In November of 1978, Marjaree Mason was kidnapped, raped and murdered by her ex-boyfriend, a Fresno County sheriff's deputy.

The murder marked the end of a downward spiral of events that started on a Wednesday:

Marjaree's ex-boyfriend showed up where she worked, at the National Economic Development Association, and told her he was planning a party for her graduation from Fresno State.

Marjaree told him she didn't want a party, and to leave her alone.

Marjaree's ex, 26-year-old Robert Tillman, stood 6'3" and weighed 230 pounds. He was a body builder and a black belt in Karate. He had been with the sheriff's department about three years, and was assigned as a court bailiff.

Marjaree told investigators Tillman was upset after she told him to leave her alone.

That night, according to Marjaree's account, Tillman showed up at her home, beat and raped her. Marjaree told investigators Tillman then took her to his home, tied her up with electrical tape, gagged her, and left her in a closet.

She managed to crawl out of the closet, work loose her gag, and wake up Tillman's roommate. She asked the roommate for help, but Tillman returned and dragged her back into his bedroom.

Marjaree said Tillman stayed outside the room, talking to the roommate for a few minutes, then came in, raped her again, handcuffed her to him, and fell asleep.

The next day, Thursday:

According to Marjaree's account, Tillman woke her up at 5:30 a.m. and took her home, telling her he had to go to work.

Scared, and utterly confused by the events of the past day, Marjaree didn't know what to do. She did not want to report the incident.

On Friday:

Some friends finally convinced Marjaree to go to the hospital.

At Valley Medical Center, Marjaree told hospital personnel she had been beaten and raped, and hospital officials notified Fresno County sheriff's deputies.

Still hesitant to file charges against her ex-boyfriend, Marjaree told investigators she just wanted Tillman to resign from the sheriff's department, and seek psychiatric treatment.

Investigators reportedly advised Marjaree to stay away from her home in Easton, and to go to the sheriff's office on Monday morning.

Tillman was not at work on Friday because of the Veterans Day Holiday, and investigators said they were unable to reach him at his home. They decided to wait until he came to work on Monday to confront him with Marjaree's accusations. Unfortunately, this decision would prove fatal.

On Monday Morning:

At 8:41 a.m., a call came in to the sheriff's office from Marjaree. She said she was handcuffed and needed help, and then the phone went dead.

Fifteen minutes after the call, deputies arrived at Marjaree's home where they found signs of a forced entry and a telephone that had been ripped off a wall.

About an hour later, two detectives and a patrol sergeant arrived at Tillman's home. According to their account, there was no response at the door, so they instructed the sheriff's office communications center to telephone Tillman's home. From outside Tillman's home, they could hear the phone ringing with no answer.

Suddenly, detectives heard a noise inside the home. They knocked at the front door, heard the sound of someone running inside the home, then four gunshots in rapid succession.

At the sound of the gunshots, the patrol sergeant blasted the front door with a shotgun, blowing away the lock; then he and the detectives entered the residence.

In a back bedroom, they found Marjaree, naked and gagged, a pair of handcuffs locked around one wrist, and another pair attached to one ankle. She had been shot three times in the head; the fourth shot, Tillman saved for himself.

Marjaree Mason was 36 years old.