School Teacher – Rita Curran (24) – was brutally attacked, raped and murdered (via strangulation) whilst she slept in her own bed (late at night) on the 19th of June, 1971, in her Brooks Avenue Apartment situated in Burlington. Vermont. At the time, the local Police were at a loss as to who might have perpetuated such a hideous crime. This case is considered one of the oldest (over 50 years) to be solved by DNA analysis and forensic geneaology. I have been asked to investigate the claims made by the Police that William DeRoos was a (Theravada) Buddhist monk in Thailand – and that he travelled to Thailand to be ‘Ordained’ into the Sangha more or less immediately after committing this hideous (opportunistic) murder.
I have checked to see if I can find any mention of a Westerner (named ‘William DeRoos’) being ‘Ordained’ into the Thai Buddhist Sangha between 1971-1974 within Thai language sources – and cannot find any evidence. This does not necessarily negate this narrative, as even today Buddhist monasteries seldom keep Western-style written records. This is because the historical Buddha could not read or write and these skills did not feature in the system he originally established (but a later development in the Vinaya Discipline does suggest that ‘Nuns’ should learn these arts). Generally speaking, in the decades prior to the 1970s, Westerners ‘Ordaining’ made a far bigger splash and quite often ended-up being recorded by Western news networks! This was not the case regarding William DeRoos – but if he ‘Ordained’ in a remote area then very little would have been said – although the general habit was for Westerners to head to where other Westerners had already established a practice.
The idea that William DeRoos became an ‘Ordained’ Buddhist monk AFTER he murdered Rita Curran originates through the recollections of his former (first) wife – Michelle DeRoos (AKA Kylas Nagaarjuna) – although this woman did NOT know he had committed this murder. I have accessed the full Police report (linked below) which includes the transcripts of interviews involving both of the ex-wives of William DeRoos. These two interviews occurred in 2022 – but I assume that there were earlier versions not included in this (final) Report because the content they contain either contradicted or deviated away from the scenario the Police intended to establish. The problem is that William DeRoos does not come across as the usual psychopathic killer – and instead tends to avoid drugs and smoking – despite his counter-cultural lifestyle. The Police had to establish that he ‘smoked’ – at least occasionally – and that he died of an overdose of morphine (a pain-killer for ailments such as cancer) but give no context for this ‘overdose’. The narrative the Police want to establish is that William DeRoos was a ‘drug-taker’ – when all the evidence points in the other direction.
William DeRoos may well have been ‘ill’ when he was taking morphine – but the Police do not pursue this line of enquiry because it could undermine the narrative they are building if true. Whatever the case, the details certainly do NOT absolve William DeRoos from his hideous actions. I say this assuming the DNA evidence is correct and the narrative established by the Police is correct – as there has been no trial and assessment of the evidence the Police are presenting. One interesting point of departure from expected logic is that William DeRoos frequented the famous San Fransico ‘Zen Center’ (I wish Americans would spell my language correctly) – which teaches the Japanese Zen Buddhism (of Mahayana) – but he ultimately chose to travel to Thailand to practice the very different ‘Theravada’ School of Buddhism! Most non-Buddhist Westerners (such as the Vermont Police) would possess NO knowledge of this inconsistency – and yet here it is in black and white.
The Vermont Police appear to be attempting to build a ‘racist’ narrative which associates hedonistic drug-taking with the practice of Buddhism. The idea is that ‘drugs’ and ‘Buddhism’ are ‘violent’ and ‘defiant’ of all the norms of Western civilisation – and this is ‘why’ Rita Curran was killed! I would suspect that spaced-out hippies are the least likely of anyone to commit violent crime and that the ‘White’ (conservative) Police are a little confused in their narrative building. If William DeRoos did commit this murder (and the DNA evidence does support this hypothesis) – then he committed this crime because he possesses some type of mental and behavioural ‘illness’ – and not because he chose to align himself with the peaceful and wisdom producing teachings of the Buddha. As for drug-taking – there is no evidence of this at all until much later in his life – the reason for which I would suspect some sort of painful ‘illness’. As always – think for yourself when weighing-up the evidence.
William Richard DeRoos was born on December 14th, 1939 – in Chicago, Illinois – to parents William Henry DeRoos (1912-2004) and Lois Lyle DeRoos (1913-1940). William DeRoos passed away on August 7th, 1986 – aged 46 in San Francisco, California.
