On February 27, 1980, a quiet Berkeley cottage became the scene of a brutal and baffling crime. Al and Jeannie Mills lay lifeless in their bedroom, both shot execution-style in the head. Their teenage daughter, Daphene Mills, was barely clinging to life beside them, suffering from a similar wound. Three days later, she succumbed to her injuries.
What made this murder especially chilling wasn’t just its brutality—it was the victims’ past. The Mills family had once been devoted members of the notorious Peoples Temple, the cult led by the infamous Jim Jones. But they turned against Jones long before the infamous Jonestown Massacre of 1978, when over 900 followers perished in a mass murder-suicide in Guyana. Could their defection have made them a target for revenge? Or was the killer someone much closer to home?
Enemies of the Temple
Once known as Elmer and Deanna Mertle, Al and Jeannie Mills had been high-ranking members of Peoples Temple after joining in 1969. They were trusted by Jim Jones, even participating in his more sinister operations. According to researcher Fielding McGehee III, the couple had been instrumental in carrying out Jones’ dirty work—intercepting personal letters to use for manipulation and enforcing his harsh rules.
But their loyalty cracked when Jones refused to return three California properties they had signed over to the church. When their daughter, Linda, was viciously beaten on Jones’ orders, the Millses could no longer ignore the cruelty. By 1975, they had escaped Jonestown with their children, changed their names, and made it their mission to expose Jones’ corruption.
They formed the Berkeley Human Freedom Center and the Concerned Relatives of Peoples Temple Members, organizations dedicated to helping defectors and warning the world about Jones’ dangerous influence. They became some of Jones’ most vocal critics, which made them high-priority enemies.
A Prophecy of Death
In November 1978, at the urging of the Mills family and others, Congressman Leo Ryan traveled to Jonestown to investigate the cult. The visit ended in tragedy—Ryan and three journalists were assassinated by Jones’ gunmen. Just hours later, the Jonestown Massacre unfolded. Over 900 people, including 300 children, were forced to drink cyanide-laced Flavor Aid, marking one of the deadliest cult-related tragedies in history.
Jones himself died of a gunshot wound to the head, but before his demise, he issued an eerie warning on a final audio recording. He specifically mentioned “Deanna Mertle,” ominously declaring that his followers in San Francisco would not let their deaths be in vain.
The Mills family, already fearing retaliation, were given temporary police protection. But no hit squads came knocking—at least, not yet.
Murder or Masterful Deception?
When the Mills family was slaughtered nearly two years later, suspicions immediately turned toward Peoples Temple loyalists. Did Jones’ prophecy come true? Were his remaining followers exacting revenge?
However, Berkeley police and the FBI found no concrete evidence linking the murders to Peoples Temple. Instead, their suspicions turned to someone much closer—Eddie Mills, the 17-year-old son of Al and Jeannie.
Eddie had been home during the killings, but he told police he heard nothing. Yet forensic tests revealed gunpowder residue on his hands. Strangely, despite this damning evidence, authorities never found the murder weapon. In 1983, Eddie inherited nearly half of his parents’ $500,000 estate, but no charges were ever filed against him.
Decades later, in 2005, Eddie Mills was arrested for the murders. But just as quickly as the case was reopened, it was closed again—prosecutors dropped all charges due to a lack of evidence.
By then, Eddie had moved to Japan, leaving behind a family that continued to insist on his innocence. The case was permanently shelved, with no further attempts to revive it.
A Mystery That Fades into Silence
The brutal execution of the Mills family remains one of the most perplexing unsolved murders in American history. Was it revenge from beyond the grave, orchestrated by the lingering shadows of Peoples Temple? Or was it a cold-blooded crime committed by someone within their own home?
Whatever the truth, it’s a secret buried with time. And as years pass, the chilling echoes of that February night grow ever fainter—leaving behind only speculation, suspicion, and the ghosts of a past that refuses to be forgotten.
