On October 20, 1973, Quita Hague was found dead near some railroad tracks. Quita and her newlywed husband had been taking a walk near their home when a van pulled up with strangers inside. They forced the Hagues into the vehicle, tied them up, sexually assaulted Quita, and beat the couple unconscious. They drove to an industrial area and dragged Quita out by her hair. With a machete, they began slicing at the 28-year-old and her husband. Having nearly decapitated Quita and believing her husband to be dead as well, the men left. Quita was the first known victim of the so-called Zebra Killers, a group of racially-motivated attackers including Larry Green, Jessie Cooks, Manuel Moore, and JCX Simon, who killed at least 14 other people over the following six months, and may have killed several dozen more before Quita.