Detective Tremblay Interview with Michelle DeRoos (AKA Kylas Nagaarjuna)
96. “On September 27, 2022, at approximately 1311 hours, Detective Chenette and I met with Kylas Nagaarjuna (AKA Michelle Roach) at the Eugene, Oregon, Police Department. Kylas arrived on her own freewill based on a predetermined meeting time she arranged with Detective Chenette. It should be noted that Kylas had previously changed her name from Michelle Roach, and that her name was Michelle Roach at the time of the murder in 1971. For ease of reading, she will be referred to as Kylas for this report. 97. The conversation between Detective Chenette, Kylas, and me was audio recorded. 98. Throughout our interview, Kylas advised that her memory of exact timelines was not always going to be accurate in that the incident took place over 50 years prior. Kylas’ timeline was based on approximate estimations. 99. Kylas advised that she grew up in Woodstock, NY, and went to Nursing School at Hunter College in New York City where she received a Bachelor’s Degree approximately in 1969. Kylas stated that she began working as a public health nurse in Boston for a while before going out to San Francisco, CA. Kylas said that she met “Bill DeRoos” at the Zen Center in San Francisco in approximately 1970. Page 27 of 34 100. Kylas advised that she lived with DeRoos in two separate apartments in San Francisco, with one being near the Zen Center, and the other being in Chinatown. She stated they began dating and were both into the “Buddhist scene.” Kylas described DeRoos as a tall man, who was approximately 7 years older than her, greenish colored eyes, a great storyteller, and missing a portion of his left pinky finger. Kylas stated that she never met any of DeRoos’ family, but that he stated he was 1 of 7 boys and that his Mother was an avid horse rider. She didn’t recall DeRoos ever mentioning his Father. Kylas recalled DeRoos telling her that he had been to prison twice in California, once for Armed Robbery where he served 2-3 years of jail time. Kylas stated that DeRoos never brought up being in the armed services. 101. Kylas could not recall any previous employment for DeRoos, but stated that he had told her that he dreamed of opening his own barbershop. Kylas also believed that DeRoos had been married previously to a woman from South America, possibly Argentina, but Kylas had never met her. 102. Kylas said that her ties to Burlington, VT, came from her family moving there in approximately 1965 or 1966. She stated her Father was the plant manager at IBM and that she remembered them living in a yellow colored house located at 500 South Willard St, Burlington, VT. 103. Kylas advised that she broke up with DeRoos while still in San Francisco, but couldn’t recall the details as to why. She stated that she did not feel afraid of DeRoos, as he had never been physically abusive toward her. She also said that DeRoos did not drink alcohol or use drugs, as he was a “serious Buddhist.” 104. Kylas stated that she moved to Burlington and into her parents’ house during the spring of 1971. She advised that DeRoos came out to Burlington a few months after. Kylas stated that he showed up unexpectedly, but could not recall the specific details. She stated that her parents met DeRoos and were “not thrilled” about her dating him. Kylas said that her parents ended up moving to Knowlton, British Columbia, a short time later and that is when she and DeRoos moved to the apartment on Brookes Ave in Burlington, VT. Detective Chenette showed Kylas a photograph of 17 Brookes Ave and she recognized it as the apartment they lived in, specifically she recalled needing to walk up stairs to access their apartment. She recalled there being a slanted ceiling, a bed by the window, kitchen on the opposite side, and it being an undivided “studio” space, with a bathroom in a separate area. 105. Kylas stated that she and DeRoos were married, which was determined to be on July 5, 1971 in Burlington, VT, based on their marriage license. 106. Kylas stated that she did not recall knowing any of the neighbors at the apartment or going to any parties. She recalled hanging out with her brother and his friends mostly, and did not really interact with the neighbors. She stated that she could not recall her or DeRoos ever being Page 28 of 34 in any of the other apartments under any circumstance. Kylas believed that DeRoos had some sort of dishwashing job at the time and believed it to be a daytime job as she recalled sleeping in the same bed together. She recalled that she was not working because DeRoos did not want her to work, but instead wanted her to be pregnant. Kylas specifically recalled DeRoos putting a nail through a diaphragm and hanging it above the front door to indicate