that is one of the things we told the sheriff's office, that we did not see any other vehicles coming our way. What could have happened, depending on where a vehicle turned onto Lake Herman Road, if it came from behind us, from Vallejo, we would not have seen them."
[2] Benicia Herald: "Bidou and his partner had served a warrant on a Lake Herman Road cabin Dec 20 1968, and were on the way to deposit some marijuana in the police department's evidence locker, when they were dispatched back to Lake Herman Road."
[3] True Crime video with Aphrodite Jones (2010): "We had just passed here (Lake Herman Road turnout) and there was no one here. Patrols would always look here, because this was kind of known as a lovers point."
The impression that we have come to believe, is that Pierre Bidou and his partner Steve Armenta passed the turnout shortly before the murders, and on arriving at the Benicia Police Department were almost immediately dispatched back out to the double homicide. This order of events could never have happened.
The Cottage, where Pierre Bidou seized the marijuana, was not far past the turnout on the Vallejo side, with the journey time to Benicia Police Department from this location approximately 8-10 minutes.
For Pierre Bidou to have seen no vehicles in the turnout just minutes before the murders, he would at the very least had to have passed before Peggy and Homer Your, who recalled seeing the Rambler on two occasions at around 11.00 pm. Not to mention Frank Gasser, Robert Connelly, James Owen and finally Stella Borges, who passed the turnout at approximately 11.20 pm and saw the stricken couple on the turnout floor. Stella Borges raced off to Benicia to inform Officer Daniel Pitta at 11.25 pm, or thereabouts. He would then radio Benicia Police Department of a possible 187 on Lake Herman Road.
Had Pierre Bidou just literally arrived at the police department and after "pulling into the lot in the police department, had heard the Benicia Police Department dispatch about a call of a possible shooting and victims on Lake Herman Road," then this could be no later than 11.25 pm. We know the journey time from The Cottage to Benicia Police Department is around 10 minutes. This means Pierre Bidou must have passed the Lake Herman Road turnout at 11.15 pm according to his recollection of events. But we know this is not possible, he had to have passed the turnout prior to the Rambler first being spotted by the Your's at around 11.00 pm. Let us say he passed the turnout at 10.55 pm, he then would have arrived at Benicia Police Department at 11.05 pm, but couldn't have literally swung the car around and returned to the crime scene. The call from Officer Daniel Pitta was still at least 20 minutes in the making.
The Cottage, where Pierre Bidou seized the marijuana, was not far past the turnout on the Vallejo side, with the journey time to Benicia Police Department from this location approximately 8-10 minutes.
For Pierre Bidou to have seen no vehicles in the turnout just minutes before the murders, he would at the very least had to have passed before Peggy and Homer Your, who recalled seeing the Rambler on two occasions at around 11.00 pm. Not to mention Frank Gasser, Robert Connelly, James Owen and finally Stella Borges, who passed the turnout at approximately 11.20 pm and saw the stricken couple on the turnout floor. Stella Borges raced off to Benicia to inform Officer Daniel Pitta at 11.25 pm, or thereabouts. He would then radio Benicia Police Department of a possible 187 on Lake Herman Road.
Had Pierre Bidou just literally arrived at the police department and after "pulling into the lot in the police department, had heard the Benicia Police Department dispatch about a call of a possible shooting and victims on Lake Herman Road," then this could be no later than 11.25 pm. We know the journey time from The Cottage to Benicia Police Department is around 10 minutes. This means Pierre Bidou must have passed the Lake Herman Road turnout at 11.15 pm according to his recollection of events. But we know this is not possible, he had to have passed the turnout prior to the Rambler first being spotted by the Your's at around 11.00 pm. Let us say he passed the turnout at 10.55 pm, he then would have arrived at Benicia Police Department at 11.05 pm, but couldn't have literally swung the car around and returned to the crime scene. The call from Officer Daniel Pitta was still at least 20 minutes in the making.
We have a further problem if we believe the police report and the testimony of Helen Axe. She claimed the earliest sighting of the Rambler in the turnout that night. The police report stated "Miss Axe reports that she and her boyfriend, a sailor, were driving on Lake Herman Road. They passed the area of the pumping station, she recognized the Rambler and the victims, Betty Lou Jensen and David Faraday. Stated that when she went by about 10.15 pm, the car was facing in towards the gate and when she returned about 15 minutes later after having gone to the end of the road and then came back, the car was turned around and the front was facing the field, a little to the side."
She stated she saw the Rambler at 10.15 pm, and then 15 minutes later at 10.30 pm. Assuming that David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen remained in the turnout until the Rambler was next spotted at around 11.00 pm, then Pierre Bidou would had to have passed the turnout prior to 10.15 pm to actually view no vehicles present. Let us say David Faraday parked up at 10.10 pm and Pierre Bidou passed the turnout at 10.09 pm. He then would have arrived at the Benicia Police Department at 10.19 pm, over an hour prior to the reporting of the murders by Officer Daniel Pitta, dispelling the claim that he and his partner Steve Armenta "were only minutes from the crime scene when it actually happened."
If Helen Axe is mistaken, and Pierre Bidou passed the turnout at 10.55 pm, his journey to Benicia Police Department is 20 minutes too long. If Helen Axe is not mistaken, his journey to Benicia Police Department is 66 minutes too long. Either way the timeline makes no sense. So where did Pierre Bidou go after the drugs bust that night. His statements to either his superiors or to any documentary, with regards to the movement of vehicles on Lake Herman Road that night, are irrelevant to the immediate timeline around the murders if this discrepancy is not resolved, and his inference that the killer likely came from behind him, from the Vallejo end, as he passed no vehicles, is meaningless.
She stated she saw the Rambler at 10.15 pm, and then 15 minutes later at 10.30 pm. Assuming that David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen remained in the turnout until the Rambler was next spotted at around 11.00 pm, then Pierre Bidou would had to have passed the turnout prior to 10.15 pm to actually view no vehicles present. Let us say David Faraday parked up at 10.10 pm and Pierre Bidou passed the turnout at 10.09 pm. He then would have arrived at the Benicia Police Department at 10.19 pm, over an hour prior to the reporting of the murders by Officer Daniel Pitta, dispelling the claim that he and his partner Steve Armenta "were only minutes from the crime scene when it actually happened."
If Helen Axe is mistaken, and Pierre Bidou passed the turnout at 10.55 pm, his journey to Benicia Police Department is 20 minutes too long. If Helen Axe is not mistaken, his journey to Benicia Police Department is 66 minutes too long. Either way the timeline makes no sense. So where did Pierre Bidou go after the drugs bust that night. His statements to either his superiors or to any documentary, with regards to the movement of vehicles on Lake Herman Road that night, are irrelevant to the immediate timeline around the murders if this discrepancy is not resolved, and his inference that the killer likely came from behind him, from the Vallejo end, as he passed no vehicles, is meaningless.