how serious he was about having kids. Kylas reiterated that DeRoos stated his dream was to open up a barbershop in Burlington and have a family, including children, with her. 107. Kylas was then shown a photograph of Rita Curran prior to the incident. Kylas advised that she was beautiful but did not recognize her. 108. We then discussed what Kylas recalled on the morning after the murder. She stated that she remembered Police coming to her door and stating that someone “had been hurt pretty bad.” Kylas recalled having to get out of bed to answer the door when Police arrived. After Police left, she stated that DeRoos told her not to mention that he was not at home at the suspected time of the murder. DeRoos told her that because he had a previous criminal record, that the Police would try to accuse him of it. 109. Kylas stated that on the night of the murder, she and DeRoos got into a “quarrel,” though she could not recall what it was in regards to. In response to the quarrel, she stated that DeRoos went for a “cool down walk” and left the apartment. She stated that she may have gone to bed, and wasn’t sure how long DeRoos was gone for. She advised that she remembered sleeping in the same bed as him that night and couldn’t recall if they had sex that evening or not. Kylas didn’t recall anything out of the ordinary, such as wounds, scrapes, etc. on DeRoos or him acting any differently. She stated that if she saw something indicating that DeRoos had been involved she would have “quietly gone to Police.” 110. Kylas advised that she could not recall what DeRoos was wearing that evening and wouldn’t know if he had disposed of any clothes. Kylas did not believe that they had a washer/dryer in their apartment but couldn’t recall where they normally did laundry. 111. Kylas could not recall specifics regarding her follow-up interview with Police, but stated that she probably would have “covered” for DeRoos based on their previous conversation about his criminal record being motive for Police to accuse him. Kylas stated that the thought crossed her mind that DeRoos could have committed the murder, but said that it was “inconceivable” because he would have no reason to do that. She advised that she never directly asked DeRoos if he committed the murder. 112. Kylas stated that DeRoos smoked cigarettes but she did not. She could not recall what brand specifically DeRoos would have smoked and the brand of Lark cigarettes didn’t mean anything to her. Page 29 of 34 113. Kylas stated that DeRoos moved to Thailand a short time after the incident, but could not recall exactly when that was. She stated that she and DeRoos had an understanding that she would also move to Thailand sometime in the future. When asked why they didn’t travel together as they were recently married Kylas seemed confused and stated she didn’t know. She repeated, “why didn’t we go together,” then suggested maybe it was because they only had enough money for one of them to go. 114. Kylas stated she thought she briefly moved to another apartment in Burlington following the murder, and she started working as a nurse out of necessity because she needed a source of money. 115. Kylas believed she arrived to Thailand in March 1972, and that DeRoos was a monk at that time. She stated that DeRoos “disrobed” (lost his status as monk) and they traveled Thailand for a couple weeks. She stated that they returned and DeRoos once again became a monk, with her becoming a nun. She stated that they never had much of a relationship after that because it was against the rules. 116. Kylas stated she stayed in Thailand for approximately a year and a half. Prior to her leaving, she said that DeRoos left Thailand and went to another county, but she could not recall which one. She stated that DeRoos approached her with his plan to leave and asked her for money to finance his trip without inviting her along. She stated she refused to provide him any money and that was the last time she saw him or communicated with him in any way. Kylas advised that she never even got a divorce signature from him but instead had to go through a lawyer to get an official divorce. 117. Kylas again reiterated that she couldn’t recall ever having a conversation with anyone in the household at Brookes Ave, let alone go into any of the other apartments. Kylas stated, “we had no relations with those people. Why would he do that? Never asked for a cup of sugar, nothing.” 118. Kylas became very emotional towards the end of our conversation but provided photographs of both herself and DeRoos from the time that they were together. With Kylas’ permission, I took photographs of the physical photographs that she had brought to the interview. 119. This concluded our interview with Kylas.”
Detective Tremblay Interview with Sarah Hepting
121. “On September 29, 2022 at approximately 2016 hours, Detective Chenette and I met with Sarah Hepting and her husband, Jim, at a predetermined restaurant of her choosing outside of Denver, Colorado. Sarah was identified as a previous wife of DeRoos, with marriage records showing them married in San Francisco, CA, on 11/19/1974. Her previous name was Sarah Bowling Edmunds. Our conversation was audio recorded. 122. Sarah advised that she was born in Washington D.C. and that her Father was in the Air Force so she and her family moved around quite a bit. She stated that she attended St Andrews College in North Carolina, and approximately during her junior year she started doing the “hippy thing.” Sarah stated that she moved to Boulder, CO, in 1974 and further intensified her “hippy lifestyle” before getting a ride to San Francisco in July of 1974. 123. Sarah recalled living in a “Zen flat” which was located just two blocks from the “Zen Center” in San Francisco. Sarah said that she met DeRoos at the flat and advised she knew him by a nickname he went by, “Dutch.” Sarah described DeRoos as approximately 6’00 tall, slender, short auburn brown hair, and recalled him commonly wearing a hat. When asked, Sarah stated that DeRoos may have been missing a finger but wasn’t sure. She stated that DeRoos lived on the same floor at the flat as her and showed an interest in her, requesting to spend one-onone time together. She advised they had common interests such as meditation and bicycle riding. DeRoos told her about being previously married and traveling to Thailand but never explained why he left Thailand. She advised that DeRoos never brought up other family or if he had any kids, and could not recall if he brought up being in the armed forces. 124. Sarah stated that she and DeRoos were married in October or November of 1974 (as previously mentioned they were married on 11/19/1974). She stated that she was very insecure at the time and that they never established their relationship and if they were exclusive. 125. Sarah advised that DeRoos was fairly mild mannered typically, but that there were a couple instances that were concerning to her. She described living with DeRoos and having a mutual friend, “Ophelia,” visiting them. Sarah said that while all three of them were seated and talking amongst each other, DeRoos pulled out a large pocket knife that he typically carried on him. Sarah said that without provocation, DeRoos stabbed Ophelia in the side and demonstrated a poking motion. Sarah stated that they had been talking normally and were not in any kind of argument so she was not sure what caused the outburst. Sarah advised that Ophelia went to the Hospital and that she wasn’t aware of anyone calling the Police regarding the incident. Police did arrive to their apartment though, and DeRoos was arrested. Sarah recalled him leaving in a Police car and she assumed he went to jail that night. Page 31 of 34 126. Sarah advised that DeRoos returned to their apartment the next day and acted as if nothing had happened. She stated that DeRoos inquired if he had stabbed her (Sarah) and she informed him that he had stabbed Ophelia. She said that DeRoos then went about his business, they never discussed the incident any further and that he didn’t seem to show any remorse for what had happened. 127. Sarah also recalled an incident in which DeRoos had strangled her to the point where she nearly lost consciousness. She stated that the two of them were drinking and she could not recall a specific disagreement, but stated that DeRoos would often go on “rants” and she wouldn’t talk back to him. Sarah stated that she never really stood up for herself and felt very insecure within the relationship. She advised on this particular occasion, DeRoos became physically abusive, using both of his hands to strangle Sarah. 128. Sarah stated that DeRoos purchased an AR-15 firearm during a camping trip possibly in 1976. She believed this occurred in Sacramento. Sarah stated that she believed DeRoos was arrested by “the Feds” for the purchase and was gone 5-7 days, during which she believed him to be in jail. She reiterated that DeRoos once again did not really discuss the incident after returning. 129. Sarah advised that DeRoos never mentioned specifics about living in Vermont, and she couldn’t recall if he ever brought it up at all. 130. Sarah further described DeRoos as a “guru” and that he was a very influential speaker. She advised that he had a “power over people. Mental hypnosis almost.” She described herself as a “lost hippy” who was under his influence. Sarah recalled DeRoos smoking cigarettes but could not recall what brand. She stated he also used cocaine occasionally and possibly intravenous drugs, but then stated that they really didn’t have any money for hard drugs. She stated that DeRoos drank alcohol heavily and believed he took Thorazine. 131. Sarah described further travel throughout California with DeRoos after they were married. She stated that they moved into multiple apartments together, and got a car at one point, which she described as a beige-colored Plymouth Duster. She advised that neither she nor DeRoos were working at the time, and were living off welfare and SSI. Sarah advised that she and DeRoos traveled from Sacramento, CA, to Eureka, CA, and stayed at the Triangle Motel for approximately six months. Sarah advised that one day she went out for a bike ride and when she returned she found DeRoos in bed with another woman. She believed this was in June/July of 1978. She stated she left that day without DeRoos. 132. Sarah stated she began seeing a new man in approximately September of 1978 and was living with him around that time. She advised that one day DeRoos showed up at their house without notice. She stated that he was not confrontational but described him as acting “weird.” Sarah said DeRoos stayed for less than a day and then left and she did not see him again. She Page 32 of 34 described feeling uneasy about DeRoos showing up because she did not know how he got information related to where she was living. 133. This concluded our interview with Sarah.”
Rita Curran (19.6.1971) Murder Data Research:
William Richard DeRoos Genealogical Data Research:
https://www.myheritage.com/names/william_deroos
https://www.weremember.com/william-deroos/2q2w/memories
– aged 46 in San Francisco, California.
Rita Curran (19.6.1971) Murder Data Research:
William Richard DeRoos Genealogical Data Research:
https://www.myheritage.com/names/william_deroos
https://www.weremember.com/william-deroos/2q2w/memories
THE SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 